Maryland to Maine: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Maine has no reciprocity agreement with Maryland. A Maryland journeyman plumber applies by endorsement.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Licensure by endorsement (32 M.R.S. §3501-C); examination if origin requirements are not substantially equivalent
The board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.
Maine has a statutory endorsement path for plumbers and no published list of signed reciprocity partners was found. Under 32 M.R.S. §3501-C the Plumbers' Examining Board must establish licensure by endorsement in accordance with 10 M.R.S. §8003-H: an applicant who holds a substantially equivalent journeyman-level license in another U.S. jurisdiction, is in good standing everywhere licensed, and pays the fee may be licensed without sitting Maine's journeyman examination, unless a jurisprudence exam is required by law or rule (none is identified in chapter 49). An applicant whose origin license is not substantially equivalent applies under §3501(1-A) and (2): sworn application, §3501-B fee, documented 4,000 hours (or 2,000 journeyman-in-training hours) or the equivalent, and a passing grade on the board-approved journeyman exam. Out-of-state hours can count as 'the equivalent' of licensed trainee time. No municipal plumber license is a Maine credential.
The board has not published a separate endorsement application or a list of states it treats as substantially equivalent, so contact the Plumbers' Examining Board ([email protected], 207-624-8627) before applying. Its examination application has its own out-of-state pathway: a copy of your plumbing license, affidavits showing at least two years and 4,000 hours of plumbing installation work or a transcript for a one-year community college plumbing program, and evidence of the installation, repair, alteration and maintenance work you have done. The journeyman exam is given by Prov, closed book, with a 70% passing score. The journeyman license costs $200 for two years plus a $21 criminal background check fee.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Maryland license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- Origin jurisdiction's journeyman requirements must be substantially equivalent to Maine's (10 M.R.S. §8003-H). Maine's own exam pathway is 4,000 hours as a licensed trainee under a master, or the equivalent, plus a passing grade on the journeyman examination (32 M.R.S. §3501(2)).
- You must document at least 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Statutory exam-route minimum: at least 2 years / 4,000 hours as a licensed trainee plumber under a master, or the equivalent; alternatively 2,000 hours as a journeyman-in-training under a master within 4 years of the JIT license. Endorsement applicants meet this only insofar as the origin pathway is substantially equivalent.
What you'll do to get licensed in Maine
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Journeyman Plumber license fee for a two-year term (02-041 CMR ch. 10 §5(29)).
- 2Background check. Complete a background check ($21). Criminal background check fee, paid with the license application.
- 3Other. Sworn application on a form prescribed by the board, with proof of the valid, active out-of-state license (license verification from the issuing board).
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Board-approved journeyman plumber examination with a passing grade determined by the board (32 M.R.S. §3501(1-A), (2)) — required only if endorsement under §3501-C is not available..
Published fees on this path total $200, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Exam preparation
Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.
- Trade exam · if applicable
How Maine licenses journeyman plumbers
Maine journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Maine issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Plumbers' Examining Board in OPOR (32 M.R.S. ch. 49). By examination an applicant files a sworn application, pays the fee set under §3501-B, documents at least two years / 4,000 hours as a licensed trainee plumber under a master (or the equivalent), or 2,000 hours as a journeyman-in-training under a master within four years of the JIT license, and obtains a passing grade on the board-approved journeyman examination. The board also issues a one-time, four-year nonrenewable journeyman-in-training license after one academic year of approved plumbing instruction plus the same exam, a limited plumber license, and a trainee plumber license without examination. Out-of-state journeymen are directed to licensure by endorsement under 32 M.R.S. §3501-C and 10 M.R.S. §8003-H when the origin jurisdiction's requirements are substantially equivalent; otherwise they apply by examination with comparable hours credited as 'the equivalent' of Maine trainee time.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Maine journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Maryland?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Maine journeyman plumber license from Maryland?
- Published fees on this path total $200, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Maryland work hours count in Maine?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Maine's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Maine to Maryland?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Maine to Maryland, the mechanism is experience credit.
Sources
- 02-041 CMR Chapter 10 - OPOR Establishment of License Fees, section 5(29) Plumbers' Examining Board · 02-041 CMR ch. 10 §5(29) · Maine Secretary of State / Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Maine Plumbers' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) - board home · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR), Department of Professional and Financial Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Plumbers' Examining Board - Licensing - Individual Licenses (master, journeyman, trainee, journeyman-in-training) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation - Professions and Occupations directory · Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Plumbers' Examining Board - Journeyman & Master Plumber Examination Application (rev. 02/2020) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- 02-395 CMR - Plumbers' Examining Board rules, all chapters (ch. 3 Licensing Requirements, ch. 4 Installation Standards, ch. 6 Reciprocity) · 02-395 CMR chs. 1-8 · Maine Secretary of State / Plumbers' Examining Board · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- 10 M.R.S. §8003-H - Licensure by endorsement (OPOR general provision) · 10 M.R.S. §8003-H · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- 32 M.R.S. §3501 - Issuance of licenses (journeyman, master, journeyman-in-training, trainee) · 32 M.R.S. §3501 · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 32 M.R.S. §3501-B - Fees (Plumbers' Examining Board) · 32 M.R.S. §3501-B · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 32 M.R.S. §3501-C - Licensure by endorsement (Plumbers' Examining Board) · 32 M.R.S. §3501-C; PL 2021, c. 642, §16 · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 32 M.R.S. Chapter 49 - Plumbers (table of contents) · 32 M.R.S. ch. 49 · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.