Massachusetts to Vermont: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Vermont has no reciprocity agreement with Massachusetts. A Massachusetts journeyman plumber applies by endorsement.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Uniform endorsement (all other states; license held 3 years)
The board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.
Under 26 V.S.A. s. 2194(a)(2), the Board shall issue a journeyman plumber license without examination to an applicant whose journeyman (or equivalent) license has been held in good standing in another jurisdiction within the United States for at least three years, regardless of whether that jurisdiction meets the narrower reciprocity test in s. 2194(a)(1). The applicant files the all-classes plumbing application with proof of bona fide licensure (DFS also publishes a certified-letter request form), pays the $90 two-year journeyman license fee, and completes the Vermont Energy Goals module of not more than two hours; applications are reviewed at the Board's bi-monthly meetings and must arrive at the Waterbury central office two weeks beforehand. The Commissioner may waive the three-year practice requirement where State policy is followed and the public is adequately protected. A journeyman licensed less than three years uses the examination route in s. 2192, where equivalent out-of-state apprenticeship or experience is acceptable to the Board but the Vermont exam is required. Separately, s. 2194(a)(1) allows a no-exam license when the origin state or municipality maintained equivalent standards and grants Vermont licensees a like exemption or reciprocal agreement; DFS plumbing pages list no partner states, so that path is not mapped as named Reciprocity rows.
Unlike the electrical application, the plumbing application offers no Maine or New Hampshire reciprocity option. 2194(a)(1) expressly includes a license 'previously issued by another state or municipality,' so a city-issued journeyman card may be considered when that municipality's standards were equivalent and it grants Vermont licensees a like exemption; the three-year uniform endorsement is worded as 'another jurisdiction within the United States.' Military 12K Plumbers (8,000 hours / four years) receive a journeyman license without examination under s. 2194(b).
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must have held your Massachusetts license for at least 3 years.Journeyman or equivalent license held in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years (26 V.S.A. s. 2194(a)(2)(A)). The Commissioner may waive the practice requirement under s. 2194(a)(2)(C).
- Your Massachusetts license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Vermont
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($90). Journeyman plumber two-year license fee (26 V.S.A. s. 2193(c)(2)); renewal is the same amount (s. 2193(c)(5)).
- 2Other. All-classes plumbing application marked Universal license, signed and notarized, with a certified letter of licensure from the issuing state, proof of the apprenticeship or schooling required for that license, and 8,000 hours of experience documented on Employer Affidavit of Experience forms signed by a licensed master plumber..
- 3Other. Vermont Energy Goals education module (not more than two hours) and completion certificate, required for initial licensure after 2021-07-01 (26 V.S.A. s. 2193(f); DFS plumbing page).
- 4Other. Two-hour Vermont code course, which the plumbing application requires of Universal license applicants.
- 5Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Vermont journeyman plumber written exam (theory, practice, State laws, Health and Environmental Conservation rules) — only if the origin license does not meet the three-year uniform-endorsement or statutory-reciprocity tests..
- 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Renewal after July 1, 1996: eight hours of Board-approved continued training or instruction within the previous 24-month period (26 V.S.A. s. 2195(d)), plus the energy-goals renewal module.
Published fees on this path total $90, 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
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Vermont licenses journeyman plumbers
Vermont journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber (PJ)”
Statewide license
Issued by Vermont Plumber's Examining Board, Division of Fire Safety (Department of Public Safety)
Vermont issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license (ledger code PJ) through the Plumber's Examining Board in the Division of Fire Safety. A new applicant must document a Vermont-registered plumbing apprenticeship (instruction plus practice verified by the Vermont Apprenticeship Council) or equivalent training and experience in or outside Vermont acceptable to the Board, then pass a written examination covering plumbing theory and practice, State laws, and Health and Environmental Conservation rules; the two-year license fee is $90 (26 V.S.A. s. 2193(c)). A journeyman installs plumbing and water-treatment or heating specialties under a master, may supervise an apprentice employed by a master, and shall not act as a master. Out-of-state journeymen have a statutory path without examination: uniform endorsement if the origin license has been held in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years (s. 2194(a)(2)), plus a narrower reciprocity path if the origin state or municipality has equivalent standards and grants Vermont licensees a like exemption (s. 2194(a)(1)). The Board publishes no named plumbing partner list on the DFS plumbing pages. Licenses last two years; renewal requires eight hours of Board-approved instruction in the prior 24 months plus the Vermont Energy Goals module (not more than two hours). Vermont also licenses Plumbing Specialists (PS: P1 water heater, P2 heating system, P3 water treatment), which are not the journeyman credential.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Vermont journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Massachusetts?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Massachusetts license?
- At least 3 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Vermont journeyman plumber license from Massachusetts?
- Published fees on this path total $90, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Massachusetts work hours count in Vermont?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Vermont's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Vermont to Massachusetts?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Vermont to Massachusetts, the mechanism is experience credit.
Sources
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Trade Licensing and Certifications · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Plumbing (licensing home page) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Division of Fire Safety - Plumbing License Applications, All Classes · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Plumbers Examining Board (meetings and document deadline) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Vermont Plumbing Rules, 2025 Edition (current; linked from the DFS plumbing page) · Vermont Plumbing Rules 2025 · Vermont Plumber's Examining Board / Division of Fire Safety · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - 2026 PROV Bulletin (testing instructions linked from the trade-licensing page) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety / Prov · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- 26 V.S.A. Chapter 39 - Plumbers and Plumbing (definitions, qualifications, fees, examinations not required, renewal) · 26 V.S.A. ss. 2172, 2181, 2191, 2192, 2192a, 2193, 2194, 2195, 2198 · Vermont General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.