Mississippi to Idaho: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Mississippi does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Idaho's standard path for out-of-state applicants.
Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state journeymen from non-reciprocal states (initial application with out-of-state hours credited)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A plumber licensed anywhere other than Montana, Oregon or Washington applies to Idaho as an initial applicant; the application form has no endorsement or universal-licensure box for other states. Idaho credits supervised plumbing-installation hours earned in any jurisdiction: IDAPA 24.39.20.100.02 counts apprentice hours obtained 'in accordance with the requirements of the jurisdiction in which the applicant obtained the experience', and the form states that work hours 'can be obtained in or out of the State of Idaho'. The applicant documents either 8,000 hours plus completion of a 576-hour board-approved apprenticeship course or 16,000 hours on Work Verification Forms (one per employer), then registers with PSI, pays the $75 exam fee and passes the four-hour, open-book (2015 UPC) Idaho Plumbing Journeyman exam at 70% before filing the application with the $51.90 processing fee ($22.50 application plus $29.40 initial certificate). Idaho Code 67-9409 (universal licensure) obliges DOPL to license holders of a current, unrestricted out-of-state license who demonstrate competency, but it expressly lets the Board require its examination, and the Plumbing Board has not adopted any separate procedure, so the exam is not waived. Pipe-fitting and appliance-specialty hours do not count.
The 576-hour instruction requirement is stated on the form as attendance at a board-approved Idaho program; whether DOPL accepts a completed out-of-state apprenticeship program as equivalent for the 8,000-hour route is not documented, and applicants who cannot show it fall back to the 16,000-hour route. Military members, veterans and spouses instead use licensure by endorsement under Idaho Code 67-9406 (no exam, no application fee). Fee conflict: Idaho Code 54-2616 lists the journeyman certificate fee as $15 initial / $7.20 renewal, but DOPL's fee table and form charge $29.40 / $21.60. New Idaho-specific exam questions take effect July 1, 2026.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.8,000 supervised plumbing-installation hours plus completion of 576 hours of board-approved instruction; otherwise 16,000 supervised hours. Hours may be earned in or out of Idaho; hours earned in Idaho must have been worked under an active Idaho apprentice registration.
What you'll do to get licensed in Idaho
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($22.50). DOPL application fee (Idaho Code 54-2614); collected with the certificate fee as a single $51.90 processing fee on the form.
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($29.40). Initial Plumbing Journeyman certificate fee, three-year term (renewal $21.60).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($75). PSI examination fee, paid per attempt; valid one year from payment.
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Idaho Plumbing Journeyman examination (IAPMO-based, administered by PSI): 4 hours, 100 points, open book with the 2015 Uniform Plumbing Code, 70% to pass; must be passed before the application is submitted.
- 5Other. Work Verification Form for each employer (supervising journeyman's name and license number, dates, total plumbing-installation hours, whether the work was performed in Idaho) and, for the 8,000-hour route, a certificate of completion from a board-approved apprenticeship program.
Published fees on this path total $126.90, 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
How Idaho licenses journeyman plumbers
Idaho journeyman plumber · “Plumbing Journeyman (Certificate of Competency)”
Statewide license
Issued by Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (Idaho State Plumbing Board)
Idaho issues a statewide Plumbing Journeyman certificate of competency through the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) on behalf of the Idaho State Plumbing Board under Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 26 and IDAPA 24.39.20. A new applicant needs either 8,000 supervised hours plus 576 hours of board-approved instruction or 16,000 supervised hours, and must pass the IAPMO-based Idaho journeyman exam administered by PSI before applying. Journeymen licensed by examination in Montana, Oregon or Washington may use the form's Reciprocity Pathway and are licensed without retesting. Everyone else applies as an initial applicant; hours earned in any jurisdiction count toward the experience requirement, but the Idaho exam must be passed. The certificate runs three years, and the Board has set no continuing-education requirement.
Why Mississippi has nothing to transfer
Mississippi journeyman plumber
Licensed by cities and counties
Mississippi does not issue a journeyman plumber license. The Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) licenses contracting businesses - commercial contractors and subcontractors on jobs over $50,000 and residential contractors and residential plumbing subcontractors above the residential thresholds - through a Certificate of Responsibility held by the company with a tested qualifying party, and its FAQ states that it does not license individual journeymen; none of its Plumbing, Mechanical or Residential Plumbing classifications, exams or reciprocity agreements apply to a plumber who only wants to work for an employer. Individual plumbers are licensed, where they are licensed at all, by cities under their own ordinances: Southaven's Building Department issues apprentice, journeyman and master trade licenses and accepts a current journeyman license from another jurisdiction or a passed ICC journeyman exam in place of its own testing, while coastal cities such as Gulfport license only the contractor's qualifying party and have no journeyman card. An out-of-state journeyman plumber license therefore has no state-level recognition in Mississippi; the plumber must check the ordinance of each city where they will work and apply locally, and Southaven-style acceptance of another jurisdiction's card or an ICC score is the closest thing to reciprocity that exists.
How local licensing works in Mississippi
How local licensing works. Mississippi's contractor law (Miss. Code Title 31 ch. 3 for commercial work, Title 73 ch. 59 for residential work) is enforced by MSBOC at the business level: a commercial license is required for every contractor and subcontractor on commercial jobs over $50,000, and residential plumbing subcontractors need a residential license on new homes over $50,000 or remodels over $10,000. Those licenses attach to the company and its qualifying party, not to journeymen, and no statute standardizes city trade cards. Journeyman licensing is a municipal matter and varies by city; many cities have no journeyman card at all and simply require plumbers to work under a licensed contractor.
Southaven. The Building Department's Application for License covers Apprentice ($20), Journeyman ($50) and Master ($100) trade licenses. A journeyman applicant files the application with photo ID and either a copy of a current, active journeyman license held in another jurisdiction or written proof of passing the ICC journeyman exam; no Southaven exam is given, so an out-of-state journeyman card or ICC plumbing score substitutes for local testing. The city refers all questions about out-of-state reciprocity to MSBOC. There is no journeyman license; plumbers work under the licensed contractor.
Jackson, Hattiesburg, Biloxi, Tupelo. These cities license contractors and, in some cases, trades under their own ordinances, but no official page publishing a journeyman plumber card could be opened in this pass: the Jackson contractor-licensing URL redirected to a map embed and the Hattiesburg plumbing ordinance PDF returned 404. In practice a journeyman card from another jurisdiction or a passing ICC journeyman plumbing score is accepted by Southaven, and elsewhere the plumber simply works under a locally licensed contractor.
- Southaven (Building Department)
- Gulfport (Building Code Services)
- Jackson
- Hattiesburg
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Idaho journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Mississippi?
- Yes. Idaho requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Idaho journeyman plumber license from Mississippi?
- Published fees on this path total $126.90, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Mississippi work hours count in Idaho?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Idaho's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Idaho to Mississippi?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Idaho to Mississippi, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 26 - Plumbing and Plumbers · Idaho Code 54-2610, 54-2611, 54-2614, 54-2616, 54-2617 · Idaho Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho Code 67-9409 - Universal Licensure · Idaho Code 67-9409 · Idaho Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Program Information and Exams · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Frequently Asked Questions · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Apply for or Renew a License · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- IDAPA 24.39.20 - Rules Governing Plumbing · IDAPA 24.39.20.100 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho Plumbing Journeyman Application and Instructions (revised October 3, 2024) · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board draft meeting minutes, February 26, 2026 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Other · verified September 16, 2026
- PSI Candidate Information Bulletin - Idaho Plumbing Journeyman Examination (September 1, 2024) · PSI Services for Idaho DOPL · Other · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.