Mississippi to New Hampshire: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Mississippi does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is New Hampshire'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.
Traditional application and New Hampshire plumbing examination (non-qualifying jurisdictions)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state journeyman whose origin is not on OPLC's Plc 313.34 qualifying-jurisdiction list cannot use endorsement and applies through the traditional Mechanical Licensing Board process. Under Mec 302.12 and Mec 305.01(b)(4), proof of journeyman plumber licensure in another state or jurisdiction that licenses plumbers makes the applicant eligible for the New Hampshire journeyman exam in place of the New Hampshire apprenticeship, 600 hours of education and 8,000 hours of experience; the exam itself is not waived and must be passed with at least 70 percent. After passing, the applicant mails the paper application with the $198 two-year journeyman plumber fee (Plc 1002.25). Plc 313.11 lets an individual from a non-listed jurisdiction request a waiver of endorsement criteria based on education, training and experience, and OPLC's reciprocity FAQs allow a written request under Plc 210.03 to reconsider whether a jurisdiction is substantially similar.
Journeymen licensed in one of the 34 jurisdictions OPLC lists for journeyman plumber under Plc 313.34 on its New Changes for Reciprocity page may apply by endorsement instead, without the New Hampshire exam, provided the license is active and unencumbered.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Mississippi license must be active and in good standing.
- At least 18 years old (Mec 302.02). The board may deny an application for fraud, disqualifying criminal convictions, or a similar license suspended or revoked in another jurisdiction and not reinstated (Mec 304.01(f)).
What you'll do to get licensed in New Hampshire
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. New Hampshire journeyman plumber licensing examination (Mechanical Licensing Board; Prov candidate bulletin is linked from the board home page)..
- 2Application fee. Pay the application fee ($198). Journeyman plumber application / two-year license fee (Plc 1002.25 and OPLC Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board fee table)..
- 3Other. Demonstrate proof of origin-state plumber licensure with the application (Mec 302.12)..
Published fees on this path total $198, 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 New Hampshire licenses journeyman plumbers
New Hampshire journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by New Hampshire Mechanical Licensing Board, Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC)
New Hampshire issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Mechanical Licensing Board in the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC). The same board licenses trainee/apprentice plumbers, master plumbers and mechanical business entities, and also regulates fuel gas fitters; it does not license HVAC technicians. The published two-year journeyman plumber fee is $198 (OPLC Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board fee table; Plc 1002.25). Since 3 May 2024, out-of-state journeymen from jurisdictions OPLC has determined substantially similar under RSA 310:17 and Plc 313.34 may be licensed by endorsement without the New Hampshire exam; Plc 313.34 treats a comparable journeyman path as a four-year apprenticeship with 560 instruction hours plus an exam, and the origin code must be the same or a later edition of New Hampshire's building and fire codes. Everyone else uses the traditional route: Mec 302.12 makes an out-of-state plumber license sufficient to sit the New Hampshire plumbing examination (given by Prov); the exam itself is not waived.
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 none publishes its journeyman plumber card requirements online; contact each city's building department. 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 New Hampshire journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Mississippi?
- Yes. New Hampshire requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a New Hampshire journeyman plumber license from Mississippi?
- Published fees on this path total $198, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Mississippi work hours count in New Hampshire?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward New Hampshire's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from New Hampshire to Mississippi?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from New Hampshire to Mississippi, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- N.H. Code Admin. R. Mec 300 - Initial fuel gas fitting, plumbing, trainee, apprentice and business entity licensing · Mec 302.02; Mec 302.12; Mec 304.01; Mec 304.04; Mec 305.01; Mec 306.01; Mec 307 · New Hampshire General Court (Administrative Rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- NH OPLC - Mechanical Licensing Board (who we regulate; plumber licenses) · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- NH OPLC - License Fees for the Mechanical Licensing Board · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- OPLC - Reciprocity Licensing (HB 594 overview) · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- NH OPLC - New Changes for Reciprocity in New Hampshire (endorsement qualifying jurisdictions by board) · RSA 310:17; Plc 313.34 · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- N.H. Code Admin. R. Plc 1002.25 and Plc 1004.11 - Mechanical Licensing Board licensing and examination fees · Plc 1002.25; Plc 1004.11 · New Hampshire General Court (Administrative Rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.H. Code Admin. R. Plc 313.34 - Substantially similar requirements for Mechanical Licensing Board professions · Plc 313.34 (eff. 5-3-24, #13954); Plc 313.01; Plc 313.11 · New Hampshire General Court (Administrative Rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- RSA Chapter 153 - Fire Safety; Mechanical Licensing Board (plumber and fuel gas licensing) · RSA 153:27-a; RSA 153:28; RSA 153:29-a; RSA 153:36, VII · New Hampshire General Court · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- RSA 310:17 License Reciprocity · N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. 310:17 · New Hampshire General Court · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.