Montana to Oregon: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Oregon has a reciprocity agreement with Montana: a Montana journeyman plumber can get a Oregon license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocal agreement with Montana (journeyman plumber)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
Oregon and Montana have a signed journeyman plumber reciprocity agreement listed on the BCD reciprocal page and on the Reciprocal Plumbing License Application. A qualifying Montana journeyman plumber files form 440-4794p with the $100 non-refundable fee, a 2x2 photo, a copy of the active Montana license, a License Verification Form completed by the Montana licensing agency (showing the exam date and score and how the applicant qualified for the exam), and an Affidavit of Employment Experience verifying at least 1,000 hours worked under the Montana license, and is issued the Oregon Journeyman Plumber (JP) license without taking the Oregon exam. Under OAR 918-030-0045 the Montana license must be equivalent or higher, current and active with no violations or conditions in the past three years; the applicant must have qualified for it through a four-year plumbing apprenticeship equivalent to Oregon's and by passing the Montana exam with a score of 75 percent or better; must have worked at least six months (1,000 hours) under it; and must not have taken and failed the Oregon journeyman plumber exam in the past two years. The reciprocal license then renews like any Oregon JP license, on the three-year cycle with 24 hours of continuing education.
Montana's treatment of Oregon journeyman plumbers belongs in the Montana file.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your Montana license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- Completed an Oregon-equivalent four-year plumbing apprenticeship program (qualified for the Montana exam through required work experience under OAR 918-030-0045(2)(d) and (3)(b))
- Your Montana license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must document at least 1,000 hours of qualifying work experience.
- Has not applied for, taken and failed the Oregon journeyman plumber examination within the past two years (applicant affidavit on form 4794p)
What you'll do to get licensed in Oregon
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Reciprocal Plumbing License Application fee for the General journeyman plumber (70611) reciprocal license, form 440-4794p; non-refundable; covers issuance of the three-year Oregon JP license.
- 2Other. License Verification Form (page 3 of form 4794p) completed and signed in ink by the Montana licensing agency, plus Affidavit of Employment Experience (page 4) and a 2x2 passport-style photo.
Published fees on this path total $100, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How Oregon licenses journeyman plumbers
Oregon journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber (JP)”
Statewide license
Issued by Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services) / State Plumbing Board
Oregon issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber (JP) license through the Building Codes Division on behalf of the State Plumbing Board; under ORS 693.030 nobody may work in the trade of journeyman plumber without it, and commercial or industrial plumbing must be installed by a licensed journeyman or a registered apprentice working under one. A new applicant qualifies for the exam by completing a four-year Oregon plumbing apprenticeship, or by documenting 576 hours of classroom training plus 7,700 hours of on-the-job experience split 3,850 residential and 3,850 commercial across set work categories, or by documenting twice those hours (7,700 residential and 7,700 commercial) earned while holding a license with a journeyman-plumber scope. The application and license fee is $100 (non-refundable), and the applicant must pass the division's four-hour, 64-question open-book journeyman exam at an Oregon testing location with a score of 75 percent or better; there is no separate law exam and no national exam vendor. Oregon has signed journeyman plumber reciprocity agreements with Idaho and Montana only; qualifying holders of those licenses are licensed without examination for the same $100 fee. Every other out-of-state plumber applies on the standard form, receives credit for lawful out-of-state apprenticeship, classroom and on-the-job hours, and must pass the Oregon exam. Licenses run on a three-year cycle (all JP licenses next expire April 1, 2029) and renewal requires 24 hours of continuing education including 4 hours of code change and a 4-hour Oregon rule and law course.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Oregon journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Montana?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Montana.
- What does it cost to get a Oregon journeyman plumber license from Montana?
- Published fees on this path total $100, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Montana work hours count in Oregon?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oregon's eligibility requirements.
Sources
- Reciprocal Agreement - Montana Journeyman Plumber and Oregon Journeyman Plumber (JP) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agreement Document · verified September 16, 2026
- Journeyman Plumber License Application (form 440-2571) and Plumbing Experience Verification Form (440-2571a) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Reciprocal Plumbing License Application (form 440-4794p) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Individual licenses table: Plumbing - Journeyman Plumber (JP) and Plumbing Business (PB) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Journeyman plumber license (how to apply) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Reciprocal licenses · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- OAR chapter 918, division 30 - General Licensing Requirements · OAR 918-030-0010, 918-030-0015, 918-030-0020, 918-030-0030, 918-030-0060, 918-030-0120, 918-030-0150, 918-030-0210, 918-030-0230 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- OAR 918-030-0045 - Application - Oregon Reciprocal License Requirements · OAR 918-030-0045 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- OAR chapter 918, division 695 - Plumbing Licensing and Certification · OAR 918-695-0000, 918-695-0020, 918-695-0030, 918-695-0040, 918-695-0110 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- ORS chapter 693 - Plumbers (2025 edition) · ORS 693.030, 693.040, 693.060, 693.095, 693.103, 693.120, 693.135 · Oregon Legislature · 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.