Nevada to Indiana: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Nevada does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Indiana'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.
Commission review of out-of-state journeyman credentials (IC 25-28.5-1-19; no named partner states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Indiana publishes no list of reciprocal partner states for plumbing, and the Plumbing Commission's FAQ states that reciprocity is not available for journeyman plumbers: an out-of-state journeyman files an application, the Commission reviews it, and an approved applicant must pass the Indiana exam. IC 25-28.5-1-19 allows a license without examination where the origin state's requirements were substantially equal and that state grants Indiana licensees the same privilege, but the Commission's published process routes out-of-state licensees to the exam. You file a Journeyman Plumber application in MyLicense One with certification of your out-of-state license and an employer affidavit showing four years of experience in the plumbing trade, then schedule the 90-question Indiana Journeyman Plumber exam with Prov. The application fee is $30, and the initial license fee is $30 if the license is issued in an even-numbered year or $15 in an odd-numbered year.
Indiana's statute provides for licensing without examination for holders from states with a reciprocity agreement or substantially equal requirements (IC 25-28.5-1-12(e) and -19), but the Commission names no such states and its FAQ says reciprocity is not available. Under IC 25-28.5-1-12(d), a license from a state without a reciprocity agreement makes the holder eligible to take the Indiana exam; an applicant from a state that does not license plumbers must instead meet Indiana's apprenticeship or experience requirements. Nonresident licensees must also appoint the Commission's secretary as agent for service of process (IC 25-28.5-1-20).
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Nevada license must be active and in good standing.
- Applicant is at least 18 years of age (IC 25-28.5-1-19)
- You must document at least 4 years of qualifying work experience.
What you'll do to get licensed in Indiana
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($30). Journeyman Plumber application fee, paid by card in MyLicense One; nonrefundable.
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($30). Initial license issuance fee when the license is issued in an even-numbered year; $15 when it is issued in an odd-numbered year.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Indiana Journeyman Plumber exam administered by Prov after the Commission approves the application: 90 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, approved code references allowed.
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($75). Prov examination fee, paid to Prov for each attempt.
- 5Other. Certification of licensure from the other state's licensing authority (860 IAC 1-1-11) and a notarized employer affidavit of experience in the plumbing trade, uploaded in MyLicense One.
- 6Other. Answer the application's background questions; for any "yes" answer, attach a full statement (violation, location, date, cause number and disposition) and copies of the court documents.
Published fees on this path total $135, 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
- Exam fee · $75
How Indiana licenses journeyman plumbers
Indiana journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Indiana Plumbing Commission (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency)
Indiana licenses plumbers statewide through the Indiana Plumbing Commission, which is administered by the Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) under IC 25-28.5-1. The Commission registers Plumbing Apprentices and approves apprenticeship programs and schools, and it issues Journeyman Plumber and Plumbing Contractor licenses to individuals, a Temporary Plumbing Contractor license, and a Corporate Plumbing Business registration for entities. Applications, renewals and license verification are handled online in MyLicense One with an Access Indiana account. The Indiana journeyman examination is administered by the testing vendor Prov, and initial license fees depend on whether the license is issued in an odd or even year of the two-year cycle. Indiana's statute contains a reciprocity section (IC 25-28.5-1-19) and nonresident provisions (IC 25-28.5-1-12(d) and -20), so an out-of-state journeyman applies to the Commission rather than to any city or county; cities may require a licensed plumber to register but may not require any other license (IC 25-28.5-1-33).
Why Nevada has nothing to transfer
Nevada journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber (county/city card)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Nevada has no statewide journeyman plumber license. The Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) licenses plumbing and heating contractors under classification C-1 (NRS/NAC 624), issues licenses only to businesses with a qualifying individual, and its FAQ says it does not license individual journeymen, so an out-of-state journeyman plumber license has nothing to transfer to at the state level and is not needed to work for a licensed C-1 contractor in most of the state. A personal credential exists only under local building codes: Clark County Code Chapter 22.02 requires a plumbing qualified individual or a journeyman plumber on site for permitted plumbing work and issues a renewable county journeyman plumber certificate to people who pass the journeyman exam accepted by the Building Official (plumbing is the one trade for which the county code publishes an experience prerequisite for the exam), and the City of Reno requires anyone installing, altering or adding to a plumbing system to hold a valid journeyman certificate under Reno Municipal Code Title 14. Neither jurisdiction publishes a waiver of its exam for an out-of-state license: Clark County's only equivalency is for a certificate from its accepted testing agency or another Nevada political subdivision within the county, while Reno lets contractors with a reciprocal license from another city, county, state or country work inside the city for 12 months before they must obtain the Reno certification. The City of Las Vegas, Henderson and the rural counties were not surveyed for plumbing cards.
How local licensing works in Nevada
How local licensing works. NRS Chapter 624 licenses only contractors. A C-1 Plumbing and Heating license is issued to a business and qualified by an individual with four years of journeyman-or-higher experience within the past 15 years (NRS 624.260); the NSCB FAQ states that Nevada does not license individual journeymen. Whether a working plumber needs a personal card is decided by each county's or city's building administrative code, and only Clark County and Reno were confirmed to require one for plumbing.
Clark County (unincorporated Las Vegas valley, Laughlin and other unincorporated areas). Clark County Code §22.02.245 issues plumbing permits only to contractors holding an active Nevada C-1 license. §22.02.250(B) requires the permit-holding contractor to employ at least one plumbing qualified individual and to have a qualified individual or a journeyman plumber present in a supervisory capacity while permitted plumbing work is under way. §22.02.255 defines a journeyman as someone who has passed the appropriate journeyman examination accepted by the Building Official and makes the county photo certificate renewable; the plumbing category is the only one in §§22.02.255-.260 for which the code publishes an experience prerequisite before the applicant may sit the exam (the exact number of years could not be re-extracted from the county PDF on 2026-09-16 and should be confirmed with the Department of Building and Fire Prevention). The only equivalency in the code (§22.02.255) is for a current certificate from an accepted independent testing agency or from a political subdivision of Nevada within Clark County, on obtaining the county photo certificate at the holder's expense; there is no provision for other states' journeyman licenses, so an arriving plumber must sit the county-accepted exam. The county does not publish its current exam vendor and card administrator for plumbing online; confirm with the county before scheduling.
City of Reno. Reno's Development Services page states that no person may perform installations, alterations or additions to a plumbing system in the city unless done by a holder of a valid journeyman certificate, that apprentice plumbers must carry a card from an approved apprenticeship program, and that the requirement does not apply to homeowners, to contractors who keep an on-site written agreement naming the certified supervisors of their subordinate employees, or to 'contractors with reciprocal licenses from another city/county/state/country' for their first 12 months of work inside the city limits, after which the Reno plumbing certification must be obtained. Out-of-state experience is useful only as evidence toward Clark County's experience prerequisite and, for those who want to contract, toward the NSCB's four-year qualifying-individual requirement.
- Clark County (Department of Building and Fire Prevention)
- City of Reno (Development Services)
- City of Las Vegas (Department of Building and Safety; plumbing card requirement not verified)
- City of Henderson (plumbing card requirement not verified)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Indiana journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Nevada?
- Yes. Indiana requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Indiana journeyman plumber license from Nevada?
- Published fees on this path total $135, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Nevada work hours count in Indiana?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Indiana's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Indiana to Nevada?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Indiana to Nevada, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 860 IAC 1 - Indiana Plumbing Commission, General Provisions (fees, admission to examination, examinations) · 860 IAC 1-1-2.1, 1-1-7, 1-1-8, 1-1-9, 1-1-10, 1-1-11, 1-3-1, 1-3-1.1, 1-3-2, 1-5-7 · Indiana Professional Licensing Agency · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Indiana Code Title 25, Article 28.5 (Plumbers), Chapter 1 - Regulation of Plumbers; Creation of Commission; Licensing · IC 25-28.5-1-12, -13, -15, -16, -17, -18.1, -18.3, -18.5, -19, -20, -22, -23, -32, -33 · Indiana General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Section 4 - Experience in a Plumbing Business, and Employer Affidavit of Experience in Plumbing Trade (part of State Form 27522) · Indiana Professional Licensing Agency · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Indiana Professional Licensing Agency - Plumbing Home (Indiana Plumbing Commission) · Indiana Professional Licensing Agency · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Indiana Professional Licensing Agency - Plumbing Licensing Information (application instructions, renewal, fee schedule) · Indiana Professional Licensing Agency · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Wayback Machine snapshot (2025-09-02) of PLA Plumbing Licensing Information · Internet Archive (capture of in.gov) · Other · verified September 16, 2026
- Indiana - Candidate Information Bulletin (Prov, IN CIB 2026.10.12) · Prov, Inc. (for the Indiana Plumbing Commission) · Form · verified October 12, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.