New Jersey to Wisconsin: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
New Jersey does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Wisconsin'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 journeyman plumber (no reciprocity; exam required, experience credited toward eligibility)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
DSPS publishes no plumbing reciprocity partners and no exam-waiver route for out-of-state journeyman plumbers, so a journeyman licensed in another state applies through LicensE under Form 3126 like a first-time candidate and must pass the Wisconsin two-part journeyman plumber examination (open book, 70% to pass). The out-of-state license itself is not credited, but the training behind it is expected to be: Wisconsin's journeyman qualification is completion of a plumbing apprenticeship or equivalent documented experience, and DSPS's experience tables (Form 3126T) record hours wherever earned, so an applicant documents the out-of-state apprenticeship or work history to become eligible to sit the exam. Wisconsin has no separate law or business exam for individual plumbers; the code portion is built into the two-part trade exam. Fees are calculated in LicensE.
SPS 305.93 requires a plumbing apprenticeship under Wis. Stat. ch. 106 and 24 hours of continuing education to renew. Ask DSPS whether a service-member or spouse reciprocal credential applies to plumbers.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Completion of a plumbing apprenticeship under Wis. Stat. ch. 106, or equivalent documented plumbing experience, recorded on the Form 3126T experience table (SPS 305.93)
What you'll do to get licensed in Wisconsin
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee. Application fee calculated in LicensE when you file Form 3126. Dollar amounts are in SPS 305.02 Table 305.02 (PDF), not on the DSPS plumber pages: https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Professions/JourneymanPlumber/Default.aspx.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Examination fee calculated in LicensE. Dollar amounts are in SPS 305.02 Table 305.02 (PDF), not on the DSPS plumber pages..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Wisconsin Journeyman Plumber examination: two parts, open book, 70% passing score; references limited to nine items (Wis. Stat. ch. 145, SPS 305, SPS 381-387, ch. 106, SPS 302 and ch. 325 in one binder; NFPA 13D and NFPA 24 (2019); five POWTS component manuals; MPP design manual).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. License fee calculated in LicensE after you pass. Dollar amounts are in SPS 305.02 Table 305.02 (PDF), not on the DSPS plumber pages..
- 5Other. Form 3126T experience table / apprenticeship completion documentation uploaded to LicensE.
- 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 24 hours of approved continuing education to renew a Journeyman Plumber license (SPS 305.93).
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.
- Exam fee
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Wisconsin licenses journeyman plumbers
Wisconsin journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)
Wisconsin issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS); under Wis. Stat. 145.06 no person may engage in or work at plumbing in the state unless licensed by DSPS, and there is no municipal plumber licensing. Under SPS 305.93 a journeyman works under the general supervision of a Master Plumber, Master Plumber Restricted or Utility Contractor licensee, qualifies by completing a plumbing apprenticeship under Wis. Stat. ch. 106, and must complete 24 hours of approved continuing education to renew. A new applicant files Form 3126 (with the Form 3126T experience table) in the LicensE portal at license.wi.gov, is made eligible to test, and must pass the DSPS journeyman plumber examination, which is a two-part, open-book exam with a 70% passing score covering Wis. Stat. ch. 145, SPS 305, the SPS 381-387 plumbing code, NFPA 13D/24 and the POWTS component manuals (the updated plumbing code applies to exams from October 1, 2026). DSPS's plumber pages name no reciprocity states, and the electrical reciprocity statute (Wis. Stat. 101.874) does not extend to plumbers.
Why New Jersey has nothing to transfer
New Jersey journeyman plumber · “Journeyman plumber (defined status under a licensed master; no statewide journeyman license)”
No individual license at this level
Issued by New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers (Division of Consumer Affairs)
New Jersey does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license. The State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers (N.J.S.A. 45:14C; N.J.A.C. 13:32) licenses the Master Plumber and requires plumbing contractors to have a licensed master as bona fide representative. N.J.A.C. 13:32-1.3 defines a 'journeyman plumber' as a person who works under a licensed master plumber or a supervisory journeyman plumber after completing a four-year U.S. DOL-approved apprenticeship (or a qualifying engineering bachelor's degree), and a 'supervisory journeyman plumber' as a journeyman with three additional years working with tools; those are experience statuses, not Board licenses. An out-of-state journeyman license therefore has nothing to transfer to in New Jersey: the arriving plumber works as a W-2 employee (or equivalent supervised worker) of a New Jersey licensed master / plumbing contractor, and the origin hours are useful mainly as documentation toward the master exam under N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2.
How local licensing works in New Jersey
Not coded as Municipal because the state occupies the field with a statewide master license and a statewide definition of who may work as a journeyman under that master. If a municipality still issues a local journeyman or plumber card (historically some cities did so before or alongside the state master license), that card is not a New Jersey Board credential and is not verified here. Confirm locally before assuming a city exam or fee.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Wisconsin journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in New Jersey?
- Yes. Wisconsin requires the trade exam on this path.
- Do my New Jersey work hours count in Wisconsin?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Wisconsin's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Wisconsin to New Jersey?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Wisconsin to New Jersey, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Wisconsin DSPS Form 3126 - Journeyman Plumber License Application Information (includes Form 3126T) · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Plumber Exam Information · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Plumber · Wis. Stat. 145.06; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.93 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 - Licenses, Certifications and Registrations (Table 305.02 fees; Subch. VII Plumbing; SPS 305.91, 305.93) · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.02 Table 305.02; SPS 305.60-305.66; SPS 305.91; SPS 305.93 · Wisconsin Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 145.06 - Licenses and registration (plumbing) · Wis. Stat. 145.06 · Wisconsin 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.