New York to Alaska: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
New York does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Alaska'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.
Reciprocal or provisional Plumber Journeyman certificate for any US jurisdiction with substantially similar requirements
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Under 8 AAC 90.111 (effective August 8, 2025) Mechanical Inspection may reciprocate a plumbing certificate of fitness with any jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially similar to Alaska's, without a mutual agreement; it weighs the hours required, whether the jurisdiction tests, whether it requires registered-apprenticeship membership, and other factors, and 8 AAC 90.125 defines 'jurisdiction' to include a local government that licenses journeyman plumbers. The applicant must hold a current journeyman plumber licence held for a full year, files the Reciprocal/Provisional Application with a copy of the licence, and pays $50 plus $200 for a two-year Reciprocal Plumber Journeyman COF that renews as an ordinary journeyman certificate and allows trainee supervision; no Alaska exam is taken if the origin jurisdiction is found substantially similar. If the department decides the origin jurisdiction is not substantially similar it requests proof of hours and the applicant must pass the Alaska plumber journeyman exam (open book, 2018 UPC, 70%) before a certificate is issued (8 AAC 90.112(h)); legally performed out-of-state hours count toward the 8,000 under 8 AAC 90.890, and the applicant must supply the origin licence or a state letter confirming no licence was required. Alternatively a Provisional Plumber Journeyman COF ($50 plus $100, valid up to one year or until the origin licence expires, not renewable, no trainee supervision) lets an out-of-state plumber start work within about 7-10 business days and is upgraded to a reciprocal certificate unless the applicant opts out. Neither the reciprocal nor the provisional route covers fuel gas work: a provisional holder may not perform gas work (8 AAC 90.112(g)) because many states exclude gas from their plumber licence, and gas piping otherwise requires the Plumber Gas certificate or a full journeyman COF.
Mechanical Inspection publishes no list of which states' plumber licences it has found substantially similar; each application is decided case by case, so the exam waiver is not guaranteed. Whether a reciprocal (as opposed to provisional) Plumber Journeyman COF authorises fuel gas work is not stated; the regulation bars gas work only for provisional holders, and the full journeyman scope in 8 AAC 90.900(14) includes fuel gas piping. The exam path has no published exam fee; the department administers the exam itself and third-party proctoring is at the applicant's expense. AS 18.62.050(c) also lets an Alaska-based union verify a member's qualifications in lieu of the exam.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 10 days
What you must already have
- Your New York license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have held your New York license for at least 1 year.Must have held the origin licence for a full year before the application date (8 AAC 90.112(a)); attach a prior licence if the current card lacks the issue date
- Origin jurisdiction's requirements (hours, testing, registered apprenticeship, other factors) must be substantially similar to Alaska's as determined by Mechanical Inspection; otherwise proof of 8,000 legally obtained hours and the Alaska plumber journeyman exam are required (8 AAC 90.111, 8 AAC 90.112(h))
What you'll do to get licensed in Alaska
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Nonrefundable certificate of fitness application fee (AS 18.62.030).
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Two-year Reciprocal Plumber Journeyman certificate fee; a Provisional Plumber Journeyman certificate costs $100 instead, lasts up to one year and does not permit gas work.
- 3Other. Copy of the current out-of-state licence (and a prior licence if the issue date is missing) attached to the Reciprocal/Provisional Application for Electrical and Plumbing Certificates of Fitness, emailed to [email protected] or mailed to the Anchorage office.
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Alaska Plumber Journeyman exam (open book, 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code, four hours, 70% to pass, 30-day wait to retake) - required only if Mechanical Inspection finds the origin jurisdiction not substantially similar; no department exam fee is published.
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. For renewal of the two-year certificate: 16 hours of approved continuing education in the preceding 24 months, at least eight on significant changes to the Uniform Plumbing Code and no more than eight industry related (8 AAC 90.192(c)); renewal fee $200.
Published fees on this path total $250, 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 · if applicable
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Alaska licenses journeyman plumbers
Alaska journeyman plumber · “Plumber Journeyman Certificate of Fitness”
Statewide license
Alaska issues a statewide Plumber Journeyman Certificate of Fitness (COF) through the Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Mechanical Inspection Section; under AS 18.62.070 anyone doing plumbing subject to the Uniform Plumbing Code (the 2018 UPC, adopted by 8 AAC 63.101) must hold the appropriate certificate, and the section enforces plumbing in communities of 2,500 or more people (Anchorage inspects under a memorandum of agreement). A new applicant must hold a Plumber Trainee COF (which requires indenture in a US DOL registered apprenticeship) while accumulating 8,000 hours of legally obtained plumbing installation work (up to 4,000 military/vocational, 1,000 classroom, 2,000 gas and 500 utility hours may count; maintenance hours do not), then pass the department's open-book exam on the 2018 UPC with at least 70% within a four-hour limit. The COF costs $50 to apply for plus $200 on issue, is valid two years and renews for $200 with 16 hours of continuing education (at least eight on UPC changes). Separate restricted certificates exist for Plumber Gas (fuel gas piping, 4,000 hours) and Plumber Restricted Utility (water, sewer and storm service lines, 1,000 hours). Since August 8, 2025 the department reciprocates plumber journeyman certificates with any US state or local jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially similar (8 AAC 90.111) and offers a one-year provisional certificate to any out-of-state journeyman plumber; unlike the electrical programme, it publishes no list of plumbing reciprocity partner states.
Why New York has nothing to transfer
New York journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber (municipal; NYC registration / Westchester Journey-Level)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Issued by New York cities and counties (no statewide plumber licence)
New York has no statewide plumber licence at any level: the Department of State's Division of Licensing Services regulates 35 occupations and none of them is plumber, plumbing contractor, journeyman plumber or master plumber. Journeyman-level plumbing credentials therefore exist only where a city or county ordinance creates them, and they are not interchangeable. New York City's Department of Buildings issues a Journeyman Plumber / Fire Suppression Piping Installer registration (employees work under a licensed Master Plumber; the registration is not an independent contracting licence). Westchester County issues a Journey-Level plumber licence (exam application $25, licence and renewal $75) that is required to work as a plumber anywhere in the county, including Yonkers. Rochester publishes a Plumbing Licensing programme on its Licensed Trades page but does not list class names or fees on that page. An out-of-state journeyman plumber licence has no state-level recognition in New York; the arriving worker must satisfy the city or county where the work will be done, and in New York City that typically means working under a licensed Master Plumber while holding (or obtaining) the city journeyman registration.
How local licensing works in New York
How local licensing works. No state agency licenses plumbers in New York. Each city or county that requires a licence runs its own examining board under its own ordinance, so titles, exams and fees differ, and a licence from one jurisdiction is not automatically valid in another. There is no defaultPath and no state-to-state agreement at this level.
New York City. DOB's licence-types list includes 'Plumbing and Fire Suppression (Master and Journeyman)'. The master-plumbers page links Obtain a Journeyman Plumber / Fire Suppression Piping Installer Registration (and a separate Gas Work Qualification). The registration is person-held and is the city's journeyman-level credential; independent plumbing contracting in the five boroughs requires the Master Plumber licence (see master level). New applications go through DOB NOW (since 7 September 2021). The master written (LIC41, $585) and practical (LIC42, $530) exam fees published on the master-plumbers page apply to the Master Plumber licence, not to the journeyman registration.
Westchester County (including Yonkers). 'Plumbers and Electricians must obtain a trade license from Westchester County in order to work in the county. The first step is to apply to take the licensing examination.' Journey-Level exam application $25.00; Journey-Level licence $75.00; Journey-Level renewal $75.00; vehicle decals $5.00 each. Exam and re-examination amounts are paid to the testing company and are not listed on the fee page. Yonkers does not appear to issue a separate city plumber licence; county law requires the Westchester trade licence to work in the county.
Rochester. The Licensed Trades page lists Plumbing Licensing alongside electrical and SE/RO and routes applications to the city's Infor portal (585-428-9339). Confirm the destination city or county before working; in NYC plan to work under a Master Plumber and obtain the city journeyman registration; in Westchester apply for the Journey-Level exam.
- New York City (Department of Buildings — Journeyman Plumber / Fire Suppression Piping Installer registration)
- Westchester County (Department of Consumer Protection — Journey-Level plumber)
- Yonkers (Westchester County Journey-Level / Master plumber licence required to work in the county)
- Rochester (Licensed Trades — Plumbing Licensing)
- Syracuse (Division of Code Enforcement; plumber licence unconfirmed on 2026 notice)
- Buffalo (plumbing landing page HTTP 404; journeyman plumber licence unconfirmed)
- Albany (plumber examining board not verified this session)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Alaska journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in New York?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my New York license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Alaska journeyman plumber license from New York?
- Published fees on this path total $250, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my New York work hours count in Alaska?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Alaska's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 10 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Alaska to New York?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Alaska to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Alaska Certificate of Fitness Information Packet - AS 18.62 and 8 AAC 90 with FAQ (Version 20250715) · AS 18.62.010, AS 18.62.020, AS 18.62.030, AS 18.62.050(c), AS 18.62.070; 8 AAC 90.111, 8 AAC 90.112, 8 AAC 90.115, 8 AAC 90.125, 8 AAC 90.130, 8 AAC 90.192, 8 AAC 90.890, 8 AAC 90.900(14) · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - Frequently Asked Questions · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
- Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - License Types and Requirements (Plumber certificates of fitness) · 8 AAC 90.111, 8 AAC 90.112, 8 AAC 90.130, 8 AAC 90.135, 8 AAC 90.137, 8 AAC 90.140 · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - Home (jurisdiction, adopted codes, August 8, 2025 regulation change) · 8 AAC 63.101; AS 18.60.705 · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Reciprocal/Provisional Application for Electrical and Plumbing Certificates of Fitness (v.20250828) · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - Testing Information · 8 AAC 90.115 · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.