New York to Arkansas: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
New York does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Arkansas'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 without a reciprocity agreement (all states except Oklahoma)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman licensed in a state other than Oklahoma applies to the Plumbing and Natural Gas Section as a new journeyman candidate, documenting at least four years of plumbing experience; verified out-of-state apprenticeship and journeyman work counts toward that requirement, and the Section asks the origin licensing board to verify the license, exam history and any discipline. Absent an agreement the applicant sits the Arkansas journeyman plumbing examination, a written exam on the Arkansas Plumbing Code administered by the Section; Arkansas has no separate business-and-law exam for journeymen. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 17-1-108 the Section must grant automatic licensure to a holder of a substantially similar license in good standing who passed that state's exam, subject to any Arkansas-specific examination the Section still requires, so an applicant from a state with a comparable IPC-based exam should ask the Section whether the trade exam is waived. The applicant pays the Section's examination and license fees and thereafter renews annually.
The Department's rules say examinations are not required for reciprocal licensure when the other jurisdiction's license is substantially similar, meaning that jurisdiction has adopted a national model plumbing or gas code and uses a comprehensive exam created and proctored by a national examination agency or equivalent. Whether your exam qualifies is decided by the Committee of Plumbing Examiners on your application, so ask the Section at 501-661-2642. The Department's plumbing page also lists signed reciprocity agreements with Texas and Louisiana; applicants from those states should ask the Section for the agreement terms.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Out-of-state experience counts when verified by the origin board or employer affidavits.
- Your New York license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have passed a licensing exam in New York that the destination considers comparable.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Arkansas
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Arkansas journeyman plumber examination, written, given by the Plumbing and Natural Gas Section on the 2018 Arkansas Plumbing Code, the 2018 Arkansas Fuel Gas Code and the Arkansas plumbing law.
- 2Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Journeyman application fee, sent with the application; a retake after failing any portion of the exam costs $50.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($75). Journeyman Plumber license fee, due before the license is issued and renewed annually.
- 4Other. Journeyman application with verification of out-of-state license, exam scores and code basis completed by the origin licensing board, plus experience verification (apprentice registration records or notarized employer affidavits).
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Any continuing education the Committee of Plumbing Examiners requires for renewal; the Department's published rules do not set an hour figure for journeyman plumbers, so confirm with the Section at 501-661-2642.
Published fees on this path total $150, 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
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Arkansas licenses journeyman plumbers
Arkansas journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (Committee of Plumbing Examiners)
Arkansas licenses plumbers statewide through the Department of Health's Plumbing and Natural Gas Section under the Arkansas Plumbing Law (Ark. Code Ann. § 17-38-101 et seq.), with the Committee of Plumbing Examiners setting qualifications and exams. The Journeyman Plumber license is issued to an individual who has completed four years as a registered apprentice under a licensed master plumber (or equivalent verified experience) and passed the Section's written journeyman examination, which covers the Arkansas Plumbing Code (an IPC-based code), the Arkansas Fuel Gas Code and the plumbing law; natural gas piping is part of the plumber license, and gas fitter licenses are separate restricted credentials. Licenses expire each December 31 and renew annually. Out-of-state applicants are handled by the Section case by case; the Department's plumbing page also lists signed reciprocity agreements with Oklahoma (journeymen, effective October 21, 2024), Ohio (master plumbers), Texas and Louisiana.
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 license)
New York has no statewide plumber license 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 license). Westchester County issues a Journey-Level plumber license (exam application $25, license and renewal $75) that is required to work as a plumber anywhere in the county, including Yonkers. Rochester publishes a Plumbing Licensing program on its Licensed Trades page but does not list class names or fees on that page. An out-of-state journeyman plumber license 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 license runs its own examining board under its own ordinance, so titles, exams and fees differ, and a license 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 license-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 license (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 license, 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 license $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 license; county law requires the Westchester trade license 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 license required to work in the county)
- Rochester (Licensed Trades — Plumbing Licensing)
- Syracuse (Division of Code Enforcement; plumber license unconfirmed on 2026 notice)
- Buffalo (plumbing landing page HTTP 404; journeyman plumber license unconfirmed)
- Albany (plumber examining board not verified this session)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Arkansas journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in New York?
- Yes. Arkansas requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Arkansas journeyman plumber license from New York?
- Published fees on this path total $150, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my New York work hours count in Arkansas?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Arkansas's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Arkansas to New York?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Arkansas to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Application Instructions for Arkansas Plumber & Restricted Plumber Licenses (with license/fee table), 1/15/2026 · Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Arkansas Department of Health - Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (licensing, examinations, fees, reciprocity) · Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (Protective Health Codes) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Rules Pertaining to Master, Journeyman, and Restricted Plumber Licenses, Plumbing and Gas Inspector Licenses, Restricted Hospital Maintenance, Water and Sewer Service Line Installation · Ark. Admin. Code 007.04; Rules Pertaining to Master, Journeyman, and Restricted Plumber Licenses (eff. Sept. 5, 2024) · Arkansas State Board of Health · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Arkansas Code Annotated § 17-1-108 - Automatic licensure for individuals licensed in another state (Act 1011 of 2019, as amended) · Ark. Code Ann. §§ 17-1-106, 17-1-108 · Arkansas General Assembly · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Arkansas Code Annotated Title 17, Chapter 38 - Plumbers (Arkansas Plumbing Law) · Ark. Code Ann. §§ 17-38-101 et seq., 17-38-201 (Committee of Plumbing Examiners), 17-38-301 et seq. (licensing) · Arkansas General Assembly / Arkansas Department of Health · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Arkansas Plumbing Reciprocal License Application (Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman Reciprocity Application Instructions) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Arkansas Plumbing Reciprocity Agreement (Guidelines for Plumbing Journeyman License through Arkansas Reciprocity) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · 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.