New York to Idaho: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
New York does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Idaho'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 journeymen from non-reciprocal states (initial application with out-of-state hours credited)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A plumber licensed anywhere other than Montana, Oregon or Washington applies to Idaho as an initial applicant; the application form has no endorsement or universal-licensure box for other states. Idaho credits supervised plumbing-installation hours earned in any jurisdiction: IDAPA 24.39.20.100.02 counts apprentice hours obtained 'in accordance with the requirements of the jurisdiction in which the applicant obtained the experience', and the form states that work hours 'can be obtained in or out of the State of Idaho'. The applicant documents either 8,000 hours plus completion of a 576-hour board-approved apprenticeship course or 16,000 hours on Work Verification Forms (one per employer), then registers with PSI, pays the $75 exam fee and passes the four-hour, open-book (2015 UPC) Idaho Plumbing Journeyman exam at 70% before filing the application with the $51.90 processing fee ($22.50 application plus $29.40 initial certificate). Idaho Code 67-9409 (universal licensure) obliges DOPL to license holders of a current, unrestricted out-of-state license who demonstrate competency, but it expressly lets the Board require its examination, and the Plumbing Board has not adopted any separate procedure, so the exam is not waived. Pipe-fitting and appliance-specialty hours do not count.
The 576-hour instruction requirement is stated on the form as attendance at a board-approved Idaho program; whether DOPL accepts a completed out-of-state apprenticeship program as equivalent for the 8,000-hour route is not documented, and applicants who cannot show it fall back to the 16,000-hour route. Military members, veterans and spouses instead use licensure by endorsement under Idaho Code 67-9406 (no exam, no application fee). Fee conflict: Idaho Code 54-2616 lists the journeyman certificate fee as $15 initial / $7.20 renewal, but DOPL's fee table and form charge $29.40 / $21.60. New Idaho-specific exam questions take effect July 1, 2026.
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.8,000 supervised plumbing-installation hours plus completion of 576 hours of board-approved instruction; otherwise 16,000 supervised hours. Hours may be earned in or out of Idaho; hours earned in Idaho must have been worked under an active Idaho apprentice registration.
What you'll do to get licensed in Idaho
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($22.50). DOPL application fee (Idaho Code 54-2614); collected with the certificate fee as a single $51.90 processing fee on the form.
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($29.40). Initial Plumbing Journeyman certificate fee, three-year term (renewal $21.60).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($75). PSI examination fee, paid per attempt; valid one year from payment.
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Idaho Plumbing Journeyman examination (IAPMO-based, administered by PSI): 4 hours, 100 points, open book with the 2015 Uniform Plumbing Code, 70% to pass; must be passed before the application is submitted.
- 5Other. Work Verification Form for each employer (supervising journeyman's name and license number, dates, total plumbing-installation hours, whether the work was performed in Idaho) and, for the 8,000-hour route, a certificate of completion from a board-approved apprenticeship program.
Published fees on this path total $126.90, 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
How Idaho licenses journeyman plumbers
Idaho journeyman plumber · “Plumbing Journeyman (Certificate of Competency)”
Statewide license
Issued by Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (Idaho State Plumbing Board)
Idaho issues a statewide Plumbing Journeyman certificate of competency through the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) on behalf of the Idaho State Plumbing Board under Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 26 and IDAPA 24.39.20. A new applicant needs either 8,000 supervised hours plus 576 hours of board-approved instruction or 16,000 supervised hours, and must pass the IAPMO-based Idaho journeyman exam administered by PSI before applying. Journeymen licensed by examination in Montana, Oregon or Washington may use the form's Reciprocity Pathway and are licensed without retesting. Everyone else applies as an initial applicant; hours earned in any jurisdiction count toward the experience requirement, but the Idaho exam must be passed. The certificate runs three years, and the Board has set no continuing-education requirement.
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 Idaho journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in New York?
- Yes. Idaho requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Idaho journeyman plumber license from New York?
- Published fees on this path total $126.90, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my New York work hours count in Idaho?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Idaho's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Idaho to New York?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Idaho to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 26 - Plumbing and Plumbers · Idaho Code 54-2610, 54-2611, 54-2614, 54-2616, 54-2617 · Idaho Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho Code 67-9409 - Universal Licensure · Idaho Code 67-9409 · Idaho Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Program Information and Exams · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Frequently Asked Questions · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Apply for or Renew a License · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- IDAPA 24.39.20 - Rules Governing Plumbing · IDAPA 24.39.20.100 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho Plumbing Journeyman Application and Instructions (revised October 3, 2024) · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board draft meeting minutes, February 26, 2026 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Other · verified September 16, 2026
- PSI Candidate Information Bulletin - Idaho Plumbing Journeyman Examination (September 1, 2024) · PSI Services for Idaho DOPL · Other · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.