New York to Minnesota: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
New York does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Minnesota'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 without a reciprocity agreement (exam required; license substitutes for experience documentation)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman plumber licensed anywhere other than North Dakota or South Dakota gets no exam waiver and must pass the Minnesota journeyworker written exam. The out-of-state license does carry weight: DLI's exam-eligibility list accepts 'a current plumber's license from another state where the licensing jurisdiction requires at least four years of practical plumbing experience and an examination to qualify for licensure' as a stand-alone qualification to sit the exam, so a licensee from such a state need not re-document 7,000 hours. Applicants whose state does not meet that test rely on documented hours instead, and DLI caps out-of-state experience at two years unless the applicant first obtained a plumber's license in that state; out-of-state apprenticeship hours count when certified by the state agency that regulates plumbing there. The applicant applies through iMS with the $50 exam fee, must wait 30 days to reapply after a failed attempt, and pays the license fee after passing. Minnesota has no separate law or business exam for individual plumbers.
DLI pages describe no endorsement route for non-reciprocal states; the only exam waiver is the North Dakota / South Dakota reciprocity. The initial license fee amount is not published on the pages fetched (DLI says instructions are given after the exam is passed; the fee schedule statute, Minn. Stat. Whether a city-issued origin license from a state without statewide licensing satisfies the 'license from another state' route is not addressed; DLI's wording is 'licensing jurisdiction', but the reciprocity page expressly rejects city-obtained licenses, so this file treats municipal origin licenses as not accepted.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Current plumber's license from a state whose licensing jurisdiction requires at least four years of practical plumbing experience and an examination; OR four years (7,000 hours) of certified practical plumbing experienceOne year of practical plumbing experience is at least 1,750 hours and no more than 1,750 hours may be credited per calendar year. Not more than two years of experience from another state is credited unless the applicant first obtained a plumber's license in that state. Experience must be certified by the licensed master plumber responsible for the work.
- Your New York license must be active and in good standing.
What you'll do to get licensed in Minnesota
- 1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Journeyworker plumber exam application fee, paid online through iMS (30-day wait before reapplying after a failed exam).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Minnesota journeyworker plumber written examination administered by DLI (2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code); pass mark not published on the pages fetched.
- 3Other. Copy of the current out-of-state plumber's license, or Plumbing work experience forms certified by the responsible licensed master plumber (and state-agency certification for out-of-state apprenticeship hours).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. Journeyworker plumber license fee, billed after the exam is passed; amount not published on DLI's plumbing pages (renewal is $53 for the two-year cycle ending Dec. 31 of odd-numbered years).
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 16 hours of DLI-approved continuing education per two-year renewal cycle, at least eight hours on the State Plumbing Code (required to renew, not to obtain the initial license).
Published fees on this path total $50, 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.
- Exam fee · $50
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Minnesota licenses journeyman plumbers
Minnesota journeyman plumber · “Journeyworker Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Plumbing Board
Minnesota issues a statewide Journeyworker Plumber license through the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI); DLI's license-types page states the license 'authorizes the individual to work statewide', and no city-issued plumber licenses appear on DLI's pages (DLI also issues a Restricted Journeyworker license limited to towns under 5,000). A new applicant must first pass DLI's written journeyworker exam ($50 exam fee), and is eligible to sit it after a registered apprenticeship, four years (1,750 hours per year, 7,000 hours) of practical experience as a DLI-registered unlicensed plumber (Minn. Stat. 326B.47, subd. 2), two years under a Minnesota restricted license, or by holding a current plumber's license from another state that requires at least four years of experience and an exam. Journeyworker plumbers licensed by examination in North Dakota or South Dakota may be licensed without the Minnesota exam under DLI's reciprocity page. Licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years; renewal is $53 and requires 16 hours of continuing education, at least eight on the State Plumbing Code (2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code, Minn. R. ch. 4714).
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 Minnesota journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in New York?
- Yes. Minnesota requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Minnesota journeyman plumber license from New York?
- Published fees on this path total $50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my New York work hours count in Minnesota?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Minnesota's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Minnesota to New York?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Minnesota to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Minnesota DLI - Personal plumber license forms and resources · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbers (landing page for workers) · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license experience requirements · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license basics · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license types and credentials · Minn. Stat. 326B.46 · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing reciprocity · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota Statutes 326B.47 - Unlicensed individuals (registration; journeyworker exam eligibility) · Minn. Stat. 326B.47, subd. 2 · Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · 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.