New York to New Hampshire: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
New York does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is New Hampshire'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.
Traditional application and New Hampshire plumbing examination (non-qualifying jurisdictions)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state journeyman whose origin is not on OPLC's Plc 313.34 qualifying-jurisdiction list cannot use endorsement and applies through the traditional Mechanical Licensing Board process. Saf-Mec 302.14 states that an out-of-state licensee is eligible for the New Hampshire plumbing licensing examination upon proof of licensure or certification from the state where the applicant claims to have worked; the out-of-state credential does not waive the exam. After passing, the applicant pays the $198 two-year journeyman plumber fee in Plc 1002.25. Plc 313.11 lets an individual from a non-listed jurisdiction request a waiver of endorsement criteria based on education, training and experience; OPLC's reciprocity FAQs (electrical extraction) also allow a request to reconsider whether a jurisdiction is substantially similar.
Re-open https://www.oplc.nh.gov/new-changes-reciprocity-new-hampshire in a browser and add Endorsement agreements (examTradeRequired false) for each listed plumber origin; use Reciprocity only if a signed waiver-of-exam agreement is published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 14 days
What you must already have
- Your New York license must be active and in good standing.
- Fee, eligibility details, and processing steps are not published in a form we can list here. Please see the sources on this page to find out more.
What you'll do to get licensed in New Hampshire
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. New Hampshire journeyman plumber licensing examination (Mechanical Licensing Board; Prov candidate bulletin is linked from the board home page)..
- 2Application fee. Pay the application fee ($198). Journeyman plumber application / two-year license fee (Plc 1002.25 and OPLC Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board fee table)..
- 3Other. Demonstrate proof of origin-state plumber licensure or certification with the application (Saf-Mec 302.14)..
Published fees on this path total $198, 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 New Hampshire licenses journeyman plumbers
New Hampshire journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by New Hampshire Mechanical Licensing Board, Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC)
New Hampshire issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Mechanical Licensing Board in the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC). The same board licenses trainee/apprentice plumbers, master plumbers and mechanical business entities, and also regulates fuel gas fitters; it does not license HVAC technicians. The published two-year journeyman plumber fee is $198 (OPLC Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board fee table; Plc 1002.25). Since 3 May 2024, out-of-state journeymen from jurisdictions OPLC has determined substantially similar under RSA 310:17 and Plc 313.34 may be licensed by endorsement without the New Hampshire exam; Plc 313.34 treats a comparable journeyman path as a four-year apprenticeship with 560 instruction hours plus an exam, and the origin code must be the same or a later edition of New Hampshire's building and fire codes. Everyone else uses the traditional route: Saf-Mec 302.14 makes an out-of-state plumber license sufficient to sit the New Hampshire plumbing examination (Prov bulletin linked from the board page); the exam itself is not waived.
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 New Hampshire journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in New York?
- Yes. New Hampshire requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a New Hampshire journeyman plumber license from New York?
- Published fees on this path total $198, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my New York work hours count in New Hampshire?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward New Hampshire's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 14 days.
- Does it work the other way, from New Hampshire to New York?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from New Hampshire to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- NH OPLC - Mechanical Licensing Board (who we regulate; plumber licenses) · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- NH OPLC - License Fees for the Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- OPLC - Reciprocity Licensing (HB 594 overview) · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- NH OPLC - New Changes for Reciprocity in New Hampshire (endorsement qualifying jurisdictions by board) · RSA 310:17; Plc 313.34 · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- N.H. Code Admin. R. Plc 1002.25 - Mechanical Licensing Board application and licensing fees · Plc 1002.25 · New Hampshire General Court (Administrative Rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- N.H. Code Admin. R. Plc 313.34 - Substantially similar requirements for Mechanical Licensing Board professions · Plc 313.34 (eff. 5-3-24, #13954); Plc 313.01; Plc 313.11 · New Hampshire General Court (Administrative Rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- RSA Chapter 153 - Fire Safety; Mechanical Licensing Board (plumber and fuel gas licensing) · RSA 153:16-b; RSA 153:27-a; RSA 153:28; RSA 153:36, VII · New Hampshire General Court · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- RSA 310:17 - License Reciprocity (OPLC endorsement of out-of-state licenses) · RSA 310:17 (2023, 111:1, eff. Aug. 27, 2023) · New Hampshire General Court · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- N.H. Code Admin. R. Saf-Mec 300 - Initial fuel gas fitting and plumbing licensing · Saf-Mec 302.14 · New Hampshire General Court (Administrative Rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.