New York to Oklahoma: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
New York does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Oklahoma'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 plumbing journeyman without a reciprocity agreement (all states except Arkansas)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman from any state other than Arkansas has no reciprocity route, because CIB publishes only the Arkansas plumbing agreement and OAC 158:30-5-4 requires a written agreement for the specific license sought. Under OAC 158:30-9-1.4 a journeyman from a state without an agreement, or from a jurisdiction with only local licensing, may request exam equivalency; if the Board has previously approved that jurisdiction's exam as substantially similar, the Oklahoma journeyman exam is waived on a certified letter from the licensing jurisdiction showing a current license in good standing, the license category, an exam score of 70% or higher and no pending discipline. CIB does not publish which jurisdictions' exams have been approved, and no equivalency form exists on the Plumbing Forms page. Otherwise the applicant files the Application for Plumbing Examination with notarized experience affidavits and a copy of the out-of-state license, which 'may expedite processing of the requirements' (OAC 158:30-9-1(k)(3)); out-of-state experience lawfully obtained counts toward the three-year requirement. The applicant pays $75 and must pass the Oklahoma plumbing journeyman exam through PSI with 75%. Oklahoma has no separate law exam for journeymen.
Vendor sites claim Oklahoma plumbing reciprocity with Texas, Colorado and Louisiana; none of those states appears on any CIB plumbing page, on the Plumbing Forms page (which offers only an Arkansas reciprocity application) or in OAC 158:30, so they are treated as default-path states here. Colorado's Plumbing Board has no reciprocal agreements at all. Which jurisdictions' exams the Board has approved for equivalency could not be confirmed from an official page. The exam pass mark is 75% under OAC 158:30-9-1(d), but the equivalency letter only needs a home-state score of 70% or higher. The exam code edition was in transition per CIB's '2026 Building Code Updates and Examination Transition Period' notice.
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 6,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Three years of experience in the plumbing trade while employed by a licensed plumbing contractor (or equivalent military service); the CIB affidavit treats one year of full-time employment as approximately 2,000 hours. Approved education substitutes for up to two years. A current out-of-state license may expedite processing of this requirement.
- 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 Oklahoma
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($25). Journeyman application processing fee, forfeited if the applicant does not meet minimum qualifications (OAC 158:30-9-2(b)).
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($50). Initial journeyman license fee, submitted with the application; annual renewal $75, late fee $25.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Oklahoma Plumbing Journeyman exam administered by PSI, 75% or more on each part to pass; waived only if the Board has approved the home jurisdiction's exam for equivalency.
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($92). PSI fee per examination portion, non-refundable, charged again for each retake (30-day wait after a first failure, 90 days thereafter).
- 5Other. Notarized experience affidavits signed by each verifying plumbing contractor, copy of the out-of-state license or original certificate, and notarized affidavit of lawful presence (56 O.S. § 71).
- 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Six hours of Committee-approved continuing education within the 36 months preceding each license expiration (OAC 158:30-9-4).
Published fees on this path total $167, 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
- Exam fee · $92
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Oklahoma licenses journeyman plumbers
Oklahoma journeyman plumber · “Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman”
Statewide license
Issued by Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB), Plumbing Division
Oklahoma issues statewide plumbing journeyman licenses through the Construction Industries Board (CIB) under the Plumbing License Law of 1955 and OAC Title 158, Chapter 30, in Unlimited and Residential categories. An Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman applicant must be 18 and show three years of verifiable experience in the plumbing trade while employed by a licensed plumbing contractor (about 2,000 hours per year, so roughly 6,000 hours; Oklahoma hours count only while registered as an apprentice), or equivalent U.S. military experience, with a Committee-approved 1,000-hour program substituting for two years and a 500-hour program for one year. The applicant pays $75 ($25 application plus $50 initial license), and must score 75% on the Oklahoma plumbing journeyman exam administered by PSI ($92 per portion). CIB has one published plumbing reciprocity agreement, with Arkansas (effective October 21, 2024, journeyman only); other out-of-state journeymen may seek exam equivalency if the Board has approved their jurisdiction's exam, and a current out-of-state license otherwise expedites processing of the experience requirement. Journeymen must work under a licensed plumbing contractor, renew annually ($75) and complete six hours of continuing education every 36 months.
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 Oklahoma journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in New York?
- Yes. Oklahoma requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Oklahoma journeyman plumber license from New York?
- Published fees on this path total $167, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my New York work hours count in Oklahoma?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oklahoma's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Oklahoma to New York?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oklahoma to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Industry · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Application Information and Application for Plumbing Examination (Contractor and Journeyman, 9/2023) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Forms · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Journeyman · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- OAC Title 158, Chapter 30 - Plumbing Industry Regulations (permanent rules effective 10/1/2024) · OAC 158:30-1-2, 158:30-5-1, 158:30-5-2, 158:30-5-4, 158:30-9-1, 158:30-9-1.4, 158:30-9-2, 158:30-9-4 · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma Plumbing License Law of 1955, 59 O.S. §§ 1000.1 et seq. · 59 O.S. § 1000.5A · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- State of Oklahoma Electrical, Mechanical, Roofing and Plumbing Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · PSI Services for the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · 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.