New York to Rhode Island: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
New York does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Rhode Island'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 journeyperson admitted to the Rhode Island journeyperson plumber exam when origin requirements match (all states; no exam waiver)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An applicant who holds a journeyperson plumber license from any other state applies to DLT Professional Regulation for the Rhode Island journeyperson plumber examination. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-17, no one may file or sit that exam unless the $75 nonrefundable application fee is paid and one of the listed qualification paths is met. Path (5) is the inbound rule: an affidavit or other reasonably satisfactory evidence that the applicant possesses a certificate of license issued under the laws of another state, provided that the requirements are the same as Rhode Island’s, specifying that person as a journeyperson plumber. Holding that equivalent-state license substitutes for the Rhode Island-registered 8,000-hour / 576-hour apprenticeship in path (2); it does not waive the Rhode Island exam. Applications must be filed with DLT at least 15 days before the exam date. DLT Professional Regulation writes and gives the plumber exam itself. There are no named reciprocity partners and no statute titled endorsement. Municipal (city/county) plumber cards are not described as “issued under the laws of another state” in § 5-20-17(5).
No separate law/code exam is published. Mechanism is ExperienceCredit because the trade exam is not waived — Reciprocity is used only when the trade exam is waived.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your New York license must be active and in good standing.
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Rhode Island’s own apprentice path is 8,000 hours of OJT during a five-year period plus 576 hours of related instruction (§ 5-20-17(2)). Path (5) substitutes an equivalent-state journeyperson certificate for that Rhode Island apprenticeship; DLT has not published a separate hour table for out-of-state licensees.
- Origin-state journeyperson plumber requirements must be the same as Rhode Island’s (§ 5-20-17(5)); DLT does not publish a list of states that qualify
What you'll do to get licensed in Rhode Island
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Nonrefundable journeyperson application fee (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-17(1)).
- 2Other. 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..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Rhode Island Journeyperson Plumber examination administered by DLT Professional Regulation; not waived for out-of-state licensees.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. 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..
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Plumbing continuing education / CLE through a DLT-approved provider (Plumber CLE Agreement Rev..
Published fees on this path total $75, 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 Rhode Island licenses journeyman plumbers
Rhode Island journeyman plumber · “Journeyperson Plumber”
Statewide license
Rhode Island issues a statewide Journeyperson Plumber license through the Department of Labor and Training (DLT) Board of Examiners of Plumbers (R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 5-20). Duties transferred to DLT under § 5-20-39; the Department of Business Regulation does not license plumbers. A Rhode Island-trained applicant is admitted to the DLT-administered journeyperson examination after holding a DLT apprentice-plumber registration for at least four years with 8,000 hours of on-the-job training in a five-year period and 576 hours of related instruction, or after specified college/associate-degree plus in-state apprenticeship paths, and paying a $75 nonrefundable application fee (§ 5-20-17). The same section admits an applicant who holds a journeyperson plumber certificate issued under the laws of another state if that state’s requirements are the same as Rhode Island’s — that is an exam-admission rule, not a waiver of the Rhode Island exam. Chapter 20 has no reciprocity or endorsement title, and DLT publishes no partner-state list. Cities issue plumbing permits under § 5-20-26 but do not replace the state license. Irrigator and water-filtration licenses under the same board are separate credentials.
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 Rhode Island journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in New York?
- Yes. Rhode Island requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Rhode Island journeyman plumber license from New York?
- Published fees on this path total $75, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my New York work hours count in Rhode Island?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Rhode Island's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Rhode Island to New York?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Rhode Island to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Rhode Island DLT - Board of Examiners of Plumbers · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Rhode Island DLT - Plumber CLE Agreement (Rev. 08/2025) · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulation · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation Forms and Applications · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-17 - Qualifications of journeyperson — Application fee · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-17 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-23 - Expiration and renewal of licenses — Penalties for violation of section · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-23 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws Title 5, Chapter 20 - Plumbers, Irrigators, and Water System Installers (index) · R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 5-20 · Rhode Island General Assembly · 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.