New York to Utah: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
New York does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Utah'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 applicants without an equivalent license (standard route with out-of-state experience credit)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
If the origin jurisdiction is gray on DOPL's Endorsement to Utah: Journeyman Plumber map (California, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York as of the 7/1/2020 map), the applicant must meet Utah's standard journeyman qualifications: completion of an approved apprenticeship program of at least 576 classroom hours plus 8,000 hours of licensed plumbing experience under a licensed journeyman or master, or 16,000 hours without the program. Hours earned outside Utah count when documented on the Verification of Plumbing Experience form by the employer together with official verification of the applicant's license from the jurisdiction where the hours were obtained; the map says city, county or non-equivalent state licenses 'may be used to assist with documentation of compliance with some Utah qualifications'. Since January 19, 2026 first-time candidates attach the experience form (and, for out-of-state trade-program graduates, official transcripts) to their Prov exam registration; no DOPL pre-approval is needed. The applicant then passes the Utah Plumber Written Exam and the Utah Plumber Practical Exam through Prov, and submits the DOPL application with the $116 fee after passing.
Hour thresholds conflict between DOPL pages: the apply page and the v20260420 application require 576 classroom hours plus 8,000 apprentice hours (or 16,000), while the Exam Information page lists testing eligibility as '7 semesters or the competency exam equivalence; and 6,000 hours' (or 16,000) and the 2020 map describes 4 years in a program or 8 years outside one. The 8,000-hour figure from the current application is used here.
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 hours as a licensed apprentice under a licensed journeyman or master plumber together with completion of an approved 576-classroom-hour apprenticeship program; otherwise 16,000 hours. At least 2,000 and no more than 3,000 hours may be credited per 12-month period.
- Hours obtained outside Utah must be supported by official verification of the applicant's license from the jurisdiction where the hours were obtained, in addition to the employer-completed Verification of Plumbing Experience form.
What you'll do to get licensed in Utah
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($116). Non-refundable DOPL application-processing fee (application v20260420).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Utah Plumber Written (theory) Exam and Utah Plumber Practical Exam, administered by Prov; register directly with Prov and pay exam fees to Prov; pass before submitting the DOPL application.
- 3Other. Verification of Plumbing Experience form(s) completed by employers, official apprenticeship transcripts if using the 8,000-hour route, and official out-of-state license verification.
- 4Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 12 hours of approved CE per licensing cycle (8 core, 4 core or professional) to renew.
Published fees on this path total $116, 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 Utah licenses journeyman plumbers
Utah journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL)
Utah issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) under the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act (Utah Code 58-55) and Rule R156-55c; DOPL also licenses Apprentice Plumbers, Residential Journeyman Plumbers (residential work only, 6,000 hours plus schooling or 12,000 hours) and Residential Master Plumbers. A new journeyman needs either completion of an approved apprenticeship program (576 classroom hours) plus 8,000 hours of licensed apprentice experience, or 16,000 hours, and must pass the Prov-administered Utah Plumber Written (theory) and Practical exams before applying; the DOPL application fee is $116 and exam fees are paid to Prov. Utah has no signed reciprocity agreements. Instead, under Utah Code 58-1-302 it licenses by endorsement anyone whose license appears in green on DOPL's Endorsement to Utah: Journeyman Plumber map, provided the license has been held at least one year and is active and in good standing; no Utah exam is required for journeyman endorsement. Applicants from jurisdictions without an equivalent statewide license use verified out-of-state hours toward the standard route. Renewal requires 12 hours of approved CE per licensing cycle (8 core).
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 Utah journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in New York?
- Yes. Utah requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Utah journeyman plumber license from New York?
- Published fees on this path total $116, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my New York work hours count in Utah?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Utah's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Utah to New York?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Utah to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Utah Code 58-55-302 - Qualifications for licensure (Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act) · Utah Code 58-55-302; 58-1-302 (license by endorsement) · Utah State Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Utah DOPL - Plumbing Exam Information · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Apply for a Journeyman Plumber License (DOPL) · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Utah DOPL - Plumbing licensing home page · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Utah DOPL - Plumbing Continuing Education · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Endorsement to Utah: Journeyman Plumber (state-by-state equivalency map) · Utah Code 58-55; 58-1-302 · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Other · verified September 16, 2026
- Utah Plumber Application (JP / RJP / MP / RMP) with Verification of Plumbing Experience forms, checklist and instructions · Utah Admin. Code R156-1-301 (cited on the form) · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Utah Admin. Code R156-55c - Plumber Licensing Act Rule · Utah Admin. Code R156-55c · Utah Office of 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.