North Carolina to District of Columbia: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
North Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is District of Columbia'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 plumber from a state other than Maryland
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
The Board of Industrial Trades publishes a plumber-specific reciprocity bulletin only for Maryland. A journeyman plumber from any other state applies through the DLCP online portal as a new applicant with a passport-style photo, government ID, certificate of completion and/or employment verification letter, and the $65 application fee, must show the 8,000-hour/4-year apprentice experience (or a mechanical-engineering degree plus 2 years, or equivalent), schedules the journeyman exam with PSI, and pays the $110 license fee. Two statutory routes can waive the exam: § 47-2853.122(b-1) requires the Board to accept a national certifying organization's journeyman plumber certificate (completed apprenticeship, passed that organization's exam, designated journeyman, no discipline) in lieu of the exam and subsection (b), and § 47-2853.12(b) directs boards to waive the exam for a licensee in good standing of a state whose standards were at least as high as the District's and which admits DC licensees in a like manner, with § 47-2853.08 leaving the substantial-equivalence finding to the Board case by case. No District-law exam applies.
PSI exam fee is referred to 17 DCMR § 3500.3 and was not stated on the board page. Virginia plumbers are not named in the Reciprocity section or in the Maryland plumbing bulletin title.
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.Worked as an apprentice plumber or gasfitter at least 8,000 hours over at least 4 years, or a mechanical-engineering degree plus at least 2 years of practical experience verified by a licensed master plumber or master gasfitter, or comparable experience the Board deems equivalent (D.C. Code § 47-2853.122(b)). Not required if applying under the national-certificate substitute in (b-1).
What you'll do to get licensed in District of Columbia
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($65). Application fee (non-refundable under D.C. Code § 47-2853.10), paid online with the DLCP application.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. DC Journeyman Plumber examination administered by PSI (schedule at psiexams.com or 855-557-0616 after Board processing); waived for holders of a recognized national certifying organization's journeyman plumber certificate under § 47-2853.122(b-1).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI examination fee, amount set by 17 DCMR § 3500.3 (not stated on the Board page).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($110). Journeyman (all types) license fee, up to 2 years; plumber and gasfitter licenses expire March 31 of even-numbered years (renewal $110).
- 5Other. Certificate of completion and/or employment verification letter, 2x2 passport-style photo, and government-issued ID, uploaded with the online application (Board Plumbing/Gasfitting items-needed list).
Published fees on this path total $175, 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
How District of Columbia licenses journeyman plumbers
District of Columbia journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by DC Board of Industrial Trades (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection)
The District of Columbia issues a person-held Journeyman Plumber license (the Board also licenses journeyman gasfitters as a related specialty) through the Board of Industrial Trades in the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), the same board that licenses electricians and refrigeration mechanics. Under D.C. Code § 47-2853.122 a journeyman plumber must have worked as an apprentice plumber or gasfitter at least 8,000 hours over at least 4 years (a mechanical-engineering degree plus 2 years of practical experience verified by a licensed master, or comparable experience the Board accepts, also qualifies) and then pass the PSI-administered exam, unless the applicant presents a national certifying organization's journeyman plumber certificate that waives both the exam and the subsection (b) experience path. Fees are a $65 application fee and a $110 license fee for a term of up to 2 years; plumber and gasfitter licenses expire March 31 of even-numbered years. The Board publishes a Maryland plumbing reciprocity bulletin; the Reciprocity section of the board page still describes only Maryland and Virginia electricians. No District-law exam applies to journeyman plumbers (§ 47-2853.12(c)(3)).
Why North Carolina has nothing to transfer
North Carolina journeyman plumber · “Journeyman plumber (city or county card, where issued)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Issued by North Carolina cities and counties (no statewide journeyman plumber license)
North Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license. The State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors licenses plumbing contractors (Class I for all structures and Class II for single-family detached dwellings) and optional Plumbing Technician classifications for employees of contractors or of state, local-government or private-educational employers; G.S. 87-21 never uses the word journeyman. A W-2 employee may perform plumbing work under a licensed plumbing contractor without holding a technician license, so the technician credential is not a true journeyman card and is not mapped here. Some cities and counties may still issue local journeyman or tradesman cards for work inside their inspection jurisdictions. An inbound journeyman should ask the local inspections department where the job is located; there is no state endorsement, reciprocity list or default path at this level.
How local licensing works in North Carolina
The municipalities listed are large inspection jurisdictions that historically have run local trades programs; confirm each city's current plumber/journeyman page before relying on a local card. Restricted Limited Plumbing Contractor (1,500 hours) and Plumbing Technician (2,500–3,000 hours) are state credentials of the contractor board, not municipal journeyman licenses.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the District of Columbia journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in North Carolina?
- Yes. District of Columbia requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a District of Columbia journeyman plumber license from North Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $175, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my North Carolina work hours count in District of Columbia?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward District of Columbia's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from District of Columbia to North Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from District of Columbia to North Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.08 - Powers of the boards (reciprocity and endorsement) · D.C. Code § 47-2853.08(2) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.12 - License, certification, and registration criteria; waiver · D.C. Code § 47-2853.12(b)-(d), (l) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.121 - Scope of practice for plumbers or gasfitters · D.C. Code § 47-2853.121 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.122 - Plumbers or gasfitters: eligibility requirements · D.C. Code § 47-2853.122 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- DC DLCP - Board of Industrial Trades (plumbers/gasfitters: apply, exams, fees, reciprocity notices) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- DC DLCP - Plumbing/Gasfitting license application instructions (linked from Board of Industrial Trades) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Licensing · Form · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.