North Carolina to Wisconsin: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
North Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Wisconsin'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 (no reciprocity; exam required, experience credited toward eligibility)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
DSPS publishes no plumbing reciprocity partners, and every out-of-state journeyman plumber must pass the Wisconsin two-part journeyman plumber examination (open book, 70% on each part to pass). Wisconsin's comity statute (Wis. Stat. 145.09) lets out-of-state training and licenses count toward eligibility to sit that exam, and DSPS lists two comity routes under Other Application Methods in LicensE. The first is for applicants who completed a five-year out-of-state plumbing apprenticeship with at least 576 hours of related instruction, confirmed by a certificate of completion or an equivalency letter from the Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards. The second is for applicants who completed an apprenticeship, passed a journeyman exam in another state and practiced for at least five years under a journeyman license from a state with substantially similar licensing, with no discipline, documented with the apprenticeship certificate and the Trades Experience Form (Form 8168). Wisconsin has no separate law or business exam for individual plumbers; the code portion is built into the two-part trade exam.
SPS 305.93 requires a plumbing apprenticeship under Wis. Stat. ch. 106 and 24 hours of continuing education to renew. Ask DSPS whether a service-member or spouse reciprocal credential applies to plumbers.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Completion of a plumbing apprenticeship recognized under Wis. Stat. ch. 106 or by the U.S. Department of Labor (an out-of-state program must be five years with at least 576 hours of related instruction), or an apprenticeship plus a journeyman exam passed in another state and at least five years of practice under an equivalent license with no discipline (Wis. Stat. 145.09)
What you'll do to get licensed in Wisconsin
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($10). Journeyman Plumber application fee (Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.02, Table 305.02), paid in LicensE when you apply; nonrefundable.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($20). Journeyman Plumber examination fee (Table 305.02), paid again in LicensE for each retake. Candidates who choose a Pearson test center are billed $90 per part by Pearson..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Wisconsin Journeyman Plumber examination: two parts, open book, 70% passing score; references limited to nine items (Wis. Stat. ch. 145, SPS 305, SPS 381-387, ch. 106, SPS 302 and ch. 325 in one binder; NFPA 13D and NFPA 24 (2019); five POWTS component manuals; MPP design manual).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($180). Journeyman Plumber license fee (Table 305.02) for a four-year license, paid after you pass.
- 5Other. Apprenticeship certificate of completion or Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards equivalency letter uploaded to LicensE; applicants using the five-years-of-practice route also complete the Trades Experience Form (Form 8168) covering the out-of-state license and practice.
- 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 24 hours of approved continuing education to renew a Journeyman Plumber license (SPS 305.93).
Published fees on this path total $210, 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.
- Exam fee · $20
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Wisconsin licenses journeyman plumbers
Wisconsin journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)
Wisconsin issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS); under Wis. Stat. 145.06 no person may engage in or work at plumbing in the state unless licensed by DSPS, and there is no municipal plumber licensing. Under SPS 305.93 a journeyman works under the general supervision of a Master Plumber, Master Plumber Restricted or Utility Contractor licensee, qualifies by completing a plumbing apprenticeship under Wis. Stat. ch. 106, and must complete 24 hours of approved continuing education to renew. A new applicant applies in the LicensE portal at license.wi.gov with proof of the completed apprenticeship, is made eligible to test, and must pass the DSPS journeyman plumber examination, which is a two-part, open-book exam with a 70% passing score covering Wis. Stat. ch. 145, SPS 305, the SPS 381-387 plumbing code, NFPA 13D/24 and the POWTS component manuals. DSPS's plumber pages name no reciprocity states, and the electrical reciprocity statute (Wis. Stat. 101.874) does not extend to plumbers; the plumbing comity statute (Wis. Stat. 145.09) counts out-of-state apprenticeships and licenses toward eligibility for the exam but does not waive it.
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 Wisconsin journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in North Carolina?
- Yes. Wisconsin requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Wisconsin journeyman plumber license from North Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $210, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my North Carolina work hours count in Wisconsin?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Wisconsin's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Wisconsin to North Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Wisconsin to North Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Plumber: Licensure by Examination · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.93 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Plumber: Other Application Methods (comity) · Wis. Stat. 145.09; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.93 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Plumber (profession page) · Wis. Stat. 145.06; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.93 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Trades Exam and Continuing Education Information (exam fee schedule) · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 - Licenses, Certifications and Registrations (Table 305.02 fees; Table 305.06 terms; SPS 305.09; SPS 305.91, 305.93, 305.95) · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.02 Table 305.02 lines 62 and 65; SPS 305.06 Table 305.06; SPS 305.09; SPS 305.91; SPS 305.93; SPS 305.95 · Wisconsin Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Wis. Stat. ch. 145 - Plumbing (145.07 examinations; 145.08 fees and 4-year terms; 145.09 state comity) · Wis. Stat. 145.06; 145.07; 145.08; 145.09 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 145.06 - Licenses and registration (plumbing) · Wis. Stat. 145.06 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.