Pennsylvania to District of Columbia: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania 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's District of Columbia candidate bulletin lists the exam fee as $52 per attempt. Virginia plumbers are not named in the Reciprocity section or in the Maryland plumbing reciprocity bulletin.
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 ($52). Per attempt, paid to PSI when scheduling, as listed in PSI's District of Columbia candidate bulletin.
- 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 $227, 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 · $52
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)).
Compare: getting a District of Columbia license from scratch
Why Pennsylvania has nothing to transfer
Pennsylvania journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber (city-issued; no state license)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Pennsylvania has no statewide plumber license at the journeyman level: none of the Department of State's 29 professional licensing boards covers plumbers or plumbing contractors (the only construction-related board is Crane Operators), and there is no Commonwealth journeyman or master plumber credential. Individual licensing exists only where a city ordinance creates it. Philadelphia's Department of Licenses and Inspections, advised by the Plumbing Advisory Board, issues a Journeyman Plumber License (Philadelphia Code Title 9-1003) that authorizes plumbing work under a licensed master plumber but not running a business: four years as a Philadelphia-registered apprentice (or a similar authorization from another state or local jurisdiction with equal or greater requirements, subject to L&I approval), the ICC Journeyman Plumber Examination referencing the current Philadelphia Code or applied within 12 months of passing, and a $126 annual fee ($25 of that is the non-refundable application fee). Allentown posts 2026 journeyman and master plumber exam applications and licenses the plumbing trade separately from a business license. Scranton's published form is a master electrical/mechanical/plumbing/general contractor application with no journeyman plumber form on that page. There is no state-level reciprocity; Philadelphia's other-jurisdiction clause substitutes for local apprentice registration only and does not waive the ICC exam.
How local licensing works in Pennsylvania
How local licensing works. Pennsylvania does not license plumbers. Each city that licenses the trade does so under its own ordinance through L&I, a plumbing board, or a codes office. Residential plumbing contractors doing $5,000 or more of home-improvement work in a year must also register with the Pennsylvania Attorney General under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act; that registration is not a trade license and involves no exam.
Philadelphia (verified). L&I issues Plumber Apprentice, Journeyman Plumber and Master Plumber licenses (trade-license list). The journeyman page, last updated with the Plumbing Advisory Board, is the only plumbing service page opened in full. Scope: drainage, cesspools, traps, waste vents, water piping, and fixtures attached to plumbing elements, excluding gas or electric heaters; work must be under a licensed master plumber; the card does not authorize operating a business. Experience: registered Philadelphia apprentice for a minimum of four years, or proof of a similar authorization from any other state or local jurisdiction with equal or greater qualification requirements, subject to L&I approval. Exam: ICC Journeyman Plumber Examination; must reference the current Philadelphia Code and associated standards, or the application must be filed within 12 months of passing. Photo: 2 in. × 2 in. color. Fees: $126 license ($25 non-refundable application fee applied to that amount; balance due on approval); $126 annual renewal; 1.5% of the license fee per month if more than 60 days late. Apply via eCLIPSE or in person at 1401 JFK Blvd. (Permit and License Center). PLI issues person-held trade licenses in other trades; plumbing exam, fee, experience and whether a journeyman tier exists were not verified. Do not assume Pittsburgh waives a plumber exam.
Allentown. Building Standards and Safety licenses electrical, plumbing and sheet metal trades. Operating a contracting company requires both a trades license and a city business license. No reciprocity language appears on the trades-licensing page. In Philadelphia, document four years (local apprentice or equivalent out-of-jurisdiction authorization) and pass the ICC Journeyman Plumber Examination on the Philadelphia Code (or apply within 12 months of that exam). Elsewhere, expect a separate city application and usually a local or ICC exam. Statewide reciprocity: none.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the District of Columbia journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- 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 Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $227, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from District of Columbia to Pennsylvania, 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 23, 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 23, 2026
- District of Columbia Board of Industrial Trades · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- DLCP Board of Industrial Trades - Plumbing/Gasfitting Application Instructions · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Licensing · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- PSI Candidate Information Bulletin - Washington D.C. Contractor/Trades Examinations · PSI Services LLC for the District of Columbia Board of Industrial Trades · Form · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.