Pennsylvania to Hawaii: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Hawaii'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: experience credited, full Hawaii exam (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Hawaii has no reciprocity or endorsement for journey worker plumbers from any state. An out-of-state journeyman applies for the PJ exam like a new candidate, documenting at least 10,000 hours (five years full-time) of UPC-compliant plumbing work as a journey worker's or master plumber's helper on notarized Experience Verification forms signed by each licensed plumber who supervised the work. If the state where the experience was gained licenses only contractors, the Board accepts a form signed by the licensed contractor together with verification of that contractor's license dates, and a self-employed plumbing contractor may self-attest with a copy of the contractor license that was valid during the period claimed. The applicant must also submit a License Verification form from every jurisdiction where a license has ever been held. The $40 application goes to the Board, which meets in even-numbered months and must approve the applicant before PSI will register them; examination eligibility lasts two years. On passing, the plumber license fee is $306 in the first year of the plumber triennium, $204 in the second, and $102 in the third (calendar years listed on the 06/2026 form; 2026 is a third year, so $102 if licensed between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027). A Hawaii contractor's license under HRS ch. 444 is separately required to contract for plumbing work.
Board meetings are usually in February, April, June, August, October and December with exams the following month, so allow roughly two to four months from filing to exam. The current PSI examination fee is not printed on the 06/2026 DCCA form; the Board's July 2018 FAQ listed $90 for plumbers ($95 for electricians). The Board page left plumber renewal dollar amounts blank; do not treat the 2018 $276 renewal figure as current. HAR §16-80-3 recognizes county-adopted UPC as the minimum plumbing standard and allows other licensed contractors to run exterior piping five feet or more outside the building line without a PJ/PM. Equivalent-experience language in HAR §16-80-3 is written for master plumbers, not for the PJ exam.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 90 days
What you must already have
- You must document at least 10,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least five years full-time or its equivalent, but not less than 10,000 hours, as a journey worker's or master plumber's helper (HRS §448E-5(b)(5)); the application form requires the work to be plumbing work in compliance with the UPC. Out-of-state hours count when verified by the supervising licensed plumber or, where that state licenses only contractors, the licensed contractor.
- License Verification form completed by every jurisdiction in which the applicant has ever held a license, showing any discipline
What you'll do to get licensed in Hawaii
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($40). Non-refundable application fee payable to Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
- 2Other. Notarized Experience Verification form(s) - Plumber Only, signed by each licensed plumber (or licensed contractor, where the origin state licenses only contractors) under whom the hours were earned.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Hawaii Journey Worker Plumber examination administered by PSI Services, based on the Uniform Plumbing Code; Board approval required before registering.
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Examination fee paid directly to PSI at registration (amount set in the PSI candidate bulletin; $90 in the Board's 2018 plumber FAQ).
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($102). Initial plumber license fee if licensed in the third year of the plumber triennium (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 per the 06/2026 application table: years 2017, 2020, 2023, 2026), including the compliance resolution fund fee; $306 in the first year of a triennium and $204 in the second. Do not send this fee with the initial application..
- 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. For each triennial renewal of an Active PJ license (next June 30, 2027): proof of a University of Hawaii community college course on updates to the 2021 UPC, or a board-prescribed UPC-update exam (HRS §448E-8.5(b)). Waived for the first renewal if the license was issued within one year of the expiration date; not required while Inactive..
Published fees on this path total $142, 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
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Hawaii licenses journeyman plumbers
Hawaii journeyman plumber · “Journey Worker Plumber (PJ)”
Statewide license
Issued by Hawaii Board of Electricians and Plumbers (DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing Division)
Hawaii issues a statewide Journey Worker Plumber (PJ) license through the Board of Electricians and Plumbers in the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. HAR §16-80-4 requires anyone who performs, directs, or supervises plumbing work in or within five feet of buildings in the State to hold a PJ or Master Plumber (PM) license (unlicensed helpers may work only while a licensee is physically present on the project site). Eligibility under HRS §448E-5(b)(5) and the Board's application is five years full-time, and not less than 10,000 hours, of plumbing work in compliance with the Uniform Plumbing Code as a journey worker's or master plumber's helper, followed by the PSI-administered Hawaii written exam based on the UPC. The Board's application form states that Hawaii does not reciprocate with any jurisdiction: an out-of-state journeyman license is never exchanged for a Hawaii license and the exam is never waived, but out-of-state hours count in full when verified on notarized Experience Verification forms. Licenses run on a three-year cycle ending June 30 (next 2027, then 2030, 2033) and Active PJ licensees must complete a 2021 UPC update course (or a board-prescribed UPC-update exam) to renew. A Hawaii contractor's license under HRS ch. 444 is separately required to contract for plumbing work.
Why Pennsylvania has nothing to transfer
Pennsylvania journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber (city-issued; no state licence)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Pennsylvania has no statewide plumber licence 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 authorises plumbing work under a licensed master plumber but not running a business: four years as a Philadelphia-registered apprentice (or a similar authorisation 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 licence. 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 licence and involves no exam.
Philadelphia (verified). L&I issues Plumber Apprentice, Journeyman Plumber and Master Plumber licences (trade-licence 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 authorise operating a business. Experience: registered Philadelphia apprentice for a minimum of four years, or proof of a similar authorisation 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. colour. Fees: $126 licence ($25 non-refundable application fee applied to that amount; balance due on approval); $126 annual renewal; 1.5% of the licence 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 licences 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 licence and a city business licence. No reciprocity language appears on the trades-licensing page. In Philadelphia, document four years (local apprentice or equivalent out-of-jurisdiction authorisation) 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 Hawaii journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Hawaii requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Hawaii journeyman plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $142, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Hawaii?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Hawaii's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 90 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Hawaii to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Hawaii to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- DCCA PVL - Requirements for Examination and License, Electricians and Plumbers (Forms EP-00 / EP-01, rev. 06/2026) · HRS ch. 448E; HAR ch. 16-80 · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- DCCA PVL - Board of Electricians and Plumbers · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- DCCA PVL - Electrician and Plumber Application Deadline and Examination Dates · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- DCCA PVL - Frequently Asked Questions, Electricians and Plumbers (July 2018) · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
- DCCA PVL - Plumber Continuing Competency Requirements · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 16, Chapter 80 - Electricians and Plumbers · HAR §§16-80-3, 16-80-4, 16-80-5, 16-80-6 · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- HRS §448E-5 - Minimum requirements (electricians and plumbers) · HRS §448E-5(b)(5)-(6) · Hawaii State Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- HRS §448E-5.5 - Examination · HRS §448E-5.5 · Hawaii State Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- HRS §448E-8.5 - Continued competency; license renewals · HRS §448E-8.5(b)-(c) · Hawaii State Legislature · 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.