Pennsylvania to Idaho: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Idaho'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 journeymen from non-reciprocal states (initial application with out-of-state hours credited)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A plumber licensed anywhere other than Montana, Oregon or Washington applies to Idaho as an initial applicant; the application form has no endorsement or universal-licensure box for other states. Idaho credits supervised plumbing-installation hours earned in any jurisdiction: IDAPA 24.39.20.100.02 counts apprentice hours obtained 'in accordance with the requirements of the jurisdiction in which the applicant obtained the experience', and the form states that work hours 'can be obtained in or out of the State of Idaho'. The applicant documents either 8,000 hours plus completion of a 576-hour board-approved apprenticeship course or 16,000 hours on Work Verification Forms (one per employer), then registers with PSI, pays the $75 exam fee and passes the four-hour, open-book (2015 UPC) Idaho Plumbing Journeyman exam at 70% before filing the application with the $51.90 processing fee ($22.50 application plus $29.40 initial certificate). Idaho Code 67-9409 (universal licensure) obliges DOPL to license holders of a current, unrestricted out-of-state license who demonstrate competency, but it expressly lets the Board require its examination, and the Plumbing Board has not adopted any separate procedure, so the exam is not waived. Pipe-fitting and appliance-specialty hours do not count.
The 576-hour instruction requirement is stated on the form as attendance at a board-approved Idaho program; whether DOPL accepts a completed out-of-state apprenticeship program as equivalent for the 8,000-hour route is not documented, and applicants who cannot show it fall back to the 16,000-hour route. Military members, veterans and spouses instead use licensure by endorsement under Idaho Code 67-9406 (no exam, no application fee). Fee conflict: Idaho Code 54-2616 lists the journeyman certificate fee as $15 initial / $7.20 renewal, but DOPL's fee table and form charge $29.40 / $21.60. New Idaho-specific exam questions take effect July 1, 2026.
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 supervised plumbing-installation hours plus completion of 576 hours of board-approved instruction; otherwise 16,000 supervised hours. Hours may be earned in or out of Idaho; hours earned in Idaho must have been worked under an active Idaho apprentice registration.
What you'll do to get licensed in Idaho
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($22.50). DOPL application fee (Idaho Code 54-2614); collected with the certificate fee as a single $51.90 processing fee on the form.
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($29.40). Initial Plumbing Journeyman certificate fee, three-year term (renewal $21.60).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($75). PSI examination fee, paid per attempt; valid one year from payment.
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Idaho Plumbing Journeyman examination (IAPMO-based, administered by PSI): 4 hours, 100 points, open book with the 2015 Uniform Plumbing Code, 70% to pass; must be passed before the application is submitted.
- 5Other. Work Verification Form for each employer (supervising journeyman's name and license number, dates, total plumbing-installation hours, whether the work was performed in Idaho) and, for the 8,000-hour route, a certificate of completion from a board-approved apprenticeship program.
Published fees on this path total $126.90, 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
How Idaho licenses journeyman plumbers
Idaho journeyman plumber · “Plumbing Journeyman (Certificate of Competency)”
Statewide license
Issued by Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (Idaho State Plumbing Board)
Idaho issues a statewide Plumbing Journeyman certificate of competency through the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) on behalf of the Idaho State Plumbing Board under Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 26 and IDAPA 24.39.20. A new applicant needs either 8,000 supervised hours plus 576 hours of board-approved instruction or 16,000 supervised hours, and must pass the IAPMO-based Idaho journeyman exam administered by PSI before applying. Journeymen licensed by examination in Montana, Oregon or Washington may use the form's Reciprocity Pathway and are licensed without retesting. Everyone else applies as an initial applicant; hours earned in any jurisdiction count toward the experience requirement, but the Idaho exam must be passed. The certificate runs three years, and the Board has set no continuing-education requirement.
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 Idaho journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Idaho requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Idaho journeyman plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $126.90, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Idaho?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Idaho's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Idaho to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Idaho to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 26 - Plumbing and Plumbers · Idaho Code 54-2610, 54-2611, 54-2614, 54-2616, 54-2617 · Idaho Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho Code 67-9409 - Universal Licensure · Idaho Code 67-9409 · Idaho Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Program Information and Exams · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Frequently Asked Questions · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Apply for or Renew a License · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- IDAPA 24.39.20 - Rules Governing Plumbing · IDAPA 24.39.20.100 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho Plumbing Journeyman Application and Instructions (revised October 3, 2024) · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board draft meeting minutes, February 26, 2026 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Other · verified September 16, 2026
- PSI Candidate Information Bulletin - Idaho Plumbing Journeyman Examination (September 1, 2024) · PSI Services for Idaho DOPL · Other · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.