Pennsylvania to Minnesota: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Minnesota'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 without a reciprocity agreement (exam required; license substitutes for experience documentation)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman plumber licensed anywhere other than North Dakota or South Dakota gets no exam waiver and must pass the Minnesota journeyworker written exam. The out-of-state license does carry weight: DLI's exam-eligibility list accepts 'a current plumber's license from another state where the licensing jurisdiction requires at least four years of practical plumbing experience and an examination to qualify for licensure' as a stand-alone qualification to sit the exam, so a licensee from such a state need not re-document 7,000 hours. Applicants whose state does not meet that test rely on documented hours instead, and DLI caps out-of-state experience at two years unless the applicant first obtained a plumber's license in that state; out-of-state apprenticeship hours count when certified by the state agency that regulates plumbing there. The applicant applies through iMS with the $50 exam fee, must wait 30 days to reapply after a failed attempt, and pays the license fee after passing. Minnesota has no separate law or business exam for individual plumbers.
DLI pages describe no endorsement route for non-reciprocal states; the only exam waiver is the North Dakota / South Dakota reciprocity. The initial license fee amount is not published on the pages fetched (DLI says instructions are given after the exam is passed; the fee schedule statute, Minn. Stat. Whether a city-issued origin license from a state without statewide licensing satisfies the 'license from another state' route is not addressed; DLI's wording is 'licensing jurisdiction', but the reciprocity page expressly rejects city-obtained licenses, so this file treats municipal origin licenses as not accepted.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Current plumber's license from a state whose licensing jurisdiction requires at least four years of practical plumbing experience and an examination; OR four years (7,000 hours) of certified practical plumbing experienceOne year of practical plumbing experience is at least 1,750 hours and no more than 1,750 hours may be credited per calendar year. Not more than two years of experience from another state is credited unless the applicant first obtained a plumber's license in that state. Experience must be certified by the licensed master plumber responsible for the work.
- Your Pennsylvania license must be active and in good standing.
What you'll do to get licensed in Minnesota
- 1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Journeyworker plumber exam application fee, paid online through iMS (30-day wait before reapplying after a failed exam).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Minnesota journeyworker plumber written examination administered by DLI (2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code); pass mark not published on the pages fetched.
- 3Other. Copy of the current out-of-state plumber's license, or Plumbing work experience forms certified by the responsible licensed master plumber (and state-agency certification for out-of-state apprenticeship hours).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. Journeyworker plumber license fee, billed after the exam is passed; amount not published on DLI's plumbing pages (renewal is $53 for the two-year cycle ending Dec. 31 of odd-numbered years).
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 16 hours of DLI-approved continuing education per two-year renewal cycle, at least eight hours on the State Plumbing Code (required to renew, not to obtain the initial license).
Published fees on this path total $50, 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 · $50
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Minnesota licenses journeyman plumbers
Minnesota journeyman plumber · “Journeyworker Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Plumbing Board
Minnesota issues a statewide Journeyworker Plumber license through the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI); DLI's license-types page states the license 'authorizes the individual to work statewide', and no city-issued plumber licenses appear on DLI's pages (DLI also issues a Restricted Journeyworker license limited to towns under 5,000). A new applicant must first pass DLI's written journeyworker exam ($50 exam fee), and is eligible to sit it after a registered apprenticeship, four years (1,750 hours per year, 7,000 hours) of practical experience as a DLI-registered unlicensed plumber (Minn. Stat. 326B.47, subd. 2), two years under a Minnesota restricted license, or by holding a current plumber's license from another state that requires at least four years of experience and an exam. Journeyworker plumbers licensed by examination in North Dakota or South Dakota may be licensed without the Minnesota exam under DLI's reciprocity page. Licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years; renewal is $53 and requires 16 hours of continuing education, at least eight on the State Plumbing Code (2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code, Minn. R. ch. 4714).
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 Minnesota journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Minnesota requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Minnesota journeyman plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Minnesota?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Minnesota's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Minnesota to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Minnesota to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Minnesota DLI - Personal plumber license forms and resources · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbers (landing page for workers) · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license experience requirements · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license basics · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license types and credentials · Minn. Stat. 326B.46 · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing reciprocity · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota Statutes 326B.47 - Unlicensed individuals (registration; journeyworker exam eligibility) · Minn. Stat. 326B.47, subd. 2 · Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · 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.