Pennsylvania to Oregon: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Oregon'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.
Standard application with credit for out-of-state training and experience, then the Oregon journeyman exam (all states except Idaho and Montana)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A plumber licensed in any state other than Idaho or Montana applies for the Journeyman Plumber license on the standard Journeyman Plumber License Application (form 440-2571) with the $100 non-refundable fee; the out-of-state license itself does not waive anything, but the experience behind it counts. The applicant qualifies for the exam in one of three ways: proof of completing an out-of-state apprenticeship program that meets the Oregon four-year standard; official transcripts showing at least 576 hours of classroom training in the OAR 918-695-0030 subjects plus employer-verified 3,850 hours of residential and 3,850 hours of commercial on-the-job experience meeting the category minimums (sewerage 300/300, DWV 1,300/1,300, soldering and brazing 200/200, water supply 1,100/1,100, fixtures 700/700, miscellaneous 250/250); or, with no classroom proof, 7,700 residential and 7,700 commercial hours lawfully obtained while holding a license with a similar scope to an Oregon journeyman plumber. Only lawful work experience gained in compliance with the other jurisdiction's rules is accepted, the division counts at most 2,000 hours per year, and each employer completes a Plumbing Experience Verification Form (440-2571a); copies of all plumbing licenses ever held and proof of a high school diploma, GED or college degree are also required. Once approved, the applicant receives a Letter of Authorization, schedules the four-hour, 64-question open-book exam at one of ten Oregon testing locations within 60 days, and must score 75 percent or better; the license is mailed with passing results, and a failed exam may be retaken after 30 days with a reapplication form.
The Oregon journeyman exam is a single open-book exam that covers the Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code, administrative rules, calculations, drawings and safety; no separate law or business exam exists. No exam fee is published separately from the $100 application fee; the exam page says only that changing test locations after the Letter of Authorization requires paying the license fee again, and ORS 693.135 caps the journeyman application fee at $100. The three-year renewal fee is not published on a machine-readable official page; ORS 693.135 caps it at $50 per year. acceptsMunicipalOriginLicenses is set to true because Oregon's default path credits 'lawful work experience' from any jurisdiction (OAR 918-030-0010(6)) and form 2571's double-hours pathway asks only for 'a license with a similar scope of work'; it does not rest on a state-issued origin license. Municipal licenses never qualify for the reciprocity path, which is limited to states with signed agreements. No typical processing time is published for plumbing applications.
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 an out-of-state plumbing apprenticeship program recognized by Oregon (a non-registered program is accepted only if it meets the Oregon four-year standard); OR at least 576 hours of verified classroom training in the OAR 918-695-0030(2)(a) subjects plus 3,850 residential and 3,850 commercial on-the-job hours meeting the category minimums; OR 7,700 residential and 7,700 commercial on-the-job hours lawfully obtained while holding a license with a scope similar to an Oregon journeyman plumber
- All experience must be lawful work experience gained in compliance with the regulations of the jurisdiction where it was performed; the division counts no more than 2,000 hours per year and requires an employer-signed Plumbing Experience Verification Form (440-2571a) for each employer
- Proof of a high school diploma, GED or equivalent (a college degree substitutes), a 2x2 passport-style photo, and copies of every individual or contractor plumbing license ever held in any state
What you'll do to get licensed in Oregon
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Journeyman Plumber License Application fee (form 440-2571), non-refundable; covers application review, exam authorization and issuance of the three-year license (ORS 693.135 caps this fee at $100).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Oregon Journeyman Plumber examination administered by the Building Codes Division at an Oregon testing location: 4 hours, 64 questions, open book, covering the Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code, administrative rules, calculations, drawings and safety; minimum score 75 percent; must be taken within 60 days of the Letter of Authorization; 30-day wait after a failure.
- 3Continuing education. Complete continuing education (if applicable). Not required to obtain the license; for each three-year renewal the licensee completes 24 hours of approved continuing education including 4 hours of code change and a 4-hour Oregon rule and law course (reduced for new licensees under OAR 918-030-0150).
Published fees on this path total $100, 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
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education · if applicable
How Oregon licenses journeyman plumbers
Oregon journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber (JP)”
Statewide license
Issued by Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services) / State Plumbing Board
Oregon issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber (JP) license through the Building Codes Division on behalf of the State Plumbing Board; under ORS 693.030 nobody may work in the trade of journeyman plumber without it, and commercial or industrial plumbing must be installed by a licensed journeyman or a registered apprentice working under one. A new applicant qualifies for the exam by completing a four-year Oregon plumbing apprenticeship, or by documenting 576 hours of classroom training plus 7,700 hours of on-the-job experience split 3,850 residential and 3,850 commercial across set work categories, or by documenting twice those hours (7,700 residential and 7,700 commercial) earned while holding a license with a journeyman-plumber scope. The application and license fee is $100 (non-refundable), and the applicant must pass the division's four-hour, 64-question open-book journeyman exam at an Oregon testing location with a score of 75 percent or better; there is no separate law exam and no national exam vendor. Oregon has signed journeyman plumber reciprocity agreements with Idaho and Montana only; qualifying holders of those licenses are licensed without examination for the same $100 fee. Every other out-of-state plumber applies on the standard form, receives credit for lawful out-of-state apprenticeship, classroom and on-the-job hours, and must pass the Oregon exam. Licenses run on a three-year cycle (all JP licenses next expire April 1, 2029) and renewal requires 24 hours of continuing education including 4 hours of code change and a 4-hour Oregon rule and law course.
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 Oregon journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Oregon requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Oregon journeyman plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $100, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Oregon?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oregon's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Oregon to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oregon to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Building Codes Division - License continuing education · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - License exams and locations (with Exam information PDF, exam-info-2016.pdf) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Journeyman Plumber License Application (form 440-2571) and Plumbing Experience Verification Form (440-2571a) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Individual licenses table: Plumbing - Journeyman Plumber (JP) and Plumbing Business (PB) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Journeyman plumber license (how to apply) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Reciprocal licenses · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- OAR chapter 918, division 30 - General Licensing Requirements · OAR 918-030-0010, 918-030-0015, 918-030-0020, 918-030-0030, 918-030-0060, 918-030-0120, 918-030-0150, 918-030-0210, 918-030-0230 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- OAR chapter 918, division 695 - Plumbing Licensing and Certification · OAR 918-695-0000, 918-695-0020, 918-695-0030, 918-695-0040, 918-695-0110 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- ORS chapter 693 - Plumbers (2025 edition) · ORS 693.030, 693.040, 693.060, 693.095, 693.103, 693.120, 693.135 · Oregon 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.