Pennsylvania to Wisconsin: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Wisconsin'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 (no reciprocity; exam required, experience credited toward eligibility)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
DSPS publishes no plumbing reciprocity partners, and every out-of-state journeyman plumber must pass the Wisconsin two-part journeyman plumber examination (open book, 70% on each part to pass). Wisconsin's comity statute (Wis. Stat. 145.09) lets out-of-state training and licenses count toward eligibility to sit that exam, and DSPS lists two comity routes under Other Application Methods in LicensE. The first is for applicants who completed a five-year out-of-state plumbing apprenticeship with at least 576 hours of related instruction, confirmed by a certificate of completion or an equivalency letter from the Wisconsin Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards. The second is for applicants who completed an apprenticeship, passed a journeyman exam in another state and practiced for at least five years under a journeyman license from a state with substantially similar licensing, with no discipline, documented with the apprenticeship certificate and the Trades Experience Form (Form 8168). Wisconsin has no separate law or business exam for individual plumbers; the code portion is built into the two-part trade exam.
SPS 305.93 requires a plumbing apprenticeship under Wis. Stat. ch. 106 and 24 hours of continuing education to renew. Ask DSPS whether a service-member or spouse reciprocal credential applies to plumbers.
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 a plumbing apprenticeship recognized under Wis. Stat. ch. 106 or by the U.S. Department of Labor (an out-of-state program must be five years with at least 576 hours of related instruction), or an apprenticeship plus a journeyman exam passed in another state and at least five years of practice under an equivalent license with no discipline (Wis. Stat. 145.09)
What you'll do to get licensed in Wisconsin
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($10). Journeyman Plumber application fee (Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.02, Table 305.02), paid in LicensE when you apply; nonrefundable.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($20). Journeyman Plumber examination fee (Table 305.02), paid again in LicensE for each retake. Candidates who choose a Pearson test center are billed $90 per part by Pearson..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Wisconsin Journeyman Plumber examination: two parts, open book, 70% passing score; references limited to nine items (Wis. Stat. ch. 145, SPS 305, SPS 381-387, ch. 106, SPS 302 and ch. 325 in one binder; NFPA 13D and NFPA 24 (2019); five POWTS component manuals; MPP design manual).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($180). Journeyman Plumber license fee (Table 305.02) for a four-year license, paid after you pass.
- 5Other. Apprenticeship certificate of completion or Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards equivalency letter uploaded to LicensE; applicants using the five-years-of-practice route also complete the Trades Experience Form (Form 8168) covering the out-of-state license and practice.
- 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 24 hours of approved continuing education to renew a Journeyman Plumber license (SPS 305.93).
Published fees on this path total $210, 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 · $20
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Wisconsin licenses journeyman plumbers
Wisconsin journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)
Wisconsin issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS); under Wis. Stat. 145.06 no person may engage in or work at plumbing in the state unless licensed by DSPS, and there is no municipal plumber licensing. Under SPS 305.93 a journeyman works under the general supervision of a Master Plumber, Master Plumber Restricted or Utility Contractor licensee, qualifies by completing a plumbing apprenticeship under Wis. Stat. ch. 106, and must complete 24 hours of approved continuing education to renew. A new applicant applies in the LicensE portal at license.wi.gov with proof of the completed apprenticeship, is made eligible to test, and must pass the DSPS journeyman plumber examination, which is a two-part, open-book exam with a 70% passing score covering Wis. Stat. ch. 145, SPS 305, the SPS 381-387 plumbing code, NFPA 13D/24 and the POWTS component manuals. DSPS's plumber pages name no reciprocity states, and the electrical reciprocity statute (Wis. Stat. 101.874) does not extend to plumbers; the plumbing comity statute (Wis. Stat. 145.09) counts out-of-state apprenticeships and licenses toward eligibility for the exam but does not waive it.
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 Wisconsin journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Wisconsin requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Wisconsin journeyman plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $210, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Wisconsin?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Wisconsin's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Plumber: Licensure by Examination · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.93 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Plumber: Other Application Methods (comity) · Wis. Stat. 145.09; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.93 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Plumber (profession page) · Wis. Stat. 145.06; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.93 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Trades Exam and Continuing Education Information (exam fee schedule) · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 - Licenses, Certifications and Registrations (Table 305.02 fees; Table 305.06 terms; SPS 305.09; SPS 305.91, 305.93, 305.95) · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.02 Table 305.02 lines 62 and 65; SPS 305.06 Table 305.06; SPS 305.09; SPS 305.91; SPS 305.93; SPS 305.95 · Wisconsin Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Wis. Stat. ch. 145 - Plumbing (145.07 examinations; 145.08 fees and 4-year terms; 145.09 state comity) · Wis. Stat. 145.06; 145.07; 145.08; 145.09 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 145.06 - Licenses and registration (plumbing) · Wis. Stat. 145.06 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.