South Carolina to District of Columbia: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
South Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is District of Columbia'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 from a state other than Maryland
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
The Board of Industrial Trades publishes a plumber-specific reciprocity bulletin only for Maryland. A journeyman plumber from any other state applies through the DLCP online portal as a new applicant with a passport-style photo, government ID, certificate of completion and/or employment verification letter, and the $65 application fee, must show the 8,000-hour/4-year apprentice experience (or a mechanical-engineering degree plus 2 years, or equivalent), schedules the journeyman exam with PSI, and pays the $110 license fee. Two statutory routes can waive the exam: § 47-2853.122(b-1) requires the Board to accept a national certifying organization's journeyman plumber certificate (completed apprenticeship, passed that organization's exam, designated journeyman, no discipline) in lieu of the exam and subsection (b), and § 47-2853.12(b) directs boards to waive the exam for a licensee in good standing of a state whose standards were at least as high as the District's and which admits DC licensees in a like manner, with § 47-2853.08 leaving the substantial-equivalence finding to the Board case by case. No District-law exam applies.
PSI exam fee is referred to 17 DCMR § 3500.3 and was not stated on the board page. Virginia plumbers are not named in the Reciprocity section or in the Maryland plumbing bulletin title.
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.Worked as an apprentice plumber or gasfitter at least 8,000 hours over at least 4 years, or a mechanical-engineering degree plus at least 2 years of practical experience verified by a licensed master plumber or master gasfitter, or comparable experience the Board deems equivalent (D.C. Code § 47-2853.122(b)). Not required if applying under the national-certificate substitute in (b-1).
What you'll do to get licensed in District of Columbia
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($65). Application fee (non-refundable under D.C. Code § 47-2853.10), paid online with the DLCP application.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. DC Journeyman Plumber examination administered by PSI (schedule at psiexams.com or 855-557-0616 after Board processing); waived for holders of a recognized national certifying organization's journeyman plumber certificate under § 47-2853.122(b-1).
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI examination fee, amount set by 17 DCMR § 3500.3 (not stated on the Board page).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($110). Journeyman (all types) license fee, up to 2 years; plumber and gasfitter licenses expire March 31 of even-numbered years (renewal $110).
- 5Other. Certificate of completion and/or employment verification letter, 2x2 passport-style photo, and government-issued ID, uploaded with the online application (Board Plumbing/Gasfitting items-needed list).
Published fees on this path total $175, 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
How District of Columbia licenses journeyman plumbers
District of Columbia journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by DC Board of Industrial Trades (Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection)
The District of Columbia issues a person-held Journeyman Plumber license (the Board also licenses journeyman gasfitters as a related specialty) through the Board of Industrial Trades in the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), the same board that licenses electricians and refrigeration mechanics. Under D.C. Code § 47-2853.122 a journeyman plumber must have worked as an apprentice plumber or gasfitter at least 8,000 hours over at least 4 years (a mechanical-engineering degree plus 2 years of practical experience verified by a licensed master, or comparable experience the Board accepts, also qualifies) and then pass the PSI-administered exam, unless the applicant presents a national certifying organization's journeyman plumber certificate that waives both the exam and the subsection (b) experience path. Fees are a $65 application fee and a $110 license fee for a term of up to 2 years; plumber and gasfitter licenses expire March 31 of even-numbered years. The Board publishes a Maryland plumbing reciprocity bulletin; the Reciprocity section of the board page still describes only Maryland and Virginia electricians. No District-law exam applies to journeyman plumbers (§ 47-2853.12(c)(3)).
Why South Carolina has nothing to transfer
South Carolina journeyman plumber · “Journeyman plumber trade certification card (CAGC SC Trades Certification, formerly MASC) - not a state license”
Licensed by cities and counties
South Carolina has no state journeyman plumber license. The LLR Contractor's Licensing Board licenses mechanical contractors (entities qualified by an individual qualifying party) for mechanical contracting work over $10,000, including the Plumbing (PB) classification confirmed on the Board's Reciprocity/Waiver Agreements list, and the Residential Builders Commission licenses residential specialty contractors for residential work over $500; neither Chapter 11 nor Chapter 59 of Title 40 creates a journeyman or master plumber credential, so a plumber who is not a contractor works under one of those licensees with no state license. The journeyman-level credential that does exist is the trade certification card of the SC Mechanical Trades Certification Program, run since 1965 by the Municipal Association of South Carolina (the association of the state's cities) and, since January 1, 2026, by the Carolinas AGC Foundation; the program's own page says the card is not a license and must not be represented as one. Whether a card is needed depends on the city or county building department. No reciprocity or out-of-state acceptance is published for the journeyman card, so an arriving journeyman plumber should expect to apply to CAGC ($35 application, PROV exam) if a local jurisdiction or employer requires a card.
How local licensing works in South Carolina
How local licensing works. State law licenses contractors, not journeyman plumbers. S.C. Code § 40-11-30 requires a Contractor's Licensing Board license (Mechanical Contractor) for mechanical contracting work whose total cost exceeds $10,000. Chapter 59 requires a Residential Builders Commission license for residential specialty contracting work over $500. Employees of those licensees need no state plumber credential. The Contractor's Licensing Board home page lists no journeyman license.
The trades certification card. The SC Mechanical Trades Certification Program was created in 1965 by the Municipal Association of South Carolina to give municipalities a common examination and certification for the mechanical trades, including journeyman and master plumbers (as described on the electrical SC seed from the same official program pages). MASC handed the program to the Carolinas AGC Foundation on January 1, 2026; cards issued by MASC remain valid until the expiration printed on them. CAGC charges a $35 application fee ($35 to re-test), uses PROV as its exam provider, and states that the card should not be confused with the LLR mechanical contractor or residential specialty licenses and that a holder will not represent the card as evidence of a license. Journeyman plumber hours, exam outline and passing score are not published on the CAGC or MASC pages extracted. Do not assume a city-issued plumber card. Confirm with each building official whether a CAGC/MASC journeyman plumber card, a local registration, or only a licensed contractor is required to pull plumbing permits or to work as an employee. The 2026-09-15 electrical SC reading of Greenville County Building Safety and the City of Greenville Building & Permit Center did not state a journeyman card requirement for electricians; plumbing may differ.
Out-of-state journeymen. There is no state path, no defaultPath, and no agreements at this level. A city or employer that wants a CAGC card will typically require the PROV exam; out-of-state journeyman plumber licenses are not described as accepted on the official pages used here.
- City of Charleston (Building Inspections) - plumber card requirement UNCONFIRMED this session
- City of Columbia (Planning and Development Services) - plumber card requirement UNCONFIRMED this session
- City of Greenville (Building & Permit Center) - plumber card requirement UNCONFIRMED this session
- Greenville County (Building Safety) - plumber card requirement UNCONFIRMED this session
- Horry County (Code Enforcement / Building) - plumber card requirement UNCONFIRMED this session
Common questions
- Do I have to take the District of Columbia journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- Yes. District of Columbia requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a District of Columbia journeyman plumber license from South Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $175, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Carolina work hours count in District of Columbia?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward District of Columbia's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from District of Columbia to South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from District of Columbia to South Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.08 - Powers of the boards (reciprocity and endorsement) · D.C. Code § 47-2853.08(2) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.12 - License, certification, and registration criteria; waiver · D.C. Code § 47-2853.12(b)-(d), (l) · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.121 - Scope of practice for plumbers or gasfitters · D.C. Code § 47-2853.121 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- D.C. Code § 47-2853.122 - Plumbers or gasfitters: eligibility requirements · D.C. Code § 47-2853.122 · Council of the District of Columbia · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- DC DLCP - Board of Industrial Trades (plumbers/gasfitters: apply, exams, fees, reciprocity notices) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- DC DLCP - Plumbing/Gasfitting license application instructions (linked from Board of Industrial Trades) · District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Occupational and Professional Licensing · Form · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.