South Carolina to Idaho: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
South Carolina 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 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 Idaho journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- Yes. Idaho requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Idaho journeyman plumber license from South Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $126.90, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Carolina 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 South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Idaho to South Carolina, 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.