South Carolina to Minnesota: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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 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 Minnesota journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- Yes. Minnesota requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Minnesota journeyman plumber license from South Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Carolina 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 South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Minnesota to South Carolina, 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.