South Carolina to North Dakota: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
South Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is North Dakota'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 reciprocal agreement: application for the North Dakota journeyman examination (all states except SD, MN, MT)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
NDAC 62-02-01-01(2) provides that 'Applicants who are journeyman plumbers in other states who desire to work in this state in localities where a state journeyman license is required may make application for a journeyman examination and license,' with proof of the origin journeyman license 'vouched for as provided on the application blank.' The Board's FAQ adds that the applicant must meet NDAC chapter 62-02-01, must document four years and 7,600 hours as an apprentice working under a licensed master plumber, and must verify the out-of-state license 'by state endorsed letter which must state the type of license held, issue date of said license, whether the license was obtained through examination and whether or not the license is current.' Experience earned in states or localities that do not license plumbers is documented on the previous-practical-experience verification signed by the master plumber plus notarized letters from present and previous employers stating dates, hours and extent of work. The applicant pays the $50 application fee and $50 exam fee, must sit within six months of approval, and needs 70% on the five-part board-administered journeyman exam (2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code); the $100 journeyman license fee is paid on passing. NDCC 43-18-13.1 lets the Board register nonresidents without examination when their state's requirements are substantially equivalent and that state grants similar privileges, but the Board's published practice limits no-exam licensure to its three written agreements.
There is no separate law or rules exam; the journeyman exam covers the plumbing code and basic principles of plumbing (NDAC 62-02-01-03). The FAQ requires a 'state endorsed letter' to verify an out-of-state license, so a city-issued origin license is not recognized as a license, although the underlying hours can still be claimed through the master-signed verification and notarized employer letters used for non-licensing jurisdictions. NDAC 62-02-01-01(1) also offers a 'journeyman examination screening test' route (oral/written test plus a state-inspector report on an installation) for tradespeople with five years and 9,500 hours from localities without state licensing.
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 7,600 hours of qualifying work experience.Four years and 7,600 hours (not less than 1,900 hours per year) as an apprentice plumber working under a licensed master plumber (NDAC 62-02-01-01(1), 62-02-01-01.1; FAQ). Out-of-state hours count; hours from non-licensing jurisdictions need the master-signed verification section and notarized employer letters.
- State-endorsed letter (Certificate of Endorsement) from the origin licensing agency stating the type of license held, its issue date, whether it was obtained through examination and whether it is current; a copy of the license alone is not accepted
What you'll do to get licensed in North Dakota
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Application fee for the journeyman examination and license (NDAC 62-02-01-01); filed online at members.ndplumbingboard.gov or on the fillable PDF emailed to [email protected].
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Journeyman exam fee, one examination per fee paid (NDAC 62-02-01-02; Board exam-fees page); a failed exam requires a six-month wait and a new fee.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Board-administered North Dakota Journeyman Plumber exam: five parts (100 closed-book multiple-choice questions and a closed-book DWV pipe-sizing completion; open-book 40 completion questions, water pipe sizing and DWV with fixture units), five hours, based on the 2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code; 70% to pass; given every other month in Bismarck and Fargo; must be taken within six months of application approval.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($100). Journeyman plumber license fee on passing (NDAC 62-02-01-01(1)); license expires December 31 and renews annually for $100 (late renewal $50).
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 2 to 4 credit hours of plumbing-related continuing education within each two-year period to renew (NDCC 43-18-17.1); Board CE session or correspondence course $40.
Published fees on this path total $200, 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 North Dakota licenses journeyman plumbers
North Dakota journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by North Dakota State Plumbing Board
North Dakota issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber certificate and license through the North Dakota State Plumbing Board under NDCC chapter 43-18 and NDAC chapter 62-02-01; a license is required wherever there is a public water or sewer system, and a journeyman may run a plumbing business only in cities under 1,000 population and rural areas. A new applicant must have served four years and 7,600 hours as a registered apprentice under a licensed master plumber (1,900 hours per year; accredited plumbing-school graduates earn credit by grade average), then pass the board-administered journeyman exam - five parts, two closed book and three open book, five hours, based on the 2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code - with 70%. Fees are a $50 application fee, a $50 exam fee and a $100 journeyman license fee; licenses expire every December 31 and renew for $100, with 2 to 4 hours of continuing education required in each two-year period ($40 board session). Exams are given every other month in Bismarck and Fargo and a failed exam carries a six-month wait. Journeymen from South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana may be licensed without examination under the Board's written reciprocity agreements; all other out-of-state journeymen apply for the North Dakota examination, with their origin license vouched for on the application.
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 North Dakota journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- Yes. North Dakota requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a North Dakota journeyman plumber license from South Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $200, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Carolina work hours count in North Dakota?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward North Dakota's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from North Dakota to South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from North Dakota to South Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- North Dakota Administrative Code Chapter 62-02-01 - Plumber Licensure · NDAC 62-02-01-01, 62-02-01-01.1, 62-02-01-02, 62-02-01-03, 62-02-01-04, 62-02-01-06, 62-02-01-07 · North Dakota Legislative Branch (State Board of Plumbing rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota Century Code Chapter 43-18 - Plumbers · NDCC 43-18-08, 43-18-10, 43-18-11, 43-18-13, 43-18-13.1, 43-18-15, 43-18-16, 43-18-17, 43-18-17.1 · North Dakota Legislative Branch · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Licensing Applications · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Continuing Education Requirements Overview · NDCC 43-18-17.1 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Exam Fees · NDAC 62-02-01-02 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Exams: General Information · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - FAQ (reciprocal licensing with South Dakota) · NDCC 43-18-13.1 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Home · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Laws and Rules · NDCC ch. 43-18; NDAC Title 62 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.