South Carolina to Oklahoma: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
South Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Oklahoma'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 plumbing journeyman without a reciprocity agreement (all states except Arkansas)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman from any state other than Arkansas has no reciprocity route, because CIB publishes only the Arkansas plumbing agreement and OAC 158:30-5-4 requires a written agreement for the specific license sought. Under OAC 158:30-9-1.4 a journeyman from a state without an agreement, or from a jurisdiction with only local licensing, may request exam equivalency; if the Board has previously approved that jurisdiction's exam as substantially similar, the Oklahoma journeyman exam is waived on a certified letter from the licensing jurisdiction showing a current license in good standing, the license category, an exam score of 70% or higher and no pending discipline. CIB does not publish which jurisdictions' exams have been approved, and no equivalency form exists on the Plumbing Forms page. Otherwise the applicant files the Application for Plumbing Examination with notarized experience affidavits and a copy of the out-of-state license, which 'may expedite processing of the requirements' (OAC 158:30-9-1(k)(3)); out-of-state experience lawfully obtained counts toward the three-year requirement. The applicant pays $75 and must pass the Oklahoma plumbing journeyman exam through PSI with 75%. Oklahoma has no separate law exam for journeymen.
Vendor sites claim Oklahoma plumbing reciprocity with Texas, Colorado and Louisiana; none of those states appears on any CIB plumbing page, on the Plumbing Forms page (which offers only an Arkansas reciprocity application) or in OAC 158:30, so they are treated as default-path states here. Colorado's Plumbing Board has no reciprocal agreements at all. Which jurisdictions' exams the Board has approved for equivalency could not be confirmed from an official page. The exam pass mark is 75% under OAC 158:30-9-1(d), but the equivalency letter only needs a home-state score of 70% or higher. The exam code edition was in transition per CIB's '2026 Building Code Updates and Examination Transition Period' notice.
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 6,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Three years of experience in the plumbing trade while employed by a licensed plumbing contractor (or equivalent military service); the CIB affidavit treats one year of full-time employment as approximately 2,000 hours. Approved education substitutes for up to two years. A current out-of-state license may expedite processing of this requirement.
- Your South Carolina license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have passed a licensing exam in South Carolina that the destination considers comparable.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Oklahoma
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($25). Journeyman application processing fee, forfeited if the applicant does not meet minimum qualifications (OAC 158:30-9-2(b)).
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($50). Initial journeyman license fee, submitted with the application; annual renewal $75, late fee $25.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Oklahoma Plumbing Journeyman exam administered by PSI, 75% or more on each part to pass; waived only if the Board has approved the home jurisdiction's exam for equivalency.
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($92). PSI fee per examination portion, non-refundable, charged again for each retake (30-day wait after a first failure, 90 days thereafter).
- 5Other. Notarized experience affidavits signed by each verifying plumbing contractor, copy of the out-of-state license or original certificate, and notarized affidavit of lawful presence (56 O.S. § 71).
- 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Six hours of Committee-approved continuing education within the 36 months preceding each license expiration (OAC 158:30-9-4).
Published fees on this path total $167, 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 · $92
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Oklahoma licenses journeyman plumbers
Oklahoma journeyman plumber · “Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman”
Statewide license
Issued by Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB), Plumbing Division
Oklahoma issues statewide plumbing journeyman licenses through the Construction Industries Board (CIB) under the Plumbing License Law of 1955 and OAC Title 158, Chapter 30, in Unlimited and Residential categories. An Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman applicant must be 18 and show three years of verifiable experience in the plumbing trade while employed by a licensed plumbing contractor (about 2,000 hours per year, so roughly 6,000 hours; Oklahoma hours count only while registered as an apprentice), or equivalent U.S. military experience, with a Committee-approved 1,000-hour program substituting for two years and a 500-hour program for one year. The applicant pays $75 ($25 application plus $50 initial license), and must score 75% on the Oklahoma plumbing journeyman exam administered by PSI ($92 per portion). CIB has one published plumbing reciprocity agreement, with Arkansas (effective October 21, 2024, journeyman only); other out-of-state journeymen may seek exam equivalency if the Board has approved their jurisdiction's exam, and a current out-of-state license otherwise expedites processing of the experience requirement. Journeymen must work under a licensed plumbing contractor, renew annually ($75) and complete six hours of continuing education every 36 months.
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 Oklahoma journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- Yes. Oklahoma requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Oklahoma journeyman plumber license from South Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $167, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Carolina work hours count in Oklahoma?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oklahoma's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Oklahoma to South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oklahoma to South Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Industry · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Application Information and Application for Plumbing Examination (Contractor and Journeyman, 9/2023) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Forms · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Journeyman · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- OAC Title 158, Chapter 30 - Plumbing Industry Regulations (permanent rules effective 10/1/2024) · OAC 158:30-1-2, 158:30-5-1, 158:30-5-2, 158:30-5-4, 158:30-9-1, 158:30-9-1.4, 158:30-9-2, 158:30-9-4 · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma Plumbing License Law of 1955, 59 O.S. §§ 1000.1 et seq. · 59 O.S. § 1000.5A · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- State of Oklahoma Electrical, Mechanical, Roofing and Plumbing Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · PSI Services for the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · 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.