South Carolina to Oregon: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
South Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Oregon'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.
Standard application with credit for out-of-state training and experience, then the Oregon journeyman exam (all states except Idaho and Montana)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A plumber licensed in any state other than Idaho or Montana applies for the Journeyman Plumber license on the standard Journeyman Plumber License Application (form 440-2571) with the $100 non-refundable fee; the out-of-state license itself does not waive anything, but the experience behind it counts. The applicant qualifies for the exam in one of three ways: proof of completing an out-of-state apprenticeship program that meets the Oregon four-year standard; official transcripts showing at least 576 hours of classroom training in the OAR 918-695-0030 subjects plus employer-verified 3,850 hours of residential and 3,850 hours of commercial on-the-job experience meeting the category minimums (sewerage 300/300, DWV 1,300/1,300, soldering and brazing 200/200, water supply 1,100/1,100, fixtures 700/700, miscellaneous 250/250); or, with no classroom proof, 7,700 residential and 7,700 commercial hours lawfully obtained while holding a license with a similar scope to an Oregon journeyman plumber. Only lawful work experience gained in compliance with the other jurisdiction's rules is accepted, the division counts at most 2,000 hours per year, and each employer completes a Plumbing Experience Verification Form (440-2571a); copies of all plumbing licenses ever held and proof of a high school diploma, GED or college degree are also required. Once approved, the applicant receives a Letter of Authorization, schedules the four-hour, 64-question open-book exam at one of ten Oregon testing locations within 60 days, and must score 75 percent or better; the license is mailed with passing results, and a failed exam may be retaken after 30 days with a reapplication form.
The Oregon journeyman exam is a single open-book exam that covers the Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code, administrative rules, calculations, drawings and safety; no separate law or business exam exists. No exam fee is published separately from the $100 application fee; the exam page says only that changing test locations after the Letter of Authorization requires paying the license fee again, and ORS 693.135 caps the journeyman application fee at $100. The three-year renewal fee is not published on a machine-readable official page; ORS 693.135 caps it at $50 per year. acceptsMunicipalOriginLicenses is set to true because Oregon's default path credits 'lawful work experience' from any jurisdiction (OAR 918-030-0010(6)) and form 2571's double-hours pathway asks only for 'a license with a similar scope of work'; it does not rest on a state-issued origin license. Municipal licenses never qualify for the reciprocity path, which is limited to states with signed agreements. No typical processing time is published for plumbing applications.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Completion of an out-of-state plumbing apprenticeship program recognized by Oregon (a non-registered program is accepted only if it meets the Oregon four-year standard); OR at least 576 hours of verified classroom training in the OAR 918-695-0030(2)(a) subjects plus 3,850 residential and 3,850 commercial on-the-job hours meeting the category minimums; OR 7,700 residential and 7,700 commercial on-the-job hours lawfully obtained while holding a license with a scope similar to an Oregon journeyman plumber
- All experience must be lawful work experience gained in compliance with the regulations of the jurisdiction where it was performed; the division counts no more than 2,000 hours per year and requires an employer-signed Plumbing Experience Verification Form (440-2571a) for each employer
- Proof of a high school diploma, GED or equivalent (a college degree substitutes), a 2x2 passport-style photo, and copies of every individual or contractor plumbing license ever held in any state
What you'll do to get licensed in Oregon
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Journeyman Plumber License Application fee (form 440-2571), non-refundable; covers application review, exam authorization and issuance of the three-year license (ORS 693.135 caps this fee at $100).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Oregon Journeyman Plumber examination administered by the Building Codes Division at an Oregon testing location: 4 hours, 64 questions, open book, covering the Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code, administrative rules, calculations, drawings and safety; minimum score 75 percent; must be taken within 60 days of the Letter of Authorization; 30-day wait after a failure.
- 3Continuing education. Complete continuing education (if applicable). Not required to obtain the license; for each three-year renewal the licensee completes 24 hours of approved continuing education including 4 hours of code change and a 4-hour Oregon rule and law course (reduced for new licensees under OAR 918-030-0150).
Published fees on this path total $100, 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
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education · if applicable
How Oregon licenses journeyman plumbers
Oregon journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber (JP)”
Statewide license
Issued by Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services) / State Plumbing Board
Oregon issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber (JP) license through the Building Codes Division on behalf of the State Plumbing Board; under ORS 693.030 nobody may work in the trade of journeyman plumber without it, and commercial or industrial plumbing must be installed by a licensed journeyman or a registered apprentice working under one. A new applicant qualifies for the exam by completing a four-year Oregon plumbing apprenticeship, or by documenting 576 hours of classroom training plus 7,700 hours of on-the-job experience split 3,850 residential and 3,850 commercial across set work categories, or by documenting twice those hours (7,700 residential and 7,700 commercial) earned while holding a license with a journeyman-plumber scope. The application and license fee is $100 (non-refundable), and the applicant must pass the division's four-hour, 64-question open-book journeyman exam at an Oregon testing location with a score of 75 percent or better; there is no separate law exam and no national exam vendor. Oregon has signed journeyman plumber reciprocity agreements with Idaho and Montana only; qualifying holders of those licenses are licensed without examination for the same $100 fee. Every other out-of-state plumber applies on the standard form, receives credit for lawful out-of-state apprenticeship, classroom and on-the-job hours, and must pass the Oregon exam. Licenses run on a three-year cycle (all JP licenses next expire April 1, 2029) and renewal requires 24 hours of continuing education including 4 hours of code change and a 4-hour Oregon rule and law course.
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 Oregon journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- Yes. Oregon requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Oregon journeyman plumber license from South Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $100, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Carolina work hours count in Oregon?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Oregon's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Oregon to South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oregon to South Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Building Codes Division - License continuing education · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - License exams and locations (with Exam information PDF, exam-info-2016.pdf) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Journeyman Plumber License Application (form 440-2571) and Plumbing Experience Verification Form (440-2571a) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Individual licenses table: Plumbing - Journeyman Plumber (JP) and Plumbing Business (PB) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Journeyman plumber license (how to apply) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Reciprocal licenses · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- OAR chapter 918, division 30 - General Licensing Requirements · OAR 918-030-0010, 918-030-0015, 918-030-0020, 918-030-0030, 918-030-0060, 918-030-0120, 918-030-0150, 918-030-0210, 918-030-0230 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- OAR chapter 918, division 695 - Plumbing Licensing and Certification · OAR 918-695-0000, 918-695-0020, 918-695-0030, 918-695-0040, 918-695-0110 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- ORS chapter 693 - Plumbers (2025 edition) · ORS 693.030, 693.040, 693.060, 693.095, 693.103, 693.120, 693.135 · Oregon Legislature · 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.