South Carolina to Rhode Island: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
South Carolina does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Rhode Island'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 journeyperson admitted to the Rhode Island journeyperson plumber exam when origin requirements match (all states; no exam waiver)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An applicant who holds a journeyperson plumber license from any other state applies to DLT Professional Regulation for the Rhode Island journeyperson plumber examination. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-17, no one may file or sit that exam unless the $75 nonrefundable application fee is paid and one of the listed qualification paths is met. Path (5) is the inbound rule: an affidavit or other reasonably satisfactory evidence that the applicant possesses a certificate of license issued under the laws of another state, provided that the requirements are the same as Rhode Island’s, specifying that person as a journeyperson plumber. Holding that equivalent-state license substitutes for the Rhode Island-registered 8,000-hour / 576-hour apprenticeship in path (2); it does not waive the Rhode Island exam. Applications must be filed with DLT at least 15 days before the exam date. DLT Professional Regulation writes and gives the plumber exam itself. There are no named reciprocity partners and no statute titled endorsement. Municipal (city/county) plumber cards are not described as “issued under the laws of another state” in § 5-20-17(5).
No separate law/code exam is published. Mechanism is ExperienceCredit because the trade exam is not waived — Reciprocity is used only when the trade exam is waived.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your South Carolina license must be active and in good standing.
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Rhode Island’s own apprentice path is 8,000 hours of OJT during a five-year period plus 576 hours of related instruction (§ 5-20-17(2)). Path (5) substitutes an equivalent-state journeyperson certificate for that Rhode Island apprenticeship; DLT has not published a separate hour table for out-of-state licensees.
- Origin-state journeyperson plumber requirements must be the same as Rhode Island’s (§ 5-20-17(5)); DLT does not publish a list of states that qualify
What you'll do to get licensed in Rhode Island
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Nonrefundable journeyperson application fee (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-17(1)).
- 2Other. Fee, eligibility details, and processing steps are not published in a form we can list here. Please see the sources on this page to find out more..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Rhode Island Journeyperson Plumber examination administered by DLT Professional Regulation; not waived for out-of-state licensees.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. Fee, eligibility details, and processing steps are not published in a form we can list here. Please see the sources on this page to find out more..
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Plumbing continuing education / CLE through a DLT-approved provider (Plumber CLE Agreement Rev..
Published fees on this path total $75, 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
How Rhode Island licenses journeyman plumbers
Rhode Island journeyman plumber · “Journeyperson Plumber”
Statewide license
Rhode Island issues a statewide Journeyperson Plumber license through the Department of Labor and Training (DLT) Board of Examiners of Plumbers (R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 5-20). Duties transferred to DLT under § 5-20-39; the Department of Business Regulation does not license plumbers. A Rhode Island-trained applicant is admitted to the DLT-administered journeyperson examination after holding a DLT apprentice-plumber registration for at least four years with 8,000 hours of on-the-job training in a five-year period and 576 hours of related instruction, or after specified college/associate-degree plus in-state apprenticeship paths, and paying a $75 nonrefundable application fee (§ 5-20-17). The same section admits an applicant who holds a journeyperson plumber certificate issued under the laws of another state if that state’s requirements are the same as Rhode Island’s — that is an exam-admission rule, not a waiver of the Rhode Island exam. Chapter 20 has no reciprocity or endorsement title, and DLT publishes no partner-state list. Cities issue plumbing permits under § 5-20-26 but do not replace the state license. Irrigator and water-filtration licenses under the same board are separate credentials.
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 Rhode Island journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- Yes. Rhode Island requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Rhode Island journeyman plumber license from South Carolina?
- Published fees on this path total $75, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Carolina work hours count in Rhode Island?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Rhode Island's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Rhode Island to South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Rhode Island to South Carolina, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Rhode Island DLT - Board of Examiners of Plumbers · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Rhode Island DLT - Plumber CLE Agreement (Rev. 08/2025) · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulation · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation Forms and Applications · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-17 - Qualifications of journeyperson — Application fee · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-17 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-23 - Expiration and renewal of licenses — Penalties for violation of section · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-23 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws Title 5, Chapter 20 - Plumbers, Irrigators, and Water System Installers (index) · R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 5-20 · Rhode Island General Assembly · 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.