Tennessee to Iowa: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Tennessee does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Iowa'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 plumber (all states except South Dakota): Iowa exam required; licensure by verification for Iowa residents
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Iowa has no plumbing reciprocity agreement with any state other than South Dakota, so a journeyman plumber from any other state must pass the Iowa journeyperson plumbing exam. An applicant who has established Iowa residency may apply for licensure by verification under Iowa Code 272C.12 and 481 IAC 430.4: the origin state sends a verification form directly to the board confirming the license is in good standing and was earned by meeting that state's experience requirements and exam, and the applicant supplies proof of residency and a criminal history statement; the board nevertheless requires proof of passing the applicable Iowa licensing exam and may issue a temporary license in the meantime. A non-resident applies through the ordinary exam route: the $35 Exam Approval Application, the Kirkwood-administered journeyperson plumbing exam ($99 per attempt, 75% to pass, approval valid one year), then the post-examination licensure application and a prorated three-year license fee ($180 for a full term). Exam eligibility on DIAL's page is either the U.S. DOL apprenticeship certificate of completion or a master-level plumbing license from another jurisdiction; a journeyman license alone is not listed as a substitute for the apprenticeship. An Iowa resident arriving from a jurisdiction that did not license plumbers may substitute three years of full-time plumbing work in the last four years under 481 IAC 430.5 and must still pass the exam.
DIAL's journey page lists the Kirkwood exam fee as $99 per attempt while the master page lists $95; both are quoted as published. DIAL's journey page frames an out-of-state master license as an alternative to 'four years of apprenticeship AND passing the Iowa exam' and offers a 'Journey by Master' application, but adds 'If you need to sit for the examination, please see the Examination page'; whether a holder of an out-of-state master plumbing license receives an Iowa journey license without any exam was not confirmed and Iowa Code 105.18 (as read 2026-09-15) requires every journeyperson to pass the state exam, so this rule treats the exam as required. Whether the board accepts an out-of-state journeyman license (without a DOL certificate) as meeting the apprenticeship requirement for a non-resident is not stated on any page fetched. Timeline reflects up to two weeks for exam approval plus up to six weeks for application review, excluding exam scheduling.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 60 days
What you must already have
- Your Tennessee license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.For licensure by verification: no revocation, voluntary surrender under investigation, unresolved discipline or pending complaint in any jurisdiction (272C.12; 481 IAC 430.4(3)).
- Your Tennessee license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Licensure by verification requires established Iowa residency or a military spouse's permanent change of station to Iowa (272C.12; 481 IAC 430.4); non-residents use the standard exam route
- Exam eligibility: four years as an apprentice in a U.S. DOL Office of Apprenticeship-registered program (certificate of completion), or a master-level plumbing license from another jurisdiction (DIAL journey page; Iowa Code 105.18)
- You must document at least 3 years of qualifying work experience.
What you'll do to get licensed in Iowa
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($35). Exam Approval Application fee, per trade discipline exam (DIAL fees page).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Iowa Journeyperson Plumbing examination administered through Kirkwood Community College at 15 Iowa test sites; 75% to pass; exam approval valid one year; also required of licensure-by-verification applicants under 481 IAC 430.4.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($99). Kirkwood Community College examination fee, per attempt (as listed on DIAL's journey license page).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($180). Journeyperson license fee for a full three-year term (July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2029), prorated by half-year for later issuance (e.g. $90 for Jan-Jun of year 2); same amount for a license by verification.
- 5Application fee. Pay the application fee ($25) (if applicable). Paper application fee if not filed through the DIAL online licensing portal.
- 6Background check. Complete a background check. Documentation of any criminal convictions (felony convictions reviewed by the board); licensure-by-verification applicants submit a complete criminal record and any disciplinary documents (481 IAC 430.4). Lawful presence is verified through SAVE..
- 7Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Eight classroom hours of board-approved continuing education per three-year term to renew (Iowa Code 105.20); not required for initial licensure.
Published fees on this path total $314, 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 · $99
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Iowa licenses journeyman plumbers
Iowa journeyman plumber · “Journeyperson Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL)
Iowa issues a statewide, person-held Journeyperson Plumber license through the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (PMSB), now part of the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL); Iowa Code 105.17 preempts all city and county plumber licensing. A journeyperson works under the supervision of a master plumber. A new applicant must be 18, disclose any criminal convictions, complete four years as an apprentice in a U.S. Department of Labor-registered apprenticeship, and pass the Iowa journeyperson plumbing exam, which is approved by the board ($35 application) and administered through Kirkwood Community College ($99 per attempt, 75% to pass). Iowa's only reciprocity agreement is with the South Dakota State Plumbing Commission (May 2016) and covers journeyperson and master plumbers licensed by written examination; every other out-of-state journeyman must pass the Iowa exam, although a master plumber licensed in another jurisdiction may qualify for the Iowa journey license without the apprenticeship. Licenses run on a three-year cycle (current period ends June 30, 2029) with a full-term fee of $180, prorated for mid-cycle issuance, and renewal requires eight hours of board-approved continuing education per term.
Why Tennessee has nothing to transfer
Tennessee journeyman plumber · “Journeyman plumber (city or county card only)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Tennessee has no statewide journeyman plumber license. The Board for Licensing Contractors licenses plumbing at two other levels only: the Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP), a personal license for projects under $25,000 in municipalities that use the Division of Fire Prevention for permits and inspections (T.C.A. § 62-6-403; photo ID, SSN, Prov LLP trade exam, $75 initial fee; general maintenance under $500 is exempt), and the contractor license with the CMC-A (plumbing) or CMC (full mechanical) classification, a business license required for plumbing work of $25,000 or more. The Board's LLP page tells applicants to check first whether the local government accepts the LLP or runs its own licensing. Journeyman plumber cards therefore exist only where a city or county examines plumbers itself. Metro Nashville's Mechanical, Plumbing, and Electrical Examiners and Appeals Board issues journeyman plumber (and apprentice plumber) certificates; Knoxville registers State Contractors, homeowners, or Unlicensed/State Limited License (LLE or LLP) holders to pull permits and does not publish a separate city journeyman plumber card on that page. An out-of-state journeyman plumber license has no state-level recognition in Tennessee: the Board's trade-exam-waiver form cannot be used for the LLP, and none of the city pages reviewed here publish a reciprocity or exam-waiver path for inbound journeymen.
How local licensing works in Tennessee
How local licensing works. T.C.A. Title 62, Chapter 6 gives the Board the CMC/CMC-A contractor license (business, $25,000 and up, accepted statewide for contracting) and the LLP (individual, under $25,000, only where the State Fire Marshal inspects). Cities and counties that run their own plumbing inspection programs may require a local journeyman or master plumber card instead of, or in addition to, the LLP. Each local card is valid only in that jurisdiction. The Board publishes no journeyman-to-journeyman reciprocity.
Nashville / Davidson County. The Mechanical, Plumbing, and Electrical Examiners and Appeals Board (Metro Code Chapter 2.76) examines applicants for master plumber, journeyman plumber and apprentice plumber certificates and issues those certificates (Codes and Building Safety, 800 President Ronald Reagan Way; 615-862-6500). Expect to sit Metro's exam unless Codes staff confirm otherwise.
Knoxville. Permits are pulled under a State Contractor registration, a Homeowner registration, or an Unlicensed / State Limited License (LLE or LLP) registration. The Plans Review & Inspections page does not describe a city-issued journeyman plumber license. No experience hours published. No out-of-state exam waiver. Accepted only where the Division of Fire Prevention inspects; many larger cities do not use that program.
- Nashville / Davidson County (Codes and Building Safety)
- Knoxville (Plans Review & Inspections)
- Chattanooga (Land Development Office)
- Memphis / Shelby County (Office of Construction Code Enforcement)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Iowa journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Tennessee?
- Yes. Iowa requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Iowa journeyman plumber license from Tennessee?
- Published fees on this path total $314, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Tennessee work hours count in Iowa?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Iowa's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 60 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Iowa to Tennessee?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Iowa to Tennessee, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Iowa Code Chapter 105 - Plumbers, Mechanical Professionals, and Contractors (2026) · Iowa Code 105.2, 105.17, 105.18, 105.19, 105.20, 105.21 · Iowa Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Iowa Code 272C.12 - Licensure of persons licensed in other jurisdictions (2026) · Iowa Code 272C.12 · Iowa Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- DIAL - Plumbing & Mechanical Systems License Period & Fees · 481 IAC ch. 428 · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- DIAL - Journey Level License (plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, hydronic) · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- DIAL - Master Level License (plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal, hydronic) · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Iowa Administrative Code 481 Chapter 429 - Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board Application, Licensure, and Examination · 481 IAC 429.2, 429.6 · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Iowa Administrative Code 481 Chapter 430 - Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board Alternative Licensure Pathways · 481 IAC 430.3, 430.4, 430.5 · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.