Tennessee to Minnesota: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Tennessee does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Minnesota'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 reciprocity agreement (exam required; license substitutes for experience documentation)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A journeyman plumber licensed anywhere other than North Dakota or South Dakota gets no exam waiver and must pass the Minnesota journeyworker written exam. The out-of-state license does carry weight: DLI's exam-eligibility list accepts 'a current plumber's license from another state where the licensing jurisdiction requires at least four years of practical plumbing experience and an examination to qualify for licensure' as a stand-alone qualification to sit the exam, so a licensee from such a state need not re-document 7,000 hours. Applicants whose state does not meet that test rely on documented hours instead, and DLI caps out-of-state experience at two years unless the applicant first obtained a plumber's license in that state; out-of-state apprenticeship hours count when certified by the state agency that regulates plumbing there. The applicant applies through iMS with the $50 exam fee, must wait 30 days to reapply after a failed attempt, and pays the license fee after passing. Minnesota has no separate law or business exam for individual plumbers.
DLI pages describe no endorsement route for non-reciprocal states; the only exam waiver is the North Dakota / South Dakota reciprocity. The initial license fee amount is not published on the pages fetched (DLI says instructions are given after the exam is passed; the fee schedule statute, Minn. Stat. Whether a city-issued origin license from a state without statewide licensing satisfies the 'license from another state' route is not addressed; DLI's wording is 'licensing jurisdiction', but the reciprocity page expressly rejects city-obtained licenses, so this file treats municipal origin licenses as not accepted.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Current plumber's license from a state whose licensing jurisdiction requires at least four years of practical plumbing experience and an examination; OR four years (7,000 hours) of certified practical plumbing experienceOne year of practical plumbing experience is at least 1,750 hours and no more than 1,750 hours may be credited per calendar year. Not more than two years of experience from another state is credited unless the applicant first obtained a plumber's license in that state. Experience must be certified by the licensed master plumber responsible for the work.
- Your Tennessee license must be active and in good standing.
What you'll do to get licensed in Minnesota
- 1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Journeyworker plumber exam application fee, paid online through iMS (30-day wait before reapplying after a failed exam).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Minnesota journeyworker plumber written examination administered by DLI (2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code); pass mark not published on the pages fetched.
- 3Other. Copy of the current out-of-state plumber's license, or Plumbing work experience forms certified by the responsible licensed master plumber (and state-agency certification for out-of-state apprenticeship hours).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. Journeyworker plumber license fee, billed after the exam is passed; amount not published on DLI's plumbing pages (renewal is $53 for the two-year cycle ending Dec. 31 of odd-numbered years).
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 16 hours of DLI-approved continuing education per two-year renewal cycle, at least eight hours on the State Plumbing Code (required to renew, not to obtain the initial license).
Published fees on this path total $50, 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 Minnesota licenses journeyman plumbers
Minnesota journeyman plumber · “Journeyworker Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Plumbing Board
Minnesota issues a statewide Journeyworker Plumber license through the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI); DLI's license-types page states the license 'authorizes the individual to work statewide', and no city-issued plumber licenses appear on DLI's pages (DLI also issues a Restricted Journeyworker license limited to towns under 5,000). A new applicant must first pass DLI's written journeyworker exam ($50 exam fee), and is eligible to sit it after a registered apprenticeship, four years (1,750 hours per year, 7,000 hours) of practical experience as a DLI-registered unlicensed plumber (Minn. Stat. 326B.47, subd. 2), two years under a Minnesota restricted license, or by holding a current plumber's license from another state that requires at least four years of experience and an exam. Journeyworker plumbers licensed by examination in North Dakota or South Dakota may be licensed without the Minnesota exam under DLI's reciprocity page. Licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years; renewal is $53 and requires 16 hours of continuing education, at least eight on the State Plumbing Code (2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code, Minn. R. ch. 4714).
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 Minnesota journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Tennessee?
- Yes. Minnesota requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Minnesota journeyman plumber license from Tennessee?
- Published fees on this path total $50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Tennessee work hours count in Minnesota?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Minnesota's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Minnesota to Tennessee?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Minnesota to Tennessee, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Minnesota DLI - Personal plumber license forms and resources · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbers (landing page for workers) · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license experience requirements · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license basics · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license types and credentials · Minn. Stat. 326B.46 · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing reciprocity · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota Statutes 326B.47 - Unlicensed individuals (registration; journeyworker exam eligibility) · Minn. Stat. 326B.47, subd. 2 · Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · 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.