Texas to New Mexico: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
New Mexico has no reciprocity agreement with Texas. Your Texas experience counts toward eligibility, but you must pass the New Mexico exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state journeyman plumber (all states)
Nothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.
No state has a plumbing journeyman reciprocity agreement with New Mexico. The RLD Construction Industries page and the 2025 PSI journeyman application both state that the only reciprocated journeyman classification is EE-98J (electrical), and 14.6.4 NMAC contains no general endorsement provision, only an expedited path for military service members, spouses, dependents and veterans certified in another jurisdiction. A plumber licensed elsewhere therefore applies exactly like a new candidate: a notarized Journeyman Certificate Application to PSI with $75 for the JP classification (or $75 for JPG, which covers both plumbing and gas fitting), notarized Mechanical/Plumbing Work Experience Affidavits from employers or supervisors covering two years (4,000 hours) within the past ten years, then the JP written exam (70 questions, open book on the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code and 2015 New Mexico Plumbing Code) and the JP practical exam. Experience from another state counts if it was gained while employed by a contractor licensed in the trade or was legal work in the state where it was performed; the out-of-state license itself is not a substitute for the affidavits. New Mexico has no separate law exam for journeymen; state code and rule questions are part of the trade exam. All requirements must be met within six months of the application or the fee is forfeited.
Verified against the current RLD page and the 2025 PSI application: no plumbing reciprocity partners are named (Texas and Utah appear only in the electrical EE-98J context, and Utah is not even on that list). Accredited technical training or apprenticeship classroom time counts as one-half year of experience per year, capped at half of the requirement (14.6.4.8(C)). 14.5.5.9 NMAC still lists a $25 mechanical journeyman exam fee and $25 per-year renewal fee; PSI currently charges $68.88 per exam, so the renewal amount should be confirmed with PSI at renewal time. Applying for JP and JG separately costs $150; JPG covers both for one $75 fee.
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 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Two years (4,000 hours) in the plumbing trade within the ten years before application (NMSA 60-13-38(G); 14.6.4.8(C) and (F) NMAC; PSI experience table), documented on notarized affidavits by employers, supervisors, foremen or other contractors; applicants may not self-verify.
- Experience must have been gained while employed by a contractor licensed in the trade, or be work that was legal in the state where it was performed (PSI application, step TWO 2(d))
What you'll do to get licensed in New Mexico
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Journeyman Certificate Application fee paid to PSI, per classification (JP; or JPG for plumbing plus natural gas).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. JP Journeyman Plumber written exam by PSI: 70 questions, 185 minutes, open book (2015 NM Plumbing Code 14.8.2 NMAC, 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, 2015 NM Mechanical Code), 75% (53 points) to pass.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($68.88). PSI fee for the JP written exam, charged per attempt.
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Journeyman Plumber practical exam by PSI: 100 points, 120 minutes, 75% to pass; copper/PEX assembly and air test, tub drain, washer box, island vent, drainage pipe project, fitting and tool identification.
- 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($68.88). PSI fee for the JP practical exam ($137.76 combination fee when both parts are scheduled together).
- 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 16 hours of CID-approved continuing education before each three-year renewal, at least eight hours on the current enforced plumbing code (14.6.4.8(H) NMAC).
- 7License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($25). Journeyman certificate renewal fee of $25 per year per classification under 14.5.5.9 NMAC (collected by PSI at the three-year renewal; confirm current amount).
Published fees on this path total $237.76, 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 · $68.88
- Trade exam
- Exam fee · $68.88
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How New Mexico licenses journeyman plumbers
New Mexico journeyman plumber · “JP Journeyman Plumber (certificate of competence)”
Statewide license
New Mexico requires every individual doing plumbing work to hold a Construction Industries Division (CID) journeyman certificate of competence; the JP Journeyman Plumber certificate is the plumbing journeyman credential, and the JPG Journeyman Plumber and Natural Gas Fitter certificate adds natural gas piping (JG and JPF cover gas fitting and pipe fitting alone). A JP applicant needs two years (4,000 hours) of plumbing experience within the last ten years, files a notarized application and work-experience affidavits with PSI for $75 per classification, and must pass the open-book JP written exam and a hands-on practical exam, each at 75%. Certificates run for three years and JP, JPG, JG and JPF holders complete 16 hours of continuing education (eight on the enforced code) before each renewal. CID reciprocates only the EE-98J electrical journeyman classification, so an out-of-state plumbing license earns no exam waiver, although out-of-state hours count toward the experience requirement. A journeyman may work only while employed by a contractor licensed in the classification (MM-1 or MM-98 for a JP).
Common questions
- Do I have to take the New Mexico journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Texas?
- Yes. New Mexico requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a New Mexico journeyman plumber license from Texas?
- Published fees on this path total $237.76, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Texas work hours count in New Mexico?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward New Mexico's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from New Mexico to Texas?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from New Mexico to Texas, the mechanism is endorsement.
Sources
- Construction Industries Licensing Act, NMSA 1978 Chapter 60, Article 13 (RLD compilation as of July 1, 2021) · NMSA 1978 §§ 60-13-14, 60-13-38, 60-13-49 · New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- 14.5.5 NMAC - Construction Industries General Provisions: Fees · 14.5.5.8, 14.5.5.9 and 14.5.5.14 NMAC · New Mexico Commission of Public Records, State Records Center and Archives · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- 14.6.4 NMAC - Construction Industries Licensing: Journeyman Certification · 14.6.4.8 NMAC · New Mexico Commission of Public Records, State Records Center and Archives · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- 14.6.6 NMAC - Construction Industries Licensing: Classifications and Scopes (mechanical and plumbing) · 14.6.6.11 NMAC · New Mexico Commission of Public Records, State Records Center and Archives · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- NM CID / PSI - How to Obtain a Journeyman Certificate and Application for Journeyman Certificate (2025) · PSI Services for the NM Construction Industries Division · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- State of New Mexico Journeyman Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI, updated 4/13/2023) · PSI Services for the NM Construction Industries Division · Other · verified September 16, 2026
- NM Regulation and Licensing Department - Apply for a Construction Industries License · New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.