LicensebyState

Moving to Alaska as a journeyman plumber: every state's rule

Alaska has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.

Alaska journeyman plumber · “Plumber Journeyman Certificate of Fitness”

Statewide license

Verified September 16, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Labor Standards and Safety Division, Mechanical Inspection Section

Alaska issues a statewide Plumber Journeyman Certificate of Fitness (COF) through the Department of Labor and Workforce Development's Mechanical Inspection Section; under AS 18.62.070 anyone doing plumbing subject to the Uniform Plumbing Code (the 2018 UPC, adopted by 8 AAC 63.101) must hold the appropriate certificate, and the section enforces plumbing in communities of 2,500 or more people (Anchorage inspects under a memorandum of agreement). A new applicant must hold a Plumber Trainee COF (which requires indenture in a US DOL registered apprenticeship) while accumulating 8,000 hours of legally obtained plumbing installation work (up to 4,000 military/vocational, 1,000 classroom, 2,000 gas and 500 utility hours may count; maintenance hours do not), then pass the department's open-book exam on the 2018 UPC with at least 70% within a four-hour limit. The COF costs $50 to apply for plus $200 on issue, is valid two years and renews for $200 with 16 hours of continuing education (at least eight on UPC changes). Separate restricted certificates exist for Plumber Gas (fuel gas piping, 4,000 hours) and Plumber Restricted Utility (water, sewer and storm service lines, 1,000 hours). Since August 8, 2025 the department reciprocates plumber journeyman certificates with any US state or local jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially similar (8 AAC 90.111) and offers a one-year provisional certificate to any out-of-state journeyman plumber; unlike the electrical program, it publishes no list of plumbing reciprocity partner states.

Every origin state

Endorsement 32No credit 18
Every state's path into Alaska
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaEndorsement2026-09-16
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
ArkansasEndorsement2026-09-16
CaliforniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
ColoradoEndorsement2026-09-16
ConnecticutEndorsement2026-09-16
DelawareNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
District of ColumbiaEndorsement2026-09-16
FloridaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
GeorgiaEndorsement2026-09-16
HawaiiEndorsement2026-09-16
IdahoEndorsement2026-09-16
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
IndianaEndorsement2026-09-16
IowaEndorsement2026-09-16
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
KentuckyEndorsement2026-09-16
LouisianaEndorsement2026-09-16
MaineEndorsement2026-09-16
MarylandEndorsement2026-09-16
MassachusettsEndorsement2026-09-16
MichiganEndorsement2026-09-16
MinnesotaEndorsement2026-09-16
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MontanaEndorsement2026-09-16
NebraskaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
New HampshireEndorsement2026-09-16
New JerseyNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
New MexicoEndorsement2026-09-16
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
North CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
North DakotaEndorsement2026-09-16
OhioNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
OklahomaEndorsement2026-09-16
OregonEndorsement2026-09-16
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
Rhode IslandEndorsement2026-09-16
South CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
South DakotaEndorsement2026-09-16
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
TexasEndorsement2026-09-16
UtahEndorsement2026-09-16
VermontEndorsement2026-09-16
VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-16
WashingtonEndorsement2026-09-16
West VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-16
WisconsinEndorsement2026-09-16
WyomingNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16

Getting licensed in Alaska from scratch

No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Alaska issues a journeyman plumber license to a first-time applicant.

Verified September 23, 2026· 14 sources

Plumber Journeyman Certificate of Fitness by examination

Alaska issues the Plumber Journeyman Certificate of Fitness to applicants who document 8,000 hours of legally obtained plumbing installation work and pass the Mechanical Inspection Section's open-book exam on the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code with a score of at least 70%. Hours worked in Alaska count only while you hold a Plumber Trainee certificate, which is issued to apprentices indentured in a US Department of Labor registered plumbing apprenticeship; plumbing work done legally in another state also counts. Maintenance work does not count. You file the Electrical and Plumbing Certificate of Fitness Application with notarized Experience Verification Forms; once the department approves the packet it schedules your exam, and the certificate is issued after you pass.

The department tests in Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks on the first and third Wednesday of each month, with a four-hour limit. Proctored testing in other Alaska cities is available through Department of Labor job centers, and Alaska-based plumbing unions may test at their halls. Application review takes 7 to 10 business days before an exam can be scheduled, and an applicant who fails must wait 30 days to retest. No separate exam fee is listed; testing through an approved third-party facility or proctor outside the department's offices is at the applicant's expense. The Plumber Trainee certificate costs $250 ($50 application plus $200 certificate fee), is valid for six years, and allows no more than two trainees per certified journeyman on a job site. Alaska also issues narrower Plumber Gas (fuel gas piping, 4,000 hours) and Plumber Restricted Utility (water, sewer and storm service lines, 1,000 hours) certificates, each with its own exam. There is no state master plumber license; see the master level for the Mechanical Administrator license.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection Section
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every 2 years
Continuing education
16 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Plumbing installation work subject to the Uniform Plumbing Code, performed for a properly licensed contractor under the direct supervision of a journeyman (8 AAC 90.890). Up to 1,000 classroom hours from a registered apprenticeship or accredited plumbing training program may be counted, along with at most 2,000 hours of fuel gas work and 500 hours of utility plumbing work. Maintenance hours do not count.
  • Hours worked in Alaska must be earned while holding a Plumber Trainee Certificate of Fitness, which requires indenture in a US Department of Labor registered plumbing apprenticeship programApply for the trainee certificate with the Davis-Bacon letter from the RAPIDS system showing your apprenticeship registration.

Other ways to qualify

Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.

Experience legally obtained in another state

Plumbing work performed outside Alaska counts toward the 8,000 hours if it was done legally in that state, for a contractor licensed there, under the direct supervision of a journeyman. Along with the Experience Verification Forms, submit either the license that state issued you or a letter on that state's letterhead confirming that no license is required for that scope of work. The same classroom, gas and utility limits apply, and you still take the Alaska exam.

  • You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.
  • A license issued by the state where the work was done, or a letter on that state's letterhead confirming that no license is required for that scope of work

Military or vocational training hours plus work experience

Up to 4,000 of the 8,000 hours may come from military service in a qualifying specialty, credited at up to 500 hours per full year assigned and proven with a DD Form 214, or from a department-approved vocational program, proven with the program's certificate. The department decides which military specialty codes and vocational schools qualify. The remaining hours must be work experience that meets the usual rules.

  • Up to 4,000 hours of military service in a qualifying specialty or of approved vocational training
  • You must document at least 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Nonrefundable application fee, paid with the Electrical and Plumbing Certificate of Fitness Application.
  2. 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Two-year Plumber Journeyman certificate fee, charged only after you pass the exam.
  3. 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Alaska Plumber Journeyman exam given by the Mechanical Inspection Section: open book on the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code, four-hour limit, 70% to pass.
  4. 4Other. Notarized Experience Verification Form from each employer, or a sworn affidavit from an Alaska-based union, documenting the qualifying hours.

Published fees on this path total $250, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 2 years with 16 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $200 renewal fee.

16 hours of approved continuing education completed in the 24 months before renewal. At least 8 hours must cover significant changes or updates to the Uniform Plumbing Code, and no more than 8 hours may be industry-related.

A certificate can be renewed without retesting up to two years after it expires, but renewing more than 90 days after expiration adds the $50 application fee. The certificate is not valid for work after its expiration date.

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

Sources for this section

  1. 8 AAC 63.010 - Minimum plumbing standards · 8 AAC 63.010 · Alaska Legislature (Alaska Administrative Code) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  2. 8 AAC 90.115 - Plumber and electrician examination · 8 AAC 90.115 · Alaska Legislature (Alaska Administrative Code) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  3. 8 AAC 90.130 - Plumber journeyman certificate of fitness · 8 AAC 90.130 · Alaska Legislature (Alaska Administrative Code) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  4. 8 AAC 90.140 - Plumber trainee certificate of fitness · 8 AAC 90.140 · Alaska Legislature (Alaska Administrative Code) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  5. 8 AAC 90.180 - Renewal of certificate of fitness · 8 AAC 90.180 · Alaska Legislature (Alaska Administrative Code) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  6. 8 AAC 90.192 - Hours of continuing education for plumber journeyman and electrician journeyman certificate of fitness · 8 AAC 90.192 · Alaska Legislature (Alaska Administrative Code) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  7. 8 AAC 90.890 - Work legally performed and experience legally obtained · 8 AAC 90.890 · Alaska Legislature (Alaska Administrative Code) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  8. Electrical and Plumbing Certificate of Fitness Application (v.20250902) · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  9. Experience Verification Form - Plumbing and Electrical Code Work (v.20250828) · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  10. Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - Frequently Asked Questions · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
  11. Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - License Types and Requirements (Plumber certificates of fitness) · 8 AAC 90.111, 8 AAC 90.112, 8 AAC 90.130, 8 AAC 90.135, 8 AAC 90.137, 8 AAC 90.140 · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  12. Renewal Application for Electrical and Plumbing Certificate of Fitness (v.20250902) · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  13. Alaska DOLWD Mechanical Inspection - Testing Information · 8 AAC 90.115 · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  14. Trainee Application for Electrical and Plumbing Certificates of Fitness (v.20250828) · Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Mechanical Inspection · Form · verified September 23, 2026

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