LicensebyState

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

Hawaii has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.

Hawaii journeyman plumber · “Journey Worker Plumber (PJ)”

Statewide license

Verified September 16, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Hawaii Board of Electricians and Plumbers (DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing Division)

Hawaii issues a statewide Journey Worker Plumber (PJ) license through the Board of Electricians and Plumbers in the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. HAR §16-80-4 requires anyone who performs, directs, or supervises plumbing work in or within five feet of buildings in the State to hold a PJ or Master Plumber (PM) license (unlicensed helpers may work only while a licensee is physically present on the project site). Eligibility under HRS §448E-5(b)(5) and the Board's application is five years full-time, and not less than 10,000 hours, of plumbing work in compliance with the Uniform Plumbing Code as a journey worker's or master plumber's helper, followed by the PSI-administered Hawaii written exam based on the UPC. The Board's application form states that Hawaii does not reciprocate with any jurisdiction: an out-of-state journeyman license is never exchanged for a Hawaii license and the exam is never waived, but out-of-state hours count in full when verified on notarized Experience Verification forms. Licenses run on a three-year cycle ending June 30 (next 2027, then 2030, 2033) and Active PJ licensees must complete a 2021 UPC update course (or a board-prescribed UPC-update exam) to renew. A Hawaii contractor's license under HRS ch. 444 is separately required to contract for plumbing work.

Every origin state

Experience credit 32No credit 18
Every state's path into Hawaii
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaExperience credit2026-09-16
AlaskaExperience credit2026-09-16
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
ArkansasExperience credit2026-09-16
CaliforniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
ColoradoExperience credit2026-09-16
ConnecticutExperience credit2026-09-16
DelawareNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
District of ColumbiaExperience credit2026-09-16
FloridaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
GeorgiaExperience credit2026-09-16
IdahoExperience credit2026-09-16
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
IndianaExperience credit2026-09-16
IowaExperience credit2026-09-16
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
KentuckyExperience credit2026-09-16
LouisianaExperience credit2026-09-16
MaineExperience credit2026-09-16
MarylandExperience credit2026-09-16
MassachusettsExperience credit2026-09-16
MichiganExperience credit2026-09-16
MinnesotaExperience credit2026-09-16
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MontanaExperience credit2026-09-16
NebraskaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
New HampshireExperience credit2026-09-16
New JerseyNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
New MexicoExperience credit2026-09-16
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
North CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
North DakotaExperience credit2026-09-16
OhioNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
OklahomaExperience credit2026-09-16
OregonExperience credit2026-09-16
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
Rhode IslandExperience credit2026-09-16
South CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
South DakotaExperience credit2026-09-16
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
TexasExperience credit2026-09-16
UtahExperience credit2026-09-16
VermontExperience credit2026-09-16
VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-16
WashingtonExperience credit2026-09-16
West VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-16
WisconsinExperience credit2026-09-16
WyomingNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16

Getting licensed in Hawaii from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 10 sources

Journey Worker Plumber (PJ) by examination

Hawaii issues the Journey Worker Plumber (PJ) license to applicants who document at least five years of full-time experience, and not less than 10,000 hours, as a helper to a journey worker or master plumber, doing plumbing work that complies with the Uniform Plumbing Code. Until licensed, you may do plumbing work only as a helper under a licensed plumber who is physically present on the project site. You file the application with notarized Experience Verification forms signed by each licensed plumber you worked under, and the Board of Electricians and Plumbers reviews it at one of its meetings. Once approved, you register with PSI for the closed-book Hawaii Journey Worker Plumber exam, and the license fee is due after you pass. Unlike electricians, plumbers have no classroom coursework requirement.

The exam has 100 questions in 180 minutes and requires a score of at least 70%; up to ten unscored trial questions may be added. It is closed book, and the listed references are the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code, Mathematics for Plumbers and Pipefitters (8th edition) and OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926. Topics include drainage, waste and vent systems, water supply, backflow prevention, storm drainage, fixtures and water heaters, fuel gas, sewers, isometrics, plumbing math, safety, and general knowledge and regulations; there is no separate law exam. Board meetings are usually held in February, April, June, August, October and December, and a complete application must arrive at least seven days before the meeting. Exam eligibility lasts two years from the approval letter, with unlimited attempts during that time. A plumber license does not allow you to contract for plumbing work, which needs a separate contractor's license under HRS chapter 444.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Closed book
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every 3 years

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 10,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least five years full-time or its equivalent (HRS §448E-5(b)(5)), verified on notarized forms signed by each licensed plumber you worked under. Where the work was done in a state that licenses only plumbing contractors, a form signed by the licensed contractor is accepted.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($40). Non-refundable application fee payable to Commerce and Consumer Affairs, filed with the Application for Exam and License (form EP-01).
  2. 2Background check. Complete a background check. Required only if you report a criminal conviction: a Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center criminal history record check dated within six months (plus one from each other state where a conviction occurred), with a signed explanation and the court documents..
  3. 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Hawaii Journey Worker Plumber exam administered by PSI: 100 questions, 180 minutes, closed book, 70% to pass.
  4. 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($90). Paid directly to PSI Services when scheduling; non-refundable, and each retake costs another $90.
  5. 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($102). Due after you pass the exam. $102 if licensed in the third year of the plumber licensing period (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027); $306 in the first year of a three-year period and $204 in the second. Do not send it with the application..

Published fees on this path total $232, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 3 years and a $306 renewal fee.

Before each renewal of an active license, complete a University of Hawaii community college course on updates to the current Uniform Plumbing Code (the 2021 UPC for the period ending June 30, 2027), or pass a board-prescribed UPC update exam. A license first issued within one year of the renewal date is exempt for that first renewal, and inactive licenses are exempt. The Board does not publish the course length in hours.

All plumber licenses expire on June 30 every three years (2027, 2030, 2033), whatever the issue date. On-time renewal is $306 for an active license and $12 for an inactive one.

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 · $90

Sources for this section

  1. DCCA PVL - Requirements for Examination and License, Electricians and Plumbers (Forms EP-00 / EP-01, rev. 06/2026) · HRS ch. 448E; HAR ch. 16-80 · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  2. DCCA PVL - Board of Electricians and Plumbers · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  3. DCCA PVL - Electrician and Plumber Application Deadline and Examination Dates · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. DCCA PVL - Plumber Continuing Competency Requirements · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 16, Chapter 80 - Electricians and Plumbers · HAR §§16-80-3, 16-80-4, 16-80-5, 16-80-6 · Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
  6. HRS §448E-5 - Minimum requirements (electricians and plumbers) · HRS §448E-5(b)(5)-(6) · Hawaii State Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  7. HRS §448E-5.5 - Examination · HRS §448E-5.5 · Hawaii State Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
  8. HRS §448E-8 - Fees; renewals · HRS §448E-8(b), (d) · Hawaii State Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  9. HRS §448E-8.5 - Continued competency; license renewals · HRS §448E-8.5(b)-(c) · Hawaii State Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  10. PSI Services - Hawaii DCCA Plumber Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (7/21/2023) · PSI Services LLC for the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs · Form · verified September 23, 2026

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