Moving to Iowa as a journeyman plumber: every state's rule
Iowa has reciprocity agreements with 1 state. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.
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 ($119 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.
States Iowa reciprocates with
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Alaska | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Arkansas | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| California | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Colorado | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Connecticut | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Delaware | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| District of Columbia | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Florida | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Georgia | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Hawaii | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Idaho | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Illinois | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Indiana | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Kentucky | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Louisiana | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Maine | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Maryland | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Massachusetts | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Michigan | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Minnesota | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Mississippi | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Montana | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Nebraska | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Nevada | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| New Hampshire | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| New Jersey | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| New Mexico | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| North Carolina | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| North Dakota | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Ohio | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Oklahoma | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Oregon | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Rhode Island | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| South Carolina | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| South Dakota | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-16 |
| Tennessee | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Texas | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Utah | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Vermont | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Virginia | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Washington | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| West Virginia | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Wisconsin | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
Getting licensed in Iowa from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Iowa issues a journeyman plumber license to a first-time applicant.
Journeyperson Plumber license by examination
Iowa issues the Journeyperson Plumber license to an applicant who is at least 18, completes a four-year plumbing apprenticeship registered with the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship, and passes the Iowa Journeyperson Plumber with Gas exam. You first file an exam approval application with the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, then register and pay for the exam with Kirkwood Community College, the board's testing provider, and take it at a community college test center in Iowa. The exam is open book, based on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code and Iowa's amendments, and you need 75% to pass. After passing you file a separate post-examination licensure application; the license is not issued until the DOL has issued your apprenticeship certificate of completion. There is no separate law or business exam.
Board rules let an apprentice apply to sit for the exam up to 12 months before completing the 48 months of apprentice credit (DIAL's examination page says six months), but the license is issued only after the apprenticeship is complete. The exam has 75 questions in 3 hours covering general regulations, fixtures and fittings, water heaters, water supply and distribution, sanitary drainage, indirect wastes, vents, traps and interceptors, storm drainage and fuel gas piping; the allowed references are the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code and the Iowa State Plumbing Code 2024 amendment booklet, which may be tabbed and highlighted but not written in. The exam approval is valid for one year and you may retest during that year, paying Kirkwood for each attempt. A passing score expires if you do not apply for the license within two years. While training you must hold Iowa's apprentice license, a separate credential that requires a high school diploma or GED and costs $50 for a full three-year period. A holder of a master plumbing license from another jurisdiction may apply for the journeyperson license without the apprenticeship. Medical gas piping installer certification is a separate credential.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Exam given by
- Kirkwood Community College
- Exam format
- Open book
- Passing score
- 75%
- Renewal
- Every 3 years
- Continuing education
- 8 hours per cycle
Who can apply
- Complete a registered apprenticeship (4 years): Completion of a four-year plumbing apprenticeship registered with the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship.Evidence is the DOL certificate of completion. Registered apprentices must hold an Iowa apprentice license (Iowa Code 105.18; 481 IAC 429.4).
- Be at least 18 years old.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
Four years of experience completed before January 1, 2010
Experience gained before the registered-apprenticeship requirement took effect still qualifies. An applicant with at least four years of practical plumbing experience before January 1, 2010 attaches a notarized Affidavit of Employment to the exam approval application. The same exam and fees apply.
- You must document at least 4 years of qualifying work experience.
- Be at least 18 years old.
Work experience in a jurisdiction that did not license plumbers
An Iowa resident who moved from a place that did not license plumbers may substitute three or more years of full-time plumbing work within the four years before applying, if the board finds the work substantially similar to a registered apprenticeship. The applicant must still pass the journeyperson exam. If the board finds the experience is not substantially similar, the applicant may apply again after getting an apprentice license and completing one year of a registered apprenticeship.
- You must document at least 3 years of qualifying work experience.Documented with employer letters, pay stubs or business records; the board decides whether the work was substantially similar to a DOL-registered apprenticeship (481 IAC 430.5).
- Established Iowa residency
- Be at least 18 years old.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($35). Exam approval application fee, per discipline exam; approval is valid for one year.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Iowa Journeyperson Plumber with Gas exam given by Kirkwood Community College: open book, 75 questions, 3 hours, 75% to pass.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($119). Kirkwood Community College examination fee, paid to Kirkwood for each attempt; non-refundable.
- 4Background check. Complete a background check. Disclose every criminal conviction on the application with documentation; the board reviews felony convictions to decide eligibility. Lawful presence is verified through SAVE..
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($180). Journeyperson license fee for a full three-year period, prorated by one-sixth for each six-month period already elapsed when the license is issued (for example $90 in the second half of year two). A 30% discount applies when two or more journeyperson, master or contractor licenses are bought in one transaction..
- 6Application fee. Pay the application fee ($25) (if applicable). Paper application fee for the post-examination licensure application if it is not filed through the online portal.
Published fees on this path total $334, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every 3 years with 8 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $180 renewal fee.
Eight hours per three-year license period for a single plumbing license: 2 hours of Iowa plumbing code, 4 hours of plumbing discipline and 2 hours of Iowa occupational safety and health. Holding a plumbing license plus one or more mechanical licenses raises this to 16 hours. Only board-approved courses taught by approved instructors count, and at least half of the hours must be taken in person. Your first renewal after moving up from apprentice to journeyperson is exempt.
All licenses expire June 30 at the end of the three-year period regardless of issue date (the current period ends June 30, 2029), and renewal opens May 1 of the final year. There is a one-month grace period; a $60 late fee applies from August 1 and $100 from September 1, when the license can no longer be used. A license lapsed more than a year must be reinstated.
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 · $119
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
Sources for this section
- 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 23, 2026
- DIAL - Plumbing & Mechanical Systems Examination · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 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 23, 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 23, 2026
- DIAL - PMSB Continuing Education & Training · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- DIAL - Post-Examination Licensure · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Iowa Administrative Code 481 Chapter 428 - Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board Licensure Fees · 481 IAC 428.1 · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 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 23, 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 23, 2026
- Iowa Administrative Code 481 Chapter 432 - Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board Continuing Education · 481 IAC 432.2 · Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Kirkwood Community College - State Disciplines (Iowa plumbing and mechanical examinations) · Kirkwood Community College, the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board's contracted exam provider · Form · verified September 23, 2026