LicensebyState

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

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

Kentucky journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”

Statewide license

Verified September 16, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Division of Plumbing

Kentucky issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of Plumbing, under KRS Chapter 318 and 815 KAR 20:030. A new applicant must have either two consecutive years as an apprentice plumber or a department-approved plumbing / Kentucky State Plumbing Code course plus one year as an apprentice, pass every portion of the department-administered Kentucky journeyman plumber examination (written, drawing, and practical) with at least 75 percent, file Form PLB-2 with a $60 license fee prorated to seven to eighteen months ending on the birth month, and register for the exam on Form PLB-3 ($50, passport photo). Exams run in February, May, August and November. Licenses renew annually at $60 with six hours of continuing education under 815 KAR 2:010 (waived for the first renewal if the initial license issued within twelve months of renewal). 815 KAR 20:030 does not waive the Kentucky exam for out-of-state journeymen, does not use the word reciprocity, and names no partner states; an inbound journeyman documents apprentice-level experience and sits the Kentucky exam.

Every origin state

Experience credit 32No credit 18
Every state's path into Kentucky
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
HawaiiExperience 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
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 Kentucky from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 10 sources

Journeyman Plumber license by examination

Kentucky's Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction issues the Journeyman Plumber license to an applicant who is at least 18, has two consecutive years of experience as an apprentice plumber, and passes the state journeyman plumber examination with at least 75 percent on each portion. The Division of Plumbing writes and gives the exam itself in February, May, August and November at sites around the state; it has a written section, a pipe-sizing drawing and a hands-on practical section. Register on Form PLB-3 with the $50 exam fee at least three weeks before an exam date, then file Form PLB-2 with the license fee once you pass. Kentucky law defines an apprentice as someone learning the trade under the personal supervision of a licensed master or journeyman plumber, and there is no separate law or business exam.

The written section covers basic plumbing principles, KRS Chapter 318 and the plumbing regulations in 815 KAR Chapters 2 and 20; the department's exam page links the 2023 Kentucky State Plumbing Law, Regulations and Code Book for study. For the practical section you bring the plumbing materials listed in a notice the department sends at least one week before the exam. Check-in is at 7:30 a.m., and you get up to 2½ hours for the written portion and 2½ hours for the practical. Seats are first come, first served, and approved applicants are notified at least two weeks before the next exam. If you pass some portions but not others you may retake only the failed portion, paying the full $50 fee each time; the registration is void if you have not passed within one year of your first exam notice, and a passing score stays valid for three years. To document experience, attach W-2 forms, an affidavit from the Kentucky-licensed master plumber who employs you, or a copy of a plumbing license issued by another state. The application asks about felony and misdemeanor convictions, and a conviction may prevent licensure; call the Division of Plumbing at 502-573-0397 with questions.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
Kentucky Division of Plumbing (DHBC)
Passing score
75%
Renewal
Every year
Continuing education
6 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 2 years of qualifying work experience.815 KAR 20:030 Section 3(1)(a). An apprentice works under the personal supervision of a licensed master or journeyman plumber (KRS 318.010(7)).
  • Be at least 18 years old.
  • Of good moral character and a U.S. citizen or a resident alien authorized to work in the United States (KRS 318.040(1))

Other ways to qualify

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

Department-approved plumbing course plus one year as an apprentice

An applicant who completes a course approved by the department that covers the practice of plumbing or the Kentucky State Plumbing Code needs only one year of experience as an apprentice plumber instead of two. The same journeyman exam and fees apply.

  • Completion of a department-approved course covering the practice of plumbing or the Kentucky State Plumbing Code
  • You must document at least 1 year of qualifying work experience.
  • Be at least 18 years old.
  • Of good moral character and a U.S. citizen or a resident alien authorized to work in the United States (KRS 318.040(1))

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Non-refundable journeyman examination fee paid with Form PLB-3 to the Kentucky State Treasurer; the full fee is due again for each retake.
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Kentucky journeyman plumber examination given by the Division of Plumbing: written, pipe-sizing drawing and practical portions, with at least 75 percent required on each.
  3. 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($60). Journeyman Plumber license fee paid with Form PLB-2. The first license runs 7 to 18 months and expires at the end of your birth month, so the prorated amount on the form's chart ranges from $35 to $90.
  4. 4Other. Passport-sized color photograph taken within the last six months, attached to Form PLB-3.

Published fees on this path total $110, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every year with 6 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $60 renewal fee.

Six hours of approved continuing education in the 12 months before each renewal, on business, job safety, the Kentucky State Plumbing Code or other plumbing subjects; no more than two hours of safety count per year. Not required at the first renewal if the license was issued within 12 months of it. Up to 12 extra hours can be carried into the next two years.

Licenses expire on the last day of your birth month each year; renew on Form DHBC L-1. A late renewal adds a $3 revival fee, and a license not renewed within 180 days of expiring is canceled.

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

Sources for this section

  1. Licensing Renewal Application, Form DHBC L-1 (April 2023) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Application for License as a Journeyman Plumber, Form PLB-2 (April 2023) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Plumbing Examination Registration Form, Form PLB-3 (October 2019) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of Plumbing · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  4. DHBC Division of Plumbing - Plumbing Licensing Examination · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of Plumbing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. Division of Plumbing - Master & Journeyman Examination Schedule · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of Plumbing · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  6. 815 KAR 2:010 - Continuing education requirements (master and journeyman plumbers) · 815 KAR 2:010 Sections 1-2; KRS 318.054 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  7. 815 KAR 20:030 - Plumbing licenses (application, examination, and renewal) · 815 KAR 20:030 Sections 1-6 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  8. KRS Chapter 318 - Plumbers and Plumbing · KRS 318.010, 318.020, 318.030, 318.040, 318.050, 318.054, 318.080, 318.130 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  9. KRS 318.040 - Qualifications, examinations, reciprocity (plumbers) · KRS 318.040 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  10. KRS 318.054 - License expiration, renewal and revival fees, continuing education · KRS 318.054 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Statute · verified September 23, 2026

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