Moving to Maine as a journeyman plumber: every state's rule
Maine has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.
Maine journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Maine issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Plumbers' Examining Board in OPOR (32 M.R.S. ch. 49). By examination an applicant files a sworn application, pays the fee set under §3501-B, documents at least two years / 4,000 hours as a licensed trainee plumber under a master (or the equivalent), or 2,000 hours as a journeyman-in-training under a master within four years of the JIT license, and obtains a passing grade on the board-approved journeyman examination. The board also issues a one-time, four-year nonrenewable journeyman-in-training license after one academic year of approved plumbing instruction plus the same exam, a limited plumber license, and a trainee plumber license without examination. Out-of-state journeymen are directed to licensure by endorsement under 32 M.R.S. §3501-C and 10 M.R.S. §8003-H when the origin jurisdiction's requirements are substantially equivalent; otherwise they apply by examination with comparable hours credited as 'the equivalent' of Maine trainee time.
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 | |
| Iowa | 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 | |
| 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 | Endorsement | 2026-09-23 | |
| 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 Maine from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Maine issues a journeyman plumber license to a first-time applicant.
Journeyman Plumber license by examination
The Plumbers' Examining Board issues the Journeyman Plumber license to an applicant who has worked at least two years and 4,000 hours in plumbing installations as a licensed trainee plumber under the supervision of a master plumber, or the equivalent, and then passes the journeyman exam. The trainee license is issued without an exam to a person employed by a licensed master plumber, and trainee hours count only from the date that license is issued. Graduates of an approved plumbing program can instead pass the journeyman exam first and earn 2,000 hours under a nonrenewable journeyman-in-training license. You apply to the board for approval, then schedule the closed-book exam with Prov, Inc.; the passing score is 70%. There is no separate law or business exam.
Apply online or on the Journeyman & Master Plumber Examination Application, with affidavits from your supervising master plumber showing your dates and hours, and transcripts if you qualify through education. Scores from an exam taken before board approval are not recognized. Approval is valid for two years, failed plumber exams may be retaken as often as needed within that window, and you must apply for the license within two years of passing; you can apply 24 hours after you pass. The exam has 80 questions in 3 hours and is taken at a Prov test center or remotely on your own computer. Prov's May 2025 bulletin lists the 2015 Uniform Plumbing Code and the Maine plumbing tables as references, while the board adopted the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code in 2022, so check the current bulletin before you study. A journeyman must work for a licensed master plumber, and only a master plumber may obtain a plumbing permit. The trainee license is open to applicants 16 and older. If you have military plumbing training, contact the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation ([email protected]) before applying.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Exam given by
- Prov
- Exam format
- Closed book
- Passing score
- 70%
- Renewal
- Every 2 years
- Continuing education
- None required
Who can apply
- You must document at least 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Over at least two years, documented on affidavits signed by the supervising Maine master plumber (32 M.R.S. §3501(2)(A)). Hours count only from the date the trainee license is issued, and hours worked before age 16 are not recognized.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
Journeyman-in-training: approved plumbing program plus 2,000 hours
An applicant who has completed one year (two semesters) of plumbing instruction at a board-approved technical or community college, an approved career and technical education plumbing program as a high school student, or a registered Department of Labor apprenticeship program may take the journeyman exam without documented work hours. After passing, the applicant is licensed as a journeyman-in-training, a one-time four-year license that cannot be renewed. The journeyman license follows after at least one year and 2,000 hours of plumbing work under a licensed master plumber within those four years, shown on an affidavit from the supervising master; the exam is not taken again.
- One year of plumbing instruction at a board-approved technical or community college, an approved high school career and technical education plumbing program, or a registered Department of Labor apprenticeship program
- Holds a Maine journeyman-in-training plumber license, issued after passing the journeyman exam
- You must document at least 2,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Over at least one year, within four years of the date the journeyman-in-training license was issued (32 M.R.S. §3501(2)(B)).
Out-of-state license and experience
An applicant from outside Maine may qualify for the journeyman exam with a copy of their plumbing license, affidavits showing at least two years and 4,000 hours of plumbing installation work or a transcript for a one-year accredited community college plumbing program, and evidence of the installation, repair, alteration and maintenance work they have done. Maine's statute credits experience that is the equivalent of licensed trainee hours.
- Plumbing license issued by another jurisdiction, with evidence of plumbing installation, repair, alteration and maintenance work
- You must document at least 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Over at least two years. A transcript for a one-year accredited community college plumbing program may be submitted with or instead of the affidavits.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Maine Journeyman Plumber exam administered by Prov: 80 questions in 3 hours, closed book, 70% to pass. Board approval is required before scheduling..
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($65). Prov examination fee, paid when scheduling.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Journeyman Plumber license fee for a two-year term, paid with the license application after you pass.
- 4Background check. Complete a background check ($21). Criminal history records check, paid with the license application.
Published fees on this path total $265, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every 2 years with no continuing education required and a $200 renewal fee.
Maine's plumbing law and the board's rules require only the renewal application and fee; the board has not adopted continuing education for plumbers.
The license expires two years after it is issued, and online renewal opens 60 days before expiration. Renewal within 90 days after expiration adds a $50 late fee. From 90 days to two years after expiration the board lists the $200 license fee plus a $100 penalty, and after two years you must qualify and pass the exam again as a new applicant.
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 · $65
Sources for this section
- 02-041 CMR Chapter 10 - OPOR Establishment of License Fees, section 5(29) Plumbers' Examining Board · 02-041 CMR ch. 10 §5(29) · Maine Secretary of State / Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Plumbers' Examining Board - Examinations (Prov, Inc.) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Plumbers' Examining Board - FAQ - Journeyman-in-Training · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
- Plumbers' Examining Board - FAQ - Journeyman Plumbers · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Faq · verified September 23, 2026
- Plumbers' Examining Board - Licensing - Individual Licenses (master, journeyman, trainee, journeyman-in-training) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Plumbers' Examining Board - Licensing (license types, military experience and training) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Plumbers' Examining Board - Journeyman & Master Plumber Examination Application (rev. 02/2020) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Plumbers' Examining Board - Journeyman-in-Training, Journeyman & Master Plumber License Application (rev. 02/2020) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Plumbers' Examining Board - Trainee, Journeyman & Master Plumber License Renewal Application (rev. 02/2020) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- State of Maine OPOR Candidate Information Bulletin (Prov, MOPOR-2025.05.14) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation / Prov, Inc. · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- 02-395 CMR - Plumbers' Examining Board rules, all chapters (ch. 3 Licensing Requirements, ch. 4 Installation Standards, ch. 6 Reciprocity) · 02-395 CMR chs. 1-8 · Maine Secretary of State / Plumbers' Examining Board · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- 32 M.R.S. §3501 - Issuance of licenses (journeyman, master, journeyman-in-training, trainee) · 32 M.R.S. §3501 · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 32 M.R.S. §3501-A - Examinations (Plumbers' Examining Board) · 32 M.R.S. §3501-A · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 32 M.R.S. §3504 - Renewals (Plumbers' Examining Board) · 32 M.R.S. §3504 · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 23, 2026