Moving to New Hampshire as a journeyman plumber: every state's rule
New Hampshire has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.
New Hampshire journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by New Hampshire Mechanical Licensing Board, Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC)
New Hampshire issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Mechanical Licensing Board in the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC). The same board licenses trainee/apprentice plumbers, master plumbers and mechanical business entities, and also regulates fuel gas fitters; it does not license HVAC technicians. The published two-year journeyman plumber fee is $198 (OPLC Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board fee table; Plc 1002.25). Since 3 May 2024, out-of-state journeymen from jurisdictions OPLC has determined substantially similar under RSA 310:17 and Plc 313.34 may be licensed by endorsement without the New Hampshire exam; Plc 313.34 treats a comparable journeyman path as a four-year apprenticeship with 560 instruction hours plus an exam, and the origin code must be the same or a later edition of New Hampshire's building and fire codes. Everyone else uses the traditional route: Mec 302.12 makes an out-of-state plumber license sufficient to sit the New Hampshire plumbing examination (given by Prov); the exam itself is not waived.
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Alaska | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Arkansas | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| California | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Colorado | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Connecticut | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Delaware | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| District of Columbia | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Florida | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Georgia | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Hawaii | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Idaho | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Illinois | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Indiana | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Iowa | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Kentucky | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Louisiana | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Maine | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Maryland | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Massachusetts | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Michigan | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Minnesota | Experience credit | 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 | Experience credit | 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 Jersey | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| New Mexico | Experience credit | 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 | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Ohio | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Oklahoma | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Oregon | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Rhode Island | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| South Carolina | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| South Dakota | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Tennessee | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Texas | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Utah | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Vermont | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Washington | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| West Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Wisconsin | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
Getting licensed in New Hampshire from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how New Hampshire issues a journeyman plumber license to a first-time applicant.
Journeyman plumber by examination
New Hampshire licenses a journeyman plumber who has completed a plumbing apprenticeship under a New Hampshire master plumber, with at least 600 hours of plumbing education and 8,000 hours of on-the-job experience, and has passed the state journeyman exam. Apprentices must hold a New Hampshire apprentice license (age 16 or older) and work under a licensed master plumber. Candidates schedule the open-book journeyman exam directly with Prov, online or at a Prov test center, without board pre-approval, and need 70 percent to pass. After passing, the applicant mails the OPLC Universal Application for Initial Licensure and the Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board Initial Application for Licensure with the fee, and Prov sends the score to OPLC.
The journeyman exam has 85 multiple-choice questions with a 3-hour limit, covering calculations, drainage, fixtures and faucets, plumbing fundamentals, traps and interceptors, venting and water distribution. The Prov bulletin (June 2025) lists the 2018 International Plumbing Code and the board's administrative rules as the permitted references; the board's page states that New Hampshire's adopted codes were updated to the 2021 editions on July 1, 2024, so confirm the reference edition with Prov before buying a code book. Failed exams may be retaken within the one-year eligibility period, at least two days apart. OPLC's Education Requirements page also names NH Gasfitters as an approved administrator of the plumbing exam. The board must approve or deny a complete application within 60 days (Mec 304.01(e)).
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Exam given by
- Prov
- Exam format
- Open book
- Passing score
- 70%
- Renewal
- Every 2 years
- Continuing education
- 6 hours per cycle
Who can apply
- Complete a registered apprenticeship: Plumbing apprenticeship completed under a New Hampshire licensed master plumber, shown by a completion certificate from the U.S. Department of Labor or from the sponsoring plumber.Apprentices hold a New Hampshire apprentice license and work under a New Hampshire master plumber, with direct supervision for the first 2 years (Mec 306.01). A signed affidavit from the sponsor may be submitted in place of the certificate (Mec 304.04(a)).
- Complete at least 600 hours of classroom or related instruction.Must cover drainage, basic and advanced plumbing theory, plans and drawings, venting, potable water supply, material selection, backflow devices, commercial kitchens, system sizing and fixture calculations, accessibility, testing and inspection, adopted plumbing codes, code administration, and New Hampshire plumbing law (Mec 305.01(b)(2)).
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.
- Be at least 18 years old.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
Journeyman plumber licensed in another state
An applicant who has held a journeyman plumber license in another state or jurisdiction that licenses plumbers may qualify by passing the New Hampshire journeyman exam with at least 70 percent, without showing the New Hampshire apprenticeship, education and hours (Mec 305.01(b)(4)). Applicants whose license is from one of OPLC's qualifying jurisdictions may instead apply by endorsement without the exam.
- Previous licensure as a journeyman plumber in another state or jurisdiction responsible for licensing plumbers
- Be at least 18 years old.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($198). Journeyman plumber application processing and licensing fee, which covers the first two-year license (Plc 1002.25). Nonrefundable; paid by personal check, money order or cashier's check to the State of NH - Treasurer with the paper application..
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($90). Journeyman plumber exam fee, paid to Prov when scheduling (Plc 1004.11). The same fee applies to each retake..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. New Hampshire Journeyman Plumber exam (Prov): 85 questions, 3 hours, open book, 70 percent to pass.
- 4Background check. Complete a background check. New Hampshire criminal history records check. OPLC's initial application checklist lists it for journeyman applicants; under Mec 304.01(b), an applicant convicted as an adult of a felony, an offense against another person or an offense involving dishonesty must also submit a records check from every state where they have a criminal history..
- 5Other. A copy of the apprenticeship completion certificate or a signed sponsor affidavit, and a signed letter from the licensed plumber who supervised the apprenticeship (or military plumbing service) stating that the applicant is competent to be a journeyman plumber (Mec 304.04(a))..
Published fees on this path total $288, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every 2 years with 6 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $198 renewal fee.
6 hours of continuing education per two-year cycle, which OPLC describes as 3 hours of code update each year. Courses are classroom seminars of at least 3 hours from board-approved seminar providers, covering New Hampshire's adopted plumbing codes and the current licensing laws and rules. Completion is tracked in CE Broker.
Licenses expire two years after issue, on the last day of the month issued, and renew online. A license expired more than one year requires a new initial application.
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
- N.H. Code Admin. R. Mec 300 - Initial fuel gas fitting, plumbing, trainee, apprentice and business entity licensing · Mec 302.02; Mec 302.12; Mec 304.01; Mec 304.04; Mec 305.01; Mec 306.01; Mec 307 · New Hampshire General Court (Administrative Rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.H. Code Admin. R. Mec 400 - Renewal, continuing education and reinstatement of mechanical licenses · Mec 402.01; Mec 403.01; Mec 404.01; Mec 404.03 · New Hampshire General Court (Administrative Rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- NH OPLC - Mechanical Licensing Applications (new license, renewal, reinstatement) · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- NH OPLC - Mechanical Licensing Board (who we regulate; plumber licenses) · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- OPLC Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board - Initial Application Checklist (rev. 01/2026) · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- NH OPLC - Mechanical Licensing Education Requirements (CE and plumbing exam) · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- OPLC - Examination Information effective 5/12/2025 (Prov partnership notice) · New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- N.H. Code Admin. R. Plc 1002.25 and Plc 1004.11 - Mechanical Licensing Board licensing and examination fees · Plc 1002.25; Plc 1004.11 · New Hampshire General Court (Administrative Rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Prov - State of New Hampshire Mechanical Board Plumbing Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB 2025.06.23) · Prov, Inc. for the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification · Form · verified September 23, 2026