LicensebyState

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

North Dakota has reciprocity agreements with 3 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.

North Dakota journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”

Statewide license

Verified September 16, 2026· 8 sources

Issued by North Dakota State Plumbing Board

North Dakota issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber certificate and license through the North Dakota State Plumbing Board under NDCC chapter 43-18 and NDAC chapter 62-02-01; a license is required wherever there is a public water or sewer system, and a journeyman may run a plumbing business only in cities under 1,000 population and rural areas. A new applicant must have served four years and 7,600 hours as a registered apprentice under a licensed master plumber (1,900 hours per year; accredited plumbing-school graduates earn credit by grade average), then pass the board-administered journeyman exam - five parts, two closed book and three open book, five hours, based on the 2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code - with 70%. Fees are a $50 combined application and exam fee and a $100 journeyman license fee paid on passing; licenses expire every December 31 and renew for $100, with 2 to 4 hours of continuing education required in each two-year period ($40 board session). Exams are given every other month in Bismarck, with a few additional sittings elsewhere in the state, and a failed exam carries a six-month wait. Journeymen from South Dakota, Minnesota and Montana may be licensed without examination under the Board's written reciprocity agreements; all other out-of-state journeymen apply for the North Dakota examination, with their origin license vouched for on the application.

States North Dakota reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 3Experience credit 29No credit 18
Every state's path into North Dakota
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
KentuckyExperience credit2026-09-16
LouisianaExperience credit2026-09-16
MaineExperience credit2026-09-16
MarylandExperience credit2026-09-16
MassachusettsExperience credit2026-09-16
MichiganExperience credit2026-09-16
MinnesotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-16
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MontanaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-16
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
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 DakotaReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-16
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 North Dakota from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 10 sources

Journeyman Plumber license by examination

The North Dakota State Plumbing Board issues the Journeyman Plumber license to an applicant who has served four years and at least 7,600 hours as a registered apprentice plumber working under a licensed master plumber and then passes the Board's journeyman exam. Apprentices must be at least 18 and must register with the Board within 30 days of starting work; hours worked unregistered after that do not count. The exam is written and given by the Board itself, has closed-book and open-book parts based on the 2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code, and requires a score of 70%. Fees are a $50 combined application and exam fee paid with the application and a $100 license fee due on passing.

Apply online through the Board's member portal or on the fillable Application for Master or Journeyman Plumber License (SFN 59613), emailed to [email protected] or mailed to the Board in Bismarck; the Board verifies the employment record with present and former employers. The exam has five parts over five hours: two closed-book parts (100 multiple-choice questions and a drain, waste and vent pipe-sizing drawing) and three open-book parts (40 completion questions, water pipe sizing, and drain, waste and vent sizing with fixture units); bring the 2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code and a calculator. Exams are given every other month in Bismarck, with additional 2026 sittings in Grand Forks, Minot and Fargo; register online after the application is approved, and an approved application expires if you do not sit within six months. A failed exam means a six-month wait and a new $50 fee, and an apprentice who fails must retest at the end of that period or keep working under direct supervision. There is no separate law exam. The application asks about felony charges and convictions; under NDCC 43-18-11.2 a conviction bars licensure only if the Board finds it bears directly on the work or the applicant is not sufficiently rehabilitated. Sewer and water, water conditioning and backflow assembly tester credentials are separate Board licenses.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
North Dakota State Plumbing Board
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every year

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 7,600 hours of qualifying work experience.Four years as an apprentice plumber, at least 1,900 hours per year, working under a licensed master plumber (NDAC 62-02-01-01(1) and 62-02-01-01.1). The Board may credit documented prior practical experience; experience from states that do not license plumbers is shown with notarized letters from employers, signed by the master plumber, stating dates, hours and the work done. Graduates of an accredited plumbing course of at least nine months (1,020 hours) earn 1 to 2 hours of apprenticeship credit per course hour, depending on grade average.
  • Registered with the Board as an apprentice plumber within 30 days of starting workNDCC 43-18-21. First- through third-year apprentices must work under the direct supervision of a master or journeyman plumber; an apprentice with 5,700 hours may work alone in the fourth year.
  • Be at least 18 years old.Minimum age to register as an apprentice plumber (NDAC 62-02-01-01.1).

Other ways to qualify

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

Journeyman examination screening test (experience where no state license is required)

An applicant who has worked at the plumbing trade in places where state licenses are not required, with five years and 9,500 hours of experience (1,900 hours per year) backed by four affidavits, may apply for a journeyman examination screening test. The screening is an oral and written test given by the Board plus a state plumbing inspector's report on an installation the applicant did, and it decides whether the applicant may write the journeyman exam.

  • You must document at least 9,500 hours of qualifying work experience.Five years at 1,900 hours per year in localities where state plumbing licenses are not required (NDAC 62-02-01-01(1)).
  • Four affidavits verifying the years of experience, then a passing result on the Board's oral and written screening test and a state plumbing inspector's report on an installation by the applicant

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Combined application and examination fee, non-refundable, paid with the application (form SFN 59613; NDAC 62-02-01-01 and 62-02-01-02). Each exam attempt needs a new $50 fee..
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. North Dakota Journeyman Plumber exam, written and given by the Board: five parts in five hours, closed-book and open-book sections on the 2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code; 70% to pass.
  3. 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($100). Journeyman plumber license fee, due on passing the exam (NDAC 62-02-01-01(1)).

Published fees on this path total $150, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every year and a $100 renewal fee.

2 to 4 credit hours of plumbing-related continuing education in each two-year period (NDCC 43-18-17.1). The Board runs continuing education sessions and a correspondence course, each $40, and lists approved online courses on its site.

Licenses expire December 31 each year. A late renewal costs an extra $50, and the Board may require a new exam once a license has been expired for a year or more.

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

Sources for this section

  1. North Dakota Administrative Code Chapter 62-02-01 - Plumber Licensure · NDAC 62-02-01-01, 62-02-01-01.1, 62-02-01-02, 62-02-01-03, 62-02-01-04, 62-02-01-06, 62-02-01-07 · North Dakota Legislative Branch (State Board of Plumbing rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  2. North Dakota Century Code Chapter 43-18 - Plumbers · NDCC 43-18-08, 43-18-10, 43-18-11, 43-18-13, 43-18-13.1, 43-18-15, 43-18-16, 43-18-17, 43-18-17.1 · North Dakota Legislative Branch · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Application for Master or Journeyman Plumber License (SFN 59613, 12-2024) · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  4. North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Licensing Applications · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Continuing Education Requirements Overview · NDCC 43-18-17.1 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  6. North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Exam Fees · NDAC 62-02-01-02 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  7. North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Exams: General Information · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  8. North Dakota State Plumbing Board - 2026 Exam Schedule · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  9. North Dakota State Plumbing Board - FAQ (reciprocal licensing with South Dakota) · NDCC 43-18-13.1 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
  10. North Dakota State Plumbing Board - License Renewal Fees · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026

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