LicensebyState

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

Oklahoma has reciprocity agreements with 1 state. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.

Oklahoma journeyman plumber · “Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman”

Statewide license

Verified September 16, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB), Plumbing Division

Oklahoma issues statewide plumbing journeyman licenses through the Construction Industries Board (CIB) under the Plumbing License Law of 1955 and OAC Title 158, Chapter 30, in Unlimited and Residential categories. An Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman applicant must be 18 and show three years of verifiable experience in the plumbing trade while employed by a licensed plumbing contractor (about 2,000 hours per year, so roughly 6,000 hours; Oklahoma hours count only while registered as an apprentice), or equivalent U.S. military experience, with a Committee-approved 1,000-hour program substituting for two years and a 500-hour program for one year. The applicant pays $75 ($25 application plus $50 initial license), and must score 75% on the Oklahoma plumbing journeyman exam administered by PSI ($92 per portion). CIB has one published plumbing reciprocity agreement, with Arkansas (effective October 21, 2024, journeyman only); other out-of-state journeymen may seek exam equivalency if the Board has approved their jurisdiction's exam, and a current out-of-state license otherwise expedites processing of the experience requirement. Journeymen must work under a licensed plumbing contractor, renew annually ($75) and complete six hours of continuing education every 36 months.

States Oklahoma reciprocates with

Every origin state

Reciprocity 1Endorsement 31No credit 18
Every state's path into Oklahoma
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaEndorsement2026-09-16
AlaskaEndorsement2026-09-16
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
ArkansasReciprocityexplicit agreement2026-09-16
CaliforniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
ColoradoEndorsement2026-09-16
ConnecticutEndorsement2026-09-16
DelawareNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
District of ColumbiaEndorsement2026-09-16
FloridaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
GeorgiaEndorsement2026-09-16
HawaiiEndorsement2026-09-16
IdahoEndorsement2026-09-16
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
IndianaEndorsement2026-09-16
IowaEndorsement2026-09-16
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
KentuckyEndorsement2026-09-16
LouisianaEndorsement2026-09-16
MaineEndorsement2026-09-16
MarylandEndorsement2026-09-16
MassachusettsEndorsement2026-09-16
MichiganEndorsement2026-09-16
MinnesotaEndorsement2026-09-16
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MontanaEndorsement2026-09-16
NebraskaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
New HampshireEndorsement2026-09-16
New JerseyNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
New MexicoEndorsement2026-09-16
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
North CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
North DakotaEndorsement2026-09-16
OhioNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
OregonEndorsement2026-09-16
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
Rhode IslandEndorsement2026-09-16
South CarolinaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
South DakotaEndorsement2026-09-16
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
TexasEndorsement2026-09-16
UtahEndorsement2026-09-16
VermontEndorsement2026-09-16
VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-16
WashingtonEndorsement2026-09-16
West VirginiaEndorsement2026-09-16
WisconsinEndorsement2026-09-16
WyomingNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16

Getting licensed in Oklahoma from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 9 sources

Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman by examination

The Construction Industries Board (CIB) issues the Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman license to applicants 18 or older who verify three years of experience in the plumbing trade while employed by a licensed plumbing contractor and pass the state journeyman exam. Experience gained in Oklahoma counts only while you hold a CIB plumbing apprentice registration and work under the direct supervision of a licensed plumber employed by the same contractor. A Committee-approved plumbing education program can replace up to two of the three years. You file the notarized Application for Plumbing Examination with experience affidavits and $75; once CIB approves it, you schedule the open-book Plumbing Journeyman and Natural Gas exam with PSI and must score at least 75%. There is no separate law exam for journeymen.

The exam has 85 questions in 180 minutes and covers plumbing and natural gas piping. It is based on the 2018 International Plumbing Code and International Fuel Gas Code with Oklahoma revisions; you bring your own copies, plus Mathematics for Plumbers and Pipefitters and OSHA 29 CFR 1926, which may be highlighted and permanently tabbed but not written in. CIB is moving this exam to the 2024 code editions: from October 8, 2026 through January 8, 2027 you may test on either edition, and from January 9, 2027 only the 2024 editions are used. After a first failure you must wait 30 days to retest, and 90 days after each later failure. CIB counts one year of full-time work as about 2,000 hours. Apprentice registration costs $25 for the first year ($5 application plus $20 registration), and each registration needs a statement of employment from a licensed plumbing contractor or proof of enrollment in an approved school or training course. A current out-of-state plumbing license in good standing can speed up review of your experience; see the out-of-state section of this page. Journeymen must be employed and supervised by a licensed plumbing contractor and may not contract for plumbing work. CIB also issues a Residential Plumbing Journeyman license limited to one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses up to three stories, which is a separate credential.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Open book
Passing score
75%
Renewal
Every year

Who can apply

  • You must document at least 3 years of qualifying work experience.Experience in the plumbing trade while employed by a licensed plumbing contractor (OAC 158:30-9-1(k)(1)); CIB treats one year of full-time work as about 2,000 hours. Oklahoma experience counts only for periods when you held an apprentice registration.
  • Be at least 18 years old.

Other ways to qualify

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

Approved plumbing education plus experience

A diploma or associate degree from a Committee-approved plumbing program at an approved school replaces part of the three years: 1,000 classroom hours replaces two years, 500 hours one year, 375 hours nine months, 334 hours eight months and 250 hours six months. Hours must be actual classroom hours shown on an official transcript.

  • Complete at least 1,000 hours of classroom or related instruction.Associate degree or vocational diploma from a Committee-approved formal plumbing program (OAC 158:30-9-1(n)(1)).
  • You must document at least 1 year of qualifying work experience.The remaining year of plumbing experience while employed by a licensed plumbing contractor.
  • Be at least 18 years old.

U.S. military plumbing experience

Three years of verifiable experience in the plumbing trade gained while serving in the U.S. military is accepted in place of experience with a licensed plumbing contractor.

  • You must document at least 3 years of qualifying work experience.Equivalent verifiable plumbing-trade experience while serving in the U.S. military (OAC 158:30-9-1(k)(2)).
  • Be at least 18 years old.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($25). Journeyman application processing fee, submitted with the application and forfeited if you do not meet the exam qualifications (OAC 158:30-9-2(b)).
  2. 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($50). Initial journeyman license fee, submitted with the application.
  3. 3Other. Notarized Application for Plumbing Examination with a notarized affidavit of lawful presence (56 O.S. § 71), a notarized experience affidavit signed by each licensed plumbing contractor who verifies your work, and official transcripts and a diploma or certificate of completion for any plumbing education you are claiming.
  4. 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Oklahoma Plumbing Journeyman and Natural Gas exam administered by PSI: 85 questions, 180 minutes, open book, 75% to pass.
  5. 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($92). PSI fee per exam attempt, paid to PSI when scheduling; not refundable or transferable.

Published fees on this path total $167, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every year and a $75 renewal fee.

Six hours of Committee-approved continuing education in the 36 months before the license expires, not every year. Courses cover the codes adopted by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission or other approved trade topics such as the Plumbing License Law, the CIB rules and safety; approved correspondence and online courses count. You are exempt for three years from the date you passed your current licensing exam. Courses approved by another agency count only if a CIB Industry Committee has also approved them.

Licenses expire each year on the last day of your birth month. Renewing more than 30 days after expiration adds a $25 late fee, and any outstanding CIB fines must be paid before a license can be renewed.

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 · $92

Sources for this section

  1. Oklahoma CIB - 2026 Building Code Updates and Examination Transition Period · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Oklahoma CIB - Continuing Education Information · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Industry · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Application Information and Application for Plumbing Examination (Contractor and Journeyman, revised August 2024) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  5. Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Apprentice · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  6. Oklahoma CIB - Plumbing Journeyman · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  7. OAC Title 158, Chapter 30 - Plumbing Industry Regulations (permanent rules effective 10/1/2024) · OAC 158:30-1-2, 158:30-5-1, 158:30-5-2, 158:30-5-4, 158:30-9-1, 158:30-9-1.4, 158:30-9-2, 158:30-9-4 · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  8. Oklahoma Plumbing License Law of 1955, 59 O.S. §§ 1000.1 et seq. · 59 O.S. § 1000.5A · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  9. State of Oklahoma Electrical, Mechanical, Roofing and Plumbing Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · PSI Services for the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 23, 2026

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