Moving to Oregon as a journeyman plumber: every state's rule
Oregon has reciprocity agreements with 2 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.
Oregon journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber (JP)”
Statewide license
Issued by Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services) / State Plumbing Board
Oregon issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber (JP) license through the Building Codes Division on behalf of the State Plumbing Board; under ORS 693.030 nobody may work in the trade of journeyman plumber without it, and commercial or industrial plumbing must be installed by a licensed journeyman or a registered apprentice working under one. A new applicant qualifies for the exam by completing a four-year Oregon plumbing apprenticeship, or by documenting 576 hours of classroom training plus 7,700 hours of on-the-job experience split 3,850 residential and 3,850 commercial across set work categories, or by documenting twice those hours (7,700 residential and 7,700 commercial) earned while holding a license with a journeyman-plumber scope. The application and license fee is $100 (non-refundable), and the applicant must pass the division's four-hour, 64-question open-book journeyman exam at an Oregon testing location with a score of 75 percent or better; there is no separate law exam and no national exam vendor. Oregon has signed journeyman plumber reciprocity agreements with Idaho and Montana only; qualifying holders of those licenses are licensed without examination for the same $100 fee. Every other out-of-state plumber applies on the standard form, receives credit for lawful out-of-state apprenticeship, classroom and on-the-job hours, and must pass the Oregon exam. Licenses run on a three-year cycle (all JP licenses next expire April 1, 2029) and renewal requires 24 hours of continuing education including 4 hours of code change and a 4-hour Oregon rule and law course.
States Oregon reciprocates with
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Alaska | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Arkansas | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| California | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Colorado | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Connecticut | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Delaware | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| District of Columbia | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Florida | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Georgia | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Hawaii | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Idaho | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-16 |
| Illinois | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Indiana | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Iowa | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Kentucky | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Louisiana | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Maine | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Maryland | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Massachusetts | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Michigan | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Minnesota | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Mississippi | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Montana | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-16 |
| Nebraska | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Nevada | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| New Hampshire | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| New Jersey | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| New Mexico | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| North Carolina | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| North Dakota | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Ohio | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Oklahoma | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Rhode Island | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| South Carolina | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| South Dakota | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Tennessee | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Texas | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Utah | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Vermont | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Washington | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| West Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Wisconsin | Experience credit | 2026-09-16 | |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
Getting licensed in Oregon from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Oregon issues a journeyman plumber license to a first-time applicant.
Journeyman Plumber (JP) by examination
Oregon issues the Journeyman Plumber (JP) license through the Building Codes Division to applicants who qualify through training and experience and then pass the state journeyman exam. The main route is completing a registered four-year plumbing apprenticeship, or holding a referral letter from the registered training committee or a Plumbing Board approved training program. Applicants trained outside that system may instead document 576 hours of plumbing classroom training plus 3,850 residential and 3,850 commercial on-the-job hours, or, if they have held a license with a similar scope elsewhere, twice those on-the-job hours. Applicants mail the Journeyman Plumber License Application (form 440-2571) with the $100 fee, one experience verification form per employer and proof of a high school diploma or GED. Once the application is approved, the division mails a Letter of Authorization and the applicant takes the four-hour, 64-question open-book exam at an Oregon test location within 60 days.
The exam is given by the Building Codes Division at test sites around the state (Bend, Eugene, Hermiston, Klamath Falls, Ontario, Pendleton, Portland, Roseburg, Salem and White City) and graded by the division; there is no separate law or business exam and no separate exam fee. It covers plans and drawings, calculations, tools and materials, the Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code and administrative rules, job safety and accessibility provisions, and the list of approved reference materials comes with the Letter of Authorization. The code currently in force is the 2023 Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code, based on the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code. Results are mailed within two weeks and the license arrives with passing results; after a failure you must wait 30 days and reapply to retest. Experience is verified by employers (or a supervisor or co-worker if the employer cannot be found), military experience is accepted with official documentation, only lawful work experience counts, and the division credits no more than 2,000 hours per year. The Secretary of State's license directory lists application processing of 2 to 3 weeks. Oregon has no master plumber license; medical gas installer, residential water-heater, water-treatment and solar heating and cooling installer licenses are separate credentials.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Exam given by
- Oregon Building Codes Division
- Exam format
- Open book
- Passing score
- 75%
- Renewal
- Every 3 years
- Continuing education
- 24 hours per cycle
Who can apply
- Complete a registered apprenticeship (4 years): Certificate of completion from a registered four-year plumbing apprenticeship program, or a referral letter from the registered training committee or a Plumbing Board approved training program.An out-of-state apprenticeship is accepted if it is recognized by Oregon; a non-registered program counts only if it meets the Oregon standard.
- High school diploma, GED or equivalent; a college degree substitutes
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
576 classroom hours plus 7,700 hours of experience
Verified proof of at least 576 hours of plumbing-related classroom training in the subjects listed in OAR 918-695-0030(2)(a), plus 3,850 hours of lawful residential and 3,850 hours of lawful commercial on-the-job experience as an apprentice or journeyman plumber. Each half must meet the category minimums: sewerage 300, drain-waste-vent piping 1,300, soldering, brazing and welding 200, water supply 1,100, fixtures and appliances 700, and miscellaneous repair and maintenance 250.
- Complete at least 576 hours of classroom or related instruction.Subjects include materials and tools, math and science, soldering and brazing, plumbing codes, drain-waste-vent installations, water systems, safety and first aid, blueprint reading and seismic restraints.
- You must document at least 7,700 hours of qualifying work experience.Must meet the per-category minimums in OAR 918-695-0030(2)(b); up to 20 percent of excess hours in a category may be substituted within the same category.
- High school diploma, GED or equivalent; a college degree substitutes
Twice the experience while licensed elsewhere
Applicants without classroom training may document 7,700 hours of residential and 7,700 hours of commercial work experience in the same categories, lawfully obtained while holding a license with a scope similar to an Oregon journeyman plumber.
- You must document at least 15,400 hours of qualifying work experience.Twice the per-category minimums of the classroom route.
- The experience was obtained while holding a license that includes the scope of work of an Oregon journeyman plumber (an individual installer license)
- High school diploma, GED or equivalent; a college degree substitutes
Steps to get licensed
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Journeyman Plumber License Application fee (form 440-2571), nonrefundable; covers application review, the exam and issuance of the license. No separate exam fee is listed..
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Oregon Journeyman Plumber exam given by the Building Codes Division: 4 hours, 64 questions, open book with approved references; 75 percent to pass; must be taken within 60 days of the Letter of Authorization.
Published fees on this path total $100, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every 3 years with 24 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $180 renewal fee.
24 hours of approved continuing education per three-year cycle, including 4 hours of code change and a 4-hour Oregon rule and law course. New licensees owe fewer hours at their first renewal: none if licensed within 6 months of the expiration date, 8 hours if within 12 months, and 16 hours if within 24 months.
All Journeyman Plumber licenses expire together every three years on April 1 (next on April 1, 2029). The $180 renewal fee includes a $30 continuing education tracking fee. A license expired for more than one year requires retesting.
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
- Building Codes Division - License continuing education · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Building Codes Division - License exams and locations (with Exam information PDF, exam-info-2016.pdf) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Journeyman Plumber License Application (form 440-2571) and Plumbing Experience Verification Form (440-2571a) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Individual licenses table: Plumbing - Journeyman Plumber (JP) and Plumbing Business (PB) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Journeyman plumber license (how to apply) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Building Codes Division - Plumbing code program (Oregon Plumbing Specialty Code) · Oregon Building Codes Division (DCBS) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- OAR chapter 918, division 30 - General Licensing Requirements · OAR 918-030-0010, 918-030-0015, 918-030-0020, 918-030-0030, 918-030-0060, 918-030-0120, 918-030-0150, 918-030-0210, 918-030-0230 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- OAR chapter 918, division 695 - Plumbing Licensing and Certification · OAR 918-695-0000, 918-695-0020, 918-695-0030, 918-695-0040, 918-695-0110 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- OAR chapter 918, division 780 - Plumbing Fees, Permits, Inspections · OAR 918-780-0030 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- ORS chapter 693 - Plumbers (2025 edition) · ORS 693.030, 693.040, 693.060, 693.095, 693.103, 693.120, 693.135 · Oregon Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Oregon License Directory - Journeyman Plumber (JP) · Oregon Secretary of State (Business Xpress License Directory) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026