Wyoming to Kentucky: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Wyoming does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Kentucky's standard path for out-of-state applicants.
Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state journeyman plumber (Kentucky examination; apprentice experience credited)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Kentucky publishes no plumbing reciprocity or endorsement path that waives the journeyman exam. Under 815 KAR 20:030 Section 3, every journeyman applicant — including a person already licensed elsewhere — qualifies by two consecutive years as an apprentice plumber, or by a department-approved course on the practice of plumbing or the Kentucky State Plumbing Code plus one year as an apprentice, then must pass each portion of the Kentucky journeyman plumber examination with at least 75 percent (written questions on plumbing principles, KRS Chapter 318 and 815 KAR Chapters 2 and 20; a pipe-sizing drawing; and a practical installation section for which the applicant furnishes materials). The regulation does not limit apprentice experience to Kentucky, so documented out-of-state apprentice time is the credit an inbound journeyman receives; it does not list an out-of-state journeyman license as a substitute for that experience. Register on Form PLB-3 ($50 exam fee, passport photo), then file Form PLB-2 with the $60 license fee (prorated 7–18 months to the birth month). Passing scores are valid three years. Failed portions may be retaken within one year of first notice for the full $50 each time. There is no separate law or business exam.
No hour-per-year conversion is published in 815 KAR 20:030 (HVAC uses 1,500 hours and electrical 1,600 in other KAR chapters; do not assume either figure for plumbing). Whether a city- or county-issued origin license helps is not addressed; Section 2's out-of-state master path requires a license 'issued by another state,' so municipal origin licenses are treated as not accepted. The written exam includes KRS 318 and 815 KAR Chapter 20, so Kentucky law is tested inside the trade exam rather than as a separate LawCodeExam. No Prov/PSI plumbing bulletin was found; exams are department-administered quarterly.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 90 days
What you must already have
- At least two consecutive years of experience as an apprentice plumber, or a department-approved plumbing / Kentucky State Plumbing Code course plus at least one year as an apprentice (815 KAR 20:030 Section 3(1))
What you'll do to get licensed in Kentucky
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($60). Journeyman plumber license fee (Form PLB-2), $60; initial license prorated for not less than seven nor more than eighteen months and expires on the last day of the applicant's birth month; payable to the Kentucky State Treasurer.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Kentucky journeyman plumber examination (department-administered; written, drawing, and practical portions; 75% required on each portion; regular sittings February, May, August, November). Written portion covers basic plumbing principles, KRS Chapter 318, 815 KAR Chapter 2 and 815 KAR Chapter 20..
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Non-refundable journeyman examination fee with Form PLB-3; full $50 due again to retake any failed portion.
- 4Other. Passport-sized color photograph taken within six months (Form PLB-3); applicant furnishes plumbing materials for the practical portion after the department's one-week materials notice.
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Six hours of approved plumbing CE in the twelve months before each renewal (815 KAR 2:010); waived for the first renewal if the initial license issued within twelve months of renewal; no more than two hours safety; topics: business, job safety, Kentucky State Plumbing Code, or plumbing trade.
Published fees on this path total $110, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
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 · $50
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Kentucky licenses journeyman plumbers
Kentucky journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC), Division of Plumbing
Kentucky issues a statewide Journeyman Plumber license through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of Plumbing, under KRS Chapter 318 and 815 KAR 20:030. A new applicant must have either two consecutive years as an apprentice plumber or a department-approved plumbing / Kentucky State Plumbing Code course plus one year as an apprentice, pass every portion of the department-administered Kentucky journeyman plumber examination (written, drawing, and practical) with at least 75 percent, file Form PLB-2 with a $60 license fee prorated to seven to eighteen months ending on the birth month, and register for the exam on Form PLB-3 ($50, passport photo). Exams run in February, May, August and November. Licenses renew annually at $60 with six hours of continuing education under 815 KAR 2:010 (waived for the first renewal if the initial license issued within twelve months of renewal). 815 KAR 20:030 does not waive the Kentucky exam for out-of-state journeymen, does not use the word reciprocity, and names no partner states; an inbound journeyman documents apprentice-level experience and sits the Kentucky exam.
Why Wyoming has nothing to transfer
Wyoming journeyman plumber
Licensed by cities and counties
Wyoming has no statewide plumber license at any level. The only state construction-trade licensing program is the State Fire Marshal's electrician program, which lists no plumbing or mechanical credential, so a journeyman plumber license exists only where a city ordinance creates one. Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie, Gillette and Sheridan each license journeyman plumbers (and apprentices) individually, all requiring four years or a completed apprenticeship plus an ICC National Standard plumbing exam (G28-N journeyman or G27-N master), while Jackson has stopped issuing journeyman cards altogether and Rock Springs only registers contractors. No city accepts another state's journeyman license: Casper, Gillette and Jackson reciprocate only with other Wyoming jurisdictions, Sheridan expressly refuses licenses from other cities or states, Cheyenne's Board keeps discretion but cites a state statute limiting reciprocity to Wyoming jurisdictions, and Laramie's building official may waive the exam for a certificate from any governmental agency whose exam is judged at least equal. An out-of-state journeyman should expect to document their hours, present or sit the ICC exam through Pearson VUE, and apply separately in each city where they will work.
How local licensing works in Wyoming
How local licensing works. Wyoming licenses electricians through the State Fire Marshal but has no plumbing board, so plumber licensing is entirely a matter of city ordinance and each city sets its own classes, hours, exam and fees. The reciprocity statute the cities cite reaches only licenses issued by other Wyoming jurisdictions; none of the cities below publishes a path that recognizes another state's plumber license.
Cheyenne. The Contractor Licensing Board licenses Plumbing (Class C1, tested) contractors and requires every employee on a plumbing job site to hold a master, journeyman or apprentice license. A journeyman (12.1.9) documents 4 years/8,000 hours as a licensed apprentice (or certified equivalent training) and passes a current ICC, NICET or NASCLA exam from the Board's list, paid to the testing agency; a Residential Plumbing Journeyman (12.1.11) needs 2 years/4,000 hours and may work only on IRC residential structures at a 1:1 apprentice ratio. Fees: $50 application plus $30 initial and $15 renewal (apprentice $25 + $25, $15 renewal); licenses expire annually. Up to three apprentices may work under one journeyman or master. Trade employees registered for the exam can get a one-time 30-day temporary work authorization (60 days maximum). Reciprocity (3.3.2): the Board 'may grant reciprocity with other State jurisdictions and agencies as the Board determines appropriate', notes that Wyoming's statute allows reciprocity for Wyoming jurisdictions only, evaluates even those case by case, and may accept a test exceeding its published exams from someone holding a current equivalent license elsewhere - no partner list is published.
Casper. The Community Development Department issues Journeyman Plumber licenses ($25 new, $15 renewal) to applicants with a federally recognized plumbing apprenticeship or the equivalent of four years in a Casper-licensed plumbing shop plus proof of passing ICC G27-N or G28-N (or equivalent); apprentice licenses ($3) are issued to the contractor in the apprentice's name. Reciprocal Plumbing Master/Journeyman licenses ($50/$25) exist only for holders of a current, good-standing license from another Wyoming jurisdiction with comparable testing.
Laramie. A journeyman plumbing certificate of qualification requires four years' employment with a licensed plumbing contractor (Table 15.24.020-1) and the building official's examination; the application fee is $5 per exam attempt, and a failed exam bars retesting for 30 days (six months after a second failure). In lieu of the exam, the building official may issue the certificate to anyone presenting a valid certificate from 'any other governmental agency giving an examination' that the board of examiners considers at least equal - the only Wyoming city whose rule is not limited to Wyoming jurisdictions. Journeymen work only under a certified master, each journeyman or master may supervise two apprentices, certificates expire December 31 (renew by January 31), and applications go through the Civic Access portal.
Gillette. Journeyman Plumber ($25 new, $25 renewal) requires four years of approved experience and passing ICC examination results (5-III-21/22); the ICC computer-based exam is taken through Pearson VUE. Apprentices ($5) qualify after 30 days with a Gillette-licensed plumbing contractor, and one master or journeyman supervises up to three apprentices. Reciprocity (5-III-1(d), effective July 1, 2024) is granted without fee only to active, good-standing licenses of a similar class from another Wyoming city, county or town, with testing waived on proof of the ICC plumbing exam.
Sheridan. Journeyman Plumber ($50 new, $50 annual renewal) requires four years of journeyman plumber experience (Form JP) or a completed approved four-year apprenticeship and the 2018 ICC G28 Journeyman Plumber with Gas exam; one licensed contractor or journeyman is required per three apprentices. The City's FAQ states it 'does not accept licensing from other cities, towns, counties, or states as a means to obtain licensing locally'. Applications go through the OpenGov portal.
Jackson. The Town no longer issues or requires Apprentice or Journeyman Certificate of Qualification cards; only Master COQ cards are issued. A journeyman-level plumber works in Jackson as an employee of a Town-licensed plumbing contractor whose Master of Record holds a Master COQ, and needs no individual Town card.
Rock Springs. The Building Inspection Office registers contractors ($125 fee plus a certificate of insurance) and licenses no individual plumbers; no exam or hours are required.
- Cheyenne (Contractor Licensing Board / Building Safety Department)
- Casper (Community Development Department)
- Laramie (Code Administration)
- Gillette (Building Inspection Division / Board of Examiners)
- Sheridan (Building Division)
- Jackson (Planning & Building Department)
- Rock Springs (Building Inspection Office)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Kentucky journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Wyoming?
- Yes. Kentucky requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Kentucky journeyman plumber license from Wyoming?
- Published fees on this path total $110, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Wyoming work hours count in Kentucky?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Kentucky's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 90 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Kentucky to Wyoming?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Kentucky to Wyoming, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) - home · Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet, Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- DHBC Division of Plumbing forms incorporated in 815 KAR 20:030 (PLB-1, PLB-2, PLB-3, DHBC L-1) · Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, Division of Plumbing · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- 815 KAR 2:010 - Continuing education requirements (master and journeyman plumbers) · 815 KAR 2:010 Sections 1-2; KRS 318.054 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- 815 KAR 20:030 - Plumbing licenses (application, examination, and renewal) · 815 KAR 20:030 Sections 1-6 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- 815 KAR Chapter 20 - Plumbing (Kentucky State Plumbing Code chapter index) · 815 KAR Chapter 20 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- KRS Chapter 318 - Plumbers and Plumbing · KRS 318.010, 318.020, 318.030, 318.040, 318.050, 318.054, 318.080, 318.130 · Kentucky Legislative Research Commission · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.