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Wyoming to North Dakota: journeyman plumber license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 16, 2026· 9 sources

Wyoming does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is North Dakota'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 without a reciprocal agreement: application for the North Dakota journeyman examination (all states except SD, MN, MT)

Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.

NDAC 62-02-01-01(2) provides that 'Applicants who are journeyman plumbers in other states who desire to work in this state in localities where a state journeyman license is required may make application for a journeyman examination and license,' with proof of the origin journeyman license 'vouched for as provided on the application blank.' The Board's FAQ adds that the applicant must meet NDAC chapter 62-02-01, must document four years and 7,600 hours as an apprentice working under a licensed master plumber, and must verify the out-of-state license 'by state endorsed letter which must state the type of license held, issue date of said license, whether the license was obtained through examination and whether or not the license is current.' Experience earned in states or localities that do not license plumbers is documented on the previous-practical-experience verification signed by the master plumber plus notarized letters from present and previous employers stating dates, hours and extent of work. The applicant pays the $50 application fee and $50 exam fee, must sit within six months of approval, and needs 70% on the five-part board-administered journeyman exam (2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code); the $100 journeyman license fee is paid on passing. NDCC 43-18-13.1 lets the Board register nonresidents without examination when their state's requirements are substantially equivalent and that state grants similar privileges, but the Board's published practice limits no-exam licensure to its three written agreements.

There is no separate law or rules exam; the journeyman exam covers the plumbing code and basic principles of plumbing (NDAC 62-02-01-03). The FAQ requires a 'state endorsed letter' to verify an out-of-state license, so a city-issued origin license is not recognized as a license, although the underlying hours can still be claimed through the master-signed verification and notarized employer letters used for non-licensing jurisdictions. NDAC 62-02-01-01(1) also offers a 'journeyman examination screening test' route (oral/written test plus a state-inspector report on an installation) for tradespeople with five years and 9,500 hours from localities without state licensing.

At a glance

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Out-of-state hours
Count toward eligibility

What you must already have

  • You must document at least 7,600 hours of qualifying work experience.Four years and 7,600 hours (not less than 1,900 hours per year) as an apprentice plumber working under a licensed master plumber (NDAC 62-02-01-01(1), 62-02-01-01.1; FAQ). Out-of-state hours count; hours from non-licensing jurisdictions need the master-signed verification section and notarized employer letters.
  • State-endorsed letter (Certificate of Endorsement) from the origin licensing agency stating the type of license held, its issue date, whether it was obtained through examination and whether it is current; a copy of the license alone is not accepted

What you'll do to get licensed in North Dakota

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Application fee for the journeyman examination and license (NDAC 62-02-01-01); filed online at members.ndplumbingboard.gov or on the fillable PDF emailed to [email protected].
  2. 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Journeyman exam fee, one examination per fee paid (NDAC 62-02-01-02; Board exam-fees page); a failed exam requires a six-month wait and a new fee.
  3. 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Board-administered North Dakota Journeyman Plumber exam: five parts (100 closed-book multiple-choice questions and a closed-book DWV pipe-sizing completion; open-book 40 completion questions, water pipe sizing and DWV with fixture units), five hours, based on the 2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code; 70% to pass; given every other month in Bismarck and Fargo; must be taken within six months of application approval.
  4. 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($100). Journeyman plumber license fee on passing (NDAC 62-02-01-01(1)); license expires December 31 and renews annually for $100 (late renewal $50).
  5. 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 2 to 4 credit hours of plumbing-related continuing education within each two-year period to renew (NDCC 43-18-17.1); Board CE session or correspondence course $40.

Published fees on this path total $200, 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.

  • Exam fee · $50
  • Trade exam

Continuing education

Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.

  • Continuing education

How North Dakota licenses journeyman plumbers

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 application fee, a $50 exam fee and a $100 journeyman license fee; 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 and Fargo 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.

Moving to North DakotaLeaving North Dakota

Why Wyoming has nothing to transfer

Wyoming journeyman plumber

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 16, 2026· 12 sources

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.

Moving to WyomingLeaving Wyoming

Common questions

Do I have to take the North Dakota journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Wyoming?
Yes. North Dakota requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a North Dakota journeyman plumber license from Wyoming?
Published fees on this path total $200, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Wyoming work hours count in North Dakota?
Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward North Dakota's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from North Dakota to Wyoming?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from North Dakota to Wyoming, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

  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 16, 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 16, 2026
  3. North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Licensing Applications · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
  4. North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Continuing Education Requirements Overview · NDCC 43-18-17.1 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
  5. North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Exam Fees · NDAC 62-02-01-02 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
  6. North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Exams: General Information · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
  7. 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
  8. North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Home · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
  9. North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Laws and Rules · NDCC ch. 43-18; NDAC Title 62 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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