Connecticut to Florida: master plumber license reciprocity
Florida has no reciprocity agreement with Connecticut. A Connecticut master plumber applies by endorsement.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Certification by endorsement (all states) or by examination
The board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.
A plumbing contractor licensed in any other state applies on Form CILB 10 ($350) under one of three options: Option A, having passed a substantially equivalent state, regional or national exam, with the official score report and an Examination Evaluation Questionnaire completed by the origin exam provider plus proof of Florida's experience requirement; Option B, holding a license whose issuance criteria were substantially equivalent, with the license, the origin statutes and rules, and the questionnaire; or Option C, having held a valid, current same-or-similar contracting license for at least 10 years, active now or within the last 2 years, with a verification of licensure and the origin rules defining the license (the 2-hour Florida Building Code course applies only to Division I and roofing, not plumbing). The Board decides whether the Florida exam is waived; its own form warns that comparisons of state-specific tests are 'very stringent and rarely approved', so most applicants instead register with Professional Testing ($135) and pass the Business and Finance and Plumbing Trade Knowledge exams through Pearson VUE ($80 each), then apply for certification. Every applicant must meet s. 489.111 experience (four years as a worker or foreman with at least one year as a foreman, or a construction-related degree plus one year, or the college-credit combinations; experience earned in another state counts), submit electronic fingerprints, a FICO-derived credit report (a score under 660 requires a 14-hour financial responsibility course), and carry $100,000 public liability / $25,000 property damage insurance and workers' compensation or an exemption. Initial certification historically $200 under Rule 61G4-12.009; CILB's current plumbing renewal is $205 plus $50 per qualified business. NASCLA exam endorsement and CILB 32 reciprocity are not available for plumbing. CILB names no plumbing reciprocity partners, so there are no per-origin agreements.
The exams are waived only if the Board accepts the equivalence questionnaire (Options A/B) or under the 10-year provision (Option C). Reciprocity-06.pdf and Form CILB 32 cover General, Building and Residential only; plumbing is omitted. Typical timeline is an estimate; DBPR publishes no processing time. Initial license issuance amount after passing was not confirmed on the CILB home page opened 2026-09-16 (that page lists $205 biennial renewal for plumbing).
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 90 days
What you must already have
- Experience under s. 489.111(2)(c): 4 years as a worker or foreman with at least 1 year as a foreman, or a 4-year construction-related degree plus 1 year, or 1 year as a foreman plus 3 years of college credits (and the listed combinations); out-of-state employment counts and is documented with employer history
- You must have passed a licensing exam in Connecticut that the destination considers comparable.
- You must have held your Connecticut license for at least 10 years.Option C only: same or similar license held at least 10 years and active now or within the last 2 years; waives the exams
- Your Connecticut license must be active and in good standing.
What you'll do to get licensed in Florida
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($350). Form CILB 10 Certification by Endorsement application fee (Options A, B or C).
- 2Application fee. Pay the application fee ($135). Professional Testing, Inc. examination registration fee, charged each time any exam part is registered, if applying by examination instead.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Florida Plumbing Trade Knowledge examination, computer-based through Pearson VUE, open book; waived only if the Board accepts the origin exam as equivalent or under the 10-year provision.
- 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Florida Business and Finance examination (Pearson VUE), waived on the same conditions.
- 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($80). Pearson VUE administration fee per exam part (Business and Finance $80, Trade Knowledge $80).
- 6License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($205). Biennial plumbing contractor renewal $205 plus $50 per qualified business (CILB home, 2026-09-16); initial issuance amount after passing was not printed on that page.
- 7Background check. Complete a background check. Electronic fingerprints for the criminal history check required by s. 489.115.
- 8Other. FICO-derived credit report with a public-records statement (personal, and business if qualifying a business); a score below 660 requires a Board-approved 14-hour financial responsibility course.
- 9Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Public liability $100,000 and property damage $25,000 insurance for plumbing (CILB 10 'all other categories'), plus workers' compensation coverage or exemption.
- 10Continuing education. Complete continuing education (if applicable). 14 hours of board-approved CE per biennium to renew (1 specialized/advanced, 1 workplace safety, 1 business practices, 1 workers' compensation, 1 laws and rules).
Published fees on this path total $770, 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
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee · $80
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education · if applicable
How Florida licenses master plumbers
Florida master plumber · “Certified Plumbing Contractor (CF)”
State license plus local requirements
Issued by Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board (Department of Business and Professional Regulation)
Florida has no license called 'master plumber'. The highest person-held plumbing credential is the certificate of competency as a Certified Plumbing Contractor (occupation code CF), issued by the Construction Industry Licensing Board within DBPR to an individual who meets the experience requirement of s. 489.111 (typically four years as a worker or foreman with at least one year as a foreman, or a degree plus one year) and passes the two-part Florida exam (Business and Finance, and Plumbing Trade Knowledge) through Professional Testing and Pearson VUE. The certificate belongs to the person, who may then qualify a business, and is valid statewide. Alongside it, counties and municipalities examine and certify their own plumbing contractors (Miami-Dade's Construction Trades Qualifying Board plumbing/master cards), whose holders register with DBPR as Registered Plumbing Contractors (RF) and may work only in the jurisdictions that issued the local card, which is why this level is marked Hybrid. Florida's only contractor reciprocity agreements (Louisiana, North Carolina and Mississippi) cover General, Building and Residential licenses; CILB 32 is not offered under Plumbing. Out-of-state plumbing contractors use endorsement on Form CILB 10 under s. 489.115(3): the Board may waive the Florida exam if the origin exam or licensing criteria are found substantially equivalent (a route the form calls 'very stringent and rarely approved'), or waives it for a same-or-similar license held at least 10 years. Everyone else sits the Florida exams. Certified plumbing licenses renew at $205 plus $50 per qualified business, expire August 31 of even years, and require 14 hours of continuing education per biennium.
How local licensing works in Florida
Local contractor cards and state registration. Under s. 489.105(10), a registered contractor registered with DBPR after fulfilling local competency requirements 'may contract only in such jurisdictions', while a certified contractor (s. 489.105(8)) may contract anywhere in Florida. CILB lists Registered Plumbing Contractor applications (CILB 2/3/4/9) separately from certified CF applications. Miami-Dade's Construction Trades Qualifying Board issues plumbing personal and business licenses, including a Masters Certificate of Competency, and has a path to state registration of Miami-Dade certificates; the county hub opened 2026-09-16 did not reprint local master exam fees. Neither county page describes accepting an out-of-state master plumber license toward a local contractor card; Miami-Dade reciprocates local cards only with Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Florida master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Connecticut?
- Yes. Florida requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- How long do I need to have held my Connecticut license?
- At least 10 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Florida master plumber license from Connecticut?
- Published fees on this path total $770, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Connecticut work hours count in Florida?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Florida's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 90 days.
Sources
- DBPR - Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) home page · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- CILB Reciprocity list (states with reciprocal licensing agreements) · Fla. Stat. § 489.115(3)(c) · Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board · Agreement Document · verified September 16, 2026
- Form DBPR CILB 10 - Application for Certification by Endorsement (Eff. June 2024) · Fla. Stat. § 489.115(3); Rule 61-35.010, F.A.C. · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- DBPR Bureau of Education & Testing - Florida State Construction Examination Registration Instructions and Application 2026 (Professional Testing, Inc.) · Rule 61G4-16, F.A.C. · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation / Professional Testing, Inc. · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Miami-Dade County - Contractors & Building Trades (Construction Trades Qualifying Board) · Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Florida Statutes s. 489.105 - Definitions (Part I, Construction Contracting) · Fla. Stat. § 489.105(3)(m), (8), (10) · Florida Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Florida Statutes s. 489.115 - Certification and registration; endorsement; reciprocity · Fla. Stat. § 489.115(3)(a)-(d) · Florida Legislature · 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.