LicensebyState

Kansas to Florida: master plumber license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 16, 2026· 7 sources

Kansas does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Florida'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.

Certification by endorsement (all states) or by examination

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

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 Kansas that the destination considers comparable.
  • You must have held your Kansas 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 Kansas license must be active and in good standing.

What you'll do to get licensed in Florida

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($350). Form CILB 10 Certification by Endorsement application fee (Options A, B or C).
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Florida Business and Finance examination (Pearson VUE), waived on the same conditions.
  5. 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($80). Pearson VUE administration fee per exam part (Business and Finance $80, Trade Knowledge $80).
  6. 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.
  7. 7Background check. Complete a background check. Electronic fingerprints for the criminal history check required by s. 489.115.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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

Verified September 16, 2026· 7 sources

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.

Moving to FloridaLeaving Florida

Why Kansas has nothing to transfer

Kansas master plumber

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 16, 2026· 6 sources

Kansas issues no statewide master plumber or plumbing contractor license; the master credential exists only in county and city programs operating under K.S.A. 12-1508 and 12-1509. State law requires a master certificate to rest on a journeyman certificate held at least two years or four years of field experience, plus a 75% score on an ICC, IAPMO or Prometric standard master plumber exam, and makes a certificate earned that way valid proof of competency in every Kansas jurisdiction that licenses plumbers without additional examination. Sedgwick County/Wichita (MABCD) issues master plumber certificates ($35) on ICC K9F/557 Master Plumber with Gas or the IAPMO master exam; Johnson County uses the same ICC 557/KGF exam to qualify the individual behind a Class DP Plumbing Contractor license ($100 application plus $225 per license type); Topeka licenses trade contractors through a designated master with six hours of annual continuing education. None of the jurisdictions reviewed has a reciprocity agreement with another state, and MABCD states it 'does not reciprocate with state testing', so an out-of-state master plumber license transfers nothing except a qualifying ICC, IAPMO or Prometric score the applicant may already hold and documented experience. Lawrence and Kansas City, Kansas also license master plumbers, but their pages could not be retrieved in this pass.

How local licensing works in Kansas

How local licensing works. There is no state plumbing board. K.S.A. 12-1508 designates the ICC, IAPMO and Prometric standard exams for 'plumbing contractors and master and journeyman plumbers', and K.S.A. 12-1509 lets a county or city issue a master certificate of competency only after verifying that the applicant has held a valid journeyman certificate for at least two years or has at least four years of field experience, and has scored 75% on the standard master exam. That certificate 'shall be valid proof of competency for licensure, without additional examination, in any county or city of the state which requires licensure of plumbers'; each jurisdiction issues its own certificate for a uniform fee and requires 12 hours of continuing education biennially or six annually, half in code. Contracting (pulling permits and running a plumbing business) is licensed separately by each jurisdiction and generally requires a master-level qualifying individual plus insurance. The act is silent on out-of-state licenses; AG Op. 1999-42 says cities may not add licensure requirements beyond the act.

Sedgwick County and Wichita (MABCD). Plumbing master certificate ($35, Form 19A): must hold a plumbing journeyman certificate plus two years of field experience as a journeyman, or have four years of field experience, and score 75% or better on ICC K9F Master Plumber with Gas, ICC 557 Master Plumber with Gas or the IAPMO master exam, documented by an official passing letter. Certificates are good for two years and renew for $35 with three trade-specific and three general CEUs each year. MABCD 'does not reciprocate with state testing'; approved testing bodies are Block, Experior, Prometric, ICC and IAPMO, and MABCD no longer sponsors its own exams. Plumbing contractors are licensed separately by MABCD Contractor Licensing. Out-of-state treatment: an out-of-state master license is not accepted in lieu of the exam; a qualifying ICC 557-series or IAPMO master score plus documented experience is.

Johnson County. Does not license individuals. The master-level credential is the qualifying individual (QI) of a Class DP Plumbing Contractor license, who must present a verifiable passing score on ICC Master Plumbing with Gas (557/KGF); the county 'may be able to recognize ICC National exams if it can be verified to have a 75% or higher score.' The company pays a $100 application fee plus $225 per license type ($325 for one DP license), renews annually for $225 ($75 late fee from Feb. 1), and files general liability insurance, workers' compensation or a notarized waiver, and a Kansas Certificate of Good Standing if applicable; new applications are filed in person or by mail. A trade contractor's designated master must complete six hours of continuing education a year (three in the trade); licenses renew by December 14, fees are not prorated, and applications include the ICC passing certification or approved alternative education plus insurance and workers' compensation certificates (or a notarized exemption affidavit). V art. The applicant should obtain an official ICC (557/K9F/KGF series) or IAPMO master plumber passing letter (retesting through Pearson VUE or IAPMO if the origin exam was a state-specific test), document two years as a journeyman or four years of field experience, and apply to the first Kansas jurisdiction where they will work; under K.S.A. 12-1509(b) that certificate then supports licensure in every other Kansas county or city without another exam. A contractor license, insurance and, in Johnson County, a company-level Class DP license are separate requirements.

Moving to KansasLeaving Kansas

Common questions

Do I have to take the Florida master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Kansas?
Yes. Florida requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
How long do I need to have held my Kansas license?
At least 10 years before applying.
What does it cost to get a Florida master plumber license from Kansas?
Published fees on this path total $770, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Kansas 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.
Does it work the other way, from Florida to Kansas?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Florida to Kansas, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

  1. DBPR - Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) home page · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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.

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