Mississippi to Delaware: master plumber license reciprocity
Mississippi does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Delaware'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.
Master plumber license by reciprocity (Board review of origin standards)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A plumber who holds a current master-level license in good standing in another state, the District of Columbia or a U.S. territory applies by reciprocity in DELPROS rather than by examination. 24 Del. C. § 1810(a) requires the Board to grant the Delaware Master Plumber license, without a Delaware trade or law exam, when the origin jurisdiction's licensure standards are substantially similar to Delaware's and the applicant submits the good-conduct evidence in § 1808(a)(3)-(5) plus the fee. If the standards are not substantially similar, § 1810(b) still keeps the applicant on the reciprocity path (no Delaware exam) but requires proof of at least seven years of practice after licensure. 24 DE Admin. Every applicant pays the $173 Plumber application fee in DELPROS, has a Certificate of Good Standing / licensure verification sent directly from each jurisdiction where they hold or have held a license, and documents experience with supervising-plumber affidavits (or W-2s / employer affidavits at the Board's discretion) when the seven-year practice showing is required. Applications are not complete until the form, supporting documents and fees are in. Holders of only a municipal license are not described in the statute as qualifying for § 1810 (which speaks of a state, D.C. or territory); those applicants should plan on the examination path: journeyman certificate plus 2 years under a master, or 7 years plus bypass tests, then the ProV master plumber exam ($100 per the 2022 CIB, 70%, three attempts, then a one-year wait). A business that has just lost its only master may obtain a 100-day temporary plumber license ($40) for an owner or employee who is applying and will sit for the next exam.
Mechanism is Endorsement because the Board compares origin statutes case by case and has no retrieved plumber partner list; the trade exam is still waived on this path (24 Del. C. § 1810), which is why examTradeRequired is false. Code 1800 § 2.0 (HVACR is 70% in § 3.1.1; the 2022 ProV CIB states plumbing exams also require 70%). No individual-license bond or insurance amount appears in subchapter II or regulation 2.0. Typical processing time is not published; complete applications are reviewed at Board meetings.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Mississippi license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- You must have held your Mississippi license for at least 7 years.Required only if the Board finds the origin jurisdiction's standards not substantially similar: at least 7 years of practice after licensure (24 Del. C. § 1810(b)).
- Origin jurisdiction's plumber licensure law and regulations submitted so the Board can decide whether standards are equivalent (24 DE Admin. Code 1800 § 2.3)
What you'll do to get licensed in Delaware
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($173). Plumber application fee (examination or reciprocity), non-refundable, paid in DELPROS.
- 2Other. Certificate of Good Standing / licensure verification sent directly to the Board from each state or jurisdiction where the applicant currently holds or has ever held a plumber license (24 DE Admin. Code 1800 §§ 1.2, 2.1.3).
- 3Other. Copy of the origin state's plumber licensure laws and regulations for the Board's substantial-similarity / equivalency review (24 DE Admin. Code 1800 § 2.3).
- 4Other. Verification of experience / practice: supervising licensed plumber affidavit on the Board form, or W-2s or employer/officer affidavits at the Board's discretion; required to show 7 years of post-licensure practice when origin standards are not substantially similar (24 Del. C. § 1810(b); 24 DE Admin. Code 1800 § 2.1.2).
- 5Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Not required on the § 1810 reciprocity path. Examination-path applicants (no qualifying out-of-state license) must obtain Board approval then pass the ProV master plumber exam. 2022 Candidate Information Bulletin: $100, computer-based, open book, 70% to pass, retake after 7 days, three attempts per application; after three failures, 24 DE Admin. Code 1800 § 2.2 requires waiting one year from the last exam before reapplying. Affiliate exam prep applies only if the applicant is actually sitting the exam..
- 6Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($100) (if applicable). ProV exam fee from the 2022 Candidate Information Bulletin; paid to the testing vendor, not combined with the $173 DPR application fee (24 Del. C. § 1811). Not charged on the reciprocity path..
Published fees on this path total $173, 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 · if applicable
How Delaware licenses master plumbers
Delaware master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Delaware issues a person-held Master Plumber license through the Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners in the Division of Professional Regulation. 24 Del. C. § 1807 requires that license (or a statutory exemption) to provide plumbing services or to use the titles licensed plumber / master plumber. Employees, apprentices and journeymen work under a master's supervision without their own Board license. A new master needs a journeyman's certificate from a federally-standard apprenticeship plus two years under a master plumber (or similar-level licensee in another state), or seven years under such supervision plus the Delaware vocational-technical apprenticeship equivalency tests, then Board approval and the ProV-administered master plumber exam; the application fee is $173. Out-of-state masters apply by reciprocity under 24 Del. C. § 1810 without a Delaware exam: the Board shall grant the license if the origin state's standards are substantially similar, and otherwise requires at least seven years of practice after licensure. 24 DE Admin. Code 1800 § 2.3 requires every reciprocity applicant to submit the origin state's licensure laws and regulations so the Board can make that comparison. Licenses renew biennially; from the 2026 renewal, plumbing licensees complete 5 hours of continuing education (3 code, 1 safety, 1 cross-connections/backflow) by October 31 of even-numbered years.
Why Mississippi has nothing to transfer
Mississippi master plumber
Licensed by cities and counties
Mississippi does not issue a personal master plumber license. The state-level plumbing credential is the Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) contractor license: the commercial Mechanical major classification or its 'Plumbing (Test Required)' specialty (required on commercial jobs over $50,000; application and renewal $400, $300,000/$600,000 liability insurance, CPA-reviewed financial statement showing $50,000 net worth for Mechanical or $20,000 for the Plumbing specialty) or Residential Plumbing / Residential Mechanical (required for residential plumbing subcontracting over $10,000 in remodeling or $50,000 new construction; application $50, renewal $100). The license is issued to the business through a Certificate of Responsibility with a named qualifying party who passes the open-book PSI Plumbing (or Residential Plumbing) trade exam and the mandatory Mississippi Law and Business Management exam, so a master plumber who only wants to work for an employer has nothing to transfer to at the state level; the personal master credential exists only in cities such as Southaven (Master trade license, $100, which itself requires an active MSBOC license, a $10,000 bond and liability insurance) and Gulfport (contractor license issued to the qualifying party, $100). MSBOC waives its plumbing trade exam, for $50 per exam, for qualifying parties who hold a current license obtained by examination from the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board (commercial Plumbing exam only), the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (Plumbing), the South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (Residential Plumbing, no discipline in three years) or the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (all exams, no discipline in the last year); the Alabama General Contractors Board, Arkansas and Louisiana agreements expressly exclude plumbing, and the Business and Law exam is never waived.
How local licensing works in Mississippi
State contractor license (business). MSBOC issues commercial and residential contractor licenses to companies through a Certificate of Responsibility. The commercial Mechanical major classification 'involves all aspects of heating, cooling, refrigeration and associated equipment piping and ductwork as well as plumbing work' and carries 15 specialties including Plumbing, Process Piping, Underground Utilities, Fueling Systems and Irrigation Systems (all test required); an applicant may instead take only the Plumbing specialty. The qualifying party (owner, officer or responsible managing employee) passes the PSI open-book trade exam and the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam; fees are $400 application ($400 annual renewal, $100 per additional classification), general liability insurance of $300,000 per occurrence / $600,000 aggregate, and a CPA-reviewed financial statement showing net worth of $50,000 for a major classification or $20,000 for a specialty. Residential Plumbing (Residential Plumbing exam) and Residential Mechanical (Residential HVAC and Residential Plumbing exams) require the Law and Business exam, a $50 application fee ($100 per additional classification, $100 renewal) and proof of liability insurance with no minimum.
MSBOC exam waivers for out-of-state qualifying parties. Reciprocity 'applies to waiver of a trade exam requirement only' ($50 per exam waived, plus a $25 verification fee) after the origin board completes MSBOC's Reciprocity Verification Form; the applicant must have held the origin license for one year and passed that board's exam. Plumbing waivers are available for the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board (commercial Plumbing exam only; current license, Alabama exam taken), Ohio CILB (Plumbing; no discipline in the last year), the South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (Residential Plumbing; no discipline in three years) and Tennessee ('the only state that waives Mechanical and Plumbing'; no discipline in the last year). The Alabama General Contractors Board entry waives 'all exams but Mechanical & Plumbing', Arkansas excludes 'any type of Mechanical (i.e. Plumbing, Boilers, Process Piping, HVAC)', and Louisiana 'CAN WAIVE HVAC BUT NOT MECHANICAL OR PLUMBING'; Georgia, North Carolina, the South Carolina Contractors Licensing Board, Florida and California agreements do not reach plumbing. Separately, Form UROL under the Universal Recognition of Occupational Licenses Act (Miss. Code 73-50-2) waives the trade exam for an individual who has established Mississippi residency and held a similar license in any state for at least one year, and the Military Family Freedom Act (73-50-1) applies to military members and families. Every path still requires the Business and Law exam and full application review.
Southaven. Master trade license $100: application, photo ID of the license qualifier, certificate of liability insurance, a $10,000 general surety bond in favor of the city, an active MSBOC contractor's license certificate and the company EIN. An out-of-state applicant without an MSBOC license must provide a letter of good standing from a municipality where their license is active and may not take residential projects or commercial projects over $50,000; reciprocity questions are referred to MSBOC. Confirmed for mechanical and electrical on 2026-09-15; the plumbing card was not separately confirmed because the form could not be reopened on 2026-09-16.
Gulfport. Contractor license issued to the qualifying party ($100, waived with an MSBOC Certificate of Responsibility): notarized application, current MSBOC license if any, five reference letters (waived with an MSBOC license), $100,000/$300,000 liability insurance naming the city, home-jurisdiction privilege license and photo ID. No reciprocity provision.
Jackson, Hattiesburg, Biloxi, Tupelo. Master plumber programs in these cities could not be verified from an official page in this pass (Jackson redirected, Hattiesburg plumbing ordinance 404); contact each building department.
- Southaven (Building Department)
- Gulfport (Building Code Services)
- Jackson
- Hattiesburg
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Delaware master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Mississippi?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Mississippi license?
- At least 7 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Delaware master plumber license from Mississippi?
- Published fees on this path total $173, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Mississippi work hours count in Delaware?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Delaware's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Delaware to Mississippi?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Delaware to Mississippi, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 24 DE Admin. Code 1800 - Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners (regulations) · 24 DE Admin. Code 1800 §§ 2.0, 5.0 · Delaware Registrar of Regulations · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- 24 Del. C. ch. 18, subch. II - License: Plumbing · 24 Del. C. §§ 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812 · Delaware General Assembly · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners - Home · 24 Del. C. ch. 18 · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Delaware DPR - Plumbing and HVACR Examinations (Master exam / DELPROS) · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Delaware DPR - Plumbing and HVACR Fee Schedule · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Delaware DPR - Plumbing Licensure (examination and reciprocity) · 24 Del. C. §§ 1808, 1810 · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Delaware DPR - Temporary Plumber or HVACR License (loss of sole license holder) · 24 Del. C. § 1831 · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Delaware Division of Professional Regulation - Candidate Information Bulletin (ProV, 2022.03.09) · Delaware Division of Professional Regulation / Prov, Inc. · Other · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.