LicensebyState

Missouri to Florida: master plumber license reciprocity

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

Missouri 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 Missouri that the destination considers comparable.
  • You must have held your Missouri 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 Missouri 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 Missouri has nothing to transfer

Missouri master plumber

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 16, 2026· 6 sources

Missouri issues no statewide master plumber or plumbing contractor license. RSMo chapter 341 leaves plumber licensing to cities over 15,000 and first-classification counties, whose boards examine master plumbers, set fees and license terms and (in counties) require master plumber and master drainlayer surety bonds; no state agency licenses the trade and the voluntary statewide contractor license that exists for electrical work has no plumbing counterpart. The master credential therefore exists only locally: Springfield's Master Plumber certification (4 years as a certified journeyman or 10 years' experience, ICC exam, $50), Kansas City's plumbing contractor license qualified by a supervisor holding a certificate of qualification (Prometric or ICC exam, $60 application, $181 four-year renewal; contractor license $55 application, $181 issuance), St. Louis County's Master Plumber license and certified contractor list, and the City of St. Louis Plumbers and Drainlayers Board of Examiners' master plumber and drainlayer licenses. An out-of-state master plumber license carries no state-level recognition; Springfield accepts an identical ICC, Prometric, Experior or Block exam score of 75% or better in place of retesting and Kansas City may accept a comparable exam it deems equivalent, while the St. Louis County and City of St. A master arriving from another state should expect to qualify in each jurisdiction separately and then obtain that jurisdiction's contractor license and bond to pull permits.

How local licensing works in Missouri

How local licensing works. There is no state plumbing board. Under RSMo chapter 341, city boards of examiners (cities over 15,000) and county boards of plumbing and sewer inspection (first-classification counties) examine master plumbers; § 341.170 sets the county master plumber qualifications, § 341.180 the application fees, license terms and re-examination rules, and § 341.200 requires master plumbers and master drainlayers to post surety bonds. The master license is the credential that lets a plumber pull permits and run a plumbing business, and each jurisdiction issues and enforces its own.

St. Louis County. The Plumbing Licensing office (41 South Central Avenue, Clayton, 314-615-3741) issues Master Plumber licenses and publishes a Certified Contractors list; the Board of Plumbing Examiners meets the first Thursday of each month at 8:00 a.m., and renewals carry PEU continuing-education requirements. Louis.** The Building Division's Plumbers and Drainlayers Board of Examiners licenses master plumbers and drainlayers and reviews licensing matters and complaints for plumbing and drainlaying work in the city; permits are issued to city-licensed contractors. Every licensed contractor must employ a full-time supervisor who holds a Kansas City certificate of qualification in the plumbing trade, obtained on an application with notarized references and a passing score from a recognized agency such as Prometric or ICC ($60 application, first four-year certificate free, $181 renewal); the city 'may accept comparable examinations from other jurisdictions if deemed equivalent or superior'. Whether a separately titled master plumber license, plumbing-specific experience hours or named reciprocity with Kansas jurisdictions exist could not be confirmed because kcmo.gov and both fallback routes were blocked on 2026-09-16.

Springfield. Building Development Services certifies Master Plumbers: 4 years as a certified journeyman plumber or 10 years of satisfactory experience in the trade, documented on notarized employer experience forms and approved by the board (first Thursday monthly, 5:00 p.m., Busch Building; approval to test good for one year). The exam is the ICC master plumber exam through Pearson Vue (about $125 paid to Pearson Vue), 75% to pass; the certification card costs $50 with $50 annual renewal, and a master must file a Master Registration form to qualify a contracting business (Master Resignation form on leaving). Out-of-state treatment: 'Reciprocity from another jurisdiction' applicants submit the same experience documentation plus an exam score notification of 75% or better from Prometric, Experior, Block or ICC (Pearson Vue) for the identical exam Springfield requires; otherwise they test. Springfield also certifies Master Gas fitters (4 years as a certified gas journeyman, or 4 years as a master mechanic or plumber plus 2 years as a gas journeyman).

Columbia and others. Columbia, St.

Moving to MissouriLeaving Missouri

Common questions

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