LicensebyState

Missouri to Minnesota: master plumber license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 16, 2026· 6 sources

Missouri does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Minnesota'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 master without a reciprocity agreement (exam required; equivalent license qualifies applicant to sit)

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

A master plumber licensed anywhere other than North Dakota or South Dakota gets no exam waiver and must pass the Minnesota master plumber written exam. The out-of-state license is itself the qualification to sit: DLI accepts 'a current master plumber license from another state where the requirements of the licensing jurisdiction are equivalent to those of Minnesota as determined by DLI' as one of the three master exam eligibility routes, alongside one year of experience as a licensed journeyworker plumber or a Minnesota restricted master license with five years as a contractor. DLI makes the equivalence determination case by case when it reviews the exam application. The applicant applies through iMS with the $50 exam fee, must wait 30 days to reapply after a failed attempt, and pays the license fee after passing; a master who intends to contract also needs the separate Plumbing Contractor license with bond and insurance. Minnesota has no separate law or business exam for individual plumbers.

DLI does not publish the criteria it uses to decide that another state's master requirements are 'equivalent'; a master whose state is found not equivalent would have to qualify through the journeyworker route (Minnesota journeyworker license held one year). Whether one year as a journeyworker licensed by another state satisfies the 'licensed journeyworker plumber' route was not confirmed from an official page. The initial license fee amount is not published on the pages fetched (Minn. Stat.

At a glance

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

What you must already have

  • Your Missouri license must be active and in good standing.
  • Alternative routes: at least one year of practical plumbing experience as a licensed journeyworker plumber, or a current Minnesota restricted master plumber license plus five years of verifiable experience in business as a plumbing contractor in Minnesota

What you'll do to get licensed in Minnesota

  1. 1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Master plumber exam application fee, paid online through iMS (30-day wait before reapplying after a failed exam).
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Minnesota master plumber written examination administered by DLI (2020 Minnesota Plumbing Code); pass mark not published on the pages fetched.
  3. 3Other. Copy of the current out-of-state master plumber license (DLI determines equivalence), or verification of one year as a licensed journeyworker plumber.
  4. 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. Master plumber license fee, billed after the exam is passed; amount not published on DLI's plumbing pages (renewal is $93 for the two-year cycle ending Dec. 31 of odd-numbered years).
  5. 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 16 hours of DLI-approved continuing education per two-year renewal cycle, at least eight hours on the State Plumbing Code (required to renew, not to obtain the initial license).
  6. 6Contractor license. Hold or obtain a contractor license (if applicable). Plumbing Contractor license (Minn. Stat. 326B.46) with code-compliance bond, general liability and workers' compensation insurance is required only to contract for plumbing work as a business.

Published fees on this path total $50, 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 Minnesota licenses master plumbers

Minnesota master plumber · “Master Plumber

Statewide license

Verified September 16, 2026· 5 sources

Issued by Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Plumbing Board

Minnesota issues a statewide, person-held Master Plumber license through DLI; the license 'authorizes the individual to perform plumbing statewide', and a separate Plumbing Contractor license (a business license that must have a licensed master plumber as its responsible individual and carry a bond, general liability and workers' compensation insurance under Minn. Stat. 326B.46) is not covered here. DLI also issues a Restricted Master Plumber license limited to cities and towns under 5,000. A new master applicant must pass DLI's written master plumber exam ($50 exam fee) and is eligible to sit it after at least one year of practical experience as a licensed journeyworker plumber, with a current master plumber license from another state whose requirements DLI determines are equivalent to Minnesota's, or with a Minnesota restricted master license plus five years in business as a plumbing contractor. Master plumbers licensed by examination in North Dakota or South Dakota may be licensed without the Minnesota exam. Licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years; renewal is $93 and requires 16 hours of continuing education, at least eight on the State Plumbing Code.

Moving to MinnesotaLeaving Minnesota

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 Minnesota master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Missouri?
Yes. Minnesota requires the trade exam on this path.
What does it cost to get a Minnesota master plumber license from Missouri?
Published fees on this path total $50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Missouri work hours count in Minnesota?
Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Minnesota's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from Minnesota to Missouri?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Minnesota to Missouri, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

  1. Minnesota DLI - Personal plumber license forms and resources · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
  2. Minnesota DLI - Plumbers (landing page for workers) · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
  3. Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license experience requirements · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
  4. Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license basics · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
  5. Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license types and credentials · Minn. Stat. 326B.46 · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
  6. Minnesota DLI - Plumbing reciprocity · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · 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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