Missouri to New Jersey: master plumber license reciprocity
Missouri does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is New Jersey'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 plumber: document experience under N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2 and sit the New Jersey master plumber examination
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
N.J.A.C. 13:32 Subchapter 2 lists eligibility, experience, examination and licensure for the Master Plumber license and does not contain a reciprocity or endorsement rule that waives the New Jersey exams. An inbound applicant uses the same path as a New Jersey candidate: file the Board application with the non-refundable fee in 13:32-5.1(a)(1) or (2); complete a four-year U.S. DOL plumbing apprenticeship or a qualifying engineering bachelor's degree, then one year / 1,200 hours of practical hands-on work as a New Jersey journeyman inspected by a New Jersey plumbing inspector (13:32-2.2), plus propane education; sit the three-part examination in 13:32-2.3 (NSPC written, practical, and New Jersey laws/regulations, 70 on each part); then complete licensure under 13:32-2.5 including the prorated initial license fee and the $25 pressure seal. An inbound out-of-state journeyman year may not count as the New Jersey-inspected 1,200 hours. 13:32-2.8 Temporary courtesy license ($80) is a separate limited credential, not a general exam-waiver agreement with named states.
Mechanism is ExperienceCredit because Chapter 32 has no reciprocity/endorsement section that waives the exam. The 1,200-hour practical year must be as a New Jersey journeyman performing work inspected by a New Jersey plumbing inspector; do not treat an out-of-state journeyman year as automatically equivalent. Medical-gas certifications in Subchapter 7 are separate from the Master Plumber license.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Four-year U.S. DOL-approved plumbing apprenticeship, or a qualifying bachelor's degree in mechanical, plumbing or sanitary engineering (N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2)
- You must document at least 1,200 hours of qualifying work experience.One year / 1,200 hours of practical hands-on experience as a journeyman plumber in New Jersey performing work inspected by a New Jersey plumbing inspector (N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2). An inbound out-of-state journeyman year may not satisfy this.
- Propane education required by N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2
What you'll do to get licensed in New Jersey
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Non-refundable application fee without prior Board registration (N.J.A.C. 13:32-5.1(a)(1)). Applicants who already hold Board apprentice or journeyman registration pay $50 under 13:32-5.1(a)(2) instead..
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. New Jersey Master Plumber examination, three parts (N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.3): written National Standard Plumbing Code, practical, and New Jersey laws/regulations. Passing score 70 on each part; offered at least four times per year; all parts must be passed within five years..
- 3Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. New Jersey laws and regulations part of the master plumber examination (N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.3); passing score 70. This is one of the three required parts, not a separate sitting..
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($160). Initial Master Plumber license fee if paid during the first year of the biennial renewal period; $80 if paid during the second year. Biennial renewal $160; late renewal $50; reinstatement $150 (N.J.A.C. 13:32-5.1(a)(3), (4), (8), (9))..
- 5Other. Initial pressure seal (N.J.A.C. 13:32-5.1(a)(10)); replacement seal $25. ($25).
- 6Other. Fee, eligibility details, and processing steps are not published in a form we can list here. Please see the sources on this page to find out more..
- 7Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Continuing education applies to licensed master plumbers (N.J.A.C. 13:32 Subchapter 6; sponsor application fee $100 in 13:32-5.1(a)(15))..
- 8Other. Fee, eligibility details, and processing steps are not published in a form we can list here. Please see the sources on this page to find out more..
Published fees on this path total $260, 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
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How New Jersey licenses master plumbers
New Jersey master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers (Division of Consumer Affairs)
New Jersey's person-held plumbing license is the statewide Master Plumber credential issued by the State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers in the Division of Consumer Affairs under N.J.S.A. 45:14C-1 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 13:32. A licensed master is the person who may plan, lay out, install and repair plumbing and supervise others; a plumbing contractor must have a licensed master who owns at least 10 percent of the business as bona fide representative. N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2 requires a four-year U.S. DOL plumbing apprenticeship or a qualifying engineering bachelor's degree, then one year / 1,200 hours of practical hands-on work as a New Jersey journeyman inspected by a New Jersey plumbing inspector, plus propane education. The examination (13:32-2.3) has three parts — NSPC written, practical, and New Jersey laws/regulations — each requiring a score of 70. Chapter 32 has no reciprocity / endorsement section, so an out-of-state master is not treated as receiving an exam waiver. Current published Board fees (13:32-5.1(a)) are a $100 non-refundable application fee without prior registration ($50 with prior registration), an initial license fee of $160 in the first year of the biennial period or $80 in the second, biennial renewal $160, and a $25 initial pressure seal.
Why Missouri has nothing to transfer
Missouri master plumber
Licensed by cities and counties
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.
- St. Louis County (Transportation and Public Works, Plumbing Licensing / Board of Plumbing Examiners)
- City of St. Louis (Building Division, Plumbers and Drainlayers Board of Examiners)
- Kansas City (City Planning and Development, contractor licensing and certificates of qualification)
- Springfield (Building Development Services, Trade Certifications)
- Columbia (Community Development, Building and Site Development)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the New Jersey master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Missouri?
- Yes. New Jersey requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a New Jersey master plumber license from Missouri?
- Published fees on this path total $260, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Missouri work hours count in New Jersey?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward New Jersey's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from New Jersey to Missouri?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from New Jersey to Missouri, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers - Applications · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers - home page · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-1.3 - Definitions · N.J.A.C. 13:32-1.3 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32 Subchapter 2 - Application, Experience Requirements, Examination · N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.1 to 13:32-2.8 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2 - Experience requirements · N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.3 - Examinations · N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.3 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-5.1 - Fee schedule · N.J.A.C. 13:32-5.1 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- N.J. Admin. Code Tit. 13, ch. 32 - State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers (chapter table of contents) · N.J.A.C. 13:32; N.J.S.A. 45:14C-7 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.