Missouri to Ohio: master plumber license reciprocity
Missouri does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Ohio'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 plumbing contractor or master plumber without a reciprocity agreement (examination route)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A plumbing contractor or master plumber licensed in a state without an OCILB reciprocity agreement must take the Ohio examination; neither R.C. 4740.06 nor OCILB's pages provide a case-by-case exam waiver outside a written reciprocity agreement (R.C. 4740.08). R.C. 4740.06(C) and OCILB's Out-of-State Examination Application let the out-of-state license stand in for the usual five years of Ohio tax and permit documentation: the applicant instead shows the substantially similar license has been active for at least five years (letter of good standing), at least five building authorizations issued under it, one tax return reflecting income under the license (plus a W-2 if not the owner), and that their employer is registered in Ohio as a foreign corporation or LLC with a designated agent. The board secretary must approve a complete out-of-state exam application within 30 days; the applicant then completes BCI and FBI background checks (approval valid one year) and passes both sections of the PSI exam (Plumbing trade and Business & Law). The license is issued on submission of the results, a $25 fee and a $500,000 certificate of liability insurance, and must be assigned to a contracting company; the specialty section must authorize the license within 90 days of the application once the applicant qualifies and passes.
Mechanism is ExperienceCredit rather than Endorsement because OCILB waives the trade exam only under a written reciprocity agreement with a named state; the out-of-state route only substitutes the origin license for Ohio experience documentation. The PSI examination fee, pass mark and question counts are published only in the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin sent to approved candidates and were not confirmed from an official page. Kentucky plumbing licensees are not on OCILB's plumbing reciprocity list (Kentucky is listed for Electrical, HVAC and Refrigeration only) and use this path.
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
- You must have held your Missouri license for at least 5 years.Proof the substantially similar out-of-state license has been active at least five years (letter of good standing); otherwise the standard five years as a tradesperson applies.
- At least five authorizations for construction, erection, equipment, alteration or addition of a building issued under the out-of-state license, and at least one tax return reflecting income earned under it (R.C. 4740.06(C))
- Employer contracting company licensed as a foreign corporation (R.C. 1703.04) or registered as a foreign LLC (R.C. 1706.511) in Ohio with a designated agent
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Ohio
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($25). OCILB Out-of-State Examination Application fee for the Plumbing trade, payable to Treasurer, State of Ohio.
- 2Background check. Complete a background check. BCI and FBI background checks after board approval and before sitting for the exam (approval valid one year).
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Ohio Plumbing Contractor examination, trade section, administered by PSI (computer-based); retake not less than 60 days after the last attempt.
- 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Ohio Business and Law examination section, administered by PSI.
- 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI examination fee per the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin (amount not published on the OCILB pages).
- 6License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($25). License issuance fee submitted with the exam results, payable to Treasurer, State of Ohio; annual renewal thereafter with continuing education.
- 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($500,000). Certificate of contractor liability insurance of at least $500,000 in one contracting company name, certificate holder OCILB.
- 8Other. Assignment of the license and insurance to a contracting company as defined in R.C. 4740.01(C).
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.
- Trade exam
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance · $500,000
How Ohio licenses master plumbers
Ohio master plumber · “Plumbing Contractor (OCILB state license)”
Statewide license
Issued by Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce
Ohio has no license called 'master plumber'; its top person-held plumbing credential is the statewide Plumbing Contractor license issued by the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) to an individual who qualified by examination (R.C. 4740.01(A)), who then assigns it to a contracting company. Other states' reciprocity forms pair this license with their master plumber licenses (West Virginia's form, for example, matches its Master Plumber to Ohio's Plumbing Contractor), so it is treated here as the master level. A new applicant must be 18, a citizen or legal alien, have five years as a tradesperson in the plumbing trade immediately before applying (or be an Ohio registered engineer with three years of construction business experience), pass BCI and FBI background checks, pass both sections of the PSI-administered examination (Plumbing trade and Business & Law), carry $500,000 of contractor liability insurance in one company name, and pay a $25 application fee and $25 license fee; licenses expire annually and renew with continuing education (online CE limited to 4 hours per one-year renewal). OCILB's published reciprocity list covers plumbing licenses from Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, with the Ohio Business and Law exam still required for Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee licensees.
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 Ohio master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Missouri?
- Yes. Ohio 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 5 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Ohio 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 Ohio?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Ohio'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 Ohio to Missouri?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Ohio to Missouri, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- OCILB - Contractors & Contracting Companies (state license requirements, reciprocity list, document checklists) · Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- OCILB Examination Application (form DIC 3524, PDF) · Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- OCILB Out-of-State Examination Application (PDF) · Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- OCILB West Virginia Mechanical Reciprocity Application (HVAC, PL) (PDF) · Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code 4740.01 - Construction industry licensing board definitions · R.C. 4740.01(A), (C), (E) · Ohio Legislative Service Commission · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code 4740.06 - License application; qualifications for examination · R.C. 4740.06(B), (C), (E), (F), (G), (H) · Ohio Legislative Service Commission · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code 4740.08 - Reciprocity · R.C. 4740.08 · Ohio Legislative Service Commission · 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.