Nevada to Maryland: master plumber license reciprocity
Nevada does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Maryland'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 plumber by examination (PSI), unless a reciprocal license applies
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state master plumber whose origin is not the District of Columbia, Delaware, WSSC, or Baltimore County must pass the PSI Master Plumber/Gas Fitter examination before applying. The License Requirements page sets eligibility at two years as a journey plumber plus 3,750 hours of work as a journey plumber under a master. Upload proof of hours, backflow certification and a driver's license with the PSI application, sit at a Maryland PSI center, then apply for the original Master Plumber/Gas Fitter license and pay $87.50 (July 1, 2025). Masters must file a certificate of insurance: general liability of at least $300,000 and property damage of at least $100,000 ($400,000 per occurrence), Board as certificate holder, no umbrella. Reciprocal licenses for DC and Delaware (master only) are authored as agreements; WSSC and Baltimore County are municipal origins.
Occ. & Prof. qualification sections after §12-101. WSSC and Baltimore County are not origin state codes. Do not invent additional reciprocity partners.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must have held your Nevada license for at least 2 years.Two years as a journey plumber (Maryland License Requirements page).
- You must document at least 3,750 hours of qualifying work experience.3,750 hours of work as a journey plumber under a master plumber (Maryland License Requirements page).
- 32-hour backflow prevention certification, uploaded to PSI with the exam application
What you'll do to get licensed in Maryland
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Maryland Master Plumber/Gas Fitter examination administered by PSI after eligibility documents are uploaded; required before applying for the license..
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. 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..
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($87.50). Original Master Plumber/Gas Fitter license fee, updated July 1, 2025 (renewal is also $87.50).
- 4Other. Copy of backflow certification, uploaded to PSI's Client Portal with the exam application.
- 5Other. Copy of driver's license, uploaded to PSI's Client Portal.
- 6Other. Proof of hours worked, uploaded to PSI's Client Portal.
- 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Certificate of insurance: general liability of at least $300,000 and property damage of at least $100,000 ($400,000 per occurrence combined); umbrella policies are not accepted. Certificate holder Maryland State Board of Plumbing, 100 S. Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21201; 10-day cancellation notice with licensee number..
Published fees on this path total $87.50, 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
- Exam fee
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance
How Maryland licenses master plumbers
Maryland master plumber · “Master Plumber/Gas Fitter”
State license plus local requirements
Issued by Maryland State Board of Plumbing (Department of Labor)
Maryland issues a statewide Master Plumber/Gas Fitter license through the State Board of Plumbing. By statute a master plumber is licensed to provide plumbing services and natural gas services. Qualification on the Board's License Requirements page is two years as a journey plumber plus 3,750 hours of work as a journey plumber under a master, then the PSI master exam. The original Master Plumber/Gas Fitter license fee is $87.50 (updated July 1, 2025; renewal is also $87.50). Masters must carry general liability of at least $300,000 and property damage of at least $100,000 ($400,000 per occurrence), with the Board named as certificate holder; umbrella policies are not accepted. Reciprocal Master Plumber/Gas Fitter licenses are issued to holders licensed by the District of Columbia, Delaware (master only), WSSC, or Baltimore County (WSSC and Baltimore County applicants must hold both plumbing and gas licenses obtained by examination).
How local licensing works in Maryland
Same territorial split as the journeyman level: the State Board license is not the license for Baltimore County or for WSSC territory in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. Those jurisdictions license plumbers separately and enforce their own plumbing codes. A master who will contract in WSSC territory needs the WSSC plumber license; work only in Baltimore County needs the county license. Propane-gas-fitter certificates from the State Board are valid in the entire state. The reciprocal-license page states the Board may issue a State master plumber license to a person already licensed by WSSC or Baltimore County if that person holds both plumbing and gas licenses obtained by examination.
- Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (Montgomery County)
- Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (Prince George's County)
- Baltimore County
Why Nevada has nothing to transfer
Nevada master plumber · “C-1 Plumbing and Heating Contractor (business license with qualified individual)”
No individual license at this level
Issued by Nevada State Contractors Board (contractor licensing only)
Nevada does not issue a master plumber license to individuals, and no county or city was found to issue a master-level plumbing card; Clark County recognizes a 'plumbing qualified individual', which is simply the person who qualifies a contractor's C-1 license with the State Board. The state-level credential is a classification C-1 Plumbing and Heating Contracting license from the Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB), issued to a sole proprietor, partnership, corporation or LLC and qualified by a named individual rather than held by the plumber personally. An out-of-state master plumber who only wants to work for an employer needs no Nevada license at all (apart from the local journeyman card in Clark County and Reno). To contract, the qualifying individual must show four years of experience as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor within the past 15 years (NRS 624.260), pass the PSI-administered Nevada Business and Law exam and the C-1 trade exam within six months of filing (three attempts each), and the business must pay the $300 application fee and $600 biennial license fee, submit a financial statement, fingerprints and background check, and post a bond of $1,000 to $500,000 set by the Board, plus the Residential Recovery Fund assessment ($200 to $1,000) if it does residential work. Under licensure by endorsement (NAC 624.600 and 624.615) the C-1 trade exam and the experience certification are waived for a qualified individual who has held an active license, as the same qualified individual, with no discipline or pending action for the past four years in Arizona (CR-77 Plumbing Including Solar), California (C-36 Plumbing together with C-4 Boiler, Hot Water Heating and Steam Fitting) or Tennessee (CMC Full Mechanical Contractor); a Florida CF Plumbing Contractor gets experience credit but must pass the Nevada C-1 trade exam; the Business and Law exam is never waived. The NSCB equivalency charts contain no Utah chart and no C-1 row for Connecticut, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Mexico, Hawaii, Alabama or West Virginia.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Maryland master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Nevada?
- Yes. Maryland requires the trade exam on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Nevada license?
- At least 2 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Maryland master plumber license from Nevada?
- Published fees on this path total $87.50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Nevada work hours count in Maryland?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Maryland's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Maryland to Nevada?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Maryland to Nevada, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Md. Code, Business Occupations and Professions §12-101 - Definitions (State Board of Plumbing licenses) · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. §12-101 · Maryland General Assembly · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Maryland Department of Labor - Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (boards index) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Maryland State Board of Plumbing - Taking the Exam (PSI) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Maryland State Board of Plumbing - Frequently Asked Questions (hub) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
- Maryland State Board of Plumbing - Forms and Fees (updated July 1, 2025) · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Maryland State Board of Plumbing - Home · Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. Title 12 · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Maryland State Board of Plumbing - Insurance Requirements · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Maryland State Board of Plumbing - Licensing Applications · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Maryland State Board of Plumbing - Apply for a Reciprocal License · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Maryland State Board of Plumbing - License Requirements · Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing · 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.