Nevada to Minnesota: master plumber license reciprocity
Nevada 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 Nevada 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
- 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).
- 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.
- 3Other. Copy of the current out-of-state master plumber license (DLI determines equivalence), or verification of one year as a licensed journeyworker plumber.
- 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).
- 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).
- 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
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.
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 Minnesota master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Nevada?
- Yes. Minnesota requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Minnesota master plumber license from Nevada?
- Published fees on this path total $50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Nevada 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 Nevada?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Minnesota to Nevada, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Minnesota DLI - Personal plumber license forms and resources · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbers (landing page for workers) · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license experience requirements · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license basics · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license types and credentials · Minn. Stat. 326B.46 · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- 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.