New York to South Carolina: master plumber license reciprocity
New York does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is South Carolina'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.
Licensure by examination with credit for out-of-state experience (states without a PB waiver exam)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A plumbing contractor from a state (or classification) whose exam is not listed for PB on the Board's waiver list is told: 'you are not eligible for waiver/reciprocity. You will be required to take the SC exams.' The applicant passes the South Carolina Plumbing technical exam through PSI and the South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam, then files the Qualifying Party application (Doc. 168) with proof of at least 2 years of full-time work experience performed within the past 5 years in the plumbing classification, which may have been earned in any state and should primarily reflect commercial work (a PHCC Academy of North Carolina apprenticeship certificate covering plumbing is an alternative). The business files the Mechanical Contractor license application with the $350 licensure fee and a financial statement (or surety bond) meeting the group limit it wants. Section 40-11-290 separately allows the Board to exempt the technical exam for an applicant who verifies passing an essentially identical exam in another state even without a reciprocal agreement, but the Board's published waiver list and instructions do not describe a process for invoking it outside the listed exams. Ohio, Georgia and other states named on the cover of the 2019 waiver PDF are not treated as plumbing Reciprocity partners here because no PB exam mapping was recorded on the extract used for this file.
PSI exam fees are paid directly to PSI and are not published on LLR's pages. The Board's licensure page shows a $350 licensure fee but no separate qualifying-party application fee. The current Mechanical Group financial thresholds on the licensure page (Group 2: $100,000 per job, $10,000 working capital or $15,000 net worth, $15,000 bond) differ from the 2019 waiver document's table; the web page is treated as current. Typical timeline is an estimate; LLR publishes no processing time. Residential specialty plumber fees and exam-waiver states were not confirmed (resplumb.aspx blocked).
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
- At least 2 years of full-time work experience in the plumbing classification, performed within the past 5 years, documented on Work Experience Affidavits (Doc. 167); out-of-state experience is accepted. A PHCC Academy of North Carolina apprenticeship certificate (Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing) is an alternative listed on Doc. 168.
What you'll do to get licensed in South Carolina
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. South Carolina Plumbing (PB) technical examination through PSI, unless a listed waiver exam applies.
- 2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors examination (PSI), required of all applicants.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI examination fees paid directly to PSI at registration (amounts not published by LLR).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($350). Mechanical Contractor licensure fee (license issued to the entity the qualifying party certifies).
- 5Other. Financial statement dated within 12 months showing working capital of $10,000 or net worth of $15,000 for Mechanical Group 2 (higher groups require more), or a surety bond in lieu.
- 6Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($15,000) (if applicable). Surety bond accepted in lieu of the financial statement for Mechanical Group 2 (larger bonds for higher groups).
- 7Other. Qualifying Party initial application (Doc. 168) with exam score sheets, Work Experience Affidavits, ID, Social Security card and notarized Verification of Lawful Presence.
- 8Other. SC Examination Waiver form completed by the origin board only if claiming a listed PB waiver exam; copies of licenses or exam results are not accepted.
Published fees on this path total $350, 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
Surety bond
A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.
- Surety bond · $15,000 · if applicable
How South Carolina licenses master plumbers
South Carolina master plumber · “Mechanical Contractor, Plumbing (PB) classification - Qualifying Party certification”
Statewide license
South Carolina has no license titled 'master plumber'. The highest person-held plumbing credential is the Contractor's Licensing Board's Qualifying Party certification in the Plumbing (PB) classification of the Mechanical Contractor license. The individual passes the South Carolina plumbing technical exam through PSI (unless a listed waiver exam applies) and the South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam, documents two years of full-time experience within the past five years in the classification (or a PHCC Academy of North Carolina plumbing apprenticeship certificate), and is certified as the qualifying party for a licensed entity (which may be a sole proprietorship). The certification stays with the person; Doc. 168 states the certified qualifying party 'is not a licensed contractor' and the entity holds the license. The license fee is $350, with a financial statement or surety bond sized by mechanical group (Group 2, jobs to $100,000: working capital $10,000 or net worth $15,000, or a $15,000 bond). Work over $10,000 requires this license under § 40-11-30. Licensees from other states take the South Carolina plumbing technical exam and the Business Management & Law exam.
Why New York has nothing to transfer
New York master plumber · “Master Plumber (municipal)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Issued by New York cities and counties (no statewide plumber licence)
New York does not issue a statewide master plumber licence. The Department of State Division of Licensing Services' 35 occupations do not include plumber. The person-held contracting credential is municipal. Westchester County requires a Master Plumber trade licence to contract in the county (exam application $50, licence and renewal $600; Restricted Master renewal $50 per municipality up to $600); Yonkers sits inside that county. Rochester lists Plumbing Licensing on its Licensed Trades portal without publishing fees.
How local licensing works in New York
How local licensing works. Master plumber licensing is entirely local. A Master Plumber licence from one New York city or county does not authorise work in another, and New York State has no endorsement or reciprocity programme for plumbers. There is no defaultPath and no agreements array at this level.
New York City. 'Master Plumbers are licensed to perform plumbing work in New York City.' Fees on the DOB master-plumbers page: licence $200.00, renewal $150.00, late $50.00 (1–30 days) or $100.00 (31 days or more), seal $50.00 new / $75.00 renewal, term 3 years. Written exam application LIC41 $585; practical exam application LIC42 $530. A separate Master Fire Suppression Piping Contractor licence uses the same fee/term schedule but does not cover plumbing work as defined in NYC Admin. Code §28-401.3. How-to: Obtain a Master Plumber License; renew a licence; DPL-1 form; business-address verification. All new applications online via DOB NOW since 7 September 2021. Nothing on the landing page describes reciprocity.
Westchester County (including Yonkers). County law: plumbers must hold a Westchester trade licence; first step is the licensing examination. Master Plumber exam application $50.00; Master Plumber licence $600.00; Master Plumber renewal $600.00. Restricted Master Plumber renewal $50.00 per municipality, $600.00 maximum. Certificate of Competency (shelving) $50.00 per year. Late Master / Restricted Master renewals: $50 (1 Nov–31 Dec), $100 (1 Jan–30 Apr), $200 (1 May–31 Dec); after 31 December appearance before the Licensing Board. Exam/re-exam paid to the testing company (amount unpublished). The plumbing fee table has no 'reciprocal plumber' line (unlike electrical's 'Master and Reciprocal Electrician' on the same page). Yonkers work requires this county Master (or Restricted Master) plumber licence.
Rochester. Plumbing Licensing is a listed Licensed Trade with online apply/pay/renew. For NYC, budget the $585 written and $530 practical exams plus $200 licence / $50 seal and apply in DOB NOW; confirm experience and insurance on the obtain checklist before sitting. For Westchester, file the $50 exam application and $600 licence. For Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse and Albany, contact the local board — published inbound rules were not verified here.
- New York City (Department of Buildings — Master Plumber)
- Westchester County (Department of Consumer Protection — Master Plumber)
- Yonkers (Westchester County Master / Restricted Master plumber licence)
- Rochester (Licensed Trades — Plumbing Licensing)
- Syracuse (Division of Code Enforcement; plumber licence unconfirmed on 2026 notice)
- Buffalo (plumbing landing page HTTP 404; master plumber licence unconfirmed)
- Albany (plumber examining board not verified this session)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the South Carolina master plumber exam if I'm licensed in New York?
- Yes. South Carolina requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a South Carolina master plumber license from New York?
- Published fees on this path total $350, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my New York work hours count in South Carolina?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward South Carolina'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 South Carolina to New York?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from South Carolina to New York, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- S.C. Code of Laws Title 40, Chapter 11 - Contractors · S.C. Code Ann. §§ 40-11-30, 40-11-290, 40-11-410 · South Carolina Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- General and Mechanical Contractors - Primary Qualifying Party (PQP) and Qualifying Party (QP) Initial Application, Doc. 168 (12/31/2025 v2.3) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- SC Contractor's Licensing Board - Licensure (classifications, exams, waiver/reciprocity, fees) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- SC Contractor's Licensing Board - Reciprocity/Waiver Agreements (Rev. 02/2019) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agreement Document · verified September 16, 2026
- South Carolina Residential Builders Commission - home page · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · 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.