Oregon to Montana: master plumber license reciprocity
Oregon does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Montana'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 application with experience credit, then the Montana master examination (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Montana has no reciprocity or endorsement path for master plumbers: the FAQ states 'Montana does not reciprocate a Master license,' and the master application offers no reciprocity option. An out-of-state master applies under ARM 24.180.604 by submitting copies of the license(s) held with a certified letter of verification from the state or local licensing agency stating the date of licensure and the requirements for licensure, plus official verifications from every jurisdiction where the applicant has ever held any professional license. Where the origin state's qualifications are not equivalent to Montana's, the applicant 'will receive credit for the years required by the original state' toward the four years as a licensed journeyman and three years with a master or in a supervisory capacity, documenting the balance with Experience Verification Affidavits; applicants from states with no journeyman or master licensing provide notarized statements showing nine years of plumbing experience. Applicants using the out-of-state method 'will be required to sit for all the required examinations': after board approval (routine files within 30 days) the applicant schedules with IAPMO, pays IAPMO's fee and passes the 125-question open-book master exam with 70%. The application fee is $220 (effective July 11, 2026); an optional $100 temporary practice permit allows journeyman-level work only, for 110 days, while testing.
The master exam incorporates Montana statutes, board rules and Building Codes amendments alongside the 2021 UPC; there is no separate law exam. MCA 37-69-305 requires the four years to be as a 'licensed journeyman plumber'; ARM 24.180.604 credits years required by the origin state and accepts verification from a state or local agency, so out-of-state (including municipal) journeyman or master licensure appears to satisfy the 'licensed' element, but the board has not published guidance on how it counts years for an applicant who was never a Montana journeyman. MCA 37-1-304 would allow licensure by endorsement if the board found an origin state substantially equivalent, but no plumber SE table exists and the board's published materials describe no exam waiver for masters. The 2023 packet prints a $380 master fee and $400 out-of-state fee; ARM 24.180.401 as amended July 11, 2026 sets both at $220. IAPMO's exam fee is not published. Military members, spouses and relocating veterans are handled under MCA 37-1-147.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 30 days
What you must already have
- You must document at least 6,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Four years and 6,000 hours of experience as a licensed journeyman plumber verified by time or pay records (one year = at least 1,500 hours in a continuous 12-month period), with years credited from the origin state's licensing requirement under ARM 24.180.604
- Three years of experience working with a licensed master plumber or in a supervisory capacity in the field of plumbing, which may run concurrently with the four journeyman years; steam fitting, hydronics and industrial piping practice is not accepted
- Copy of each out-of-state plumbing license held plus a certified letter of verification from the state or local licensing agency stating the date of licensure and the requirements for licensure (ARM 24.180.604); verifications must be sent directly from every board where the applicant is or has ever been licensed
- Applicants from states with no journeyman or master licensing must supply a notarized statement or letter from qualified individual(s) acceptable to the board with direct knowledge of plumbing experience equivalent to nine years
What you'll do to get licensed in Montana
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($220). Master / out-of-state application fee under ARM 24.180.401 as amended effective July 11, 2026 (previously $380 master, $400 out-of-state); nonrefundable.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Montana Master Plumber examination administered by IAPMO after board approval: 125 multiple-choice questions on the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code as amended plus Montana statutes, board rules and Building Codes amendments; open book, 3 hours, 70% to pass; candidate brings an untabbed 2021 UPC.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Examination fee paid directly to IAPMO when scheduling at www.iapmo.org/mt-testing; set by the vendor and not published on board pages.
- 4Other. Optional temporary practice permit ($100 provisional license fee) issued once the applicant is approved to test; valid 110 days and limited to journeyman plumber functions in the employment of a named Montana master plumber (ARM 24.180.607) ($100) (if applicable).
Published fees on this path total $220, 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
How Montana licenses master plumbers
Montana master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Montana Board of Plumbers (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division)
Montana issues a statewide Master Plumber license through the Board of Plumbers; only a master plumber may obtain plumbing permits or operate a plumbing business, and a master may not lend the license to another firm. Under MCA 37-69-305 an applicant shows four years (6,000 hours; one year is at least 1,500 hours in a continuous 12 months) of experience as a licensed journeyman plumber verified by time or pay records, plus three years, which may run concurrently, working with a licensed master or in a supervisory capacity; steam fitting, hydronics and industrial piping do not count. The applicant then passes the IAPMO-administered open-book master examination of 125 multiple-choice questions on the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code and Montana statutes and rules with 70%. The application fee is $220 under the fee schedule effective July 11, 2026 (the 2023 packet prints $380); IAPMO's exam fee is paid separately, and a $100 temporary permit allows journeyman-level work for 110 days while testing. Licenses expire every September 1, renew for $200 and require 4 hours of code-related continuing education a year. The board states plainly that 'Montana does not reciprocate a Master license': every out-of-state master receives credit for the years the origin state required but must pass the Montana master examination.
Why Oregon has nothing to transfer
Oregon master plumber
No individual license at this level
Issued by Oregon Building Codes Division (Department of Consumer and Business Services) / State Plumbing Board
Oregon has no master plumber license and no other person-held plumbing credential above journeyman. ORS 693.095 permits the State Plumbing Board to adopt rules for a 'supervising plumber' license, but no such rule exists in OAR chapter 918, division 695, and the Building Codes Division's license table lists only the Journeyman Plumber (JP) and three limited specialty licenses (residential water-heater, water-treatment and solar heating and cooling installer) as individual plumbing licenses; the Journeyman Plumber is therefore the highest license an individual can hold. The business-side credential is the Plumbing Business (PB) license under ORS 447.040, issued by the Building Codes Division to a firm that already holds a Construction Contractors Board (CCB) license: the owner or corporate officer files the Contractor/Business License Application (form 440-2888) with a $150 non-refundable fee and the CCB number, no signing supervisor or qualifying-person experience is designated for a plumbing business, no exam is taken, and the license renews on a three-year cycle (all PB licenses next expire July 1, 2029). A plumbing business license 'does not authorize the contractor to work as a journeyman plumber,' and the business may not let anyone perform journeyman work without an individual JP license. An out-of-state master plumber therefore has nothing to transfer to at this level: to work with the tools they obtain the Journeyman Plumber license through the journeyman path (Idaho or Montana reciprocity, or experience credit plus the Oregon exam), and to contract they register a business with the Secretary of State, license it with the CCB, and add the $150 BCD Plumbing Business license.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Montana master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Oregon?
- Yes. Montana requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Montana master plumber license from Oregon?
- Published fees on this path total $220, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Oregon work hours count in Montana?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Montana's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 30 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Montana to Oregon?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Montana to Oregon, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- MCA 37-1-304 - Licensure by endorsement -- reciprocity · MCA 37-1-304; 37-1-147 · Montana Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- MCA 37-69-305 - Qualifications of applicants for master plumber's license -- restriction on authority · MCA 37-69-305; 37-69-306 · Montana Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- State of Montana Plumbing Licensing Information - 2021 UPC Examination Information Sheet (IAPMO; Rev. 01/09/2023) · ARM 24.180.404, 24.180.407 · Montana Board of Plumbers / IAPMO · Other · verified September 16, 2026
- Montana Board of Plumbers - FAQ · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
- MAR Notice No. 2026-79.1 - Board of Plumbers Notice of Proposed Rulemaking amending ARM 24.180.401 Fee Schedule (May 8, 2026) · ARM 24.180.401 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Board of Plumbers · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Montana Board of Plumbers - Home · ARM 24.180.2102 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Montana Board of Plumbers - Master Plumber Application packet (Rev. 02/09/2023) · MCA 37-69-305; ARM 24.180.604 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Montana Board of Plumbers - Master Plumber by Examination Licensing Requirements and Application Checklist (updated 02/09/2023) · MCA 37-69-305, 37-69-306; ARM 24.180.407, 24.180.604, 24.180.607 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Montana Board of Plumbers - Plumber Master license information · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- MAR Notice No. 2025-126.1 - Board of Plumbers Notice of Proposed Rulemaking amending ARM 24.180.407 and repealing ARM 24.180.603 Reciprocity (November 7, 2025) · ARM 24.180.407, 24.180.603; MCA 37-1-304(3) · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Board of Plumbers · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Montana Substantial Equivalency Determinations (Business Standards Division, all boards) · MCA 37-1-304 · Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division · 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.