Pennsylvania to Alabama: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Alabama'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: direct admission to the Alabama master exam (states other than Mississippi)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A master plumber licensed in a state other than Mississippi is admitted to the Alabama Master Plumber examination on the strength of the origin license, without first holding an Alabama journeyman certificate for a year. The Board's conditions are that the out-of-state master license 'must have been issued based on successful completion of an exam with a minimum score of 70%', 'must be active and in good standing with no unresolved disciplinary issues', and that the origin agency complete the Board's Request for Verification of License/Registration form or provide the same information on letterhead. The applicant files the Examination Packet for Out-of-State Applicants, passes the master plumbing exam on the 2021 International Plumbing Code and, since January 1, 2026, the Board's business law exam, then has 90 days to submit the Master Pass Packet with the certification fee. A master who will own or run a plumbing business must also register the company with the Board under Ala. Code § 34-37-6(b) and be named its Principal Master, with annual business renewals under rule 720-X-17-.01.
Master exam fees, the business-law exam fee, certification and renewal fees, and continuing-education hours are in the Board's exam packets, not on the public web pages. See the Examination Packet for Out-of-State Applicants at https://pgfb.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Exam-App-Out-of-State-01-26.pdf, the exams page at https://pgfb.alabama.gov/applicants/exams/, or call the Board at (205) 945-4857. The Board admits an out-of-state master to the Alabama master exam on a verified origin license; the one-year Alabama journeyman holding period is the in-state qualifier.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must have held your Pennsylvania license for at least 1 year.In-state qualifier is certification as an Alabama Journeyman Plumber for a minimum of one year. Out-of-state masters sit the Alabama master exam on a verified origin license instead of first holding an Alabama journeyman certificate.
- Your Pennsylvania license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- Your Pennsylvania license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Origin licensing agency completes the bottom half of the Board's Request for Verification of License/Registration form, or supplies the same information on its own form or letterhead
What you'll do to get licensed in Alabama
- 1Other. Examination Packet for Out-of-State Applicants (Exam-App-Out-of-State-01-26) with copy of the origin license and completed verification form.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Master Plumber examination fee payable to the Board. The dollar amount is in the master exam packet, not on the Board's web pages..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Alabama Master Plumber examination on the 2021 International Plumbing Code. Testing vendor and passing score are in the exam packet..
- 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Alabama business law examination required of all master-level applicants effective January 1, 2026 (details in the master exam packet).
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. Master certification fee, paid with the Master Pass Packet 2026 within 90 days of passing. Certificates are annual and renew October 1 - December 31. The dollar amount is in the pass packet, not on the Board's web pages..
- 6Business license. Obtain a business license (if applicable). Company registration with the Board (New Business Registration Form 02-24) naming a Principal Master, if the applicant owns or is responsible for a plumbing business; annual business renewal under Ala. Admin. Code 720-X-17-.01.
- 7Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Continuing education required for each annual renewal, due by November 1 to avoid a deficiency plan and deficiency fee. Required hours are not listed on the Board's home page; call (205) 945-4857 or see https://pgfb.alabama.gov/..
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
- Trade exam
- Law / code exam
Business registration
If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.
- Business license · if applicable
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Alabama licenses master plumbers
Alabama master plumber · “Master Plumber (annual certificate)”
Statewide license
Issued by Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board
Alabama certifies Master Plumbers statewide through the Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board; a master plumber may register as the Principal Master for a plumbing business, and every company doing plumbing work in Alabama must register with the Board and name one. To sit the master exam an applicant must have been certified as a Journeyman Plumber for at least one year (the Board describes this as one year of current work experience). Effective January 1, 2026, master-level applicants must pass both the plumbing exam (2021 International Plumbing Code) and a separate business law exam, and after passing have 90 days to pay the certification fees. Certificates are annual, renewing October 1 - December 31 with continuing education due by November 1. The Board's only reciprocal agreement, effective January 1, 2026, is with the Mississippi Board of Contractors at the master level; a master from any other state may sit the Alabama master exam directly if the origin license was earned by exam at 70% or better, is active and in good standing, and is verified by the origin agency.
Why Pennsylvania has nothing to transfer
Pennsylvania master plumber · “Master Plumber (city-issued; no state licence)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Pennsylvania issues no statewide master plumber or plumbing-contractor licence; none of the Department of State's 29 boards covers the trade, so the master-level credential exists only in cities that have chosen to license it. Allentown posts a 2026 Master Plumber Exam Application and requires a separate business licence to contract. Harrisburg posts a plumbing licence application whose master-versus-journeyman split was not verified. Pittsburgh's plumbing trade-licence page 404'd. There is no state-level recognition of an out-of-state master plumber licence and no municipal programme verified here that waives the plumbing trade exam. An arriving master should expect to apply city by city, document local experience thresholds, and sit each city's exam (ICC or city-written) unless that city later publishes an exam-waiver rule.
How local licensing works in Pennsylvania
How local licensing works. With no state plumbing board, each Pennsylvania city that licenses master plumbers does so under its own ordinance. The journeyman card, where it exists, does not authorise pulling permits or running a shop; the master (or master-contractor) licence does. A master licence is valid only in the issuing city. The journeyman page states that a journeyman works 'under a licensed master plumber' and may not operate a business, which implies the master licence is the contracting credential. Other PLI trade licences are issued to individuals, expire 365 days from issue, and (for electrical and mechanical) accept ICC master exams for any code year plus a stated experience total; whether plumbing follows that pattern is unverified. 2025 plumbing licence fee unknown.
Allentown. 2026 Master Plumber Exam Application is posted under Professional Trades Licensing. Contracting requires the trades licence and a city business licence. Reciprocity not mentioned on the landing page. Electrical Option B on that same form (eight years in lieu of exam) must not be assumed to apply to plumbing.
Inbound master. No Pennsylvania state licence and no verified exam-waiver reciprocity. Plan on a new application in each city where permits will be pulled. Philadelphia is the most fully documented shop: obtain the Master Plumber's License after (typically) holding or qualifying beyond the journeyman ICC path; confirm current master fees and exam on the master service page before applying. Allentown requires its master plumber exam application plus a business licence. Scranton uses the 2021 master contractor packet. Statewide reciprocity: none.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Alabama master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Alabama requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- How long do I need to have held my Pennsylvania license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Alabama?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Alabama's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Alabama to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Alabama to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board - Exams (applications, packets, code edition, business law exam) · Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board - Home (renewal period and continuing education reminder) · Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board - How Do I Become Licensed (Apprentice, Journeyman Plumber, Master Plumber, companies) · Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board - Out-of-State Applicants (Applying for Certification in Alabama) · Ala. Code § 34-37-6(a)-(b); Ala. Admin. Code r. 720-X-17-.01 · Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board - Reciprocation (Mississippi Reciprocal Request Form; LP Gas Board) · Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board · 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.