Pennsylvania to Arkansas: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Arkansas'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 or plumbing contractor without a reciprocity agreement
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
The Oklahoma agreement is journeyman-only and Oklahoma's board states there is 'no contractor reciprocity'; Ohio master plumbers should ask the Section about the separate Ohio-Arkansas agreement. An out-of-state master plumber or plumbing contractor therefore applies to the Plumbing and Natural Gas Section for the Master Plumber examination, documenting at least one year of work as a licensed journeyman and five years of total plumbing experience; time worked under the out-of-state journeyman or master license counts once the origin board verifies the license, exam history and standing. The applicant sits the Arkansas master plumber examination (written, on the Arkansas Plumbing Code; no separate business-and-law exam), pays the Section's exam and license fees, and renews annually. Ark. Code Ann. § 17-1-108 obliges the Section to grant automatic licensure to a holder of a substantially similar master-level license in good standing, subject to any Arkansas-specific exam it still requires, so applicants from IPC-based exam states should ask the Section whether the trade exam is waived. Commercial plumbing contracting above the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board thresholds also needs a separate contractor's license from that board.
Arkansas's rules make an Arkansas journeyman eligible for the master exam after holding that license for one full year, and approve an applicant licensed in a substantially similar state for the exam on the five-year experience requirement. The rules also say examinations are not required for reciprocal licensure of a substantially similar license (a national model plumbing or gas code and a comprehensive exam from a national examination agency or equivalent); the Committee decides this on each application. Under the Ohio-Arkansas agreement effective September 1, 2022, Arkansas waives its exams for an Ohio master plumber whose Ohio plumbing and HVAC licenses were earned by an exam covering plumbing and natural gas. The Department also lists signed reciprocity agreements with Texas and Louisiana; it does not say in text which license levels they cover, so master plumbers from those states should ask the Section (501-661-2642) before applying.
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 Pennsylvania license for at least 1 year.An Arkansas journeyman must hold that license for one full year before the master exam; an applicant licensed in another state is approved for the exam on the five-year experience requirement and a current, substantially similar license.
- You must document at least 10,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Five years (about 10,000 hours) of total experience in the plumbing trade including the apprenticeship and journeyman years; the statute states the requirement in years. Out-of-state experience counts when verified.
- Your Pennsylvania license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have passed a licensing exam in Pennsylvania that the destination considers comparable.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Arkansas
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Arkansas master plumber examination, written, given by the Plumbing and Natural Gas Section on the 2018 Arkansas Plumbing Code, the 2018 Arkansas Fuel Gas Code and the Arkansas plumbing law.
- 2Application fee. Pay the application fee ($125). Master application fee, sent with the application; a retake after failing any portion of the exam costs $50.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Master Plumber license fee, due before the license is issued and renewed annually.
- 4Other. Master application with origin-board verification of license, exam scores and code basis, and verification of journeyman and total experience.
- 5Contractor license. Hold or obtain a contractor license (if applicable). A separate license from the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board, needed only for projects above that board's dollar threshold; the plumbing license itself does not require it.
- 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Any continuing education the Committee of Plumbing Examiners requires for renewal; the Department's published rules do not set an hour figure for master plumbers, so confirm with the Section at 501-661-2642.
Published fees on this path total $325, 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
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.
- Contractor license · if applicable
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Arkansas licenses master plumbers
Arkansas master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (Committee of Plumbing Examiners)
The Master Plumber license is Arkansas's highest person-held plumbing credential, issued statewide by the Department of Health's Plumbing and Natural Gas Section under Ark. Code Ann. § 17-38-301 et seq. A master plumber may contract for and supervise plumbing work and is the license under which journeymen and registered apprentices work; a plumbing business must operate under a licensed master. An applicant must have worked at least one year as a licensed journeyman plumber and have five years of total experience in the trade, then pass the Section's written master plumber examination on the Arkansas Plumbing Code. The master application fee is $125 and the license costs $200 a year, expiring each December 31. The Oklahoma reciprocity agreement (effective October 21, 2024) covers journeymen only; the Department separately publishes a master-plumber reciprocity agreement with Ohio (effective September 1, 2022), and other out-of-state master plumbers qualify by experience verification and examination.
Why Pennsylvania has nothing to transfer
Pennsylvania master plumber · “Master Plumber (city-issued; no state license)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Pennsylvania issues no statewide master plumber or plumbing-contractor license; 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 license to contract. Harrisburg posts a plumbing license application whose master-versus-journeyman split was not verified. Pittsburgh's plumbing trade-license page 404'd. There is no state-level recognition of an out-of-state master plumber license and no municipal program 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 authorize pulling permits or running a shop; the master (or master-contractor) license does. A master license 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 license is the contracting credential. Other PLI trade licenses 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 license fee unknown.
Allentown. 2026 Master Plumber Exam Application is posted under Professional Trades Licensing. Contracting requires the trades license and a city business license. 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 license 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 license. Scranton uses the 2021 master contractor packet. Statewide reciprocity: none.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Arkansas master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Arkansas requires the trade exam on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Pennsylvania license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Arkansas master plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $325, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Arkansas?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Arkansas's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Arkansas to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Arkansas to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Application Instructions for Arkansas Plumber & Restricted Plumber Licenses (with license/fee table), 1/15/2026 · Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Outline of Ohio/Arkansas Plumbing License Reciprocity Agreement (effective September 1, 2022) · Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Arkansas Department of Health - Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (licensing, examinations, fees, reciprocity) · Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (Protective Health Codes) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Rules Pertaining to Master, Journeyman, and Restricted Plumber Licenses, Plumbing and Gas Inspector Licenses, Restricted Hospital Maintenance, Water and Sewer Service Line Installation · Ark. Admin. Code 007.04; Rules Pertaining to Master, Journeyman, and Restricted Plumber Licenses (eff. Sept. 5, 2024) · Arkansas State Board of Health · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Arkansas Code Annotated § 17-1-108 - Automatic licensure for individuals licensed in another state (Act 1011 of 2019, as amended) · Ark. Code Ann. §§ 17-1-106, 17-1-108 · Arkansas General Assembly · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Arkansas Code Annotated Title 17, Chapter 38 - Plumbers (Arkansas Plumbing Law) · Ark. Code Ann. §§ 17-38-101 et seq., 17-38-201 (Committee of Plumbing Examiners), 17-38-301 et seq. (licensing) · Arkansas General Assembly / Arkansas Department of Health · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Arkansas Plumbing Reciprocal License Application (Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman Reciprocity Application Instructions) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Arkansas Plumbing Reciprocity Agreement (Guidelines for Plumbing Journeyman License through Arkansas Reciprocity) · Oklahoma Construction Industries 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.