Pennsylvania to Colorado: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Colorado'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 endorsement (all other states; no reciprocal agreements)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Every out-of-state master plumber applies by endorsement under Rule 1.4(B)(1)(a); Colorado has no reciprocity partners for plumbing at any level. The applicant must currently hold an active master-level license issued and regulated by a state (not a city or county), held for at least six months per the DPO Licensure Requirements, obtained by passing a comparable state plumbing exam based on the current or previous edition of the plumbing code adopted by the Board (the 2024 IPC, or the previous 2021 edition), and must show either completion of a state or federally approved apprenticeship or the five years (8,500 hours) of practical experience Colorado requires for a master, documented on Affidavit of Experience forms signed by employers or plumbing contractors. The issuing state board completes DPO's Verification of State Licensure form. Qualifying applicants are licensed without the Colorado master exam. An applicant whose license does not meet the criteria applies by examination instead, with out-of-state hours credited toward the 8,500-hour requirement; a disapproved endorsement applicant may request Board reconsideration or a personal interview within 45 days. To run a plumbing business the new master must also register a Plumbing Contractor with the Board.
Same source conflicts as the journeyman path: 'currently adopted Colorado Code' (DPO Applications page) versus 'current or previous edition' (Rule 1.4(B)(1)(a)(2) and Licensing Guide); the six-month holding period is on the DPO page only; exam-route applicants pass the PSI exam before applying (Rule 1.4(A)(1), the online application and PSI's bulletin), although the Applications page still describes approval before scheduling. The $140 application fee is 'currently' per the DPO Licensing Guide; PSI charges $78 per exam attempt and $73 per retest. Colorado's master requirement of 8,500 hours is lower than some states' master thresholds, so a master license from a state with a longer requirement will normally satisfy the experience condition, but the Board evaluates substantial equivalence case by case.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Pennsylvania license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have held your Pennsylvania license for at least 6 months.DPO Applications page: state-issued license held for a minimum of six months.
- Your Pennsylvania license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- Completion of a state or federally approved or registered apprenticeship program, or the required years and type of experience for the comparable Colorado license
- You must document at least 8,500 hours of qualifying work experience.Five full-time years of practical experience (one month = 163 hours), documented on Board Affidavit of Experience forms; applicants cannot verify their own experience. Accredited two-year plumbing programs and military plumbing training may each replace up to one year of field experience under Rule 1.4(A)(3)(d)-(e).
What you'll do to get licensed in Colorado
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($140). Master Plumber initial application fee (DPO Licensing Guide: 'currently $140'), paid in DPO Online Services; non-refundable, application expires after one year if incomplete.
- 2Other. Plumbing - Verification of State Licensure form completed by the issuing state board.
- 3Other. Plumbing - Affidavit of Experience form(s) from current and former plumbing contractor employers, or apprenticeship completion documentation.
- 4Other. Proof of citizenship or lawful presence, general and criminal-history screening questions, and Felony Conviction Form if applicable.
- 5Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Colorado Master Plumber exam (PSI; 120 questions, 270 minutes, 75% to pass) - only if the origin license does not meet the endorsement criteria.
- 6Contractor license. Hold or obtain a contractor license (if applicable). Plumbing Contractor registration with the Board (master plumber as responsible individual, Acknowledgment of Responsibility, workers' compensation and unemployment insurance compliance) - only to contract for plumbing work as a business.
- 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance (if applicable). For Plumbing Contractor registrants: property damage insurance of at least $100,000 and general liability of at least $300,000 (DPO Licensing Guide).
- 8Continuing education. Complete continuing education. After the first renewal: 8 hours of CE per license year (16 per two-year cycle), at least 4 hours code-related, no more than 2 hours safety.
Published fees on this path total $140, 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 · if applicable
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance · if applicable
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Colorado licenses master plumbers
Colorado master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Colorado State Plumbing Board (DORA Division of Professions and Occupations)
Colorado issues a statewide Master Plumber license through the State Plumbing Board in DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations. By examination an applicant must document five full-time years (8,500 hours) of practical plumbing experience on Affidavit of Experience forms, pay a $140 application fee, and score 75% on the PSI-administered Colorado master exam (120 multiple-choice questions, 270 minutes) based on the International Plumbing Code and International Residential Code (2021 editions until November 1, 2026, then the 2024 editions the Board adopted in 3 CCR 720-1). A master plumber may perform and supervise all plumbing work and is the responsible individual for a registered Plumbing Contractor, which is the separate business registration (with $100,000 property damage and $300,000 general liability insurance and workers' compensation compliance) needed to contract for plumbing work; a master may be responsible for only one company. Out-of-state master plumbers may be licensed by endorsement under Board Rule 1.4(B)(1)(a) without the Colorado exam; the Board has no reciprocal agreements. The current license period ends on the last day of February 2027, after which licenses run for three years; renewal requires eight CE hours per license year.
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 Colorado master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Pennsylvania license?
- At least 6 months before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Colorado master plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $140, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Colorado?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Colorado's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Colorado to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Colorado to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 3 CCR 720-1 - Plumbing Rules and Regulations (State Plumbing Board) · 3 CCR 720-1, Rule 1.4 (Applications and Licensing); Rule 1.2 (Standards) · Colorado Secretary of State (Code of Colorado Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Colorado SOS eDocket - Tracking Number 2025-00532 (3 CCR 720-1 permanent rule adopted 2025-12-17) · Colorado Secretary of State (Code of Colorado Regulations eDocket) · Other · verified September 23, 2026
- Colorado Revised Statutes Title 12, Article 155 - Plumbers (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 12) · C.R.S. §§ 12-155-110, 12-155-111, 12-155-112, 12-155-116, 12-155-118 · Colorado General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Colorado Plumbing Applications and Forms - Plumbing Licensure Requirements (Examination and Endorsement) · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Colorado Plumbing Continuing Education · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Colorado Plumbing Homepage - State Plumbing Board · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Colorado Plumbing Laws - Plumbing Practice Act and Laws · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- DPO Plumbing Licensing Guide (PDF linked from the Plumbing Applications page) · Colorado DORA, Division of Professions and Occupations · Form · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.