Pennsylvania to Georgia: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Georgia'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 (no named reciprocity partners)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state master plumber applies for a Georgia Class I or Class II Master Plumber license by examination under Rule 121-3-.02 unless the Division has a formal written reciprocity or endorsement agreement with that origin board under Rule 121-2-.03. No origin state is named on the rules pages retrieved, so the trade exam is required. The applicant documents five years of plumbing work covered by the Georgia State Plumbing Code, of which at least two years were as a licensed Journeyman Plumber; Class II also needs commercial or industrial plumbing experience. Out-of-state journeyman licensure and installation work are expected to count toward those totals; the rule does not say the two licensed years must have been a Georgia journeyman license. After two failures a Board-approved review course is required before a third sitting. Grandfathered origin licenses without an exam never qualify under Rule 121-2-.03 and give no advantage beyond experience credit. A current Georgia master (or journeyman) may separately apply for Statewide Medical Gas Piping Systems Certification under Rule 121-2-.11.
Rule 121-2-.03 allows Endorsement or Reciprocity only via a formal written agreement with a state licensing board; without a published partner list, defaultPath is ExperienceCredit (exam required), not Reciprocity. Class I vs Class II is chosen by the applicant and, under 121-2-.03(3), by the Division when an agreement exists. Municipal origin licenses are not treated as 'state licensing Board' credentials. Typical timeline omitted. O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 14 text was not fetched.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Minimum of five (5) years of plumbing experience covered by the Georgia State Plumbing Code, with at least two (2) of the five years licensed as a Journeyman Plumber (Rule 121-3-.02(4))
- Class II only: documented experience in commercial or industrial plumbing (Rule 121-3-.02(4))
- Three licensed-plumber references; Class I at least one licensed Master Plumber; Class II at least two licensed Master Plumbers (Rule 121-3-.02(3))
What you'll do to get licensed in Georgia
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee. Fee, eligibility details, and processing steps are not published in a form we can list here. Please see the sources on this page to find out more..
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Georgia Master Plumber Class I or Class II examination; minimum score 70 (Rule 121-3-.02(2)). Vendor and candidate-handbook details were not published on the rules pages. After two failures, a Board-approved review course is required before a third sitting..
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Examination fee paid to the testing vendor at registration (amount and vendor not published on the rules pages retrieved).
- 4Other. Three licensed-plumber references (Class I: at least one Master Plumber; Class II: at least two Master Plumbers).
- 5Other. Experience record documenting five years of plumbing work including two years as a licensed journeyman; Class II also commercial or industrial plumbing.
- 6Other. Optional Statewide Medical Gas Piping Systems Certification (Rule 121-2-.11): current Georgia master or journeyman license plus 32-hour Division-approved ASSE 6000 / NFPA 99 program with written exam and braze test (if applicable).
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
- Other · if applicable
How Georgia licenses master plumbers
Georgia master plumber · “Master Plumber Class II (Unrestricted)”
Statewide license
Georgia issues statewide Master Plumber licenses in two classes through the Construction Industry Licensing Board's Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers. Class I is limited to single-family dwellings, one-level dwellings designed for not more than two families, and commercial structures not exceeding 10,000 square feet; Class II is unrestricted and is the master-level equivalent used here. A master applicant must document five years of plumbing work covered by the Georgia State Plumbing Code, including at least two years licensed as a Journeyman Plumber; Class II also requires commercial or industrial plumbing experience. The applicant scores at least 70 on the appropriate master examination, names three licensed-plumber references (Class I: at least one master; Class II: at least two masters), and pays the Board's published fee. Rule 121-2-.03 authorizes the Division to issue a master license by reciprocity or endorsement under a formal written agreement with another state board whose exam is substantially equal and who offer a similar privilege to Georgia licensees; the rules pages name no partner states (unlike the Electrical Division's published AL/LA/NC/SC/TN list, and unlike conditioned-air's 2022 form that listed LA and suspended SC/TX). Everyone else applies by examination, with out-of-state journeyman time counting toward the two licensed years and other plumbing work counting toward the five-year total.
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 Georgia master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Georgia requires the trade exam on this path.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Georgia?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Georgia's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Georgia to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Georgia to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 14 - Electrical Contractors, Plumbers, Conditioned Air Contractors, Low Voltage Contractors, and Utility Contractors · O.C.G.A. §§ 43-14-5, 43-14-6, 43-14-8 · Georgia General Assembly / Georgia Code · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 121-2 - Qualifications for Licensure (Construction Industry Licensing Board) · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-2-.01, 121-2-.03, 121-2-.06, 121-2-.11 · Georgia Secretary of State, Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 121-3 - Application for Licensure (Construction Industry Licensing Board) · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02, 121-3-.03 · Georgia Secretary of State, Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02 - Statewide Master and Journeyman Plumber License · Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 121-3-.02; O.C.G.A. §§ 43-14-5, 43-14-6 · Georgia Secretary of State, Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- How to Guide: Master and Journeyman Plumbers · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Georgia State Board of Master and Journeyman Plumbers (Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers) · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Board of Master and Journeyman Plumbers FAQ · Georgia Secretary of State, Professional Licensing Boards Division · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.