Pennsylvania to Idaho: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Idaho'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 plumbers and plumbing contractors (Idaho journeyman prerequisite plus contractor exam)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state master plumber or plumbing contractor receives no credit toward Idaho's Plumbing Contractor certificate. The applicant must first hold an active Idaho Plumbing Journeyman certificate - obtained either through the journeyman Reciprocity Pathway (Montana, Oregon, Washington) or by passing the Idaho journeyman exam with out-of-state hours credited - and then file the contractor application ($22.50), receive exam approval, and pass the four-hour Idaho Plumbing Contractor examination through PSI (100 questions: 60 from the DOPL Contractors' Business and Law Reference Manual, 40 code and sizing points from the 2017 Idaho State Plumbing Code / 2015 UPC; 75% to pass; $75 fee). After passing, the applicant files proof of a $2,000 surety (compliance) bond and pays the $147 certificate fee. Idaho Code 67-9409 lets DOPL require its examination of universal-licensure applicants, and the Plumbing Board has adopted no procedure that waives the contractor exam. Applications expire one year after filing if the exam is not passed.
Exam flags: the contractor examination is a single test whose content is 60% business/law and 40% plumbing code and sizing, so both flags are set. Fee conflict: Idaho Code 54-2616 lists the contractor certificate fee as $75 initial / $36 renewal, but DOPL's fee table and form charge $147 / $108. Military members, veterans and spouses holding an out-of-state contractor or master license may instead apply for licensure by endorsement under Idaho Code 67-9406. A DOPL contractor registration under Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 52 may additionally be needed to contract for work; it is separate from this Plumbing Board certificate.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Do not count
What you must already have
- Must hold an active Idaho Plumbing Journeyman certificate of competency before applying (IDAPA 24.39.20.100.03).
What you'll do to get licensed in Idaho
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($22.50). DOPL contractor application processing fee (Idaho Code 54-2614).
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($75). Plumbing Contractor examination fee, paid per attempt.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Idaho Plumbing Contractor examination (4 hours, 100 questions, open book; 8 code questions plus 8 sizing questions worth 4 points each from the 2017 ISPC / 2015 UPC; 75% to pass).
- 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Business and law portion of the same contractor examination: 60 questions drawn from the DOPL Contractors' Business and Law Reference Manual.
- 5Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($2,000). Compliance (surety) bond of $2,000 filed after passing the exam and kept in force for the whole certificate period; proof of renewal is required to renew the certificate.
- 6License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($147). Initial Plumbing Contractor certificate fee, three-year term (renewal $108; inactive renewal capped at $36 by statute).
Published fees on this path total $244.50, 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
- Law / code exam
Surety bond
A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.
- Surety bond · $2,000
How Idaho licenses master plumbers
Idaho master plumber · “Plumbing Contractor (Certificate of Competency)”
Statewide license
Issued by Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (Idaho State Plumbing Board)
Idaho has no master plumber title. The level above journeyman is the Plumbing Contractor certificate of competency, which Idaho Code 54-2611 defines as a person ('any person, or a member, representative or agent of a firm') who has passed the contractor examination; the contractor application confirms 'a plumbing contractor may be licensed as an individual', so it is treated here as the master-equivalent credential. IDAPA 24.39.20.100.03 requires the applicant to hold an active Idaho Plumbing Journeyman certificate, pass the Board-designated contractor exam (60% business and law, 40% code and sizing, 75% to pass), and file a $2,000 compliance bond; the initial certificate fee is $147 for a three-year term. A contractor may represent only one business at a time. No out-of-state contractor or master license is reciprocated at this level: the form has no reciprocal application type and the Montana, Oregon and Washington agreements cover journeymen only.
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 Idaho master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Idaho requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a Idaho master plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $244.50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Idaho?
- No. Idaho does not credit out-of-state hours on this path.
- Does it work the other way, from Idaho to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Idaho to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Idaho Code Title 54, Chapter 26 - Plumbing and Plumbers · Idaho Code 54-2610, 54-2611, 54-2614, 54-2616, 54-2617 · Idaho Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho Code 67-9406 - Licensure by Endorsement - Members of the Military, Veterans, and Spouses · Idaho Code 67-9406 · Idaho Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho Code 67-9409 - Universal Licensure · Idaho Code 67-9409 · Idaho Legislature · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho State Plumbing Board - Program Information and Exams · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- IDAPA 24.39.20 - Rules Governing Plumbing · IDAPA 24.39.20.100 · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho Plumbing Contractor Application and Instructions (revised July 1, 2023) · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Idaho DOPL Plumbing Exams Information Bulletin (updated September 23, 2024) · Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) · Other · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.