Pennsylvania to Maine: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Maine'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 (32 M.R.S. §3501-C); examination if origin requirements are not substantially equivalent
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
There is no Maine-published list of master-plumber reciprocity agreements. The inbound default is licensure by endorsement under 32 M.R.S. §3501-C and 10 M.R.S. §8003-H: hold a substantially equivalent master-level license in another U.S. jurisdiction, be in good standing everywhere licensed, and pay the fee. Chapter 49 does not require a Maine trade or jurisprudence exam on that path. If the origin license is not substantially equivalent, or if the board has not yet implemented endorsement for the master grade, the applicant uses §3501(2-A): application, §3501-B fee, 2,000 hours as a journeyman or 8,000 hours as a trainee under a master (or the equivalent), and a passing grade on the master's examination. Out-of-state master or journeyman hours may be offered as 'the equivalent.' Maine has no separate plumbing contractor license: chapter 49 licenses individuals, and under the board's plumbing code only a licensed master plumber may obtain a plumbing permit.
The board has not published any reciprocity agreements, a separate endorsement application or a list of states it treats as substantially equivalent, so contact the Plumbers' Examining Board ([email protected], 207-624-8627) before applying. Its examination application has an out-of-state master pathway: a copy of your master plumber license, affidavits showing at least four years and 8,000 hours of plumbing installation work, and evidence of the work you have done. The master license costs $200 for two years plus a $21 criminal background check fee. Maine's master experience floor (2,000 hours as a journeyman, or 8,000 as a trainee) is lower than many states' master thresholds, so a bona fide out-of-state master license will often be substantially equivalent on hours even if the board has not published an equivalence chart. examTradeRequired is false for endorsement; the Maine master exam (Prov, closed book, 75% to pass) is required on the §3501(2-A) examination route.
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 no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- Origin jurisdiction's master requirements must be substantially equivalent to Maine's (10 M.R.S. §8003-H). Maine's own exam pathway is 2,000 hours as a journeyman plumber or 8,000 hours as a trainee under a master, or the equivalent, plus a passing grade on the master's examination (32 M.R.S. §3501(2-A)).
- You must document at least 2,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Statutory exam-route minimum as a journeyman plumber (one year / 2,000 hours), or alternatively 8,000 hours as a trainee plumber under a master, or the equivalent. Endorsement applicants meet this only insofar as the origin pathway is substantially equivalent.
What you'll do to get licensed in Maine
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Master Plumber license fee for a two-year term (02-041 CMR ch. 10 §5(29)).
- 2Background check. Complete a background check ($21). Criminal background check fee, paid with the license application.
- 3Other. Sworn application on a form prescribed by the board, with proof of the valid, active out-of-state master license (license verification from the issuing board).
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Board-approved master plumber examination with a passing grade determined by the board (32 M.R.S. §3501(1-A), (2-A)) — required only if endorsement under §3501-C is not available..
Published fees on this path total $200, 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
How Maine licenses master plumbers
Maine master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Maine issues a statewide Master Plumber license through the same Plumbers' Examining Board. By examination the applicant pays the §3501-B fee and shows either one year / 2,000 hours as a journeyman plumber or four years / 8,000 hours as a trainee plumber under a master (or the equivalent), then obtains a passing grade on the board-approved master's examination (32 M.R.S. §3501(2-A)). A Maine master may supervise trainee plumbers; the trainee license itself is issued without examination to a person employed by a licensed master. Out-of-state masters use the same statutory endorsement process as journeymen (32 M.R.S. §3501-C / 10 M.R.S. §8003-H) when the origin master requirements are substantially equivalent; otherwise they sit the Maine master exam with comparable hours credited. The master license costs $200 for a two-year term, plus a $21 criminal background check fee with the first application.
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 Maine master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Maine master plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $200, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Maine?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Maine's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Maine to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Maine to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 02-041 CMR Chapter 10 - OPOR Establishment of License Fees, section 5(29) Plumbers' Examining Board · 02-041 CMR ch. 10 §5(29) · Maine Secretary of State / Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Maine Plumbers' Examining Board (Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) - board home · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR), Department of Professional and Financial Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Plumbers' Examining Board - Licensing - Individual Licenses (master, journeyman, trainee, journeyman-in-training) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation - Professions and Occupations directory · Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Plumbers' Examining Board - Journeyman & Master Plumber Examination Application (rev. 02/2020) · Maine Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (OPOR) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- 02-395 CMR - Plumbers' Examining Board rules, all chapters (ch. 3 Licensing Requirements, ch. 4 Installation Standards, ch. 6 Reciprocity) · 02-395 CMR chs. 1-8 · Maine Secretary of State / Plumbers' Examining Board · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- 10 M.R.S. §8003-H - Licensure by endorsement (OPOR general provision) · 10 M.R.S. §8003-H · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- 32 M.R.S. §3501 - Issuance of licenses (journeyman, master, journeyman-in-training, trainee) · 32 M.R.S. §3501 · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 32 M.R.S. §3501-B - Fees (Plumbers' Examining Board) · 32 M.R.S. §3501-B · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 32 M.R.S. §3501-C - Licensure by endorsement (Plumbers' Examining Board) · 32 M.R.S. §3501-C; PL 2021, c. 642, §16 · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- 32 M.R.S. Chapter 49 - Plumbers (table of contents) · 32 M.R.S. ch. 49 · Maine Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.