Pennsylvania to Minnesota: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Minnesota'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 without a reciprocity agreement (exam required; equivalent license qualifies applicant to sit)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A master plumber licensed anywhere other than North Dakota or South Dakota gets no exam waiver and must pass the Minnesota master plumber written exam. The out-of-state license is itself the qualification to sit: DLI accepts 'a current master plumber license from another state where the requirements of the licensing jurisdiction are equivalent to those of Minnesota as determined by DLI' as one of the three master exam eligibility routes, alongside one year of experience as a licensed journeyworker plumber or a Minnesota restricted master license with five years as a contractor. DLI makes the equivalence determination case by case when it reviews the exam application. The applicant applies through iMS with the $50 exam fee, must wait 30 days to reapply after a failed attempt, and pays the license fee after passing; a master who intends to contract also needs the separate Plumbing Contractor license with bond and insurance. Minnesota has no separate law or business exam for individual plumbers.
DLI does not publish the criteria it uses to decide that another state's master requirements are 'equivalent'; a master whose state is found not equivalent would have to qualify through the journeyworker route. DLI's exam application describes that route as holding a Minnesota journeyworker license for at least 12 months. DLI sends instructions for paying the license fee after the exam is passed; under Minn. Stat. 326B.092 the fee is $88 for a two-year master license ($44 if the first term is one year or less).
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- 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.
- Alternative routes: at least one year of practical plumbing experience as a licensed journeyworker plumber, or a current Minnesota restricted master plumber license plus five years of verifiable experience in business as a plumbing contractor in Minnesota
What you'll do to get licensed in Minnesota
- 1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Master plumber exam application fee, paid online through iMS (30-day wait before reapplying after a failed exam).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Minnesota master plumber written examination administered by DLI (5.5-hour limit); DLI does not publish the pass mark.
- 3Other. Copy of the current out-of-state master plumber license (DLI determines equivalence), or verification of one year as a licensed journeyworker plumber.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($88). Master plumber license fee, paid after the exam is passed: $80 base fee plus $8 board fee for a two-year license, or $44 if the first term is one year or less (Minn. Stat. 326B.092, subd. 7); renewal is $93 for the two-year cycle ending Dec. 31 of even-numbered years.
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 16 hours of DLI-approved continuing education per two-year renewal cycle, at least eight hours on the State Plumbing Code (required to renew, not to obtain the initial license).
- 6Contractor license. Hold or obtain a contractor license (if applicable). Plumbing Contractor license (Minn. Stat. 326B.46) with code-compliance bond, general liability and workers' compensation insurance is required only to contract for plumbing work as a business.
Published fees on this path total $138, 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.
- Exam fee · $50
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Minnesota licenses master plumbers
Minnesota master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Plumbing Board
Minnesota issues a statewide, person-held Master Plumber license through DLI; the license 'authorizes the individual to perform plumbing statewide', and a separate Plumbing Contractor license (a business license that must have a licensed master plumber as its responsible individual and carry a bond, general liability and workers' compensation insurance under Minn. Stat. 326B.46) is not covered here. DLI also issues a Restricted Master Plumber license limited to cities and towns under 5,000. A new master applicant must pass DLI's written master plumber exam ($50 exam fee) and is eligible to sit it after at least one year of practical experience as a licensed journeyworker plumber, with a current master plumber license from another state whose requirements DLI determines are equivalent to Minnesota's, or with a Minnesota restricted master license plus five years in business as a plumbing contractor. Master plumbers licensed by examination in North Dakota or South Dakota may be licensed without the Minnesota exam. Master licenses expire December 31 of even-numbered years (Minn. Stat. 326B.49); renewal is $93 and requires 16 hours of continuing education, at least eight on the State Plumbing Code.
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 Minnesota master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Minnesota requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Minnesota master plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $138, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Minnesota?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Minnesota's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Minnesota to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Minnesota to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Minnesota DLI - Individual Plumber License Examination Application · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Personal plumber license forms and resources · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbers (landing page for workers) · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license experience requirements · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license basics · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license types and credentials · Minn. Stat. 326B.46 · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing reciprocity · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Minnesota Statutes 326B.092 - Fees (application, examination and license fees) · Minn. Stat. 326B.092, subds. 1, 3, 6, 7 · Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Minnesota Statutes 326B.49 - Plumber license applications, fees and expiration · Minn. Stat. 326B.49, subd. 1 · Minnesota Legislature, Office of the Revisor of Statutes · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.