Pennsylvania to New Jersey: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is New Jersey'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 plumber: document experience under N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2 and sit the New Jersey master plumber examination
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
N.J.A.C. 13:32 Subchapter 2 lists eligibility, experience, examination and licensure for the Master Plumber license and does not contain a reciprocity or endorsement rule that waives the New Jersey exams. An inbound applicant uses the same path as a New Jersey candidate: file the Board application with the non-refundable fee in 13:32-5.1(a)(1) or (2); complete a four-year U.S. DOL plumbing apprenticeship or a qualifying engineering bachelor's degree, then one year / 1,200 hours of practical hands-on work as a New Jersey journeyman inspected by a New Jersey plumbing inspector (13:32-2.2), plus propane education; sit the three-part examination in 13:32-2.3 (NSPC written, practical, and New Jersey laws/regulations, 70 on each part); then complete licensure under 13:32-2.5 including the prorated initial license fee and the $25 pressure seal. An inbound out-of-state journeyman year may not count as the New Jersey-inspected 1,200 hours. 13:32-2.8 Temporary courtesy license ($80) is a separate limited credential, not a general exam-waiver agreement with named states.
Mechanism is ExperienceCredit because Chapter 32 has no reciprocity/endorsement section that waives the exam. The 1,200-hour practical year must be as a New Jersey journeyman performing work inspected by a New Jersey plumbing inspector; do not treat an out-of-state journeyman year as automatically equivalent. Medical-gas certifications in Subchapter 7 are separate from the Master Plumber license.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Four-year U.S. DOL-approved plumbing apprenticeship, or a qualifying bachelor's degree in mechanical, plumbing or sanitary engineering (N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2)
- You must document at least 1,200 hours of qualifying work experience.One year / 1,200 hours of practical hands-on experience as a journeyman plumber in New Jersey performing work inspected by a New Jersey plumbing inspector (N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2). An inbound out-of-state journeyman year may not satisfy this.
- Propane education required by N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2
What you'll do to get licensed in New Jersey
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Non-refundable application fee without prior Board registration (N.J.A.C. 13:32-5.1(a)(1)). Applicants who already hold Board apprentice or journeyman registration pay $50 under 13:32-5.1(a)(2) instead..
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. New Jersey Master Plumber examination, three parts (N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.3): written National Standard Plumbing Code, practical, and New Jersey laws/regulations. Passing score 70 on each part; offered at least four times per year; all parts must be passed within five years..
- 3Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. New Jersey laws and regulations part of the master plumber examination (N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.3); passing score 70. This is one of the three required parts, not a separate sitting..
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($160). Initial Master Plumber license fee if paid during the first year of the biennial renewal period; $80 if paid during the second year. Biennial renewal $160; late renewal $50; reinstatement $150 (N.J.A.C. 13:32-5.1(a)(3), (4), (8), (9))..
- 5Other. Initial pressure seal (N.J.A.C. 13:32-5.1(a)(10)); replacement seal $25. ($25).
- 6Other. 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..
- 7Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Continuing education applies to licensed master plumbers (N.J.A.C. 13:32 Subchapter 6; sponsor application fee $100 in 13:32-5.1(a)(15))..
- 8Other. 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..
Published fees on this path total $260, 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
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How New Jersey licenses master plumbers
New Jersey master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers (Division of Consumer Affairs)
New Jersey's person-held plumbing license is the statewide Master Plumber credential issued by the State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers in the Division of Consumer Affairs under N.J.S.A. 45:14C-1 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 13:32. A licensed master is the person who may plan, lay out, install and repair plumbing and supervise others; a plumbing contractor must have a licensed master who owns at least 10 percent of the business as bona fide representative. N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2 requires a four-year U.S. DOL plumbing apprenticeship or a qualifying engineering bachelor's degree, then one year / 1,200 hours of practical hands-on work as a New Jersey journeyman inspected by a New Jersey plumbing inspector, plus propane education. The examination (13:32-2.3) has three parts — NSPC written, practical, and New Jersey laws/regulations — each requiring a score of 70. Chapter 32 has no reciprocity / endorsement section, so an out-of-state master is not treated as receiving an exam waiver. Current published Board fees (13:32-5.1(a)) are a $100 non-refundable application fee without prior registration ($50 with prior registration), an initial license fee of $160 in the first year of the biennial period or $80 in the second, biennial renewal $160, and a $25 initial pressure seal.
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 New Jersey master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. New Jersey requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a New Jersey master plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $260, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in New Jersey?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward New Jersey's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from New Jersey to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers - Applications · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers - home page · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-1.3 - Definitions · N.J.A.C. 13:32-1.3 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32 Subchapter 2 - Application, Experience Requirements, Examination · N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.1 to 13:32-2.8 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2 - Experience requirements · N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.3 - Examinations · N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.3 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-5.1 - Fee schedule · N.J.A.C. 13:32-5.1 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- N.J. Admin. Code Tit. 13, ch. 32 - State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers (chapter table of contents) · N.J.A.C. 13:32; N.J.S.A. 45:14C-7 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.