Pennsylvania to North Dakota: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is North Dakota'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 reciprocal agreement: application for the North Dakota master examination (all states except MN and SD)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
NDAC 62-02-01-01(4) provides that 'Applicants who are master plumbers in other states who desire to work in this state in localities where a state master license is required may make application for a master examination and license,' with the origin master license 'vouched for as provided on the application blank.' Eligibility follows 62-02-01-01(3): the applicant must be 21 and have two years and 3,400 hours of experience as a journeyman plumber licensed by North Dakota 'or any other state that has a state licensing law', so time worked under an out-of-state state journeyman license counts in full. The Board's FAQ requires the out-of-state license to be verified 'by state endorsed letter which must state the type of license held, issue date of said license, whether the license was obtained through examination and whether or not the license is current.' The applicant pays the $50 application fee and $50 exam fee, must sit within six months of approval, and needs 80% on the four-part board-administered master exam (2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code); the $200 master license fee is paid on passing and the license renews every December 31 for $200. NDCC 43-18-13.1 permits no-exam registration of nonresidents from substantially equivalent states that reciprocate, but the Board's published practice limits that to Minnesota and South Dakota at the master level.
No separate law or rules exam; the master exam covers the plumbing code and principles of plumbing (NDAC 62-02-01-03) and the passing grade is 80% (journeyman 70%). Because the 3,400 journeyman hours must have been earned under a license from 'a state that has a state licensing law', journeyman time under a city-only license does not qualify, hence acceptsMunicipalOriginLicenses is false. A Montana Master licensee gets the North Dakota Journeyman license without examination under the MT agreement but must take the master exam.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- You must document at least 3,400 hours of qualifying work experience.Two years and 3,400 hours of experience as a journeyman plumber licensed by North Dakota or any other state with a state licensing law (NDAC 62-02-01-01(3); FAQ)
- Applicant must be at least 21 years of age
- State-endorsed letter (Certificate of Endorsement) from the origin licensing agency stating the type of license held, its issue date, whether it was obtained through examination and whether it is current; the origin journeyman or master license is vouched for on the application blank
What you'll do to get licensed in North Dakota
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Application fee for the master examination and license (NDAC 62-02-01-01).
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($50). Master exam fee, one examination per fee paid (NDAC 62-02-01-02; Board exam-fees page); six-month wait and new fee after a failure.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Board-administered North Dakota Master Plumber exam: four parts (100 closed-book multiple-choice questions; open-book 40 completion questions, water pipe sizing and DWV with fixture units), five hours, based on the 2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code; 80% to pass; given every other month in Bismarck and Fargo; must be taken within six months of application approval.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Master plumber license fee on passing (NDAC 62-02-01-01(3)); expires December 31 and renews annually for $200 (late renewal $50); a master may hold the journeyman license without the journeyman fee (NDCC 43-18-13).
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 2 to 4 credit hours of plumbing-related continuing education within each two-year period to renew (NDCC 43-18-17.1); Board CE session or correspondence course $40.
Published fees on this path total $300, 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 North Dakota licenses master plumbers
North Dakota master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by North Dakota State Plumbing Board
North Dakota issues a statewide Master Plumber certificate and license through the North Dakota State Plumbing Board under NDCC chapter 43-18 and NDAC chapter 62-02-01. Any firm installing plumbing where there is a public water or sewer system must have a licensed master plumber in charge (NDCC 43-18-10). A new applicant must be at least 21 and have two years and 3,400 hours of experience 'as a journeyman plumber licensed by the state of North Dakota or any other state that has a state licensing law', then pass the board-administered master exam - four parts, one closed book and three open book, five hours, on the 2018 North Dakota Plumbing Code - with 80%. Fees are a $50 application fee, a $50 exam fee and a $200 master license fee; licenses expire every December 31 and renew for $200, with 2 to 4 hours of continuing education required in each two-year period. A master may also hold the journeyman license without paying the journeyman fee. Masters from Minnesota (license held one year) and South Dakota Contractor licensees may be licensed without examination under the Board's written agreements; other out-of-state masters apply for the North Dakota master examination with their journeyman or master license vouched for.
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 North Dakota master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. North Dakota requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a North Dakota master plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $300, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in North Dakota?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward North Dakota's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from North Dakota to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from North Dakota to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- North Dakota Administrative Code Chapter 62-02-01 - Plumber Licensure · NDAC 62-02-01-01, 62-02-01-01.1, 62-02-01-02, 62-02-01-03, 62-02-01-04, 62-02-01-06, 62-02-01-07 · North Dakota Legislative Branch (State Board of Plumbing rules) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota Century Code Chapter 43-18 - Plumbers · NDCC 43-18-08, 43-18-10, 43-18-11, 43-18-13, 43-18-13.1, 43-18-15, 43-18-16, 43-18-17, 43-18-17.1 · North Dakota Legislative Branch · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Licensing Applications · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Continuing Education Requirements Overview · NDCC 43-18-17.1 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Exam Fees · NDAC 62-02-01-02 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Exams: General Information · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - FAQ (reciprocal licensing with South Dakota) · NDCC 43-18-13.1 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Faq · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Home · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- North Dakota State Plumbing Board - Laws and Rules · NDCC ch. 43-18; NDAC Title 62 · North Dakota State Plumbing Board · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.