Pennsylvania to Ohio: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Ohio'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 plumbing contractor or master plumber without a reciprocity agreement (examination route)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A plumbing contractor or master plumber licensed in a state without an OCILB reciprocity agreement must take the Ohio examination; neither R.C. 4740.06 nor OCILB's pages provide a case-by-case exam waiver outside a written reciprocity agreement (R.C. 4740.08). R.C. 4740.06(C) and OCILB's Out-of-State Examination Application let the out-of-state license stand in for the usual five years of Ohio tax and permit documentation: the applicant instead shows the substantially similar license has been active for at least five years (letter of good standing), at least five building authorizations issued under it, one tax return reflecting income under the license (plus a W-2 if not the owner), and that their employer is registered in Ohio as a foreign corporation or LLC with a designated agent. The board secretary must approve a complete out-of-state exam application within 30 days; the applicant then completes BCI and FBI background checks (approval valid one year) and passes both sections of the PSI exam (Plumbing trade and Business & Law). The license is issued on submission of the results, a $25 fee and a $500,000 certificate of liability insurance, and must be assigned to a contracting company; the specialty section must authorize the license within 90 days of the application once the applicant qualifies and passes.
Mechanism is ExperienceCredit rather than Endorsement because OCILB waives the trade exam only under a written reciprocity agreement with a named state; the out-of-state route only substitutes the origin license for Ohio experience documentation. The PSI examination fee, pass mark and question counts are published only in the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin sent to approved candidates and were not confirmed from an official page. Kentucky plumbing licensees are not on OCILB's plumbing reciprocity list (Kentucky is listed for Electrical, HVAC and Refrigeration only) and use this path.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 90 days
What you must already have
- You must have held your Pennsylvania license for at least 5 years.Proof the substantially similar out-of-state license has been active at least five years (letter of good standing); otherwise the standard five years as a tradesperson applies.
- At least five authorizations for construction, erection, equipment, alteration or addition of a building issued under the out-of-state license, and at least one tax return reflecting income earned under it (R.C. 4740.06(C))
- Employer contracting company licensed as a foreign corporation (R.C. 1703.04) or registered as a foreign LLC (R.C. 1706.511) in Ohio with a designated agent
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Ohio
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($25). OCILB Out-of-State Examination Application fee for the Plumbing trade, payable to Treasurer, State of Ohio.
- 2Background check. Complete a background check. BCI and FBI background checks after board approval and before sitting for the exam (approval valid one year).
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Ohio Plumbing Contractor examination, trade section, administered by PSI (computer-based); retake not less than 60 days after the last attempt.
- 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Ohio Business and Law examination section, administered by PSI.
- 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI examination fee per the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin (amount not published on the OCILB pages).
- 6License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($25). License issuance fee submitted with the exam results, payable to Treasurer, State of Ohio; annual renewal thereafter with continuing education.
- 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($500,000). Certificate of contractor liability insurance of at least $500,000 in one contracting company name, certificate holder OCILB.
- 8Other. Assignment of the license and insurance to a contracting company as defined in R.C. 4740.01(C).
Published fees on this path total $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
- Exam fee
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance · $500,000
How Ohio licenses master plumbers
Ohio master plumber · “Plumbing Contractor (OCILB state license)”
Statewide license
Issued by Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce
Ohio has no license called 'master plumber'; its top person-held plumbing credential is the statewide Plumbing Contractor license issued by the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) to an individual who qualified by examination (R.C. 4740.01(A)), who then assigns it to a contracting company. Other states' reciprocity forms pair this license with their master plumber licenses (West Virginia's form, for example, matches its Master Plumber to Ohio's Plumbing Contractor), so it is treated here as the master level. A new applicant must be 18, a citizen or legal alien, have five years as a tradesperson in the plumbing trade immediately before applying (or be an Ohio registered engineer with three years of construction business experience), pass BCI and FBI background checks, pass both sections of the PSI-administered examination (Plumbing trade and Business & Law), carry $500,000 of contractor liability insurance in one company name, and pay a $25 application fee and $25 license fee; licenses expire annually and renew with continuing education (online CE limited to 4 hours per one-year renewal). OCILB's published reciprocity list covers plumbing licenses from Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, with the Ohio Business and Law exam still required for Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee licensees.
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 Ohio master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Ohio requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- How long do I need to have held my Pennsylvania license?
- At least 5 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Ohio master plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Ohio?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Ohio's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 90 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Ohio to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Ohio to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- OCILB - Contractors & Contracting Companies (state license requirements, reciprocity list, document checklists) · Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- OCILB Examination Application (form DIC 3524, PDF) · Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- OCILB Out-of-State Examination Application (PDF) · Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- OCILB West Virginia Mechanical Reciprocity Application (HVAC, PL) (PDF) · Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code 4740.01 - Construction industry licensing board definitions · R.C. 4740.01(A), (C), (E) · Ohio Legislative Service Commission · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code 4740.06 - License application; qualifications for examination · R.C. 4740.06(B), (C), (E), (F), (G), (H) · Ohio Legislative Service Commission · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Ohio Revised Code 4740.08 - Reciprocity · R.C. 4740.08 · Ohio Legislative Service Commission · 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.