Pennsylvania to Rhode Island: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Rhode Island'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 plumber: Rhode Island master examination (all states; no published exam waiver)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state master plumber applies to DLT Professional Regulation for the Rhode Island master plumber examination. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-16(a), the master exam is normally open only to someone who has held a Rhode Island Journeyperson Plumber license for at least one year while employed by a licensed master, but § 5-20-16(b) lets DLT waive those prerequisites when the applicant shows acceptable skill, education, experience and training, which is how an out-of-state master's record can count. The board's rule also provides for licensing a master who was licensed by examination in a state whose requirements are the same, on a copy of the current license, a licensure-status statement from each state board, and an affidavit of the written exam passed. Chapter 20 has no reciprocity or endorsement section, and DLT publishes no list of qualifying states. A contractor master (§ 5-20-12.1) is a separate firm credential and is not a substitute for the individual master plumber license. File on the Plumbers and Irrigators application from the DLT Professional Regulation hub.
No named agreements. Mechanism is ExperienceCredit, not Reciprocity, because no official source waives the trade exam.
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.
- Rhode Island requires one year as a licensed Rhode Island journeyperson plumber employed by a licensed master before the master exam, unless DLT waives that prerequisite on evidence of equivalent skill, education, experience and training (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-16)
What you'll do to get licensed in Rhode Island
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Nonrefundable master plumber application fee (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-16(a)(1)).
- 2Other. Proof of your current out-of-state license and a letter of good standing, filed with the notarized Plumbers and Irrigators application, a copy of government-issued photo ID, and a notarized statement on company letterhead from a present or past employer verifying at least five years of experience in the trade.
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Rhode Island Master Plumber examination administered by DLT Professional Regulation; no published waiver for out-of-state masters.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($240). Two-year Master Plumber license fee, invoiced after a passing score of 70 or higher.
- 5Contractor license. Hold or obtain a contractor license (if applicable). Contractor master license under R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-12.1 if the master will operate as a firm — separate from the individual Master Plumber license.
- 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Seven hours of approved continuing education with a board-approved provider during every two-year license cycle.
Published fees on this path total $315, 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
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Rhode Island licenses master plumbers
Rhode Island master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Rhode Island issues a statewide Master Plumber license through the same DLT Board of Examiners of Plumbers (R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 5-20-3, 5-20-8, 5-20-16). A master’s license is required to engage in the plumbing business; journeypersons work under a master (§§ 5-20-8, 5-20-9). Firms need a contractor master under § 5-20-12.1 in addition to the individual master — that contractor-master credential is not this file’s master level. Licenses are issued on examination (§ 5-20-21). Chapter 20 has no reciprocity or endorsement section, and DLT’s plumber pages list no partner states and no exam waiver. DLT administers the plumber exams itself. Irrigator and water-filtration master licenses are separate.
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 Rhode Island master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Rhode Island requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Rhode Island master plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $315, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Rhode Island?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Rhode Island's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Rhode Island to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Rhode Island to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Rhode Island DLT - Plumbers and Irrigators Application for Examination (with instructions and fee table) · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulation · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Rhode Island DLT - Board of Examiners of Plumbers · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Rhode Island DLT - Plumber CLE Agreement (Rev. 08/2025) · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulation · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation Forms and Applications · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- 260-RICR-30-15-9 - Licensing of Plumbers, Irrigators and Water System Installers · 260-RICR-30-15-9 · Rhode Island Department of State (Rhode Island Code of Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-16 - Qualifications of master plumber, master irrigator or master water-filtration/treatment-system installer — Application fee · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-16 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-23 - Expiration and renewal of licenses — Penalties for violation of section · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-23 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- R.I. Gen. Laws Title 5, Chapter 20 - Plumbers, Irrigators, and Water System Installers (index) · R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 5-20 · Rhode Island General Assembly · 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.