Pennsylvania to South Carolina: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is South Carolina'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.
Licensure by examination with credit for out-of-state experience (states without a PB waiver exam)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A plumbing contractor whose exam is not listed for Plumbing on the Board's Technical Exam Waiver Agreement list is told: 'If your state is listed but your trade/classification is not listed, you are not eligible to apply by waiver/reciprocity.' The applicant passes the South Carolina Plumber technical exam through PSI and the South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam, then files the Qualifying Party application (Doc. 168) with proof of at least 2 years of full-time work experience performed within the past 5 years in the plumbing classification, which may have been earned in any state and should primarily reflect commercial work (a PHCC Academy of North Carolina apprenticeship certificate covering plumbing is an alternative). The business files the Mechanical Contractor license application with the $350 licensure fee and a financial statement (or surety bond) meeting the group limit it wants. Section 40-11-290 separately allows the Board to exempt the technical exam for an applicant who verifies passing an essentially identical exam in another state even without a reciprocal agreement, but the Board's published waiver list and instructions do not describe a process for invoking it outside the listed exams. The May 2026 waiver list names four plumbing exams that replace the technical exam: North Carolina Plumbing Class 1, Ohio Plumbing, Tennessee CMC/Mechanical and Tennessee CMC-A (plus the South Carolina CAGC/MASC Master Plumber certification); holders of those licenses, obtained by exam and in good standing, still take the Business Management & Law exam.
PSI charges $75 for the Plumber exam and $75 for the Business Management & Law exam, paid directly to PSI. The Board's licensure page shows a $350 licensure fee but no separate qualifying-party application fee. The Mechanical Group financial thresholds on the licensure page (Group 2: $100,000 per job, $10,000 working capital or $15,000 net worth, $15,000 bond) replace the older figures in the Board's 2019 waiver document. For residential-only work, the Residential Builders Commission's Residential Plumber license is a separate credential (one year of residential plumbing experience, $135 application fee, $220 license fee); its technical exam is waived for current North Carolina or Mississippi licensees who obtained their license by exam and have held it for at least one year.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- At least 2 years of full-time work experience in the plumbing classification, performed within the past 5 years, documented on Work Experience Affidavits (Doc. 167); out-of-state experience is accepted. A PHCC Academy of North Carolina apprenticeship certificate (Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing) is an alternative listed on Doc. 168.
What you'll do to get licensed in South Carolina
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. South Carolina Plumber technical examination through PSI, unless a listed waiver exam or CAGC/MASC Master Plumber certification applies.
- 2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors examination (PSI), required of all applicants.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($75). PSI fee for the South Carolina Plumber exam, per attempt.
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($75). PSI fee for the Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam, per attempt.
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($350). Mechanical Contractor licensure fee (license issued to the entity the qualifying party certifies).
- 6Financial responsibility. Show financial responsibility. Financial statement with a balance sheet dated within 12 months showing working capital of $10,000 or net worth of $15,000 for Mechanical Group 2 (higher groups require more), or a surety bond in lieu.
- 7Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($15,000) (if applicable). Surety bond accepted in lieu of the financial statement for Mechanical Group 2 (larger bonds for higher groups).
- 8Other. Qualifying Party initial application (Doc. 168) with exam score sheets, Work Experience Affidavits, ID, Social Security card and notarized Verification of Lawful Presence.
- 9Other. SC Examination Waiver form completed by the origin board only if claiming a listed plumbing waiver exam; copies of licenses or exam results are not accepted.
Published fees on this path total $500, 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 · $75
- Exam fee · $75
Surety bond
A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.
- Surety bond · $15,000 · if applicable
How South Carolina licenses master plumbers
South Carolina master plumber · “Mechanical Contractor, Plumbing (PB) classification - Qualifying Party certification”
Statewide license
South Carolina has no license titled 'master plumber'. The highest person-held plumbing credential is the Contractor's Licensing Board's Qualifying Party certification in the Plumbing (PB) classification of the Mechanical Contractor license. The individual passes the South Carolina Plumber technical exam through PSI (or holds a CAGC/MASC Master Plumber certification earned by exam, or a listed out-of-state waiver exam) and the South Carolina Business Management & Law for Commercial Contractors exam, documents two years of full-time experience within the past five years in the classification (or a PHCC Academy of North Carolina plumbing apprenticeship certificate), and is certified as the qualifying party for a licensed entity (which may be a sole proprietorship). The certification stays with the person; Doc. 168 states the certified qualifying party 'is not a licensed contractor' and the entity holds the license. The license fee is $350, with a financial statement or surety bond sized by mechanical group (Group 2, jobs to $100,000: working capital $10,000 or net worth $15,000, or a $15,000 bond). Work over $10,000 requires this license under § 40-11-30. The Board's waiver list accepts North Carolina Plumbing Class 1, Ohio Plumbing and Tennessee CMC or CMC-A exams in place of the plumbing technical exam; other out-of-state licensees take both South Carolina exams.
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 South Carolina master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. South Carolina requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a South Carolina master plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $500, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in South Carolina?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward South Carolina's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from South Carolina to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from South Carolina to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- S.C. Code of Laws Title 40, Chapter 11 - Contractors · S.C. Code Ann. Sections 40-11-30, 40-11-230, 40-11-260, 40-11-262, 40-11-290, 40-11-410 · South Carolina Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- General and Mechanical Contractors - Primary Qualifying Party (PQP) and Qualifying Party (QP) Initial Application (Doc. 168, 12/19/2025 v2.1) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- SC Contractor’s Licensing Board - Licensure with the Board (application, qualifying parties, exams, group limits, financial statements, bonds) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- SC Contractor's Licensing Board - Technical Exam Waiver Agreements (as of May 2026) · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agreement Document · verified September 23, 2026
- SC Residential Builders Commission - Residential Plumber License · South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- PSI - South Carolina Contractor’s Licensing Board Commercial Contractors Candidate Information Bulletin · PSI Services LLC for the SC Contractor’s Licensing Board · Form · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.