Pennsylvania to Vermont: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Vermont'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.
Uniform endorsement (all other states; license held 3 years)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
Under 26 V.S.A. s. 2194(a)(2), the Board shall issue a master plumber license without examination to an applicant whose master (or equivalent) license has been held in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years, whether or not that jurisdiction reciprocates under s. 2194(a)(1). The applicant files the all-classes plumbing application with proof of bona fide licensure, pays the $120 two-year master license fee, and completes the Vermont Energy Goals module; the Board meets in odd-numbered months and requires complete documents two weeks before the meeting. The Commissioner may waive the three-year practice requirement. An applicant licensed as a master for less than three years uses s. 2191: equivalent out-of-state training and experience may replace the 12-month Vermont journeyman holding period, but the Vermont master exam is required. Statutory reciprocity without examination (s. 2194(a)(1)) also exists when the origin state or municipality maintained equivalent standards and grants Vermont masters a like exemption; no named plumbing partners appear on DFS pages, so that path is not listed as Reciprocity agreements.
The 12-month Vermont journeyman prerequisite in s. 2191 is an examination-route fact; the three-year origin-license holding period in s. 2194(a)(2) is the endorsement fact. Work-notice fixture fees in s. 2175 ($10/$15 per fixture, $50 minimum, or flat $50 for non-priority work) are inspection fees, not license fees. Municipal inspectors under s. 2174 do not replace the statewide master license.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Typical processing
- About 60 days
What you must already have
- You must have held your Pennsylvania license for at least 3 years.Master or equivalent license held in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction for at least three years (26 V.S.A. s. 2194(a)(2)(A)). Commissioner waiver possible under s. 2194(a)(2)(C).
- Your Pennsylvania license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Vermont
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($120). Master plumber two-year license fee (26 V.S.A. s. 2193(c)(1)); renewal is the same amount (s. 2193(c)(4)).
- 2Other. All-classes plumbing license application with documentation of the origin master (or equivalent) license..
- 3Other. Vermont Energy Goals education module (not more than two hours) and completion certificate, required for initial licensure after 2021-07-01 (26 V.S.A. s. 2193(f)).
- 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Vermont master plumber written exam — only if the origin license does not meet the three-year uniform-endorsement or statutory-reciprocity tests..
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Renewal: eight hours of Board-approved continued training or instruction within the previous 24 months (26 V.S.A. s. 2195(d)), plus the energy-goals renewal module.
Published fees on this path total $120, 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 · if applicable
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Vermont licenses master plumbers
Vermont master plumber · “Master Plumber (PM)”
Statewide license
Issued by Vermont Plumber's Examining Board, Division of Fire Safety (Department of Public Safety)
Vermont issues a statewide Master Plumber license (ledger code PM) through the Plumber's Examining Board in the Division of Fire Safety. A master, as a business, installs plumbing systems, hires people to do plumbing work, or supervises journey and apprentice plumbers. A new applicant must document having held a valid Vermont journeyman plumber's license for at least 12 months, or equivalent training and experience in or outside Vermont acceptable to the Board, then pass the master examination; the two-year license fee is $120 (26 V.S.A. ss. 2191, 2193(c)). Out-of-state masters use the same no-exam statutes as journeymen: uniform endorsement after three years licensed in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction (s. 2194(a)(2)), or reciprocity without examination if the origin state or municipality had equivalent standards and grants Vermont licensees a like exemption (s. 2194(a)(1)). DFS plumbing pages name no partner states. Masters and journeymen are exempt from specialist license fees. Licenses last two years with eight hours of Board-approved CE per cycle plus the Energy Goals module. Work on installations subject to Board rules also requires a validated work notice and inspection fees, which are separate from the license.
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 Vermont master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Pennsylvania license?
- At least 3 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Vermont master plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $120, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Vermont?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Vermont's eligibility requirements.
- How long does the application take?
- The board's published or typical processing time is about 60 days.
- Does it work the other way, from Vermont to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Vermont to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Trade Licensing and Certifications · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Plumbing (licensing home page) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Division of Fire Safety - Plumbing License Applications, All Classes · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Plumbers Examining Board (meetings and document deadline) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Vermont Plumbing Rules, 2025 Edition (current; linked from the DFS plumbing page) · Vermont Plumbing Rules 2025 · Vermont Plumber's Examining Board / Division of Fire Safety · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - 2026 PROV Bulletin (testing instructions linked from the trade-licensing page) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety / Prov · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- 26 V.S.A. Chapter 39 - Plumbers and Plumbing (definitions, qualifications, fees, examinations not required, renewal) · 26 V.S.A. ss. 2172, 2181, 2191, 2192, 2192a, 2193, 2194, 2195, 2198 · Vermont 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.