Pennsylvania to Wisconsin: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Wisconsin'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 (no reciprocity; exam required, journeyman experience credited toward eligibility)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
DSPS publishes no plumbing reciprocity partners and no exam-waiver route for out-of-state master plumbers, so a master licensed in another state applies through LicensE under Form 3129 like a first-time candidate and must pass the Wisconsin master plumber examination. Wisconsin's master qualification is a period of experience as a licensed journeyman plumber, documented on the Form 3129T experience table; an out-of-state applicant documents that journeyman-level experience and licence history to become eligible to sit the exam. Wisconsin has no separate law or business exam for individual plumbers. Fees are calculated in LicensE.
SPS 305.91 requires at least 1,000 hours of plumbing work per year for 3 years as a licensed journeyman plumber, or an approved engineering degree. Restricted master is a separate DSPS credential. Fee amounts are in SPS 305.02 Table 305.02 (PDF), not on the DSPS plumber pages: https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Professions/MasterPlumber/Default.aspx
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 1,000 hours of qualifying work experience.At least 1,000 hours of plumbing work per year (SPS 305.91).
- You must have held your Pennsylvania license for at least 3 years.Those 1,000 hours per year for 3 years as a licensed journeyman plumber, or an approved engineering degree in lieu of that experience (SPS 305.91).
What you'll do to get licensed in Wisconsin
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee. Application fee calculated in LicensE when you file Form 3129. Dollar amounts are in SPS 305.02 Table 305.02 (PDF), not on the DSPS plumber pages: https://dsps.wi.gov/Pages/Professions/MasterPlumber/Default.aspx.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Examination fee calculated in LicensE. Dollar amounts are in SPS 305.02 Table 305.02 (PDF), not on the DSPS plumber pages..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Wisconsin Master Plumber examination (open book on Wis. Stat. ch. 145, SPS 305 and the SPS 381-387 plumbing code; given at DSPS or Pearson locations).
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. License fee calculated in LicensE after you pass. Dollar amounts are in SPS 305.02 Table 305.02 (PDF), not on the DSPS plumber pages..
- 5Other. Form 3129T experience table and copy of the journeyman plumber licence(s) relied on, uploaded to LicensE.
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
- Trade exam
How Wisconsin licenses master plumbers
Wisconsin master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS)
Wisconsin issues a statewide, person-held Master Plumber license through DSPS under Wis. Stat. ch. 145; no person may work at plumbing without a DSPS license (Wis. Stat. 145.06), and under SPS 305.91 a master plumber responsible for an installation must use appropriately credentialed persons to do the work. A new applicant files Form 3129 (with the Form 3129T experience table) in the LicensE portal, is made eligible to test, and must pass the DSPS master plumber examination, an open-book exam on Wis. Stat. ch. 145, SPS 305 and the SPS 381-387 plumbing code (the updated code applies to exams from October 1, 2026). DSPS's plumber pages name no reciprocity states.
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 Wisconsin master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- Yes. Wisconsin requires the trade exam on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Pennsylvania license?
- At least 3 years before applying.
- Do my Pennsylvania work hours count in Wisconsin?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Wisconsin's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Wisconsin DSPS Form 3129 - Master Plumber License Application Information (including Form 3129T) · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Journeyman Plumber Exam Information · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Master Plumber · Wis. Stat. 145.06; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.91 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 - Licenses, Certifications and Registrations (Table 305.02 fees; Subch. VII Plumbing; SPS 305.91, 305.93) · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.02 Table 305.02; SPS 305.60-305.66; SPS 305.91; SPS 305.93 · Wisconsin Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 145.06 - Licenses and registration (plumbing) · Wis. Stat. 145.06 · Wisconsin Legislature · 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.