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 for out-of-state master plumbers, so a master licensed in another state applies through LicensE under the comity (out-of-state) method and must pass the Wisconsin two-part master plumber examination (open book, 70% on each part to pass). DSPS lists two comity routes to that exam. The first is a five-year out-of-state plumbing apprenticeship with at least 576 hours of related instruction plus at least 1,000 hours per year for three years as a licensed journeyman plumber. The second is a current plumbing license and at least 8 years of plumbing experience, including 1,000 hours per year for at least three years under the laws of another state or a city, town or village, documented with a state license verification and the Trades Experience Form (Form 8168). Wisconsin has no separate law or business exam for individual plumbers.
A graduate of an accredited engineering program in civil or mechanical engineering, or another approved plumbing-related engineering curriculum, may also take the exam (SPS 305.91). Restricted master is a separate DSPS credential. The license is issued for four years and costs $500; the initial fee is prorated when the first term is shorter.
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 (DSPS comity route).
- You must have held your Pennsylvania license for at least 3 years.Those 1,000 hours per year for at least 3 years as a licensed journeyman plumber. Alternatively, 8 years of plumbing experience including 1,000 hours per year for 3 years under another jurisdiction's license, or an approved engineering degree (DSPS application methods; SPS 305.91).
What you'll do to get licensed in Wisconsin
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($20). Master Plumber application fee (Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.02, Table 305.02), paid in LicensE when you apply; nonrefundable.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($30). Master Plumber examination fee (Table 305.02), paid again in LicensE for each retake. Candidates who choose a Pearson test center are billed $95 per part by Pearson..
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Wisconsin Master Plumber examination: two parts, open book on Wis. Stat. ch. 145, SPS 305 and the SPS 381-387 plumbing code with nine permitted references; 70% on each part to pass; given at DSPS or Pearson locations.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($500). Master Plumber license fee (Table 305.02) for a four-year license, paid after you pass.
- 5Other. Apprenticeship certificate or Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards equivalency letter, or a state license verification or copy of the current license, plus the Trades Experience Form (Form 8168), submitted with the LicensE application.
Published fees on this path total $550, 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.
- Exam fee · $30
- 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 applies in the LicensE portal with the Trades Experience Form (Form 8168) or an engineering degree, is made eligible to test, and must pass the DSPS master plumber examination, a two-part, open-book exam (70% on each part to pass) on Wis. Stat. ch. 145, SPS 305 and the SPS 381-387 plumbing code. DSPS's plumber pages name no reciprocity states.
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 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.
- What does it cost to get a Wisconsin master plumber license from Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $550, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- 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 - Master Plumber: Licensure by Examination · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.91 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Master Plumber: Other Application Methods (comity) · Wis. Stat. 145.09; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.91 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Master Plumber (profession page) · Wis. Stat. 145.06; Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.91 · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wisconsin DSPS - Trades Exam and Continuing Education Information (exam fee schedule) · Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services · Agency Page · verified October 12, 2026
- Wis. Admin. Code ch. SPS 305 - Licenses, Certifications and Registrations (Table 305.02 fees; Table 305.06 terms; SPS 305.09; SPS 305.91, 305.93, 305.95) · Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305.02 Table 305.02 lines 62 and 65; SPS 305.06 Table 305.06; SPS 305.09; SPS 305.91; SPS 305.93; SPS 305.95 · Wisconsin Legislature · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Wis. Stat. ch. 145 - Plumbing (145.07 examinations; 145.08 fees and 4-year terms; 145.09 state comity) · Wis. Stat. 145.06; 145.07; 145.08; 145.09 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 145.06 - Licenses and registration (plumbing) · Wis. Stat. 145.06 · Wisconsin Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.