South Dakota to Minnesota: master plumber license reciprocity
Minnesota has a reciprocity agreement with South Dakota: a South Dakota master plumber can get a Minnesota license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Reciprocity with South Dakota (master plumber)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
DLI's plumbing reciprocity page lists South Dakota as a state whose master plumbers may obtain a Minnesota Master Plumber license without examination. The applicant must have obtained the South Dakota master license by examination at the state level (not through a reciprocal agreement with a city or other political subdivision), must have held it for at least one year, and the license must be current and in good standing. The applicant must not have failed a Minnesota exam for the same or greater class of license and must not be under any Minnesota order to deny, suspend or revoke a plumber license. The Reciprocity Application is filed through iMS with a $50 application and examination fee; once approved the applicant has 180 days to pay the license fee, and the license is then subject to normal renewal and continuing-education requirements. Contracting as a business still requires the separate Plumbing Contractor license.
The reciprocity page covers both journeyworker and master classes for South Dakota.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- Your South Dakota license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must have held your South Dakota license for at least 1 year.
- Your South Dakota license must be active and in good standing.
- Has not failed the same or greater class of Minnesota plumber license examination and is not under any order to deny, suspend or revoke any class of Minnesota plumber license
What you'll do to get licensed in Minnesota
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Application and examination fee submitted with the Plumbing Reciprocity Application.
- 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. Master plumber license fee, payable within 180 days of approval; amount not published on the reciprocity page.
Published fees on this path total $50, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
How Minnesota licenses master plumbers
Minnesota master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), Plumbing Board
Minnesota issues a statewide, person-held Master Plumber license through DLI; the license 'authorizes the individual to perform plumbing statewide', and a separate Plumbing Contractor license (a business license that must have a licensed master plumber as its responsible individual and carry a bond, general liability and workers' compensation insurance under Minn. Stat. 326B.46) is not covered here. DLI also issues a Restricted Master Plumber license limited to cities and towns under 5,000. A new master applicant must pass DLI's written master plumber exam ($50 exam fee) and is eligible to sit it after at least one year of practical experience as a licensed journeyworker plumber, with a current master plumber license from another state whose requirements DLI determines are equivalent to Minnesota's, or with a Minnesota restricted master license plus five years in business as a plumbing contractor. Master plumbers licensed by examination in North Dakota or South Dakota may be licensed without the Minnesota exam. Licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years; renewal is $93 and requires 16 hours of continuing education, at least eight on the State Plumbing Code.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Minnesota master plumber exam if I'm licensed in South Dakota?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with South Dakota.
- How long do I need to have held my South Dakota license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Minnesota master plumber license from South Dakota?
- Published fees on this path total $50, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Sources
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbers (landing page for workers) · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license experience requirements · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license basics · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing license types and credentials · Minn. Stat. 326B.46 · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Minnesota DLI - Plumbing reciprocity · Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.