South Dakota to New Mexico: master plumber license reciprocity
New Mexico has no reciprocity agreement with South Dakota. Your South Dakota experience counts toward eligibility, but you must pass the New Mexico exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state master plumber or plumbing contractor (all states)
Nothing is waived, but your documented out-of-state hours count toward eligibility to sit the exam.
An out-of-state master plumber or plumbing contractor receives no exam waiver in New Mexico. The individual files the notarized Qualifying Party application and work-experience affidavits with PSI ($36) showing four years of plumbing experience within the ten years before application (out-of-state experience is accepted on the same affidavits), is pre-approved, then must pass the 100-question open-book MM-1 Plumbing exam ($68.88, 75% to pass) and the Contractor's Business and Law exam ($68.88) or complete an approved business and law course in its place; passing scores are valid for one year. The business then applies to PSI for the MM-1 (or MM-98) contractor's license with a $36 application fee, the license fee ($50 per year or $100 for two years for MM-1; $100 per year or $200 for two years for MM-98), a $10,000 license bond, a New Mexico tax registration certificate and proof of workers' compensation coverage. Because New Mexico has no master plumber certificate, an out-of-state master who only wants to work with the tools applies for the JP journeyman certificate under the journeyman path instead.
Neither the RLD page, 14.6.3/14.6.4 NMAC nor the PSI contractor bulletin describes any substantial-equivalence review for contractors or qualifying parties from another state; the statutory reciprocity authority in NMSA 60-13-14(C) has not been exercised for mechanical or plumbing classifications as far as any official page shows. The only statutory experience waiver (60-13-14(B)(8)(b)) applies to a qualifying party previously certified in New Mexico in the same classification. Fee conflict: 14.5.5.8 NMAC sets the contractor license application fee at $30 while the RLD page lists $36 for both the QP application and the company license application; the RLD/PSI figure is used here. An MM-98 candidate takes the individual MM-1 through MM-4 exams; no combined MM-98 exam is listed.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Four years of practical or related trade experience in the MM-1 plumbing classification within the ten years immediately before application (NMSA 60-13-14(B)(8); 14.6.6.11(B)(1) NMAC), verified on notarized work-experience affidavits
What you'll do to get licensed in New Mexico
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($36). Qualifying Party application and work-experience affidavit fee paid to PSI (notarized; submitted by hand or mail to the PSI Albuquerque office).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. MM-1 Plumbing exam by PSI: 100 questions, 250 minutes, open book (2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, 2015 NM Plumbing Code 14.8.2 NMAC, 2021 Uniform Mechanical Code), 75% (75 points) to pass.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($68.88). PSI fee for the MM-1 trade exam, first attempt or retake.
- 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Contractor's Business and Law exam (required of all new candidates) or a commission-approved Business and Law course taken with an approved vendor in its place.
- 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($68.88). PSI fee for the Business and Law exam.
- 6Other. Certificate of qualification issuance fee (14.5.5.14(A) NMAC) ($6).
- 7Contractor license. Hold or obtain a contractor license ($36). MM-1 or MM-98 contractor's license application fee paid to PSI by the business (RLD page; 14.5.5.8 NMAC still reads $30), with tax registration certificate and the qualifying party's certificate or scores.
- 8License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($100). MM-1 contractor's license fee, $50 per year or $100 for the two-year term; MM-98 is $100 per year or $200 for two years (14.5.5.8 NMAC).
- 9Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($10,000). $10,000 contractor's license bond from a corporate surety authorized in New Mexico (NMSA 60-13-49), filed with the company license application.
- 10Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Workers' compensation coverage is required of all licensees by the Workers' Compensation Administration.
Published fees on this path total $273.76, 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
- Exam fee · $68.88
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee · $68.88
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 · $10,000
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance
How New Mexico licenses master plumbers
New Mexico master plumber · “MM-1 Plumbing contractor qualifying party (certificate of qualification); MM-98 Mechanical covers MM-1 through MM-4”
Statewide license
New Mexico has no 'master plumber' title. The credential above journeyman is the MM-1 Plumbing contractor classification (install, alter, repair, service and maintain plumbing, fixtures and piping, hot-water heating up to 30 psi or 400,000 BTU/hour, fuel and solar piping, pools, septic and sewer lines, controls at 24 volts or less; natural gas piping requires MM-2), or the MM-98 Mechanical classification that bundles MM-1 through MM-4 and four mechanical specialties. CID issues the contractor's license to the business and a personal, non-transferable certificate of qualification to the qualifying party, the individual who documented four years of experience in the classification within the past ten years and passed the MM-1 trade exam and the Contractor's Business and Law exam, so this site maps the MM-1 qualifying party to the master level. Even with an MM-1 license, hands-on plumbing must be done by or under a certified JP journeyman. CID publishes reciprocity only for EE-98J electrical journeymen; no reciprocity, endorsement or exam waiver is published for plumbing qualifying parties or contractors, although NMSA 60-13-14(C) allows the division to enter into reciprocal agreements with states having equivalent requirements.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the New Mexico master plumber exam if I'm licensed in South Dakota?
- Yes. New Mexico requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a New Mexico master plumber license from South Dakota?
- Published fees on this path total $273.76, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my South Dakota work hours count in New Mexico?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward New Mexico's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from New Mexico to South Dakota?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from New Mexico to South Dakota, the mechanism is endorsement.
Sources
- Construction Industries Licensing Act, NMSA 1978 Chapter 60, Article 13 (RLD compilation as of July 1, 2021) · NMSA 1978 §§ 60-13-14, 60-13-38, 60-13-49 · New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- 14.5.5 NMAC - Construction Industries General Provisions: Fees · 14.5.5.8, 14.5.5.9 and 14.5.5.14 NMAC · New Mexico Commission of Public Records, State Records Center and Archives · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- 14.6.6 NMAC - Construction Industries Licensing: Classifications and Scopes (mechanical and plumbing) · 14.6.6.11 NMAC · New Mexico Commission of Public Records, State Records Center and Archives · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- State of New Mexico Contractor (Qualifying Party) Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · PSI Services for the NM Construction Industries Division · Other · verified September 16, 2026
- NM Regulation and Licensing Department - Apply for a Construction Industries License · New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division · 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.