Tennessee to Arkansas: master plumber license reciprocity
Tennessee does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Arkansas'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 or plumbing contractor (all states; no master-level agreements)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
No state has a master-level plumbing reciprocity agreement with Arkansas; the Oklahoma agreement is journeyman-only and Oklahoma's board states there is 'no contractor reciprocity'. An out-of-state master plumber or plumbing contractor therefore applies to the Plumbing and Natural Gas Section for the Master Plumber examination, documenting at least one year of work as a licensed journeyman and five years of total plumbing experience; time worked under the out-of-state journeyman or master license counts once the origin board verifies the license, exam history and standing. The applicant sits the Arkansas master plumber examination (written, on the Arkansas Plumbing Code; no separate business-and-law exam), pays the Section's exam and license fees, and renews annually. Ark. Code Ann. § 17-1-108 obliges the Section to grant automatic licensure to a holder of a substantially similar master-level license in good standing, subject to any Arkansas-specific exam it still requires, so applicants from IPC-based exam states should ask the Section whether the trade exam is waived. Commercial plumbing contracting above the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board thresholds also needs a separate contractor's license from that board.
The one-year-as-journeyman and five-years-total figures are from general knowledge of Ark. Code Ann. § 17-38-30x and must be re-verified. Whether Arkansas accepts an out-of-state journeyman license as satisfying the 'licensed journeyman' year, or requires an Arkansas journeyman license first, is not confirmed; an Oklahoma unlimited journeyman can obtain the Arkansas journeyman license under the 2024 agreement without the exam and then qualify for master by examination. The Section's treatment of § 17-1-108 automatic licensure for master plumbers is unknown; examTradeRequired is set true as the conservative reading.
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 have held your Tennessee license for at least 1 year.At least one year of work as a licensed journeyman plumber; whether an out-of-state journeyman license satisfies this without first obtaining the Arkansas journeyman license was not confirmed.
- You must document at least 10,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Five years (about 10,000 hours) of total experience in the plumbing trade including the apprenticeship and journeyman years; the statute states the requirement in years. Out-of-state experience counts when verified.
- Your Tennessee license must be active and in good standing.
- You must have passed a licensing exam in Tennessee that the destination considers comparable.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
What you'll do to get licensed in Arkansas
- 1Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Arkansas master plumber examination, written, administered by the Plumbing and Natural Gas Section on the Arkansas Plumbing Code (IPC-based); pass mark not confirmed.
- 2Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. Section examination fee for the master exam; amount not confirmed (Department of Health pages blocked at verification).
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. Initial Master Plumber license fee, renewed annually; amount not confirmed.
- 4Other. Master application with origin-board verification of license, exam scores and code basis, and verification of journeyman and total experience.
- 5Contractor license. Hold or obtain a contractor license (if applicable). Fee, eligibility details, and processing steps are not published in a form we can list here. Please see the sources on this page to find out more..
- 6Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Continuing education as required by the Committee of Plumbing Examiners for renewal; hours not confirmed.
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
Business registration
If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.
- Contractor license · if applicable
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Arkansas licenses master plumbers
Arkansas master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (Committee of Plumbing Examiners)
The Master Plumber license is Arkansas's highest person-held plumbing credential, issued statewide by the Department of Health's Plumbing and Natural Gas Section under Ark. Code Ann. § 17-38-301 et seq. A master plumber may contract for and supervise plumbing work and is the license under which journeymen and registered apprentices work; a plumbing business must operate under a licensed master. An applicant must have worked at least one year as a licensed journeyman plumber and have five years of total experience in the trade, then pass the Section's written master plumber examination on the Arkansas Plumbing Code. Arkansas's only signed plumbing reciprocity agreement, with Oklahoma (effective October 21, 2024), covers the journeyman license only, so every out-of-state master plumber or plumbing contractor qualifies by experience verification and examination. Fees and continuing-education hours could not be confirmed because the Section's pages were unreachable during this review.
Why Tennessee has nothing to transfer
Tennessee master plumber · “Master plumber (city or county card); state CMC-A plumbing contractor is a business license”
Licensed by cities and counties
Tennessee does not issue a master plumber license. The state-level plumbing credentials are (1) the Limited Licensed Plumber (LLP), a personal license for work under $25,000 where the Division of Fire Prevention inspects, which the Board does not treat as a master equivalent and for which it has no exam-waiver agreements, and (2) a contractor license with the CMC-A (plumbing) or CMC (full mechanical: plumbing and HVAC) classification, issued to a business that names a qualifying agent and required for plumbing projects of $25,000 or more. CMC-A and CMC candidates need Board pre-approval ($50) before the plumbing or full-mechanical trade exam; every contractor also takes the Tennessee Business and Law exam (Prov from 2026-07-01; scores typically valid two years). Initial contractor application fee $250. The Board's trade-exam-waiver form lets a contractor whose origin board verifies a comparable plumbing or mechanical exam skip the Tennessee trade exam but not Business and Law, and it cannot be used for the LLP: Ohio plumbing maps to CMC-A, South Carolina plumbing to CMC-A, and Louisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia mechanical licenses to CMC. That waiver is contractor-to-contractor only (Ohio's OCILB listing of Tennessee as a plumbing-contractor partner is the same relationship from Ohio's side). Master plumber licenses proper exist only locally; Nashville's MPE Board issues a master plumber certificate. An out-of-state master plumber has no statewide personal recognition: to contract for $25,000 or more they need the CMC-A or CMC contractor license; to pull small-job permits they need the LLP where it is accepted, or the local master card where it is not.
How local licensing works in Tennessee
State contractor route (CMC-A / CMC) — business license, not a personal master. Required statewide to bid or contract plumbing of $25,000 or more (subcontractor plumbing portion counted with materials, equipment and labor). Qualifying agent (owner, officer or full-time employee) takes the Tennessee Business and Law exam and the CMC-A or CMC trade exam after a $50 pre-approval request to [email protected]. Up to two people may take each exam; Business and Law and the trade exam need not be the same person. Application $250 at core.tn.gov. From 2026-07-01 a contractors' surety bond of at least 50% of the requested monetary limit may replace a CPA-reviewed or audited financial statement. General liability and workers' compensation (or exemption) are required on the contractor application. Trade exam waiver (not Reciprocity for a master plumber card): origin board completes the Request for Contractor License Verification in lieu of the Tennessee trade exam score. Plumbing rows: Ohio Plumbing -> CMC-A; South Carolina Plumbing -> CMC-A; Louisiana Mechanical -> CMC; Mississippi Mechanical -> CMC; West Virginia Mechanical -> CMC. Business and Law is never waived. Ineligible if discipline, open complaints or felony convictions. Cannot be used for LLP, LLE or home improvement. NASCLA accredited exams on the Board exam page are commercial building and electrical, not plumbing.
State LLP (personal, limited, not master). $75 initial, Prov LLP exam, under $25,000, Fire Prevention jurisdictions only, no exam waiver. A Tennessee CMC-A/CMC firm may still need Metro registration to pull permits; confirm with Codes (615-862-6500).
Knoxville. State Contractor registration (CMC-A/CMC) or Unlicensed/State Limited License (LLP) registration to pull permits.
- Nashville / Davidson County (Codes and Building Safety)
- Knoxville (Plans Review & Inspections)
- Chattanooga (Land Development Office)
- Memphis / Shelby County (Office of Construction Code Enforcement)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Arkansas master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Tennessee?
- Yes. Arkansas requires the trade exam on this path.
- How long do I need to have held my Tennessee license?
- At least 1 year before applying.
- Do my Tennessee work hours count in Arkansas?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Arkansas's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Arkansas to Tennessee?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Arkansas to Tennessee, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Arkansas Department of Health - Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (licensing, examinations, fees, reciprocity) · Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (Protective Health Codes) · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Arkansas Code Annotated § 17-1-108 - Automatic licensure for individuals licensed in another state (Act 1011 of 2019, as amended) · Ark. Code Ann. §§ 17-1-106, 17-1-108 · Arkansas General Assembly · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Arkansas Code Annotated Title 17, Chapter 38 - Plumbers (Arkansas Plumbing Law) · Ark. Code Ann. §§ 17-38-101 et seq., 17-38-201 (Committee of Plumbing Examiners), 17-38-301 et seq. (licensing) · Arkansas General Assembly / Arkansas Department of Health · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Arkansas Plumbing Reciprocal License Application (Unlimited Plumbing Journeyman Reciprocity Application Instructions) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- Oklahoma CIB - Arkansas Plumbing Reciprocity Agreement (Guidelines for Plumbing Journeyman License through Arkansas Reciprocity) · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board · 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.