Moving to Alabama as a master plumber: every state's rule
Alabama has reciprocity agreements with 1 state. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.
Alabama master plumber · “Master Plumber (annual certificate)”
Statewide license
Issued by Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board
Alabama certifies Master Plumbers statewide through the Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board; a master plumber may register as the Principal Master for a plumbing business, and every company doing plumbing work in Alabama must register with the Board and name one. To sit the master exam an applicant must have been certified as a Journeyman Plumber for at least one year (the Board describes this as one year of current work experience). Effective January 1, 2026, master-level applicants must pass both the plumbing exam (2021 International Plumbing Code) and a separate business law exam, and after passing have 90 days to pay the certification fees. Certificates are annual, renewing October 1 - December 31 with continuing education due by November 1. The Board's only reciprocal agreement, effective January 1, 2026, is with the Mississippi Board of Contractors at the master level; a master from any other state may sit the Alabama master exam directly if the origin license was earned by exam at 70% or better, is active and in good standing, and is verified by the origin agency.
States Alabama reciprocates with
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Arkansas | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| California | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Colorado | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Connecticut | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Delaware | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| District of Columbia | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Florida | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Georgia | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Hawaii | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Idaho | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Illinois | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Indiana | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Iowa | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Kentucky | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Louisiana | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Maine | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Maryland | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Massachusetts | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Michigan | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Minnesota | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Mississippi | Reciprocity | explicit agreement | 2026-09-16 |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Montana | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Nebraska | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Nevada | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| New Hampshire | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| New Jersey | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| New Mexico | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| North Carolina | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| North Dakota | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Ohio | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Oklahoma | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Oregon | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Rhode Island | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| South Carolina | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| South Dakota | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Tennessee | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| Texas | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Utah | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Vermont | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Virginia | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Washington | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |
| West Virginia | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Wisconsin | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-16 |