Moving to Arkansas as a master plumber: every state's rule
Arkansas has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.
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. The master application fee is $125 and the license costs $200 a year, expiring each December 31. The Oklahoma reciprocity agreement (effective October 21, 2024) covers journeymen only; the Department separately publishes a master-plumber reciprocity agreement with Ohio (effective September 1, 2022), and other out-of-state master plumbers qualify by experience verification and examination.
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Alaska | Endorsement | 2026-09-16 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 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 | No credit | no state license to transfer | 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 |
Getting licensed in Arkansas from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Arkansas issues a master plumber license to a first-time applicant.
Master Plumber by examination
An Arkansas journeyman plumber may take the Master Plumber examination after holding the journeyman license for one full year, with at least five years of plumbing experience in total; the Committee of Plumbing Examiners may waive the one-year wait in whole or in part for extreme hardship. The application documents five years' experience in all phases of plumbing and natural gas, although a current Arkansas journeyman needs to list work history only for the years licensed as a journeyman. The four-hour written exam is given by the Department of Health's Plumbing and Natural Gas Section in Little Rock and covers the 2018 Arkansas Plumbing Code, the 2018 Arkansas Fuel Gas Code and the Arkansas plumbing law. There is no separate business-and-law exam.
The exam has four sections taken one at a time, in random order, within four hours: an isometric drain-waste-vent riser drawing with water-system sizing and fixture spacing; fifty questions on the plumbing code, fuel gas code and plumbing law; vents and combustion and ventilation air; and natural gas pipe sizing. The Department's 2026 schedule has one exam date a month except November, and it does not publish a passing score. Retaking after failing any portion, or after missing an exam without notice, costs $50. The master license is issued to the individual, and the application names the company or firm the master will work under. The Department does not run criminal background checks, but the application asks about convictions, and the offenses listed in Ark. Code Ann. § 17-3-102 disqualify an applicant unless the record is sealed or the Board grants a waiver; you may petition the Department for a pre-licensure determination before applying. Applicants receiving certain public assistance, approved for unemployment in the last 12 months, or with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines may have the initial license fee waived.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Exam given by
- Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section
- Renewal
- Every year
Who can apply
- Hold a Arkansas Journeyman Plumber license for at least 1 year first.Held for one full year (Ark. Code Ann. § 17-38-304(h)); the Committee may waive the year in whole or in part for extreme hardship.
- You must document at least 5 years of qualifying work experience.A current Arkansas journeyman documents work history only for the period licensed as a journeyman.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
Five years of documented experience without an Arkansas journeyman license
The Committee may approve an applicant who holds no plumbing license for the master exam on proof of five years' experience in all phases of plumbing and natural gas, shown by records, evidence from licensing agencies, or affidavits from current or former employers (Ark. Code Ann. § 17-38-304(f)).
- You must document at least 5 years of qualifying work experience.Documented by records, licensing-agency evidence, or notarized employer affidavits.
Registered professional engineer
The Committee may consider a registered professional engineer with special expertise in plumbing engineering for the master exam; the engineer submits educational history, documentation and credentials with the application.
- Registered professional engineer with special expertise in plumbing engineering
Steps to get licensed
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($125). Master application fee, sent with the notarized paper application; applications without the fee are discarded.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Arkansas Master Plumber examination given by the Plumbing and Natural Gas Section in Little Rock: four written sections in four hours on the 2018 Arkansas Plumbing Code, the 2018 Arkansas Fuel Gas Code and the Arkansas plumbing law.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($200). Master Plumber license fee, due before the license is issued.
Published fees on this path total $325, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every year and a $200 renewal fee.
Licenses expire December 31 and must be renewed by February 1; after that a $5 penalty is added for each month late.
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
Sources for this section
- Application Instructions for Arkansas Plumber & Restricted Plumber Licenses (with license/fee table), 1/15/2026 · Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- 2026 Plumbing Exam Dates (ADH Auditorium & L137) · Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Master Plumber Application (3/5/2024) · Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Arkansas Master Plumber Examination Information Guide · Arkansas Department of Health, Plumbing and Natural Gas Section · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- 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 23, 2026
- Rules Pertaining to Master, Journeyman, and Restricted Plumber Licenses, Plumbing and Gas Inspector Licenses, Restricted Hospital Maintenance, Water and Sewer Service Line Installation · Ark. Admin. Code 007.04; Rules Pertaining to Master, Journeyman, and Restricted Plumber Licenses (eff. Sept. 5, 2024) · Arkansas State Board of Health · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 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 23, 2026