LicensebyState

Moving to Massachusetts as a master plumber: every state's rule

Massachusetts has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.

Massachusetts master plumber · “Master Plumber”

Statewide license

Verified September 16, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters (Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure)

Massachusetts issues a statewide Master Plumber license through the Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters. M.G.L. c. 142, § 3 requires a master plumber's license to engage in the business as a master plumber; the master license must be displayed in the place of business, and advertising must show the designation and license number. A licensed master plumber may carry on gas-fitting work throughout the commonwealth, subject to local permits and bonding. Under § 4 the examiners must examine each applicant for a master plumber's license; the statute has no reciprocity or exam-waiver provision.

Every origin state

Experience credit 38No credit 12
Every state's path into Massachusetts
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaExperience credit2026-09-16
AlaskaExperience credit2026-09-16
ArizonaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
ArkansasExperience credit2026-09-16
CaliforniaExperience credit2026-09-16
ColoradoExperience credit2026-09-16
ConnecticutExperience credit2026-09-16
DelawareExperience credit2026-09-16
District of ColumbiaExperience credit2026-09-16
FloridaExperience credit2026-09-16
GeorgiaExperience credit2026-09-16
HawaiiExperience credit2026-09-16
IdahoExperience credit2026-09-16
IllinoisExperience credit2026-09-16
IndianaExperience credit2026-09-16
IowaExperience credit2026-09-16
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
KentuckyExperience credit2026-09-16
LouisianaExperience credit2026-09-16
MaineExperience credit2026-09-16
MarylandExperience credit2026-09-16
MichiganExperience credit2026-09-16
MinnesotaExperience credit2026-09-16
MississippiNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
MontanaExperience credit2026-09-16
NebraskaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
NevadaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
New HampshireExperience credit2026-09-16
New JerseyExperience credit2026-09-16
New MexicoExperience credit2026-09-16
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
North CarolinaExperience credit2026-09-16
North DakotaExperience credit2026-09-16
OhioExperience credit2026-09-16
OklahomaExperience credit2026-09-16
OregonNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
Rhode IslandExperience credit2026-09-16
South CarolinaExperience credit2026-09-16
South DakotaExperience credit2026-09-16
TennesseeNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
TexasExperience credit2026-09-16
UtahExperience credit2026-09-16
VermontExperience credit2026-09-16
VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-16
WashingtonNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16
West VirginiaExperience credit2026-09-16
WisconsinExperience credit2026-09-16
WyomingNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-16

Getting licensed in Massachusetts from scratch

No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Massachusetts issues a master plumber license to a first-time applicant.

Verified September 23, 2026· 8 sources

Master Plumber license by examination

A Massachusetts journeyman plumber becomes a master plumber after at least one year and 1,700 hours of work as a licensed Massachusetts journeyman, completion of the 110-hour Tier 5 of the Board's plumber education program, and passing the two-part master exam. Anyone who completed Tier 5 as an apprentice, as the current 550-hour journeyman program requires, needs no further schooling. You apply online through eLIPSE with a Statement of Experience and Education Verification Form showing your journeyman license number. PSI gives the closed-book written and practical exams, and you must score at least 70% on each part.

The master license is required to engage in the business of plumbing; it must be displayed at the place of business, advertising must show the license number, and local permit and bonding rules still apply. The Board also issues separate corporate and partnership certificates for plumbing businesses. The written part has 80 questions and the practical part 40 questions, with 160 minutes for each; there is no limit on attempts at the master exam, and veterans receive a 5% credit on each part. A master plumber may obtain a master gas fitter license by application and fee, without further education or experience. A journeyman who earns the master license during a renewal cycle must still complete that cycle's continuing education.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
PSI
Exam format
Closed book
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every 2 years
Continuing education
12 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • Hold a Massachusetts Journeyman Plumber license for at least 1 year first.At least one year of practical experience as the holder of a Massachusetts journeyman plumber license (248 CMR 11.02(2)).
  • You must document at least 1,700 hours of qualifying work experience.
  • Complete at least 110 hours of classroom or related instruction.Not required again if Tier 5 was completed as an apprentice.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($31). Non-refundable application fee paid to the Board through eLIPSE; Valor Act reductions may apply for active military, spouses and veterans.
  2. 2Background check. Complete a background check. Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) Acknowledgement Form with a notarized second page, uploaded with the application.
  3. 3Other. 2x2 passport-style photo uploaded with the application.
  4. 4Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Massachusetts Master Plumber exam given by PSI in two closed-book parts: written (80 questions, 160 minutes) and practical (40 questions, 160 minutes); 70% required on each part.
  5. 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($80). PSI examination administration fee, charged for the first attempt and again for each retake.
  6. 6License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($78). Master Plumber license fee, paid after passing both parts of the exam.

Published fees on this path total $189, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 2 years with 12 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $78 renewal fee.

12 hours of Board-approved plumbing continuing education from an approved provider in each two-year cycle, focused on the Board's regulations (248 CMR 3.00 to 11.00). Online or correspondence courses count only if Board-approved. The first-cycle exemption does not apply to a journeyman who obtains the master license during that cycle.

Renewals are filed online through eLIPSE; a $57 late fee applies to renewals received after May 1.

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 · $80

Continuing education

Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.

  • Continuing education

Sources for this section

  1. 248 CMR 11.00 - Education and experience standards and requirements for licensure · 248 CMR 11.00 · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Mass.gov - Apply for a Master Plumber license · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters / Division of Occupational Licensure · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Mass.gov - Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters · Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  4. MGL Chapter 142, Section 3 - Master plumbers or gas fitters, journeymen and apprentices; licensing; advertising; display of license or certificate · M.G.L. c. 142, § 3 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  5. MGL Chapter 142, Section 4 - Rules of examiners; qualifications of applicants; applications; examinations; issuance of license; probationary license; credit for veterans · M.G.L. c. 142, § 4 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  6. MGL Chapter 142, Section 5 - Fees for licenses and examinations · M.G.L. c. 142, § 5 · Massachusetts General Court · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  7. Board of State Examiners of Plumbers & Gas Fitters Licensure Candidate Exam Application Information (PSI candidate information bulletin) · PSI Services LLC for the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  8. Mass.gov - Renew a plumber, gas fitter, or liquified petroleum installer license · Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters / Division of Occupational Licensure · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026

Related