Moving to New Jersey as a master plumber: every state's rule
New Jersey has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: experience credit.
New Jersey master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers (Division of Consumer Affairs)
New Jersey's person-held plumbing license is the statewide Master Plumber credential issued by the State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers in the Division of Consumer Affairs under N.J.S.A. 45:14C-1 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 13:32. A licensed master is the person who may plan, lay out, install and repair plumbing and supervise others; a plumbing contractor must have a licensed master who owns at least 10 percent of the business as bona fide representative. N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2 requires a four-year U.S. DOL plumbing apprenticeship or a qualifying engineering bachelor's degree, then one year / 1,200 hours of practical hands-on work as a New Jersey journeyman inspected by a New Jersey plumbing inspector, plus propane education. The examination (13:32-2.3) has three parts — NSPC written, practical, and New Jersey laws/regulations — each requiring a score of 70. Chapter 32 has no reciprocity / endorsement section, so an out-of-state master is not treated as receiving an exam waiver. Current published Board fees (13:32-5.1(a)) are a $100 non-refundable application fee without prior registration ($50 with prior registration), an initial license fee of $160 in the first year of the biennial period or $80 in the second, biennial renewal $160, and a $25 initial pressure seal.
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Alaska | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Arizona | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Arkansas | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| California | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Colorado | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Connecticut | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Delaware | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| District of Columbia | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Florida | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Georgia | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Hawaii | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Idaho | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Illinois | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Indiana | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Iowa | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Kentucky | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Louisiana | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Maine | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Maryland | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Massachusetts | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Michigan | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Minnesota | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Mississippi | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Montana | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Nebraska | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Nevada | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| New Hampshire | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| New Mexico | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| North Carolina | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| North Dakota | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Ohio | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Oklahoma | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Oregon | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Rhode Island | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| South Carolina | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| South Dakota | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Tennessee | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| Texas | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Utah | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Vermont | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Washington | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
| West Virginia | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Wisconsin | Experience credit | 2026-09-23 | |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-23 |
Getting licensed in New Jersey from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how New Jersey issues a master plumber license to a first-time applicant.
Master Plumber license by examination
New Jersey has no state journeyman license, so there is no lower tier to hold first: you qualify for the Master Plumber examination directly from training and New Jersey work experience. You must be at least 21, have completed a four-year U.S. Department of Labor-approved plumbing apprenticeship that included education in propane services, and then have worked one year (at least 1,200 hours) as a journeyman plumber in New Jersey on work inspected by a New Jersey plumbing inspector. After the Board approves your application you schedule the three-part examination with PSI: a written exam on the National Standard Plumbing Code as adopted in New Jersey, a practical exam, and a written exam on the laws and regulations governing plumbing, with a score of 70 required on each part. Once you pass, the license is issued when you file a $3,000 surety bond, a pressure seal application and the license fee.
The journeyman year starts only after you finish the apprenticeship or receive the degree, and it must be hands-on installation, maintenance, repair or removal work; time spent supervising, engineering or estimating does not count. Apply with Work Experience Certifications signed by your supervising master plumbers, W-2s for the apprenticeship years and the journeyman year, and either the Department of Labor completion document or a college transcript. The application asks about moral character and criminal history; if you answer yes to the arrest or conviction questions, attach a notarized statement and the police reports and court records for each incident. First-time candidates take all three parts. After failing any part you wait six months to retest, and you may retake failed parts two more times before all passing scores are lost; you must sit for the exam within two years and pass every part within five years of your first approval, or the application is closed. The Board publishes estimated processing phases of 2 to 5 weeks to initial review, 2 to 3 weeks to exam approval, and 2 to 3 weeks from passing to its request for the bond and fees. A plumbing business must have a licensed master plumber who owns at least 10 percent of it registered with the Board as its bona fide representative. Medical gas piping installer, brazer and instructor certifications are separate Board credentials.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Exam given by
- PSI
- Passing score
- 70%
- Renewal
- Every 2 years
- Continuing education
- 5 hours per cycle
Who can apply
- Be at least 21 years old.
- Complete a registered apprenticeship (4 years): Four-year plumbing apprenticeship program approved by the U.S. Department of Labor, including education in propane services.The propane education must cover substantially the same material as the PHCC Fundamentals of LP manual or the UA Gas Installation for Journeyworkers and Apprentices manual (2003 editions).
- You must document at least 1,200 hours of qualifying work experience.One year as a journeyman plumber in New Jersey after the apprenticeship ends, with at least 1,200 hours of hands-on plumbing work performed under the state plumbing subcode and inspected by a licensed New Jersey plumbing inspector.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
Bachelor's degree in mechanical, plumbing or sanitary engineering
A bachelor's degree in mechanical, plumbing or sanitary engineering from a regionally accredited college, including education in propane services, replaces the apprenticeship. The same New Jersey journeyman year of at least 1,200 hours must follow the degree.
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical, plumbing or sanitary engineering from an accredited college or university, including education in propane services
- You must document at least 1,200 hours of qualifying work experience.One year as a journeyman plumber in New Jersey after the degree is awarded, on work inspected by a licensed New Jersey plumbing inspector.
- Be at least 21 years old.
Credit for military training and experience
An honorably discharged veteran who does not meet every training or experience requirement may ask the Board to credit military training, education and experience, together with civilian experience, that is substantially equivalent. You submit your Verification of Military Experience and Training (DD Form 2586) and Joint Services Transcript; the Board decides case by case and may give partial credit. The examination is still required.
- Honorably discharged from active military service
- Military and civilian plumbing training, education and experience found by the Board to be substantially equivalent to the apprenticeship-or-degree and New Jersey journeyman-year requirements
- Be at least 21 years old.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Non-refundable application fee for the Master Plumber examination; $50 if you already hold Board apprentice or journeyman registration.
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. New Jersey Master Plumber examination administered by PSI: a written part on the National Standard Plumbing Code as adopted in New Jersey and a practical part, 70 required on each.
- 3Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Written examination on the laws and regulations governing the occupation and business of plumbing, the third part of the Master Plumber examination; 70 required.
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. PSI's examination fee is not part of the Board's fee schedule and is not published on the Board's site. Confirm the current amount with PSI when you schedule, or with the Board at (973) 504-6420..
- 5Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($3,000). $3,000 surety bond filed with the Board after you pass, kept in force for each two-year license term. A $3,000 bond already on file with the New Jersey HVACR board satisfies this if you submit proof..
- 6License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($160). Initial license fee if paid during the first year of the two-year renewal period; $80 if paid during the second year.
- 7Other. Initial pressure seal, requested on the pressure seal application filed with the bond and license fee ($25).
Published fees on this path total $260, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every 2 years with 5 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $160 renewal fee.
Five credits of Board-approved continuing education each two-year period, including one hour reviewing the New Jersey master plumber law and rules; the Board sets the other topics for each period. You are exempt at your first renewal. A licensee who completed the plumbing inspector continuing education required by the Department of Community Affairs in the period needs only the one-hour law and rules credit.
Licenses expire June 30 of odd-numbered years and are renewed online. Renewing within 30 days after expiration adds a $50 late fee; after 30 days the license is suspended. The $3,000 surety bond must run with each license term. You may instead renew as inactive by returning your pressure seal.
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
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee
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 · $3,000
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
Sources for this section
- New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers - Applications · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers - Application Process Overview · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Master Plumbers by Examination - Phases and Timelines · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Work Experience Certification for Master Plumber · New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-1.3 - Definitions · N.J.A.C. 13:32-1.3 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.1 - Eligibility for examinations · N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.1 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2 - Experience requirements · N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.2 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.3 - Examinations · N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.3 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.4 - Failure of examination; when retaking permitted · N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.4 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.5 - Licensure · N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.5; N.J.S.A. 45:14C-26 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.6 - Renewal of license · N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.6 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.7 - Armed Forces credit · N.J.A.C. 13:32-2.7 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-5.1 - Fee schedule · N.J.A.C. 13:32-5.1 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-6.1 - Continuing education requirements · N.J.A.C. 13:32-6.1 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- N.J.A.C. 13:32-6.3 - Continuing education topics · N.J.A.C. 13:32-6.3 · New Jersey Office of Administrative Law (text via Cornell LII) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026