LicensebyState

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

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

Rhode Island master plumber · “Master Plumber”

Statewide license

Verified September 16, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Division of Workforce Regulation and Safety, Professional Regulation (Board of Examiners of Plumbers)

Rhode Island issues a statewide Master Plumber license through the same DLT Board of Examiners of Plumbers (R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 5-20-3, 5-20-8, 5-20-16). A master’s license is required to engage in the plumbing business; journeypersons work under a master (§§ 5-20-8, 5-20-9). Firms need a contractor master under § 5-20-12.1 in addition to the individual master — that contractor-master credential is not this file’s master level. Licenses are issued on examination (§ 5-20-21). Chapter 20 has no reciprocity or endorsement section, and DLT’s plumber pages list no partner states and no exam waiver. DLT administers the plumber exams itself. Irrigator and water-filtration master licenses are separate.

Every origin state

Experience credit 38No credit 12
Every state's path into Rhode Island
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
MassachusettsExperience 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
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 Rhode Island from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 8 sources

Master Plumber by examination

Rhode Island's Master Plumber license is earned by examination after at least one year as a licensed Rhode Island Journeyperson Plumber working for a licensed master plumber. Apply to DLT on the notarized Plumbers and Irrigators application with an affidavit of that employment, a notarized employer statement verifying at least five years of experience in the trade, a copy of your photo ID and the $75 nonrefundable application fee; state law asks for the completed application at least 30 days before the exam date. You must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident. The exam is written and given by DLT, has 50 multiple-choice questions based on the 2018 International Plumbing Code, and a score of 70 or higher passes; the $240 two-year license fee is invoiced after you pass.

There is no separate law or business exam. A master's license is required to run a plumbing business, employ journeypersons or apprentices, or contract for plumbing work, and it also covers master irrigation and water-filtration/treatment-system work. A corporation, partnership or other entity doing plumbing work must either have a licensed master plumber as an officer or principal supervising its work, or hold a DLT plumbing contractor's license, whose fee equals the master plumber fee, qualified by a master who supervises its work. The contractor master plumber license, for someone with a bachelor's degree and four years of relevant experience who qualifies a company, is a separate credential with its own exam. DLT does not publish a processing time.

Trade exam
Required
Law / code exam
Not required
Exam given by
Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training
Passing score
70%
Renewal
Every 2 years
Continuing education
7 hours per cycle

Who can apply

  • Hold a Rhode Island Journeyperson Plumber license for at least 1 year first.Held and in force for at least one year while employed by a licensed master plumber; an affidavit of that employment accompanies the application (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-16(a)(3); 260-RICR-30-15-9 § 9.3(B)(1)).
  • You must document at least 5 years of qualifying work experience.DLT's application instructions require verification of at least five years of experience in the trade, in a notarized statement on company letterhead from a present or past employer.
  • U.S. citizen or legal resident (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-16(a)(2))

Other ways to qualify

Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.

Prerequisite waiver on evidence of equivalent qualifications

Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-16(b), DLT may waive the journeyperson-license prerequisite if the applicant shows, in a form DLT finds reasonably acceptable, the skill, expertise, education, experience and training needed to take the master plumber exam. The exam itself is still required. DLT does not publish criteria for this waiver; ask Professional Regulation at (401) 462-8580.

  • Evidence acceptable to DLT of the skill, expertise, education, experience and training needed to take the master plumber exam

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($75). Nonrefundable master plumber application fee, paid by check or money order to the RI Department of Labor and Training (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-16(a)(1)).
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Rhode Island Master Plumber examination written and given by DLT: 50 multiple-choice questions based on the 2018 International Plumbing Code; 70 or higher to pass.
  3. 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($240). Two-year Master Plumber license fee, invoiced after a passing score.

Published fees on this path total $315, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every 2 years with 7 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $240 renewal fee.

Seven hours of approved continuing education with a board-approved provider during every two-year license cycle; keep your certificates of completion for two cycles in case of audit. Approved CE instructors, current Rhode Island plumbing inspectors and building officials, and licensees whose years licensed as a master or journeyperson plumber plus age total 80 are exempt.

Licenses expire on the licensee's birthday every two years, in odd years for those born in odd years and in even years for those born in even years. A lapsed license can be reinstated within two years by paying the renewal fee, any outstanding fees and a $12-per-month administrative assessment; after two years it is forfeited and a new exam is required.

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

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. Rhode Island DLT - Trade License Exam Information · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Rhode Island DLT - Plumbers and Irrigators Application for Examination (with instructions and fee table) · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulation · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Rhode Island DLT - Plumber CLE Agreement (Rev. 08/2025) · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulation · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  4. Rhode Island DLT - Professional Regulation Forms and Applications · Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
  5. 260-RICR-30-15-9 - Licensing of Plumbers, Irrigators and Water System Installers · 260-RICR-30-15-9 · Rhode Island Department of State (Rhode Island Code of Regulations) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  6. R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-12 - Corporations and firms engaging in business · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-12 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  7. R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-16 - Qualifications of master plumber, master irrigator or master water-filtration/treatment-system installer — Application fee · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-16 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  8. R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-23 - Expiration and renewal of licenses — Penalties for violation of section · R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-20-23 · Rhode Island General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026

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