Moving to Vermont as a master plumber: every state's rule
Vermont has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.
Vermont master plumber · “Master Plumber (PM)”
Statewide license
Issued by Vermont Plumber's Examining Board, Division of Fire Safety (Department of Public Safety)
Vermont issues a statewide Master Plumber license (ledger code PM) through the Plumber's Examining Board in the Division of Fire Safety. A master, as a business, installs plumbing systems, hires people to do plumbing work, or supervises journey and apprentice plumbers. A new applicant must document having held a valid Vermont journeyman plumber's license for at least 12 months, or equivalent training and experience in or outside Vermont acceptable to the Board, then pass the master examination; the two-year license fee is $120 (26 V.S.A. ss. 2191, 2193(c)). Out-of-state masters use the same no-exam statutes as journeymen: uniform endorsement after three years licensed in good standing in another U.S. jurisdiction (s. 2194(a)(2)), or reciprocity without examination if the origin state or municipality had equivalent standards and grants Vermont licensees a like exemption (s. 2194(a)(1)). DFS plumbing pages name no partner states. Masters and journeymen are exempt from specialist license fees. Licenses last two years with eight hours of Board-approved CE per cycle plus the Energy Goals module. Work on installations subject to Board rules also requires a validated work notice and inspection fees, which are separate from the license.
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 |
| 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 | 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 | |
| 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 Vermont from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Vermont issues a master plumber license to a first-time applicant.
Master Plumber license by examination
A Vermont journeyman plumber becomes a master by holding the Vermont Journeyman Plumber license for at least 12 months and passing the master exam. Applicants without the Vermont journeyman license may instead qualify with an out-of-state journeyman-level license held for a year, or with training and experience the Plumber's Examining Board accepts. The exam is given by Prov on computer, open book with approved references, and you need 70% to pass; Vermont plumbing law is covered within it, with no separate business exam. The master license is issued to the individual, who may then run a plumbing business, hire plumbers and supervise journeymen and apprentices; the Board's application does not ask for a bond, insurance or business registration.
Send the notarized all-classifications plumbing application with your Vermont journeyman license number and a copy of the license, three references unrelated to you, and a check payable to the Division of Fire Safety. The Board reviews applications at its meetings every two months, and documents must arrive two weeks before a meeting. The master exam has 97 questions in 3 hours; allowed references are the 2025 Vermont Plumbing Rules, the 2024 International Plumbing Code and Basic Safety. You may retake a failed exam twice at the same fee; after three failures you must appear before the Board before a fourth attempt. Master and journeyman plumbers pay no separate fee for specialist work. Plumbing work covered by the Vermont Plumbing Rules also needs a work notice and inspection fees, which are separate from the license.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Exam given by
- Prov
- Exam format
- Open book
- Passing score
- 70%
- Renewal
- Every 2 years
- Continuing education
- 8 hours per cycle
Who can apply
- Hold a Vermont Journeyman Plumber (PJ) license for at least 12 months first.Held for at least 12 months (26 V.S.A. s. 2191).
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
Out-of-state journeyman-level license held one year
The application accepts a license held for at least one year in another state at a level equal to a Vermont journeyman plumber, with proof of the schooling and experience behind it, in place of the Vermont journeyman license. The master exam still applies.
- Licensed for at least one year in another state at a level equal to a Vermont journeyman plumber, with proof of schooling and experience
Equivalent training and experience accepted by the Board
Under 26 V.S.A. s. 2191, an applicant may instead document instruction, training and experience inside or outside Vermont that the Board accepts. The application form asks for at least 14,000 hours of experience on this route, documented on Employer Affidavit of Experience forms signed by a licensed master plumber.
- You must document at least 14,000 hours of qualifying work experience.
Steps to get licensed
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($120). Master fee of $120, sent with the application by check payable to the Division of Fire Safety. The application lists it as the application fee; it equals the two-year master license fee set in 26 V.S.A. s. 2193(c)..
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Vermont Master Plumber exam administered by Prov: 97 questions in 3 hours, computer-based, open book with approved references, 70% to pass.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($80). Prov examination fee, paid to Prov when you schedule; each retake costs the same.
- 4Other. Vermont Energy Goals education module (about 20 minutes, on the Division of Fire Safety website); include the completion certificate with the application.
Published fees on this path total $200, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every 2 years with 8 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $120 renewal fee.
8 hours of Board-approved continuing education or training during the 24 months before renewal, at least 2 hours of which must be code review; a course counts toward only one renewal. The Vermont Energy Goals renewal module is also required.
A license may be reinstated within 90 days after it expires by paying a $15 reinstatement fee on top of the renewal fee; after 90 days you must appear before the Board to request reinstatement.
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
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Vermont Energy Goals Educational Module memo · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Plumbing (licensing home page) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Division of Fire Safety - Plumbing License Applications, All Classes · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - Plumbers Examining Board (meetings and document deadline) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- Vermont Plumbing Rules, 2025 Edition (current; linked from the DFS plumbing page) · Vermont Plumbing Rules 2025 · Vermont Plumber's Examining Board / Division of Fire Safety · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
- Vermont Division of Fire Safety - 2026 PROV Bulletin (testing instructions linked from the trade-licensing page) · Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety / Prov · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- 26 V.S.A. Chapter 39 - Plumbers and Plumbing (definitions, qualifications, fees, examinations not required, renewal) · 26 V.S.A. ss. 2172, 2181, 2191, 2192, 2192a, 2193, 2194, 2195, 2198 · Vermont General Assembly · Statute · verified September 23, 2026