Washington to Utah: master plumber license reciprocity

Utah issues a statewide Master Plumber license through DOPL under Utah Code 58-55 and Rule R156-55c, alongside a Residential Master Plumber license limited to residential work. A new master needs 4,000 hours of licensed journeyman plumber experience as a supervisor (or an associate of applied science or similar CHEA-recognized degree plus 2,000 supervisory hours) and must pass the Prov-administered Utah Master Plumber Law and Rule Examination with at least 75%; the DOPL application fee is $116. Utah has no master-level reciprocity agreements. Out-of-state masters whose license is green on DOPL's Endorsement to Utah: Master Plumber map apply by endorsement under Utah Code 58-1-302 after holding the license at least one year, active and in good standing, but 'All applicants will be required to pass the Utah Master Plumber Law and Rule exam.' Several states issue only a plumbing contractor license (light blue on the map); DOPL may endorse the individual who qualified as that contractor's responsible person. Applicants without an equivalent license use verified out-of-state journeyman supervisory hours toward the standard route. Renewal requires 12 hours of approved CE per licensing cycle.

Washington has no master plumber license. WAC 296-400A-010 lists every certificate the state issues (journey level PL01, residential PL02, residential service PL04, pump and irrigation PL03, domestic well PL03A, backflow PL30, and trainee), and the Journey Level Plumber certificate is the highest credential an individual can hold; the only add-on is the Medical Gas Piping Installer endorsement (MG01), which is a specialty, not a supervisory tier. Since July 1, 2021 a business that advertises, bids or performs plumbing work must hold a Plumbing Contractor license under RCW 18.106.400, but that is a business registration rather than a person-held trade license: the firm registers with the Department of Revenue, files a $6,000 surety bond, carries $250,000 combined (or $200,000/$50,000) liability insurance, pays a $148.10 license fee plus $53.20 to designate a Washington-certified plumber who works for the firm full time, and renews every two years; no exam is taken by the owner. An out-of-state master plumber therefore has nothing to transfer to at this level. To work as a plumber they obtain the journey level (PL01) certificate through the journeyman path (Idaho reciprocity or license review plus the Washington exam), and to contract they form a business and license it as a plumbing contractor with themselves or an employee as the designated certified plumber.