Wyoming to New Mexico: master plumber license reciprocity
Wyoming does not issue a statewide master plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is New Mexico's standard path for out-of-state applicants.
Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state master plumber or plumbing contractor (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
An out-of-state master plumber or plumbing contractor receives no exam waiver in New Mexico. The individual files the notarized Qualifying Party application and work-experience affidavits with PSI ($36) showing four years of plumbing experience within the ten years before application (out-of-state experience is accepted on the same affidavits), is pre-approved, then must pass the 100-question open-book MM-1 Plumbing exam ($68.88, 75% to pass) and the Contractor's Business and Law exam ($68.88) or complete an approved business and law course in its place; passing scores are valid for one year. The business then applies to PSI for the MM-1 (or MM-98) contractor's license with a $36 application fee, the license fee ($50 per year or $100 for two years for MM-1; $100 per year or $200 for two years for MM-98), a $10,000 license bond, a New Mexico tax registration certificate and proof of workers' compensation coverage. Because New Mexico has no master plumber certificate, an out-of-state master who only wants to work with the tools applies for the JP journeyman certificate under the journeyman path instead.
Neither the RLD page, 14.6.3/14.6.4 NMAC nor the PSI contractor bulletin describes any substantial-equivalence review for contractors or qualifying parties from another state; the statutory reciprocity authority in NMSA 60-13-14(C) has not been exercised for mechanical or plumbing classifications as far as any official page shows. The only statutory experience waiver (60-13-14(B)(8)(b)) applies to a qualifying party previously certified in New Mexico in the same classification. Fee conflict: 14.5.5.8 NMAC sets the contractor license application fee at $30 while the RLD page lists $36 for both the QP application and the company license application; the RLD/PSI figure is used here. An MM-98 candidate takes the individual MM-1 through MM-4 exams; no combined MM-98 exam is listed.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Four years of practical or related trade experience in the MM-1 plumbing classification within the ten years immediately before application (NMSA 60-13-14(B)(8); 14.6.6.11(B)(1) NMAC), verified on notarized work-experience affidavits
What you'll do to get licensed in New Mexico
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($36). Qualifying Party application and work-experience affidavit fee paid to PSI (notarized; submitted by hand or mail to the PSI Albuquerque office).
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. MM-1 Plumbing exam by PSI: 100 questions, 250 minutes, open book (2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, 2015 NM Plumbing Code 14.8.2 NMAC, 2021 Uniform Mechanical Code), 75% (75 points) to pass.
- 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($68.88). PSI fee for the MM-1 trade exam, first attempt or retake.
- 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Contractor's Business and Law exam (required of all new candidates) or a commission-approved Business and Law course taken with an approved vendor in its place.
- 5Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($68.88). PSI fee for the Business and Law exam.
- 6Other. Certificate of qualification issuance fee (14.5.5.14(A) NMAC) ($6).
- 7Contractor license. Hold or obtain a contractor license ($36). MM-1 or MM-98 contractor's license application fee paid to PSI by the business (RLD page; 14.5.5.8 NMAC still reads $30), with tax registration certificate and the qualifying party's certificate or scores.
- 8License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($100). MM-1 contractor's license fee, $50 per year or $100 for the two-year term; MM-98 is $100 per year or $200 for two years (14.5.5.8 NMAC).
- 9Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($10,000). $10,000 contractor's license bond from a corporate surety authorized in New Mexico (NMSA 60-13-49), filed with the company license application.
- 10Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Workers' compensation coverage is required of all licensees by the Workers' Compensation Administration.
Published fees on this path total $273.76, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
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 · $68.88
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee · $68.88
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 · $10,000
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance
How New Mexico licenses master plumbers
New Mexico master plumber · “MM-1 Plumbing contractor qualifying party (certificate of qualification); MM-98 Mechanical covers MM-1 through MM-4”
Statewide license
New Mexico has no 'master plumber' title. The credential above journeyman is the MM-1 Plumbing contractor classification (install, alter, repair, service and maintain plumbing, fixtures and piping, hot-water heating up to 30 psi or 400,000 BTU/hour, fuel and solar piping, pools, septic and sewer lines, controls at 24 volts or less; natural gas piping requires MM-2), or the MM-98 Mechanical classification that bundles MM-1 through MM-4 and four mechanical specialties. CID issues the contractor's license to the business and a personal, non-transferable certificate of qualification to the qualifying party, the individual who documented four years of experience in the classification within the past ten years and passed the MM-1 trade exam and the Contractor's Business and Law exam, so this site maps the MM-1 qualifying party to the master level. Even with an MM-1 license, hands-on plumbing must be done by or under a certified JP journeyman. CID publishes reciprocity only for EE-98J electrical journeymen; no reciprocity, endorsement or exam waiver is published for plumbing qualifying parties or contractors, although NMSA 60-13-14(C) allows the division to enter into reciprocal agreements with states having equivalent requirements.
Why Wyoming has nothing to transfer
Wyoming master plumber
Licensed by cities and counties
Wyoming issues no master plumber or plumbing contractor license; the State Fire Marshal's electrical program is the only statewide trade licensing and it has no plumbing component. The master credential exists only in city ordinances: Cheyenne's Master (8,000 apprentice hours plus 6,000 journeyman hours and an ICC/NICET/NASCLA exam), Casper's Master Plumber (apprenticeship or four years plus five years as a journeyman or master, ICC G27-N), Laramie's master plumbing certificate of qualification (three years beyond journeyman, city exam), Gillette's Master Plumber (five years plus the ICC exam), Sheridan's Master Plumber (2018 ICC G27 with Gas) and Jackson's Master Certificate of Qualification (ICC G-series National Standard exam plus time in service). In every one of these cities a plumbing contractor must be or employ a master of record, and the contractor license is a separate business license with fees from $150 to $300 plus insurance or bond. No city accepts an out-of-state master license: Casper, Gillette and Jackson reciprocate only with other Wyoming jurisdictions, Sheridan refuses all outside licenses, Cheyenne's Board has undefined discretion, and Laramie may waive its exam for an equivalent certificate from any governmental agency. Rock Springs registers contractors for $125 with proof of insurance and tests nobody.
How local licensing works in Wyoming
How local licensing works. There is no state plumbing board; each city's ordinance defines its own master-level license and the plumbing contractor license it qualifies. The reciprocity statute the cities cite reaches only other Wyoming jurisdictions, and no city publishes a route that honours another state's master plumber or plumbing contractor license.
Cheyenne. A Master level craft employee license (12.1.8) requires 4 years/8,000 hours documented as an apprentice (or certified equivalent training) plus 3 years/6,000 hours documented as a journeyman and passing results on a current ICC, NICET or NASCLA exam from the Board's list. Fees are $50 application plus $50 initial and $25 renewal. A Plumbing (C1) contractor - covering plumbing and pipe-fitting systems other than fire sprinklers - may be licensed only if it always employs a full-time master or qualified supervisor of that class, who may represent only one contractor (13.0); the C1 tested contractor license costs $50 application plus $200 initial and $75 renewal. Reciprocity is at the Board's discretion (3.3.2/3.5.1) with no published partner list and a statute limiting it to Wyoming jurisdictions.
Casper. Master Plumber ($75 new, $37.50 renewal) requires a federally recognized plumbing apprenticeship or four years in a Casper-licensed plumbing shop plus five years as a journeyman or master plumber in a Casper-licensed shop, and proof of passing ICC G27-N or equivalent. A Plumbing Contractor license ($300/$150) covers any plumbing work including steam and water boilers, must be backed by a full-time licensed master plumber, and requires $250,000/$500,000/$250,000 liability insurance. Reciprocal Master/Journeyman licenses ($50/$25) are limited to holders of a current license from another Wyoming jurisdiction with comparable testing.
Laramie. A master plumbing certificate of qualification requires three years as a journeyman (Table 15.24.020-1) and the building official's examination ($5 per attempt), or is issued without exam on presentation of a certificate from another governmental agency whose exam the board of examiners finds at least equal. All plumbing contractor work must be performed by or under the supervision of a master plumbing certificate holder, who must be available to the building official within 24 hours. The Plumbing Contractor license costs $300 new and $35 renewal and requires a business location and telephone, a $500,000 combined single limit insurance certificate naming the City and a Wyoming Workers' Compensation certificate of good standing; licenses and certificates run January 1 - December 31.
Gillette. Master Plumber ($50 new, $50 renewal) requires five years of approved experience and passing ICC examination results. A Class D Plumbing Contractor ($150/$50) works under the 2024 IPC, may not do gas pipefitting on its plumbing license, and must designate a Master of Record - a full-time employee or owner licensed as a Master Plumber, able to reach any job site within 48 hours and replaced within 60 days if they leave. Reciprocity (5-III-1(d)) is limited to active, good-standing licenses from other Wyoming local governments, with testing waived on proof of the ICC plumbing or contractor exam and no fee charged.
Sheridan. Master Plumber ($50 new, $50 annual) acts as Master of Record for a plumbing company, must show they meet the Plumbing Contractor requirements (2018 ICC G27 exam, four-year journeyman plumber verification on Form JP, two-year project verification on Form A) and pass the 2018 ICC G27 Master Plumber with Gas exam. The Plumbing Contractor license ($200 new, $200 annual) also needs a $1,000,000 liability insurance certificate and a $10,000 license and permit bond, and every plumbing business must hold both a contractor license and a Master of Record. The City does not accept licenses from other cities, towns, counties or states.
Jackson. The Master Certificate of Qualification card is the prerequisite for a Plumbing Contractor license and is the only individual card the Town still issues. It is obtained by passing the ICC National Standard trades exam through Pearson VUE (only G-series tests based on the 2018 I-Codes are accepted) and meeting the time-in-service requirement in JMC 15.36.050, or by reciprocity for someone 'currently licensed and in good standing in a Wyoming jurisdiction that meets our licensing requirements'. Applications go through the SmartGov portal with a 30-day processing window; the contractor license then requires the bond and insurance in JMC 15.36.035 and renews every December 31, while the Master COQ card renews triennially with six hours of ICC-accredited continuing education. Licensing covers only work inside Town limits.
Rock Springs. Contractors register with the Building Inspection Office ($125 fee and a certificate of insurance naming the City) before working; no master license or exam exists.
- Cheyenne (Contractor Licensing Board / Building Safety Department)
- Casper (Community Development Department)
- Laramie (Code Administration)
- Gillette (Building Inspection Division / Board of Examiners)
- Sheridan (Building Division)
- Jackson (Planning & Building Department)
- Rock Springs (Building Inspection Office)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the New Mexico master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Wyoming?
- Yes. New Mexico requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a New Mexico master plumber license from Wyoming?
- Published fees on this path total $273.76, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Wyoming work hours count in New Mexico?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward New Mexico's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from New Mexico to Wyoming?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from New Mexico to Wyoming, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- Construction Industries Licensing Act, NMSA 1978 Chapter 60, Article 13 (RLD compilation as of July 1, 2021) · NMSA 1978 §§ 60-13-14, 60-13-38, 60-13-49 · New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department · Statute · verified September 16, 2026
- 14.5.5 NMAC - Construction Industries General Provisions: Fees · 14.5.5.8, 14.5.5.9 and 14.5.5.14 NMAC · New Mexico Commission of Public Records, State Records Center and Archives · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- 14.6.6 NMAC - Construction Industries Licensing: Classifications and Scopes (mechanical and plumbing) · 14.6.6.11 NMAC · New Mexico Commission of Public Records, State Records Center and Archives · Admin Rule · verified September 16, 2026
- State of New Mexico Contractor (Qualifying Party) Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · PSI Services for the NM Construction Industries Division · Other · verified September 16, 2026
- NM Regulation and Licensing Department - Apply for a Construction Industries License · New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.