Transfer Your Plumber License to Arkansas: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Arkansas Department of Health — Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (State Committee of Plumbing Examiners) ↗
Conditionally — Arkansas recognizes plumbing licenses from 4 named partner states (Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma). A plumber licensed by examination and in good standing there applies to the Arkansas Department of Health — Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (State Committee of Plumbing Examiners) under the agreement; Arkansas waives its journeyman plumber examination for applicants licensed under one of its formal reciprocal agreements — the Department of Health publishes agreements with Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma — who hold a substantially similar license in good standing (Rules Sec. II(j)(iii): examinations shall not be required, and no apprenticeship/education/training may be imposed). An out-of-state journeyman from a state WITHOUT an agreement whose plumbing laws/codes are substantially similar may sit for the Arkansas journeyman exam without redoing an apprenticeship but must pass it. New residents may instead use Act 457 of 2023 automatic occupational licensure (residency + one year in good standing on a substantially-similar license, or 3 years' experience in a non-licensing state), subject to an Arkansas state-law exam the Department may waive.. From any other state you qualify and sit Arkansas's journeyman exam as a new applicant. Application fee: $75–$150 ($75 journeyman application fee + $75 annual journeyman license fee (Ark. State Board of Health plumbing rules, Sec. III). The first scheduled exam is covered by the application fee; retake/no-show exam $50 each. Master tier is $125 application + $200/yr license. Reinstatement: $150 journeyman / $325 master.).
Moving to Arkansas from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Reciprocity with 4 states
Read Arkansas's reciprocity as a named list, and the list is the rule: if you were licensed by examination in a state on it and your license is in good standing, the streamlined track below applies; if not, no amount of field experience substitutes for Arkansas's exam. Two cautions. The agreement is directional — it describes the states Arkansas recognizes, which tells you nothing about the reverse move — and it typically excludes licenses that were grandfathered in rather than earned by examination. Confirm both against the Arkansas Department of Health — Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (State Committee of Plumbing Examiners) before you rely on the waiver.
Canonical credential is the Journeyman Plumber license (Master requires 5 years' experience and holding the journeyman at least 1 year). The rules authorize the State Committee to enter reciprocal agreements (Sec. II(j)); the Department's Plumbing & Natural Gas web page publishes four such agreements — Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma — so reciprocity_partners lists those named states (the earlier assumption of 'none named' was corrected against the board's own page). Under an agreement the exam is waived; a substantially-similar out-of-state licensee from a non-agreement state is instead approved to sit the Arkansas exam without a new apprenticeship, and Act 457 of 2023 adds a residency-based automatic-licensure path (Arkansas state-law exam, waivable). full_reciprocity is false because the default out-of-state path still requires passing the Arkansas exam. Per-agreement scope (journeyman vs. master) should be confirmed against each agreement document. Fees exclude late/penalty ($5/month) charges. An aggregator claim that Arkansas has 'no reciprocity with any state' is incorrect and was rejected.
Arkansas requirements at a glance
| Exam | Arkansas waives its journeyman plumber examination for applicants licensed under one of its formal reciprocal agreements — the Department of Health publishes agreements with Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma — who hold a substantially similar license in good standing (Rules Sec. II(j)(iii): examinations shall not be required, and no apprenticeship/education/training may be imposed). An out-of-state journeyman from a state WITHOUT an agreement whose plumbing laws/codes are substantially similar may sit for the Arkansas journeyman exam without redoing an apprenticeship but must pass it. New residents may instead use Act 457 of 2023 automatic occupational licensure (residency + one year in good standing on a substantially-similar license, or 3 years' experience in a non-licensing state), subject to an Arkansas state-law exam the Department may waive. |
|---|---|
| Additional requirements |
|
| Fees | $75–$150 ($75 journeyman application fee + $75 annual journeyman license fee (Ark. State Board of Health plumbing rules, Sec. III). The first scheduled exam is covered by the application fee; retake/no-show exam $50 each. Master tier is $125 application + $200/yr license. Reinstatement: $150 journeyman / $325 master.) |
| Processing time | No board-stated processing time; a temporary revocable permit / provisional license is issued immediately upon eligibility approval and is valid 90 days |
Step by step
- Confirm Arkansas's current requirements on the Arkansas Department of Health — Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (State Committee of Plumbing Examiners) website — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the Arkansas Department of Health — Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (State Committee of Plumbing Examiners) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Have a minimum of 4 years plumbing experience (or equivalent) to qualify for the journeyman examination.
- Hold an out-of-state plumber license in good standing whose laws/codes are substantially similar to Arkansas (national model code + national examination), not suspended, revoked, or on probation.
- Pass the Arkansas journeyman plumber examination unless licensed under a reciprocal agreement (Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, or Oklahoma).
- For automatic licensure (Act 457), establish Arkansas residency and pass an Arkansas state-law exam (waivable) plus a criminal background check.
- Pay the fees ($75–$150 ($75 journeyman application fee + $75 annual journeyman license fee (Ark. State Board of Health plumbing rules, Sec. III). The first scheduled exam is covered by the application fee; retake/no-show exam $50 each. Master tier is $125 application + $200/yr license. Reinstatement: $150 journeyman / $325 master.)) and allow No board-stated processing time; a temporary revocable permit / provisional license is issued immediately upon eligibility approval and is valid 90 days.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Arkansas:
Frequently asked questions
Does my plumbing license transfer to Arkansas?
Conditionally — Arkansas recognizes plumbing licenses from 4 named partner states (Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma). A plumber licensed by examination and in good standing there applies to the Arkansas Department of Health — Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (State Committee of Plumbing Examiners) under the agreement; Arkansas waives its journeyman plumber examination for applicants licensed under one of its formal reciprocal agreements — the Department of Health publishes agreements with Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma — who hold a substantially similar license in good standing (Rules Sec. II(j)(iii): examinations shall not be required, and no apprenticeship/education/training may be imposed). An out-of-state journeyman from a state WITHOUT an agreement whose plumbing laws/codes are substantially similar may sit for the Arkansas journeyman exam without redoing an apprenticeship but must pass it. New residents may instead use Act 457 of 2023 automatic occupational licensure (residency + one year in good standing on a substantially-similar license, or 3 years' experience in a non-licensing state), subject to an Arkansas state-law exam the Department may waive.. From any other state you qualify and sit Arkansas's journeyman exam as a new applicant. Application fee: $75–$150 ($75 journeyman application fee + $75 annual journeyman license fee (Ark. State Board of Health plumbing rules, Sec. III). The first scheduled exam is covered by the application fee; retake/no-show exam $50 each. Master tier is $125 application + $200/yr license. Reinstatement: $150 journeyman / $325 master.).
Will I have to take Arkansas's plumbing exam?
Arkansas waives its journeyman plumber examination for applicants licensed under one of its formal reciprocal agreements — the Department of Health publishes agreements with Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma — who hold a substantially similar license in good standing (Rules Sec. II(j)(iii): examinations shall not be required, and no apprenticeship/education/training may be imposed). An out-of-state journeyman from a state WITHOUT an agreement whose plumbing laws/codes are substantially similar may sit for the Arkansas journeyman exam without redoing an apprenticeship but must pass it. New residents may instead use Act 457 of 2023 automatic occupational licensure (residency + one year in good standing on a substantially-similar license, or 3 years' experience in a non-licensing state), subject to an Arkansas state-law exam the Department may waive..
Which states does Arkansas have plumbing reciprocity with?
Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma (4 states, verified 2026-07-21 against the Arkansas Department of Health — Plumbing and Natural Gas Section (State Committee of Plumbing Examiners)). The waiver applies only if you were licensed by examination there; plumbers from every other state qualify as new applicants.
What will licensing in Arkansas cost an out-of-state plumber, and how long does it take?
$75–$150 ($75 journeyman application fee + $75 annual journeyman license fee (Ark. State Board of Health plumbing rules, Sec. III). The first scheduled exam is covered by the application fee; retake/no-show exam $50 each. Master tier is $125 application + $200/yr license. Reinstatement: $150 journeyman / $325 master.); processing No board-stated processing time; a temporary revocable permit / provisional license is issued immediately upon eligibility approval and is valid 90 days.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Arkansas Department of Health — Plumbing & Natural Gas (published reciprocity agreements: Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma; applications; license lookup) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Arkansas State Board of Health — Rules Pertaining to Master, Journeyman, and Restricted Plumber Licenses, eff. 9/5/2024 (reciprocity Sec. II(j); qualifications Sec. II(a); Act 457 Sec. II(k); fees Sec. III) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]