Transfer Your Plumber License to Indiana: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) — Indiana Plumbing Commission ↗

Indiana publishes no named partner list, but the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) — Indiana Plumbing Commission evaluates out-of-state plumbers for endorsement individually, crediting a comparable exam or documented experience. Indiana Code 25-28.5-1-19 (verified current as of 2026-01-01) provides that an out-of-state journeyman plumber 'shall without examination, be granted a license' by the Indiana Plumbing Commission IF the other jurisdiction's licensing requirements were substantially equal to Indiana's when the applicant was last licensed AND that jurisdiction grants Indiana licensees the same reciprocal privilege; the statute names no partner states and no official list of qualifying states was located, so an applicant must confirm eligibility with the Commission, and anyone who does not meet the substantial-equivalence/mutuality test must be approved by the Commission and pass the Indiana journeyman plumber examination. Application fee: $15–$30 (Per 860 IAC 1-1-2.1: journeyman plumber initial license fee is $15 in odd-numbered years or $30 in even-numbered years (biennial cycle; renewal $30 due before Dec 1 of each odd-numbered year). A reciprocity applicant pays the license fee with no exam; a non-reciprocity applicant also pays a $30 Commission examination fee plus the separate exam-vendor (Prove/ICC) fee. All PLA fees are non-refundable).

Moving to Indiana from a specific state?

Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

Licensure by endorsement

Indiana works case-by-case rather than from a published partner list, so the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) — Indiana Plumbing Commission's judgment on your specific license, exam history, and documented experience decides the outcome. Where the pathway is equivalency-based, the board is measuring your home state's standards and experience requirements against its own. Get any exam waiver or experience credit confirmed in writing before you rely on it — discretionary approvals are exactly the kind of thing that shifts between reviewers.

CORRECTED from an earlier draft that marked Indiana as no-reciprocity: the current statute IC 25-28.5-1-19 (verified current as of 2026-01-01) expressly lets the Plumbing Commission license an out-of-state journeyman WITHOUT its exam when the other jurisdiction's requirements were substantially equal to Indiana's and that jurisdiction reciprocates for Indiana licensees — a conditional pathway, so endorsement_available is true with reciprocity_partners empty (the statute names no states, mirroring Georgia's on-the-books-but-conditional reciprocity). Aggregator claims of fixed reciprocity with Ohio, Illinois, and Kentucky are unsupported by any official Indiana source and are inconsistent with those states' licensing structures (Illinois has a single plumber license and no interstate reciprocity; Ohio does not license journeymen at the state level), so they are excluded. Fees are from the codified schedule 860 IAC 1-1-2.1. in.gov and iga.in.gov refused automated connections during research; the statute text was read on FindLaw and the fee schedule via the Legal Information Institute (both verbatim reproductions of primary law). The plumbing contractor license is the tier above journeyman.

Indiana requirements at a glance

Out-of-state plumbing license transfer requirements for Indiana, verified 2026-07-21
Exam	Indiana Code 25-28.5-1-19 (verified current as of 2026-01-01) provides that an out-of-state journeyman plumber 'shall without examination, be granted a license' by the Indiana Plumbing Commission IF the other jurisdiction's licensing requirements were substantially equal to Indiana's when the applicant was last licensed AND that jurisdiction grants Indiana licensees the same reciprocal privilege; the statute names no partner states and no official list of qualifying states was located, so an applicant must confirm eligibility with the Commission, and anyone who does not meet the substantial-equivalence/mutuality test must be approved by the Commission and pass the Indiana journeyman plumber examination
Additional requirements	Hold a current journeyman plumber license/registration in the same category in another state, territory, country, or province The issuing jurisdiction's requirements must have been substantially equal to Indiana's when last licensed, and it must grant Indiana licensees the same reciprocity/mutuality (IC 25-28.5-1-19) Be at least eighteen (18) years of age Applicants who do not qualify for reciprocity must document an approved four-year apprenticeship (about 6,400 hours on-the-job training plus 576 classroom hours) or an out-of-state license, be approved by the Commission, and pass the Indiana journeyman examination (vendor Prove/ICC, provexam.com)
Fees	$15–$30 (Per 860 IAC 1-1-2.1: journeyman plumber initial license fee is $15 in odd-numbered years or $30 in even-numbered years (biennial cycle; renewal $30 due before Dec 1 of each odd-numbered year). A reciprocity applicant pays the license fee with no exam; a non-reciprocity applicant also pays a $30 Commission examination fee plus the separate exam-vendor (Prove/ICC) fee. All PLA fees are non-refundable)
Processing time	No board-stated processing time in weeks; a non-reciprocity application must be reviewed and approved for eligibility by the Indiana Plumbing Commission before the applicant may register for the exam. All in.gov hosts refused direct connections during research

Step by step

Confirm Indiana's current requirements on the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) — Indiana Plumbing Commission website — rules change.
Submit the endorsement application to the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) — Indiana Plumbing Commission (application linked on this page).
Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
Hold a current journeyman plumber license/registration in the same category in another state, territory, country, or province.
The issuing jurisdiction's requirements must have been substantially equal to Indiana's when last licensed, and it must grant Indiana licensees the same reciprocity/mutuality (IC 25-28.5-1-19).
Be at least eighteen (18) years of age.
Applicants who do not qualify for reciprocity must document an approved four-year apprenticeship (about 6,400 hours on-the-job training plus 576 classroom hours) or an out-of-state license, be approved by the Commission, and pass the Indiana journeyman examination (vendor Prove/ICC, provexam.com).
Pay the fees ($15–$30 (Per 860 IAC 1-1-2.1: journeyman plumber initial license fee is $15 in odd-numbered years or $30 in even-numbered years (biennial cycle; renewal $30 due before Dec 1 of each odd-numbered year). A reciprocity applicant pays the license fee with no exam; a non-reciprocity applicant also pays a $30 Commission examination fee plus the separate exam-vendor (Prove/ICC) fee. All PLA fees are non-refundable)) and allow No board-stated processing time in weeks; a non-reciprocity application must be reviewed and approved for eligibility by the Indiana Plumbing Commission before the applicant may register for the exam. All in.gov hosts refused direct connections during research.

Official links

Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA) — Indiana Plumbing Commission ↗Indiana application ↗License verification ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Indiana:

California → Indiana Florida → Indiana Georgia → Indiana Illinois → Indiana Michigan → Indiana New York → Indiana North Carolina → Indiana Ohio → Indiana Pennsylvania → Indiana Texas → Indiana

Frequently asked questions

Does my plumbing license transfer to Indiana?

Will I have to take Indiana's plumbing exam?

Indiana Code 25-28.5-1-19 (verified current as of 2026-01-01) provides that an out-of-state journeyman plumber 'shall without examination, be granted a license' by the Indiana Plumbing Commission IF the other jurisdiction's licensing requirements were substantially equal to Indiana's when the applicant was last licensed AND that jurisdiction grants Indiana licensees the same reciprocal privilege; the statute names no partner states and no official list of qualifying states was located, so an applicant must confirm eligibility with the Commission, and anyone who does not meet the substantial-equivalence/mutuality test must be approved by the Commission and pass the Indiana journeyman plumber examination.

What will licensing in Indiana cost an out-of-state plumber, and how long does it take?

$15–$30 (Per 860 IAC 1-1-2.1: journeyman plumber initial license fee is $15 in odd-numbered years or $30 in even-numbered years (biennial cycle; renewal $30 due before Dec 1 of each odd-numbered year). A reciprocity applicant pays the license fee with no exam; a non-reciprocity applicant also pays a $30 Commission examination fee plus the separate exam-vendor (Prove/ICC) fee. All PLA fees are non-refundable); processing No board-stated processing time in weeks; a non-reciprocity application must be reviewed and approved for eligibility by the Indiana Plumbing Commission before the applicant may register for the exam. All in.gov hosts refused direct connections during research.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.

Indiana Code 25-28.5-1-19 — Reciprocity ('shall without examination be granted a license' under substantial-equivalence + mutuality; current as of 2026-01-01) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
860 IAC 1-1-2.1 — Indiana Plumbing Commission fee schedule (Legal Information Institute) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Indiana PLA — Plumbing Licensing Information ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21

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