Transfer Your Plumber License to New Hampshire: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board ↗
New Hampshire has bilateral plumbing reciprocity with 33 states (Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming): a plumber originally licensed by examination in one of them can skip New Hampshire's journeyman exam. New Hampshire licenses a journeyman plumber by endorsement — without requiring its own plumbing examination — when the applicant holds an active, good-standing journeyman plumber license from one of 33 'qualifying jurisdictions' whose requirements OPLC deems substantially similar (RSA 310:17 / HB 594, rule Plc 313.34); applicants from any other state must qualify through New Hampshire's apprenticeship route and pass the New Hampshire plumbing examination. Everyone else applies as a new journeyman applicant. Fee: $190–$210 (Journeyman Plumber application fee $190 plus $20 certificate fee; the fingerprint / criminal background check fee is additional and paid separately. (Master Plumber application fee is $310)).
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Verdict
Reciprocity with 33 states
Read New Hampshire'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 New Hampshire's exam. Two cautions. The agreement is directional — it describes the states New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board before you rely on the waiver.
Plumbers are regulated by the OPLC Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board (RSA 153:27-153:38 and the Saf-Mec rules). Under HB 594 and RSA 310:17, New Hampshire grants licensure by endorsement to a journeyman plumber holding an active, good-standing, substantially-similar license from any of 33 listed qualifying jurisdictions (rule Plc 313.34), with no New Hampshire plumbing exam required and no resubmission of transcripts/exam/experience. This is NOT full reciprocity: many states are excluded, and the Master Plumber qualifying-jurisdiction list is still 'TBD', so master endorsement is not yet available. Notably Maine is NOT on the journeyman plumber list, despite common aggregator claims of NH-Maine plumbing reciprocity. The official OPLC pages were read via the Internet Archive (Wayback Machine) because oplc.nh.gov blocks automated fetches; the canonical oplc.nh.gov URLs are cited. No national plumber verification database exists, so verification_system_url is New Hampshire's own OPLC license verification search.
New Hampshire requirements at a glance
| Exam | New Hampshire licenses a journeyman plumber by endorsement — without requiring its own plumbing examination — when the applicant holds an active, good-standing journeyman plumber license from one of 33 'qualifying jurisdictions' whose requirements OPLC deems substantially similar (RSA 310:17 / HB 594, rule Plc 313.34); applicants from any other state must qualify through New Hampshire's apprenticeship route and pass the New Hampshire plumbing examination |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $190–$210 (Journeyman Plumber application fee $190 plus $20 certificate fee; the fingerprint / criminal background check fee is additional and paid separately. (Master Plumber application fee is $310)) |
| Processing time | No board-stated processing time; under Plc 313.07(c) OPLC may issue an 'Active-Provisional' license once the application, fee, and fingerprints are submitted and the applicant qualifies by endorsement, pending background-check results |
Step by step
- Confirm New Hampshire's current requirements on the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board website — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active, good-standing journeyman plumber license from one of the 33 qualifying jurisdictions listed in OPLC rule Plc 313.34.
- Complete a New Hampshire criminal history records check (fingerprint-based), required for the Journeyman Plumber license type.
- Maintain continuing education of 3 hours of code update per year (6 hours per two-year renewal cycle).
- Applicants from non-qualifying states must complete a New Hampshire plumbing apprenticeship and pass the New Hampshire plumbing examination.
- Pay the fees ($190–$210 (Journeyman Plumber application fee $190 plus $20 certificate fee; the fingerprint / criminal background check fee is additional and paid separately. (Master Plumber application fee is $310))) and allow No board-stated processing time; under Plc 313.07(c) OPLC may issue an 'Active-Provisional' license once the application, fee, and fingerprints are submitted and the applicant qualifies by endorsement, pending background-check results.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
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All 36 origin states
Frequently asked questions
Does my plumbing license transfer to New Hampshire?
New Hampshire has bilateral plumbing reciprocity with 33 states (Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming): a plumber originally licensed by examination in one of them can skip New Hampshire's journeyman exam. New Hampshire licenses a journeyman plumber by endorsement — without requiring its own plumbing examination — when the applicant holds an active, good-standing journeyman plumber license from one of 33 'qualifying jurisdictions' whose requirements OPLC deems substantially similar (RSA 310:17 / HB 594, rule Plc 313.34); applicants from any other state must qualify through New Hampshire's apprenticeship route and pass the New Hampshire plumbing examination. Everyone else applies as a new journeyman applicant. Fee: $190–$210 (Journeyman Plumber application fee $190 plus $20 certificate fee; the fingerprint / criminal background check fee is additional and paid separately. (Master Plumber application fee is $310)).
Will I have to take New Hampshire's plumbing exam?
New Hampshire licenses a journeyman plumber by endorsement — without requiring its own plumbing examination — when the applicant holds an active, good-standing journeyman plumber license from one of 33 'qualifying jurisdictions' whose requirements OPLC deems substantially similar (RSA 310:17 / HB 594, rule Plc 313.34); applicants from any other state must qualify through New Hampshire's apprenticeship route and pass the New Hampshire plumbing examination.
Which states does New Hampshire have plumbing reciprocity with?
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming (33 states, verified 2026-07-21 against the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board). The waiver applies only if you were licensed by examination there; plumbers from every other state qualify as new applicants.
What will licensing in New Hampshire cost an out-of-state plumber, and how long does it take?
$190–$210 (Journeyman Plumber application fee $190 plus $20 certificate fee; the fingerprint / criminal background check fee is additional and paid separately. (Master Plumber application fee is $310)); processing No board-stated processing time; under Plc 313.07(c) OPLC may issue an 'Active-Provisional' license once the application, fee, and fingerprints are submitted and the applicant qualifies by endorsement, pending background-check results.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- NH OPLC — New Changes for Reciprocity in New Hampshire (Mechanical Licensing Board Plc 313.34: 33 qualifying jurisdictions for Journeyman Plumber; RSA 310:17 / HB 594) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NH OPLC — License Fees for the Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board (Journeyman Plumber $190 application + $20 certificate) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NH OPLC — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board (governing board for plumbers; RSA 153:27-153:38) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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