Plumber License from Arizona to Michigan: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Michigan accept an Arizona plumbing license?
There is no Arizona state license to carry to Michigan: Arizona issues no statewide journeyman plumber license. Michigan does license this work, so ask the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs — Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC), Plumbing whether it credits a local license or your documented experience; otherwise you qualify as a new applicant.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
No state license to transfer
The issue on this move is the starting point: Arizona issues no statewide journeyman plumber license — plumbing there is regulated at the contractor level or by cities and counties — so there is no Arizona state license for Michigan to verify or endorse. Michigan does license plumbers, through the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs — Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC), Plumbing, and it reviews out-of-state plumbers for endorsement, but that route starts from a state license. Ask the board, in writing, whether it credits a local Arizona license, a contractor-level credential or your documented hours; otherwise plan to qualify as a new journeyman applicant. Michigan does not reciprocate with any state and waives its journey plumber exam for no one: every applicant, in-state or out, must pass Michigan's written AND practical (hands-on) journey plumber examinations. An out-of-state plumber may receive credit for out-of-state experience — documented on the BCC Out-of-State License Verification form — toward the 6,000-hour eligibility requirement to be approved to sit for the exam, but the examination is mandatory.
What's different between Arizona and Michigan
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Michigan. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Arizona to Michigan (this page): No state license to transfer.
Michigan to Arizona (the reverse move): No state license to transfer.
Arizona issues no statewide journeyman plumber license, so neither direction is a state-license transfer.
- Does coming from Arizona matter?
Coming from Arizona matters here: only 9 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Michigan.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (41).
- Fee and processing
Arizona issues no statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is no Arizona state license application fee or processing time to compare with Michigan's.
- Exam rules on record
Michigan and Arizona carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Michigan (this move): Michigan does not reciprocate with any state and waives its journey plumber exam for no one: every applicant, in-state or out, must pass Michigan's written AND practical (hands-on) journey plumber examinations. An out-of-state plumber may receive credit for out-of-state experience — documented on the BCC Out-of-State License Verification form — toward the 6,000-hour eligibility requirement to be approved to sit for the exam, but the examination is mandatory.
- Arizona (the reverse move): Not applicable at the journeyman level — Arizona issues no state journeyman (or master) plumber license, so there is no state journeyman trade exam to waive or require. Plumbing is regulated only at the contractor level by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (e.g., C-37 commercial plumbing, plus residential and dual plumbing classifications); individual journeymen and apprentices are not state-licensed and work under a licensed contractor. At the contractor level, A.R.S. § 32-1122 lets the Registrar waive the trade exam for a qualifying party who held an Arizona license in the same classification within five years, and Form RC-L-200G extends a comparable out-of-state trade-exam waiver, but the Arizona Statutes and Rules Exam (SRE) is never waived.
What changes, Arizona → Michigan
| Arizona (current) | Michigan (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | No state journeyman plumber license exists, so there is no journeyman application/license fee. For reference, ROC contractor plumbing fees under Ariz. Admin. Code R4-9-130 are $100 application + $480 biennial for C-37 commercial and $80 application + $270 biennial for the residential plumbing classification (contractor tier, out of scope for the journeyman credential) | $40–$90 ($40 journey plumber license/application fee plus $50 examination fee (MCL 339.6121, Skilled Trades Regulation Act, 2016 PA 407). The same fees apply to out-of-state applicants; the exam is administered by PSI.) |
| Processing time | Not applicable — no state journeyman plumber license is issued | No board-stated processing time; the application, out-of-state verification, and license fee are mailed to LARA BCC and the exam is scheduled through PSI |
| Licensing authority | Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs — Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC), Plumbing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Michigan sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Review Michigan's requirements on the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs — Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC), Plumbing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Ask the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs — Bureau of Construction Codes (BCC), Plumbing whether it credits a local Arizona license or your documented experience: Arizona issues no statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is no state license to verify.
- Otherwise apply as a new applicant: meet Michigan's education/experience requirements and pass the exams it requires.
- Submit the application with fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
What happens to my Arizona credential after I'm licensed in Michigan?
Nothing changes it. Arizona issues no statewide journeyman plumber license, so any local or contractor-level Arizona credential you hold runs on its own authority's renewal rules, independently of your Michigan license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Michigan LARA BCC — Plumbing Examination, Licensing/Registration & Application Information ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- MCL 339.6115 — Journey plumber's license requirements (6,000 hours / 3 years) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- MCL 339.6121 — License and registration fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Michigan LARA BCC — Out of State License Verification form ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Arizona Registrar of Contractors — License Classifications (plumbing licensed only at contractor level) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-1122 — Qualifications for license; waiver of examination (contractor tier) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- California CSLB — Reciprocal Classifications List (confirms AZ C-37/C-37R plumbing recognition operates at the contractor tier, not journeyman) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · Corrections log · spot an error? hello@licensereciprocity.com