Plumber License from California to Colorado: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Colorado accept a California plumbing license?
There is no California state license to carry to Colorado: California issues no statewide journeyman plumber license. Colorado does license this work, so ask the Colorado State Plumbing Board — Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), Division of Professions and Occupations whether it credits a local license or your documented experience; otherwise you qualify as a new applicant.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
No state license to transfer
The issue on this move is the starting point: California issues no statewide journeyman plumber license — plumbing there is regulated at the contractor level or by cities and counties — so there is no California state license for Colorado to verify or endorse. Colorado does license plumbers, through the Colorado State Plumbing Board — Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), Division of Professions and Occupations, 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 California license, a contractor-level credential or your documented hours; otherwise plan to qualify as a new journeyman applicant. Colorado has no bilateral state-to-state reciprocity; it licenses out-of-state plumbers by endorsement, accepting successful completion of a comparable state plumbing examination (based on a plumbing-code edition adopted by the Colorado board) in lieu of the Colorado examination, provided the applicant currently holds an active license in the endorsing state and meets the apprenticeship/experience requirement; applicants who cannot document a comparable exam must qualify and pass the Colorado examination.
What's different between California and Colorado
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Colorado. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
California to Colorado (this page): No state license to transfer.
Colorado to California (the reverse move): No state license to transfer.
California issues no statewide journeyman plumber license, so neither direction is a state-license transfer.
- Does coming from California matter?
Coming from California matters here: only 9 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Colorado.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (41).
- Fee and processing
California issues no statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is no California state license application fee or processing time to compare with Colorado's.
- Exam rules on record
Colorado and California carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Colorado (this move): Colorado has no bilateral state-to-state reciprocity; it licenses out-of-state plumbers by endorsement, accepting successful completion of a comparable state plumbing examination (based on a plumbing-code edition adopted by the Colorado board) in lieu of the Colorado examination, provided the applicant currently holds an active license in the endorsing state and meets the apprenticeship/experience requirement; applicants who cannot document a comparable exam must qualify and pass the Colorado examination
- California (the reverse move): Not applicable at the journeyman level — California issues no state journeyman plumber license, so there is no state journeyman trade exam. Plumbing is licensed only at the contractor level by the Contractors State License Board (C-36 Plumbing). At that contractor tier, CSLB has a reciprocity agreement covering the C-36 classification with Arizona only: an Arizona C-37 or C-37R contractor who has held that license active and in good standing for the previous five years may have the C-36 trade exam waived (CSLB reserves the right to require it), but must still pass CSLB's Law and Business exam. CSLB's other reciprocity partners (Nevada, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina) do not map to C-36 Plumbing.
What changes, California → Colorado
| California (current) | Colorado (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | No state journeyman plumber license exists, so there is no journeyman fee. For reference, the CSLB C-36 plumbing CONTRACTOR license (contractor tier, out of scope) is $450 original application + $200 initial license fee (sole owner) / $350 (non-sole owner), plus a bond and Live Scan fingerprint fee | Application/endorsement fee not verifiable on the official DPO site (dpo.colorado.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated access on 2026-07-21); fees are paid through DPO Online Services |
| Processing time | Not applicable — no state journeyman plumber license is issued | No board-stated processing time |
| Licensing authority | California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) | Colorado State Plumbing Board — Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), Division of Professions and Occupations |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Colorado sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Review Colorado's requirements on the Colorado State Plumbing Board — Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), Division of Professions and Occupations website (linked below) — rules change.
- Ask the Colorado State Plumbing Board — Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA), Division of Professions and Occupations whether it credits a local California license or your documented experience: California issues no statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is no state license to verify.
- Otherwise apply as a new applicant: meet Colorado'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 does the California-to-Colorado move cost and how long does it take?
Application/endorsement fee not verifiable on the official DPO site (dpo.colorado.gov returned HTTP 403 to automated access on 2026-07-21); fees are paid through DPO Online Services, plus the exam and experience-documentation costs of qualifying as a new applicant. Processing time: No board-stated processing time.
What happens to my California credential after I'm licensed in Colorado?
Nothing changes it. California issues no statewide journeyman plumber license, so any local or contractor-level California credential you hold runs on its own authority's renewal rules, independently of your Colorado license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Colorado State Plumbing Board Rules 3 CCR 720-1.4 — Applications and Licensing (license by endorsement text) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Colorado DPO — State Plumbing Board (homepage / applications) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- CSLB — C-36 Plumbing Contractor classification detail (plumbing licensed only at contractor level) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- CSLB — Reciprocal Classifications List (C-36 reciprocity maps only to Arizona C-37/C-37R) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- CSLB — Reciprocity Exam Requirements (trade portion may be waived; Law & Business exam still required; 5-year license) ↗ (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