Plumber License from California to Delaware: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Delaware accept a California plumbing license?
There is no California state license to carry to Delaware: California issues no statewide journeyman plumber license. Delaware does license this work, so ask the Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners — Division of Professional Regulation whether it credits a local license or your documented experience; otherwise you qualify as a new applicant.
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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 Delaware to verify or endorse. Delaware does license plumbers, through the Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners — Division of Professional Regulation, 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. Delaware issues only Master Plumber licenses (no state journeyman license). It grants licensure by reciprocity — without the Delaware master examination — to Master Plumbers currently licensed in a state with substantially similar standards, presently Connecticut, Iowa and Maryland, with no additional experience required; Master Plumbers from 14 other named states qualify by reciprocity only after documenting at least 7 years of practice after Master licensure; applicants from any other jurisdiction have their state's law reviewed and otherwise qualify by examination (apprenticeship by-pass exam).
What's different between California and Delaware
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Delaware. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
California to Delaware (this page): No state license to transfer.
Delaware 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 Delaware.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (38) and reciprocity agreement (3).
- Reciprocity agreements
Delaware's reciprocity agreement list names 3 states (Connecticut, Iowa, and Maryland), not including California.
- 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 Delaware's.
- Exam rules on record
Delaware and California carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Delaware (this move): Delaware issues only Master Plumber licenses (no state journeyman license). It grants licensure by reciprocity — without the Delaware master examination — to Master Plumbers currently licensed in a state with substantially similar standards, presently Connecticut, Iowa and Maryland, with no additional experience required; Master Plumbers from 14 other named states qualify by reciprocity only after documenting at least 7 years of practice after Master licensure; applicants from any other jurisdiction have their state's law reviewed and otherwise qualify by examination (apprenticeship by-pass exam)
- 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 → Delaware
| California (current) | Delaware (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 | $173 ($173 non-refundable Master Plumber application fee submitted through DELPROS; the biennial renewal fee is stated at renewal time) |
| Processing time | Not applicable — no state journeyman plumber license is issued | No board-stated processing time |
| Licensing authority | California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) | Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners — Division of Professional Regulation |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Delaware sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Review Delaware's requirements on the Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners — Division of Professional Regulation website (linked below) — rules change.
- Ask the Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners — Division of Professional Regulation 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 Delaware'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-Delaware move cost and how long does it take?
$173 ($173 non-refundable Master Plumber application fee submitted through DELPROS; the biennial renewal fee is stated at renewal time), 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 Delaware?
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 Delaware license.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- Delaware DPR — Master Plumber Licensure (reciprocity: substantially-similar states and 7-year states) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Delaware DPR — Board of Plumbing fee schedule (Master Plumber $173) ↗ (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
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