Plumber License from Idaho to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Montana accept an Idaho plumbing license?
Yes — Montana has a reciprocity arrangement covering Idaho license holders. Apply to the Montana Board of Plumbers — Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division under its reciprocity/endorsement track; it typically waives the journeyman exam and complete Montana's remaining requirements.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
Idaho is on Montana's reciprocity list, which puts this move on the streamlined track — on two conditions. Your Idaho license must have been earned by examination, not grandfathered in, and be active and in good standing; where it is, Montana waives its journeyman exam and the requirements below are what it still insists on. Montana waives its journeyman written and practical examinations for an applicant who took and passed both the written and practical journeyman exams in Oregon, Idaho, North Dakota, or South Dakota and holds an active license there with no complaints filed; every other out-of-state applicant must sit for the Montana journeyman written and practical exams. One caution: these agreements are directional and revocable. This page's verification date is when we last confirmed Idaho on Montana's list; the Montana Board of Plumbers — Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division link is the live truth.
What's different between Idaho and Montana
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Montana. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Idaho to Montana (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Montana to Idaho (the reverse move): Reciprocity agreement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Idaho matter?
Coming from Idaho matters here: only 4 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get this result for a move into Montana.
The others get: licensure by endorsement (37) and no state license to transfer (9).
- Reciprocity agreements
Montana's reciprocity agreement list names 4 states (Oregon, Idaho, North Dakota, and South Dakota), including Idaho.
Idaho's reciprocity agreement list names 3 states (Montana, Oregon, and Washington), including Montana.
- Application fee
Montana lists $400 for an out-of-state applicant and Idaho lists $51.90 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Montana lists up to 4 weeks; Idaho has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Montana and Idaho carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Montana (this move): Montana waives its journeyman written and practical examinations for an applicant who took and passed both the written and practical journeyman exams in Oregon, Idaho, North Dakota, or South Dakota and holds an active license there with no complaints filed; every other out-of-state applicant must sit for the Montana journeyman written and practical exams
- Idaho (the reverse move): Idaho waives its journeyman plumber written examination for reciprocity applicants who hold an active journeyman license obtained BY EXAMINATION in Montana, Oregon, or Washington and who meet the experience and residency conditions ('No written examination shall be required for the reciprocal certificate when reciprocating from' these states); every other applicant must pass the IAPMO-based Idaho journeyman examination
What changes, Idaho → Montana
| Idaho (current) | Montana (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $51.90 ($51.90 non-refundable application/processing fee, charged at the same rate whether the application type is Initial, Reciprocal, or Reopen Closed License (DOPL Plumbing Journeyman Application, revised 2024-10-03). Not included in this amount: the IAPMO journeyman examination fee paid to PSI, later renewal fees, and the 2.5% Access Idaho surcharge added when paying by credit or debit card. idaho.gov hosts still refused direct connections on 2026-09-01, so the DOPL application form was read from an Internet Archive capture of the board's own PDF) | $400 (Reciprocity path: $400 total ($100 application fee + $300 reciprocity fee). The examination path is instead $270 ($100 application + $170 license). Optional $100 temporary journeyman work permit if requested) |
| Processing time | No board-stated processing time in weeks | up to 4 weeks (Board states complete, routine applications are processed within 30 days (about 4 weeks); non-routine applications requiring Board review take longer, and applicants are notified of status within 30 days of receipt) |
| Licensing authority | Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board | Montana Board of Plumbers — Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Montana sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Montana's current requirements on the Montana Board of Plumbers — Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the Montana Board of Plumbers — Department of Labor and Industry, Business Standards Division (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active journeyman plumber license, with no complaints filed against it, in Oregon, Idaho, North Dakota, or South Dakota.
- Have taken and passed both the written and practical journeyman examination in that reciprocating state (license by examination).
- Have an official license verification sent directly from the originating state board — Montana will not issue a license without the verification letter.
- Non-reciprocal applicants must document 5 years and 7,500 aggregate hours of plumbing experience (or complete an approved apprenticeship) and pass the Montana written and practical exams at 70%.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Idaho plumbing license after I'm licensed in Montana?
Yes — plumbing licenses in different jurisdictions run independently. Keep the Idaho credential active on its own renewal and continuing-education schedule and you hold both, which is common for plumbers working near a state line.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified Idaho 2026-09-01, Montana 2026-07-21.
- Montana Board of Plumbers — Journeyman Plumber Application (reciprocity states, fees $100/$300/$170, 5 yr/7,500 hr experience, 30-day processing, 2012 UPC exam) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Montana Board of Plumbers — Journeyman Plumber by Out of State / Reciprocity Checklist (ARM 24.180.603, 37-1-304 MCA; $400 reciprocity total) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — State Plumbing Board FAQs (reciprocity states and conditions) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Plumbing Journeyman Application Instructions (exam waiver for reciprocity; 8,000-hour experience; IAPMO exam) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Montana plumbing reciprocity agreement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Oregon plumbing reciprocity agreement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Oregon BCD — Reciprocal agreement, Idaho journeyman plumber (mirror) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Idaho DOPL — Plumbing Journeyman Application, revised 2024-10-03 ($51.90 application fee for Initial, Reciprocal, and Reopen Closed License; Internet Archive capture of the DOPL PDF dated 2026-02-14, used because idaho.gov refuses direct connections) ↗ (accessed 2026-09-01)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources Idaho 2026-09-01, Montana 2026-07-21
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