Plumber License from Maryland to Delaware: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Delaware accept a Maryland plumbing license?
Yes — Delaware has a reciprocity arrangement covering Maryland license holders. Apply to the Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners — Division of Professional Regulation under its reciprocity/endorsement track and complete Delaware's remaining requirements.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
Maryland is on Delaware's reciprocity list, which puts this move on the streamlined track — on two conditions. Your Maryland license must have been earned by examination, not grandfathered in, and be active and in good standing; where it is, Delaware waives its journeyman exam and the requirements below are what it still insists on. 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). One caution: these agreements are directional and revocable. This page's verification date is when we last confirmed Maryland on Delaware's list; the Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners — Division of Professional Regulation link is the live truth.
What's different between Maryland 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
Maryland to Delaware (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Delaware to Maryland (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The two directions differ: Maryland and Delaware do not give each other's licensees the same route.
- Does coming from Maryland matter?
Coming from Maryland matters here: only 3 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 no state license to transfer (9).
- Reciprocity agreements
Delaware's reciprocity agreement list names 3 states (Connecticut, Iowa, and Maryland), including Maryland.
Maryland's reciprocity agreement list names 1 state (District of Columbia), not including Delaware.
- Application fee
Delaware lists $173 for an out-of-state applicant and Maryland lists $43.50 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Maryland lists about 2 weeks for the reverse move; Delaware has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Delaware and Maryland 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)
- Maryland (the reverse move): Maryland waives its journey plumber examination only for applicants already licensed by examination as a journey plumber/gas fitter in Washington, D.C. (and, at the master level only, in Delaware), plus its own intrastate jurisdictions of Baltimore County and the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC); reciprocity is granted only where that jurisdiction reciprocally waives its exam for Maryland licensees. Every other out-of-state plumber must pass the Maryland journey plumber/gas fitter examination as a new applicant.
What changes, Maryland → Delaware
| Maryland (current) | Delaware (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $43.50 (Journey Plumber/Gas Fitter original license fee is $43.50; the board publishes no separate reciprocity application fee, so reciprocal applicants pay the license fee. No fingerprint/background surcharge is listed.) | $173 ($173 non-refundable Master Plumber application fee submitted through DELPROS; the biennial renewal fee is stated at renewal time) |
| Processing time | ~2 weeks (Board FAQ states a license is mailed within about two weeks of applying; this is stated for original licenses and reciprocal processing time is not separately specified.) | No board-stated processing time |
| Licensing authority | Maryland State Board of Plumbing (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) | 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
- Confirm Delaware's current requirements on the Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners — Division of Professional Regulation website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners — Division of Professional Regulation (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current, good-standing Master Plumber license in another U.S. jurisdiction.
- Reciprocity with no added experience is limited to substantially-similar states (currently Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland).
- Reciprocity from Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia or West Virginia requires proof of at least 7 years of practice after Master licensure.
- Delaware has no state journeyman plumber license; the 'journeyman certificate' is an apprenticeship-completion credential (e.g., via the Delaware Department of Labor), not a board license.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Maryland plumbing license after I'm licensed in Delaware?
Yes — plumbing licenses in different jurisdictions run independently. Keep the Maryland 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 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)
- Maryland Board of Plumbing — Reciprocal Licensing ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland Board of Plumbing — Forms and Fees ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland Board of Plumbing — License Requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Maryland Board of Plumbing — Licensing FAQs (processing time, verification) ↗ (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