Transfer Your Plumber License to Maryland: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Maryland State Board of Plumbing (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) ↗
Conditionally — Maryland recognizes plumbing licenses from 1 named partner state (District of Columbia). A plumber licensed by examination and in good standing there applies to the Maryland State Board of Plumbing (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) under the agreement; 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.. From any other state you qualify and sit Maryland's journeyman exam as a new applicant. Application fee: $43.5 (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.).
Moving to Maryland from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Reciprocity with 1 states
Read Maryland's reciprocity as a named list, and the list is the rule: if you were licensed by examination in a state on it and your license is in good standing, the streamlined track below applies; if not, no amount of field experience substitutes for Maryland's exam. Two cautions. The agreement is directional — it describes the states Maryland recognizes, which tells you nothing about the reverse move — and it typically excludes licenses that were grandfathered in rather than earned by examination. Confirm both against the Maryland State Board of Plumbing (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) before you rely on the waiver.
State-to-state reciprocity for the journey credential runs only with Washington, D.C.; Delaware reciprocity is Master Plumber/Gas Fitter only. Baltimore County and WSSC are Maryland intrastate jurisdictions (not states) whose licensees also qualify. All reciprocity requires the original license to have been obtained by examination and the other jurisdiction to reciprocally waive its exam for Maryland licensees. No national plumber verification database exists, so verification_system_url points to Maryland's own occupational-licensing lookup.
Maryland requirements at a glance
| Exam | 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. |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $43.5 (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.) |
| 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.) |
Step by step
- Confirm Maryland's current requirements on the Maryland State Board of Plumbing (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) website — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the Maryland State Board of Plumbing (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold a current journey plumber/gas fitter license obtained by examination in Washington, D.C., Baltimore County, or WSSC, in good standing.
- For Baltimore County or WSSC reciprocity, hold BOTH the plumbing and the gas portion of the license.
- Submit a license verification letter from the issuing jurisdiction.
- Hold current backflow prevention device certification.
- New-applicant journey path (if no reciprocity): 4 years as a licensed apprentice, 7,500 hours OJT under a master plumber, 32-hour backflow course, and pass the exam.
- Pay the fees ($43.5 (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.)) and allow ~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.).
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Maryland:
Frequently asked questions
Does my plumbing license transfer to Maryland?
Conditionally — Maryland recognizes plumbing licenses from 1 named partner state (District of Columbia). A plumber licensed by examination and in good standing there applies to the Maryland State Board of Plumbing (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) under the agreement; 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.. From any other state you qualify and sit Maryland's journeyman exam as a new applicant. Application fee: $43.5 (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.).
Will I have to take Maryland's plumbing exam?
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..
Which states does Maryland have plumbing reciprocity with?
District of Columbia (1 state, verified 2026-07-21 against the Maryland State Board of Plumbing (Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing)). The waiver applies only if you were licensed by examination there; plumbers from every other state qualify as new applicants.
What will licensing in Maryland cost an out-of-state plumber, and how long does it take?
$43.5 (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.); processing ~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.).
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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 Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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