Plumber License from Massachusetts to New Hampshire: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does New Hampshire accept a Massachusetts plumbing license?
A plumbing license transfers from Massachusetts to New Hampshire by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board, verify your Massachusetts license, and meet New Hampshire's endorsement requirements. New Hampshire deems Massachusetts plumbing licenses equivalent and usually waives its plumbing exam for them, which is what this endorsement application relies on. New Hampshire licenses a journeyman plumber by endorsement — without requiring its own plumbing examination — when the applicant holds an active, good-standing journeyman plumber license from one of 33 'qualifying jurisdictions' whose requirements OPLC deems substantially similar (RSA 310:17 / HB 594, rule Plc 313.34); applicants from any other state must qualify through New Hampshire's apprenticeship route and pass the New Hampshire plumbing examination.
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Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Massachusetts is on New Hampshire's list of qualifying jurisdictions for licensure by endorsement — states New Hampshire deems equivalent, which is not a reciprocity agreement. A journeyman plumber licensed in Massachusetts, active and in good standing, applies to the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board by endorsement, usually without its plumbing exam.
What's different between Massachusetts and New Hampshire
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into New Hampshire. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
Massachusetts to New Hampshire (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
New Hampshire to Massachusetts (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Massachusetts matter?
Massachusetts gets New Hampshire's most common result: 41 of 50 origins (the other 49 states and DC) get the same one, so for most movers the origin does not change the answer.
The others get: no state license to transfer (9).
- Application fee
New Hampshire lists $190–$210 for an out-of-state applicant and Massachusetts lists $31–$83 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Exam rules on record
New Hampshire and Massachusetts carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- New Hampshire (this move): New Hampshire licenses a journeyman plumber by endorsement — without requiring its own plumbing examination — when the applicant holds an active, good-standing journeyman plumber license from one of 33 'qualifying jurisdictions' whose requirements OPLC deems substantially similar (RSA 310:17 / HB 594, rule Plc 313.34); applicants from any other state must qualify through New Hampshire's apprenticeship route and pass the New Hampshire plumbing examination
- Massachusetts (the reverse move): Massachusetts has NO plumber reciprocity agreement with any state, so its journeyman plumber examination is required of every applicant. An out-of-state plumber whose license has been active for at least three years immediately preceding application, is current and in good standing, and whose issuing jurisdiction's requirements are found substantially equivalent, may skip the Massachusetts apprenticeship and education requirements and sit directly for the Massachusetts journeyman exam — but the exam itself is never waived.
What changes, Massachusetts → New Hampshire
| Massachusetts (current) | New Hampshire (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $31–$83 ($31 journeyman plumber application fee plus $52 original license fee (per 801 CMR 4.00 rate schedule; $52 biennial renewal confirmed on the DPL fee page). Filed and paid via the eLIPSE portal; license fee paid after passing the exam. Valor Act fee reductions may apply to military/veterans/spouses.) | $190–$210 (Journeyman Plumber application fee $190 plus $20 certificate fee; the fingerprint / criminal background check fee is additional and paid separately. (Master Plumber application fee is $310)) |
| Processing time | No board-stated processing time; applications, payment, and scheduling are handled online through the eLIPSE portal | No board-stated processing time; under Plc 313.07(c) OPLC may issue an 'Active-Provisional' license once the application, fee, and fingerprints are submitted and the applicant qualifies by endorsement, pending background-check results |
| Licensing authority | Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters (Division of Occupational Licensure) | New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — New Hampshire sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm New Hampshire's current requirements on the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an active, good-standing journeyman plumber license from one of the 33 qualifying jurisdictions listed in OPLC rule Plc 313.34.
- Complete a New Hampshire criminal history records check (fingerprint-based), required for the Journeyman Plumber license type.
- Maintain continuing education of 3 hours of code update per year (6 hours per two-year renewal cycle).
- Applicants from non-qualifying states must complete a New Hampshire plumbing apprenticeship and pass the New Hampshire plumbing examination.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my Massachusetts plumbing license after I'm licensed in New Hampshire?
Yes — plumbing licenses in different jurisdictions run independently. Keep the Massachusetts 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.
- NH OPLC — New Changes for Reciprocity in New Hampshire (Mechanical Licensing Board Plc 313.34: 33 qualifying jurisdictions for Journeyman Plumber; RSA 310:17 / HB 594) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NH OPLC — License Fees for the Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board (Journeyman Plumber $190 application + $20 certificate) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NH OPLC — Mechanical Safety and Licensing Board (governing board for plumbers; RSA 153:27-153:38) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Massachusetts Board of Plumbers and Gas Fitters — Substantially Equivalent License policy statement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Mass.gov — Apply for a Journeyman Plumber license ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- 248 CMR 11.00 — Education and Experience Standards and Requirements for Licensure ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Massachusetts DPL — Plumbers and Gas Fitters fee schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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