Plumber License from Oregon to Idaho: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board ↗
Yes — Idaho has a reciprocity arrangement covering Oregon license holders. Apply to the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board under its reciprocity/endorsement track; typically you skip the national exam and complete state-specific requirements only.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Reciprocity agreement
Oregon is on Idaho's reciprocity list, which puts this move on the streamlined track — on two conditions. Your Oregon license must have been earned by examination, not grandfathered in, and be active and in good standing; where it is, Idaho waives its journeyman exam and the requirements below are what it still insists on. 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. One caution: these agreements are directional and revocable. This page's verification date is when we last confirmed Oregon on Idaho's list; the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board link is the live truth.
What changes, Oregon → Idaho
| Oregon (current) | Idaho (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $100 ($100 journeyman plumber license application fee (OAR 918-780-0030); biennial renewal $180 including a $30 continuing-education tracking fee. OAR 918-780-0030 lists no separate reciprocal-license fee, so the standard $100 application fee applies.) | Idaho DOPL journeyman plumber license fees are prorated and reciprocity applicants pay the standard application/license fee, but the exact figure could not be confirmed on a directly loaded DOPL fee schedule because every idaho.gov host was unreachable (connection refused) from the research environment; one search result cited a $147 three-year license fee and another cited roughly $29 license / $22 renewal — the two conflict, so no figure is asserted. Confirm on the DOPL fee schedule |
| Processing time | No board-stated processing time for reciprocal license issuance (the two-week figure the division cites applies to exam results, which reciprocity applicants do not take). | No board-stated processing time in weeks |
| Licensing authority | Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) — Department of Consumer and Business Services | Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Idaho sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Idaho's current requirements on the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity application to the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Reciprocity: hold an active out-of-state journeyman license obtained by examination in Montana, Oregon, or Washington, shown on a DOPL License Verification Form.
- Reciprocity from Montana or Oregon: document completion of an apprenticeship program and 8,000 hours of work experience.
- Reciprocity from Washington: document 8,000 or 16,000 hours of work experience.
- Applicants reciprocating from Montana or Washington must be a resident of the state where they are licensed at the time of application.
- Standard (non-reciprocity) applicants must document 8,000 hours of supervised experience and pass the IAPMO examination; specialty/appliance/pipe-fitting hours do not count toward journeyman experience.
- Pay the fees (Idaho DOPL journeyman plumber license fees are prorated and reciprocity applicants pay the standard application/license fee, but the exact figure could not be confirmed on a directly loaded DOPL fee schedule because every idaho.gov host was unreachable (connection refused) from the research environment; one search result cited a $147 three-year license fee and another cited roughly $29 license / $22 renewal — the two conflict, so no figure is asserted. Confirm on the DOPL fee schedule) and allow No board-stated processing time in weeks.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Idaho accept a Oregon plumbing license?
Yes — Idaho has a reciprocity arrangement covering Oregon license holders. Apply to the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL) — State Plumbing Board under its reciprocity/endorsement track; typically you skip the national exam and complete state-specific requirements only.
Which exam applies moving from Oregon to Idaho?
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 does the Oregon-to-Idaho move cost and how long does it take?
Idaho DOPL journeyman plumber license fees are prorated and reciprocity applicants pay the standard application/license fee, but the exact figure could not be confirmed on a directly loaded DOPL fee schedule because every idaho.gov host was unreachable (connection refused) from the research environment; one search result cited a $147 three-year license fee and another cited roughly $29 license / $22 renewal — the two conflict, so no figure is asserted. Confirm on the DOPL fee schedule; processing No board-stated processing time in weeks.
Can I keep my Oregon plumbing license after I'm licensed in Idaho?
Yes — plumbing licenses in different jurisdictions run independently. Keep the Oregon 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.
- 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)
- Oregon BCD — Reciprocal licenses (Journeyman Plumbers: Idaho and Montana) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Oregon BCD — Journeyman plumber license (application requirements) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- OAR 918-780-0030 — Plumbing License Fees ($100 journeyman application; $180 biennial renewal) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]