Plumber License from Oregon to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Montana accept an Oregon plumbing license?
Yes — Montana has a reciprocity arrangement covering Oregon 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
Oregon is on Montana'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, 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 Oregon 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 Oregon 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
Oregon to Montana (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Montana to Oregon (the reverse move): Reciprocity agreement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from Oregon matter?
Coming from Oregon 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 Oregon.
Oregon's reciprocity agreement list names 2 states (Idaho and Montana), including Montana.
- Application fee
Montana lists $400 for an out-of-state applicant and Oregon lists $100 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Montana lists up to 4 weeks; Oregon has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Montana and Oregon 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
- Oregon (the reverse move): Oregon waives its journeyman plumber (JP) exam only for applicants who hold an equivalent or higher journeyman plumber license, earned by testing, in a state Oregon has a JP reciprocity agreement with — currently only Idaho and Montana; every other out-of-state plumber must qualify through experience and training and pass the Oregon journeyman exam
What changes, Oregon → Montana
| Oregon (current) | Montana (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.) | $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 for reciprocal license issuance (the two-week figure the division cites applies to exam results, which reciprocity applicants do not take) | 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 | Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) — Department of Consumer and Business Services | 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 Oregon plumbing license after I'm licensed in Montana?
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.
- 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)
- 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 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