Transfer Your Plumber License to Oregon: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Does my plumbing license transfer to Oregon?
Conditionally — Oregon recognizes plumbing licenses from 2 named partner states (Idaho, Montana). A plumber licensed by examination and in good standing there applies to the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) — Department of Consumer and Business Services under the agreement; 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. From any other state you qualify and sit Oregon's journeyman exam as a new applicant. 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.).
Moving to Oregon from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
Reciprocity with 2 states
Read Oregon'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 Oregon's exam. Two cautions. The agreement is directional — it describes the states Oregon 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 Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) — Department of Consumer and Business Services before you rely on the waiver.
Oregon's journeyman plumber (JP) reciprocity is bilateral and, as of 2026-07-21, limited to Idaho and Montana on the BCD's own reciprocal-licenses page; the division accepts a reciprocal license only from a reciprocating state in which the applicant tested. Aggregator lists that add Washington are not supported by the BCD page (Washington appears only under electrician reciprocity). The $100 fee is from OAR 918-780-0030 (reproduced on public.law) because the BCD application page does not print fee amounts. No national plumber verification database exists; use Oregon's BCD license search.
Oregon requirements at a glance
| Fees | $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.) |
|---|---|
| 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) |
Step by step
- Confirm Oregon's current requirements on the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) — Department of Consumer and Business Services website — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) — Department of Consumer and Business Services (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Hold an equivalent or higher journeyman plumber license from Idaho or Montana, current and active with no violations or conditions within the past three years.
- The reciprocal license must have been earned by examination in the reciprocating state (Oregon accepts a reciprocal license only from a state in which the applicant tested).
- Complete the BCD Reciprocal Plumbing License Application.
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Oregon:
Nearby states
Plumber license transfer into the states bordering Oregon:
Oregon for other professions
- Nursing in Oregon
- Cosmetology / Barber in Oregon
- Real Estate in Oregon
- Contractor in Oregon
- Teaching in Oregon
- CPA / Accounting in Oregon
- Electrician in Oregon
- Engineering in Oregon
- Pharmacy in Oregon
- Physical Therapy in Oregon
- Psychology in Oregon
- Counseling in Oregon
- Social Work in Oregon
- Occupational Therapy in Oregon
Frequently asked questions
Which states does Oregon have plumbing reciprocity with?
Idaho, Montana (2 states, verified 2026-07-21 against the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) — Department of Consumer and Business Services). The waiver applies only if you were licensed by examination there; plumbers from every other state qualify as new applicants.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 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