Plumber License from Rhode Island to California: Does It Transfer? (2026)

No — California has no reciprocity or endorsement path for Rhode Island plumbing license holders. You must apply to the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) as a new applicant and meet California's full licensing requirements, including its exams.

Not applicable at the journeyman level — California issues no state journeyman plumber license, so there is no state journeyman trade exam. Plumbing is licensed only at the contractor level by the Contractors State License Board (C-36 Plumbing). At that contractor tier, CSLB has a reciprocity agreement covering the C-36 classification with Arizona only: an Arizona C-37 or C-37R contractor who has held that license active and in good standing for the previous five years may have the C-36 trade exam waived (CSLB reserves the right to require it), but must still pass CSLB's Law and Business exam. CSLB's other reciprocity partners (Nevada, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina) do not map to C-36 Plumbing..

No state journeyman plumber license exists, so there is no journeyman fee. For reference, the CSLB C-36 plumbing CONTRACTOR license (contractor tier, out of scope) is $450 original application + $200 initial license fee (sole owner) / $350 (non-sole owner), plus a bond and Live Scan fingerprint fee.; processing Not applicable — no state journeyman plumber license is issued.

Yes — plumbing licenses in different jurisdictions run independently. Keep the Rhode Island credential active on its own renewal and continuing-education schedule and you hold both, which is common for plumbers working near a state line.