Plumber License from South Dakota to Montana: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Montana accept a South Dakota plumbing license?
Yes — Montana has a reciprocity arrangement covering South Dakota 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
South Dakota is on Montana's reciprocity list, which puts this move on the streamlined track — on two conditions. Your South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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 South Dakota 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
South Dakota to Montana (this page): Reciprocity agreement.
Montana to South Dakota (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The two directions differ: South Dakota and Montana do not give each other's licensees the same route.
- Does coming from South Dakota matter?
Coming from South Dakota 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 South Dakota.
South Dakota's row names no reciprocity agreement states.
- Application fee
Montana lists $400 for an out-of-state applicant and South Dakota lists $50 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Montana lists up to 4 weeks; South Dakota has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Montana and South Dakota 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
- South Dakota (the reverse move): South Dakota waives its plumber examination for a nonresident who was licensed BY EXAMINATION in another state whose licensure laws are substantially equivalent to South Dakota's and whose plumbing code equals or exceeds the South Dakota plumbing code; the Commission names no fixed partner states and decides comparability case by case, so applicants from non-comparable states, or those licensed by waiver rather than examination, must pass the South Dakota journeyman plumber examination
What changes, South Dakota → Montana
| South Dakota (current) | Montana (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | $50 ($50 plumber license application fee (SDPC application, Rev. 02/2026); reciprocity applicants pay the same $50 and file the reciprocity documentation; a $100 exam fee applies only to applicants who must sit the examination; licenses expire December 31 (annual)) | $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; an incomplete application expires 30 days after receipt and all fees are non-refundable | 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 | South Dakota Plumbing Commission (Department of Labor and Regulation) | 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 South Dakota plumbing license after I'm licensed in Montana?
Yes — plumbing licenses in different jurisdictions run independently. Keep the South Dakota 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)
- SD Plumbing Commission — Reciprocal Agreements (by-examination + substantially-equivalent-code rule) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SD Plumbing Commission — Plumbing License Application (Plumber $50; license-by-reciprocity requires proof of license by exam, verification, and 4 hours CE), Rev. 02/2026 ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SD Plumbing Commission — Licensing (four-year apprenticeship; annual expiry) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- SD Plumbing Commission — Exams ($100 exam/re-exam fee) ↗ (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