State ladder: apprentice → journeyman → master

Hawaii plumber license: requirements, reciprocity & renewal

Board of Electricians and Plumbers, Professional & Vocational Licensing Division, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) runs plumbing licensing in Hawaii. Below: the exact ladder, the transfer doors into Hawaii from all 50 states, the renewal and lapse lines, and the master-of-record rule for opening a company — every figure from the board's own publications, checked October 22, 2026.

State ladder: apprentice → journeyman → master Checked in part Checked October 22, 2026

How you qualify in Hawaii

• 5 years but not less than 10,000 hours of plumbing work experience in compliance with the Uniform Plumbing Code (HRS 448E-5; DCCA requirements sheet), obtain Board approval of the application, then pass the journey worker plumber examination.

Registration, in the board’s terms: Hawaii does not license apprentices or helpers. Experience is gained as a plumber's helper under a licensed journey worker or master plumber and documented on notarized Experience Verification forms signed by each licensed plumber who supervised the work. No classroom-hours requirement applies to plumbers (the University of Hawaii Community College coursework requirement in HRS 448E-5(b) applies to electricians only).

Run my Hawaii numbers in the eligibility checker

Plumbing license reciprocity into Hawaii

Hawaii endorses journeyman licenses from: none. The DCCA requirements sheet states verbatim: 'Hawaii does not reciprocate with any jurisdiction.' Out-of-state experience may still be documented toward the 5-year / 10,000-hour journeyman requirement.

Check your exact pair