State ladder: apprentice → journeyman → master
Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters, Division of Occupational Licensure runs plumbing licensing in Massachusetts. Below: the exact ladder, the transfer doors into Massachusetts 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
Checked in part. Hours, tier education, fees, renewal date and CE confirmed on Mass.gov and the text of 248 CMR 11.02 / 11.04 on 2026-10-22. A specific post-expiration reinstatement window (how long an expired license can be renewed before re-examination is required) was not stated on the primary pages fetched, so reinstateUpToMonths is null.
| The ladder | Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Journeyman credential | Journeyman Plumber |
| Total hours required | 6,800 |
| Classroom hours | 550 |
| Apprentice registration | Required — hours count only while registered |
| Exam | PSI Exams · $80 — PSI candidate bulletin lists the Journeyman Plumber examination administration fee as $80 (first time or retake). Board application fee is $31 and the license fee payable on passing is $52 (Mass.gov). |
| License fee | $52 |
| Renewal | Every 2 years — licenses expire May 1 of every even-numbered year |
| Continuing education | 12 hours of Board-approved continuing education per 2-year cycle (248 CMR 11.04) |
| Master credential | Master Plumber |
Registration, in the board’s terms: Applicant must have worked as a licensed apprentice plumber. 248 CMR 11.02(1)(b): 6,800 clock hours as a licensed apprentice employed under a Massachusetts master plumber (or a journeyman employed by a master), plus 550 clock hours of plumbing and gasfitting theory taken over no less than 4 years, no more than 165 education hours credited per calendar year, education must begin within 9 months of the apprentice license, and work and education must be accrued in conjunction (1,700 work hours per 165-hour education block). NOTE: older guides still cite the pre-change figures of 8,500 hours / 300 hours — the Board's own FAQ on the 248 CMR 11 revisions confirms the work-experience requirement dropped from 8,500 to 6,800 hours.
Master Plumber: At least 1,700 hours of experience as a licensed journeyman plumber over not less than 1 year + completion of Tier 5 (110 hours) of the plumber education program if not already completed as an apprentice + pass the master examination.
PSI bulletin lists the Master Plumber exam fee as $80. Mass.gov renewal fee schedule: master plumber renewal $78 per 2-year cycle; late fee for all renewals received after May 1 is $57.
Master exam fee: $80
Licenses expire May 1 of even-numbered years; renewals are filed online through eLIPSE with 12 hours of CE and a $57 late fee applies to renewals received after May 1 (Mass.gov).
Reinstatement: Late renewal with the $57 late fee is provided for on the Board's Mass.gov renewal page, but the maximum time after expiration during which renewal without re-examination remains possible was not stated on a primary source fetched on 2026-10-22.
Past the line: Not confirmed on a primary source in this batch — do not assume an expired Massachusetts license can be revived indefinitely; check 248 CMR 11 / the Board before relying on any window.
Massachusetts endorses journeyman licenses from: none. Massachusetts has no exam-free reciprocity: out-of-state applicants may ask the Board to accept prior education/experience as substantially equivalent, but every applicant must still pass the Massachusetts licensing examination. accepts is therefore empty at the endorsement level.
| Licensed in | Door into Massachusetts | |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Alaska | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Arizona | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Arkansas | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| California | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Colorado | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Connecticut | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Delaware | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| District of Columbia | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Florida | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Georgia | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Hawaii | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Idaho | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Illinois | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Indiana | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Iowa | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Kansas | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Kentucky | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Louisiana | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Maine | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Maryland | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Michigan | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Minnesota | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Mississippi | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Missouri | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Montana | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Nebraska | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Nevada | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| New Hampshire | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| New Jersey | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| New Mexico | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| New York | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| North Carolina | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| North Dakota | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Ohio | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Oklahoma | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Oregon | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Pennsylvania | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Rhode Island | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| South Carolina | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| South Dakota | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Tennessee | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Texas | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Utah | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Vermont | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Virginia | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Washington | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| West Virginia | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Wisconsin | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
| Wyoming | Endorsement by review — not guaranteed | Run the pair → |
Included in the $49 PlumberLicenseCheck Kit
One payment. Yours to keep. The checkers above stay free either way.
The seat: Master Plumber. Only a master plumber may engage in the business of plumbing / employ journeymen and apprentices; corporations, LLCs and partnerships doing plumbing or gas fitting must hold a business (corporation/partnership) license with the Board — Mass.gov renewal schedule lists a Corporation or Partnership renewal of $225. A journeyman works as an individual and cannot run the business.
Massachusetts licenses plumbing and gas fitting together — a licensed master or journeyman plumber may also do gas fitting work, but a gas fitter may not do plumbing work. Permits are issued by the local plumbing inspector, not the state Board.
Run the owner gate for your situation →
Rules as published by Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters, Division of Occupational Licensure and the statutes it administers, checked October 22, 2026. Board: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-a-journeyman-plumber-license
