Plumber licensing in District of Columbia

DC reciprocates with Maryland — a 2025 addition, and it covers journeymen and masters alike: no DC exam, $175 journeyman or $185 master all-in, on a Maryland license that was earned by examination (grandfathered or chain-reciprocity cards do not qualify) with a letter of good standing uploaded from the Maryland board.

Virginia is not a partner for plumbing, whatever the electrical lists say. The other exam-free door is national: a credential from an acceptable national certifying organization mandates the waiver too, and completing a nationally-certified apprenticeship program waives the exam on the standard route. From anywhere else, plan on documenting your hours and sitting the DC exam.

Limited, and conditional: DC's general statute allows practice on a filed application while it is pending — but only under the supervision of a DC-licensed plumber and subject to conditions written with other professions in mind, so get the licensing office's confirmation before staffing on it, and never hold the worker out as a plumber until the license issues.

The dependable fallback is the apprentice registration: no exam, no experience requirement, $110 plus the $65 application fee, working under the direct personal supervision of a licensed master. Note what does not exist: DC gives electricians a temporary license and gives plumbers none.

Journeyman takes 8,000 hours over at least four years as an apprentice — documented by tax records plus employment verification signed by the master — or a mechanical-engineering degree with two years' verified experience. Master takes eight years and 16,000 hours. A completed nationally-certified apprenticeship waives the exam, and a qualifying national certificate can substitute for the hours themselves.

Registered without examination: no experience required, employment verification or school enrollment, $110 plus the $65 application fee, expiring March 31 of even years like every DC trade license. The rule is absolute on scope — an apprentice works only under the direct personal supervision and control of a licensed master.

The District is a single jurisdiction — no patchwork inside it. The caution is at the borders, where metro travelers cross daily: WSSC, Baltimore County, and Virginia are separate authorities, and a DC card covers none of them.

Two layers, both real: the person holds an individual license (apprentice, journeyman, or master), and the business holds a trade-contractor license — a registered company with a designated DC master who confirms the role personally, plus surety bonds of $5,000 from the company and $5,000 from the master. No exam attaches to the contractor license; every exam belongs to the individual ladder.