Ohio Plumber License Reciprocity & Transfer
What it takes to transfer a plumbing license you already hold in another state into Ohio. This page covers license transfer only — not how to get licensed from scratch.
Transferring an existing license into Ohio
Ohio's board sets the route, so it is the same for every origin state we have verified below.
- Pathway
- Endorsement of an out-of-state license
- Fees
- $25
- Minimum years licensed
- 5
- Exam
- Required
- Processing time
- Processing time not published by the board
Fees are the state fees recorded for this route; see each origin's full requirements for the breakdown.
Source: Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce
By origin state
From California → Ohio
Full requirementsOut-of-State Licensee Examination Route — No Reciprocity; Ohio Exam Still Required
- whether a California C-36 license is 'substantially similar' to Ohio's Plumbing contractor license is OCILB's case-by-case judgment — Ohio law does not define the standard.
- ORC 4796.01 defines an out-of-state occupational license as one issued 'to an individual.' CSLB issues contractor licenses to the business (a sole owner, or a company qualified by an individual), so whether a C-36 held by a corporation or LLC — rather than a sole owner — fits that definition is not settled by the text.
From Florida → Ohio
Full requirementsOut-of-State Licensee Examination Route — No Reciprocity; Ohio Exam Still Required
- whether a Florida Plumbing license is 'substantially similar' to Ohio's Plumbing contractor license is OCILB's case-by-case judgment — Ohio law does not define the standard.
Researched, pending an official answer from the board
We researched these routes into Ohio, but each turns on a legal question the official documents don't settle. We won't publish an answer until the board gives one.
- From Texas: Whether a Texas individual Master Plumber license qualifies as an "out-of-state trades contractors license" under ORC 4796.01, which defines out-of-state licenses as issued "to an individual" while OCILB licenses contractors. (Question for the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB).)
Not yet researched
We haven't published sourced requirements for transferring a plumbing license into Ohio from: New York. Rather than guess, we leave these out until we can cite the board directly — check with the Ohio board in the meantime.