Plumber License: Ohio → Florida

A step-by-step breakdown of what it takes for a licensed plumber in Ohio to become licensed in Florida, based on Florida's current certification by endorsement — 10-year licensure history (option c) — reciprocity not available for this classification rules.

Certification by Endorsement — 10-Year Licensure History (Option C) — Reciprocity Not Available for This Classification

Source: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board (DBPR CILB) ↗

Updated September 30, 2026

Portability Score

55/100

Moderate Effort

PermitBridge's own estimate, based on the exam, fee, and processing-time factors below — not an official government rating.

Exam: Not required
Processing: Processing time not published by the board
Fee: $350
Extra Hours: None

Step-by-Step Process

1
Florida's Reciprocity form (DBPR CILB 32, limited to Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina) offers no Plumbing category at all, so reciprocity is unavailable to plumbing contractors in Florida regardless of home state. Ohio and Florida also have no reciprocity agreement with each other.
2
The applicable route is DBPR CILB 10, Certification by Endorsement (Section 489.115(3), Florida Statutes), which lists Plumbing as a selectable category.
3
Within CILB 10, the NASCLA-based route does not apply — the form restricts it to General, Building, and Residential licenses. The practical route for an Ohio Plumbing contractor is Option C: hold a valid, current out-of-state contracting license for at least 10 years, active now or within the last 2 years, of a license type 'the same or similar as the license type being applied for.'
4
needs_review: Ohio's Plumbing contractor license and Florida's Certified Plumbing Contractor are both state contractor licenses, so Ohio's is plausibly 'similar' — but Ohio's license covers commercial work only, while Florida's is not limited to commercial work. Whether that satisfies Option C is CILB's determination.
5
needs_review: CILB 10's 2-hour Florida Building Code course requirement is scoped to General, Building, Residential, and Roofing applicants only — Plumbing is not listed. Whether Plumbing applicants face this requirement is not stated in the document and is not assumed here.
6
Submit verification of licensure showing at least 10 years and any discipline, a copy of Ohio's statutes/rules defining the Plumbing contractor license, electronic fingerprints, a FICO-derived credit report, and proof of satisfaction of any liens, judgments, or bankruptcy.
7
Pay the $350 Endorsement application fee to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
8
Await processing — DBPR does not publish a guaranteed timeline; budget for several weeks to a few months.

Note: Florida-side forms confirmed 2026-09-30 by antiword extraction of the versions incorporated in Rule 61-35.010, F.A.C. (effective 2026-06-28), downloaded from flrules.org: CILB 32 (Reciprocity, Ref-17723) lists Louisiana, Mississippi, and North Carolina for General/Building/Residential only, with no Plumbing category; CILB 10 (Endorsement, Ref-17718) lists Plumbing, $350 fee, Options A/B/C for all categories, NASCLA limited to General/Building/Residential, 2-hour Building Code course scoped to General/Building/Residential/Roofing. Option C requires 'at least 10 years' of out-of-state licensure, active within the last 2 years, and that 'the license type must be the same or similar as the license type being applied for.' Florida's statewide certified Plumbing classification is confirmed by Rule 61G4-15.001, F.A.C. (effective 5/16/2024). Ohio side: OCILB's Out-of-State Examination Application (form dated 9/2025, dam.assets.ohio.gov) states OCILB 'issues state licenses to Electrical, HVAC, Refrigeration, Plumbing, and Hydronics Contractors who perform commercial work', and the license must be assigned to a contracting company — a contractor-level license, the same level as Florida's certification. No Florida agreement exists among OCILB's published per-state reciprocity agreements (404 for a Florida file; Plumbing agreements are with Arkansas, Mississippi, and West Virginia). needs_review: the 'same or similar' judgment (Ohio commercial-only vs. Florida's broader scope) is CILB's and is not resolved by either form; the 2-hour course question carries over from the other Florida records.

Plumber Transfers From Ohio to Other States

State	Pathway	Exam?	Score	Link
California	Full New Application Required — No Reciprocity or Exam Waiver Available for C-36	Yes	15	View
New York	Universal License Recognition (Endorsement)	Yes	50	View
Texas	Full New Application Required	Yes	21	View

Frequently Asked Questions About This Transfer

Can I transfer my plumber license from Ohio to Florida?+

Yes, via certification by endorsement — 10-year licensure history (option c) — reciprocity not available for this classification. No additional trade exam is required in most cases. The licensing board does not publish a processing time.

How much does it cost to transfer a plumber license to Florida?+

Budget approximately $350 for the Florida application fee alone. Exam fees, if required, and any additional continuing-education hours are typically separate costs charged by third-party providers.

Can a master plumber license transfer to any state?+

No. Master plumber classifications and hour requirements differ enough between states that most receiving states require verification of experience hours and, frequently, a local trade or business/law exam even for master-level applicants.