Guides · The ladder
New York State does not license plumbers. New York City does — with a system stricter than most states', built around one fact: in NYC, only a Licensed Master Plumber can pull a permit.
The city's journeyman registration requires 5 years of full-time work under a Licensed Master Plumber — including at least 1 year in New York City — or completion of a registered program plus the NYC year. That year is the wall for transfers: a master-level career elsewhere still starts the NYC clock at zero.
Master requires 7 years in the last 10, including at least 2 years as a registered journeyman, plus the city's examinations and its financial and character review. It is the permit-pulling credential: journeymen work, masters file.
Budget the NYC year as a fact, not an injustice — everyone pays it. Work registered, under a master, from your first NYC week, because unregistered time does not start the clock you are trying to finish.
The transfer checker shows NYC's reality for your pair: run it. State context: New York page.
