Boiler Operator & Stationary Engineer

There is no Alabama state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: ADOL states verbatim: 'Currently there is no requirement for an installer, operator, or maintenance/service company to be licensed under the ACT.' The Act only requires equipment inspections and Operating Certificates for the boiler itself; no individual boiler-operator credential exists to reciprocate.

There is no Alaska state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: MI states verbatim: 'Boiler Operator certificates are not required in Alaska but issued for workers where the company requires a certificate for compliance.' Because no state mandate exists, there is nothing for an out-of-state credential to substitute for. Note MI does publish a 'Reciprocal and Provisional Application' that also covers boiler operators for those who want the voluntary Alaska certificate, but since the underlying credential itself is optional, this is recorded as not_applicable rather than yes/no.

There is no Arizona state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: ADOSH states verbatim: 'There is currently no state requirement in Arizona to have a license to operate a boiler.' Regulation is equipment-centric (periodic inspection/certificate), not operator-centric, so there is no license for an out-of-state credential to waive.

There is no California state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: California's boiler program is entirely equipment- and inspector-based: an operating permit attaches to the vessel itself, and the only individual credential in the statute/regs is the inspector'S 'certificate of competency' (issued to inspectors employed by a county, city, insurance company, or the Division -- not to operators).

There is no Colorado state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Colorado's 'certificate of inspection' (also called a 'certificate of boiler operation') attaches to the boiler, not to a person, and is issued after inspection by a State or Special (insurance-company) Inspector. No individual boiler-operator licensure category exists in the statute or regulation, so there is nothing for an out-of-state operator credential to be recognized against.

There is no Delaware state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Delaware's statute authorizes the Secretary to commission INSPECTORS of boilers and pressure vessels (§7403B(g)) and to issue Certificates of Inspection to owners for the equipment; it contains no provision licensing the person who operates a boiler day-to-day. The statute does list 'A licensed stationary engineer' as one of six qualifying backgrounds for a seat on the advisory Council on Boiler Safety (§7404B(c)), implying such licenses exist elsewhere, but no Delaware statute or DNREC program requires or issues such a license itself.

There is no Florida state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Florida's 'certificate of competency' under §554.104 is issued only to boiler INSPECTORS (requires National Board commission/exam and DFS 2-hour training course); the 'certificate of operation' under R. 69A-51.025 is issued to the boiler owner/user for the equipment, not to an operator. No statute or rule was found creating a licensed 'boiler operator' or 'stationary engineer' credential in Florida, so there is nothing for an out-of-state license to reciprocate against.

There is no Georgia state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Georgia licenses the people who install, maintain or service boilers — through a Certificate of Authority and Class I to III certification — but it expressly does not license the people who run them. Rule 120-3-26-.18(5)(a) carves out day-to-day operation: 'Owner/users who perform only the daily operation of the equipment by starting and stopping, blowing down, testing of safety devices or other related equipment operation practices shall be exempt.' So if your work is operating the equipment rather than installing or repairing it, Georgia does not license you and there is no reciprocity question to answer. Note also that the separate Certificate of Competency at Rule 120-3-26-.05 is for boiler inspectors, which is a different occupation again.

There is no Hawaii state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Hawaii's 'certificate of competency' under 12-220-18 is issued only to boiler INSPECTORS (state, special-insurance, or owner-user inspectors) after passing a state examination; equipment itself is covered by an 'operating permit' held by the owner/user, not the person running it. No statute or rule was located creating a licensed day-to-day 'boiler operator' or 'stationary engineer' credential for individuals in Hawaii, so there is no such license for an out-of-state credential to reciprocate against.

There is no Idaho state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: This is a more extreme case than most 'no license' states: Idaho did not merely decline to license individual operators - it repealed its ENTIRE state boiler regulatory program, including equipment inspection. DOPL'S own FAQ states verbatim: 'The Idaho Legislature repealed the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Rules effective March 29, 2010. An annual inspection is not required by the State of Idaho.' Reporting confirms the repeal was driven by insufficient program funding. There is consequently no state credential of any kind - individual or equipment - for a boiler operator to hold or reciprocate in Idaho; oversight is left entirely to private insurance carriers.

There is no Illinois state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Illinois does not license boiler operators personally. Section 2120.400 requires only that owners 'designate an operator to discharge the duties of operation and maintenance', and adds that 'It is recommended that all operators of boilers and pressure vessels obtain training' — advisory, not mandatory, and imposing no licence or examination on you as the operator. The state licenses only Inspectors, under 41 IAC 2120.50, and Repairers, under 41 IAC Part 121. Neither restricts where an applicant comes from, and neither covers the operator role.

There is no Indiana state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: State's own FAQ states verbatim: 'Indiana statute (IC 22-15-6) and administrative rules (680 IAC 2) do not require licensing of boiler operators.' A voluntary, non-state credential is available through the Indiana chapter of the National Association of Power Engineers (NAPE), and the federal EPA separately regulates licensing of employees operating large power-production boilers owned by electric utilities - neither is a state license. The 675 IAC 30 boiler rules license only INSPECTORS (via NBBI commission, an out-of-state inspector license judged 'Substantially equal,' API 510 certification, or a state exam), which is a different occupation than operator.

There is no Iowa state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: DIAL's own FAQ states verbatim: 'No, a certification or license is not required from the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety department.' The state issues an equipment 'Operating certificate' to the owner via an 'Owner's Portal,' not a personal operator credential. The FAQ advises contacting local municipalities, since some cities may separately require operator licensure - but that is local, not state, law.

There is no Kansas state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: The Kansas Boiler Safety Act and its implementing regulations govern construction, registration with the National Board, inspection, and repair of boilers and pressure vessels, and license only special (insurance-company) INSPECTORS via a certificate of competency. No provision was found licensing the individual who day-to-day operates a boiler, so there is no such credential for an out-of-state operator license to reciprocate against.

There is no Kentucky state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: 815 KAR 15:080 establishes licensing only for Boiler and Pressure Vessel Contractors (install/repair, examination-based) and for owner facility, owner's piping inspector, and independent inspection agency licenses - all install/inspect functions, not day-to-day operation. No individual 'Boiler operator' license category was located in KRS Chapter 236 or its implementing regulations, so this trade is unlicensed at the Kentucky state level and there is no reciprocity question to resolve for operators specifically.

There is no Louisiana state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: State law (R.S. 23:531) gives the Assistant Secretary authority over 'the proper construction, installation, repair, use, operation, and safety of boilers,' but this is implemented as equipment inspection under the ASME Code, not individual operator licensure. Separately, R.S. 33:4814 allows municipalities of over 50,000 inhabitants to establish their own local boards of examiners of steam boilers and issue local operator certificates at their own option - this is a LOCAL, not statewide, licensing mechanism, and where it exists it varies by city (e.g., New Orleans has historically run such a program). No statewide boiler operator license or reciprocity provision was found.

There is no Michigan state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Registering as a boiler operator or stationary engineer in Michigan is entirely voluntary — it protects the title, nothing more. MCL 339.5931(1) Says it outright: 'An individual may operate a boiler and associated auxiliaries without obtaining a registration under this article.' You only need the registration to call yourself a 'registered boiler operator' or similar. If you do want it, there is real reciprocity attached. MCL 339.5907(3) Lets the board register you without an exam where your out-of-state or municipal credential is 'at a minimum, substantially equivalent' and that other state, country or municipality 'extends the same privileges through reciprocity to a boiler operator or stationary engineer who is registered in this state'. So the answer to whether your licence transfers is that you do not need one to work here at all — but a genuine, mutuality-based reciprocal registration exists if you want the protected title.

There is no Missouri state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Missouri's Boiler & Pressure Vessel program issues Certificates of Inspection to the EQUIPMENT (roughly 25,000 annually) and licenses installers and inspectors; the statute and regulations describe owner/user duties for certificate inspections but no individual 'Boiler operator' credential was found. Operating an object without a valid inspection certificate is the offence addressed (a Class A misdemeanour under RSMo 650.270) - an equipment-certificate violation, not an unlicensed-operator violation.

There is no Nebraska state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: The Nebraska State Fire Marshal's mechanical safety program processes boiler installation notices, accident reports and 'Boiler Inspector Commission' applications - all pointing to an inspector-and-equipment regulatory model. No individual boiler-operator licensing requirement was located in the Boiler Inspection Act materials reviewed.

There is no Nevada state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Nevada's boiler/pressure-vessel chapter is built around operating permits for the equipment and insurance-company notification duties (NAC 455C.120), not individual operator licensure. No boiler-operator licence requirement for individuals was located.

There is no New Hampshire state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: New Hampshire licenses boiler inspectors, not boiler operators, and the wording of the law makes that easy to misread. RSA 157-A:7 creates a genuine individual licence, but only for inspectors: 'A boiler and pressure vessel inspector shall hold an active National Board commission and be qualified by the commissioner of labor. A license shall be issued by the commissioner to an inspector for a 1-year period' — $30 initially, $20 to renew. Separately, RSA 157-A:10 makes it 'unlawful for any person... to operate in this state a boiler or pressure vessel... without a valid inspection certificate', and says 'the operator of a boiler or pressure vessel without such certificate... shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.' That certificate attaches to the equipment, issued after inspection under RSA 157-A:8 — not to the person running it. The word 'operator' there identifies who is criminally liable for running uncertified equipment; it does not create a personal licence category. No provision creating a personal boiler operator credential separate from the inspector licence appears in RSA Ch. 157-A or Admin. Rule Lab 1200.

There is no New York state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: New York has no statewide individual boiler operator licence. The state Department of Labor's Boiler Safety Bureau inspects equipment; personal operator licensing is done city by city, most prominently by the New York City Department of Buildings, which runs its own experience and apprenticeship routes and has no state-level reciprocity mechanism. One warning if you are searching online: at least one licensing-information site advertises a '$200 statewide license' and 'interstate licensing compacts' for New York boiler operators. Both are contradicted by the state Department of Labor's and New York City'S own materials. There is no such statewide licence and no such compact.

There is no North Carolina state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: North Carolina's Boiler Safety Act, Article 7A, is built around equipment inspection certificates and inspector'S commissions — State Inspector, Special or Insurance Inspector, and Owner-User Inspector. No provision creating a personal boiler operator licence for day-to-day operation appears in the statute or in its administrative rules at 13 NCAC 13. A secondary source asserts that North Carolina law requires an individual operator licence. That is not supported by the official Article 7A text and should not be relied on.

There is no North Dakota state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: North Dakota's general Boiler Rules regulate power boilers, miniature boilers and heating/hot-water boilers purely as EQUIPMENT (installation permits, inspections). No individual licence is required to operate an ordinary commercial or industrial boiler in North Dakota. The only individual OPERATOR licence in the entire article is the narrow 'Hobby Boiler Operator' licence covering antique steam engines and show boilers - and that one does carry true exam-waiving reciprocity: 'A license is not required under this chapter if the hobby boiler operator is not a resident of this state and is qualified by reason of possessing a valid license from another state or Canadian province and this license has been approved by the director.' That reciprocity exists only for the hobby niche and has no bearing on ordinary commercial boiler operation, which is unlicensed at the individual level. Fee: $25 hobby boiler operator licence/exam fee; not applicable to ordinary commercial boiler operation, which carries no individual licence or fee..

There is no Oklahoma state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Like Michigan, Oklahoma's Boiler Operator Licence is entirely voluntary at state level: 380:25-19-1(a)-(c) provide that individual companies, businesses, schools or jurisdictions MAY adopt the programme and require it of their own employees, but 'No provision of this act shall place a mandatory requirement on any person to be in possession of the Boiler Operator License' otherwise. For applicants who do seek the voluntary licence there is a genuine discretionary reciprocity mechanism: 380:25-19-1(e) allows 'Evidence of the satisfactory completion of qualifications for, or the issuance of, a Boiler Operator License, Stationary Engineer License, or other comparable certification from another jurisdictional authority... [to] be used to satisfy all or part of the qualifications,' subject to Chief Boiler Inspector review, and (f) contemplates the licence being 'Issued as a matter of reciprocity' outright. Because the underlying credential is optional, the core question - is a licence needed to operate? - is not_applicable, with the voluntary reciprocal pathway noted for completeness. Same shape as Michigan. Fee: Reciprocity applicants pay the same fee as standard licensure; duplicate/replacement fee $5..

There is no Oregon state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Oregon's individual boiler licences — 'Boilermaker', Classes 1 through 4 — are installation, alteration and repair credentials, including welding. They are not day-to-day operator licences. The scope at OAR 918-225-0691 is to 'Install, alter or repair boilers and pressure vessels... By welding or other methods of attachment', which is a different occupation from operating a plant. The Building Codes Division'S reciprocal licences page lists reciprocity only for the electrical journeyman and supervising licences and for journeyman plumber. No boiler category appears — consistent with there being no day-to-day operator licence in Oregon to reciprocate in the first place.

There is no Pennsylvania state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Pennsylvania issues boiler credentials to inspectors, not operators. The Department of Labor and Industry's own programme page says its duties are to 'Approve the installation or moving of all boilers and unfired pressure vessels. Periodically inspect these units. Issue credentials for all persons INSPECTING these units' — the equipment gets a Certificate of Operation after inspection; the person running it does not. 34 Pa. Code Ch. 3A likewise defines only equipment terms and inspector and owner-user duties, with no personal operator licence. This is where sources claiming 'Pennsylvania requires boiler operator licensing' go wrong, and what they are describing is real — just municipal. Philadelphia runs its own Engineer License programme under Philadelphia Code 9-501, Grades A through D, covering steam boiler, stationary and refrigeration engineers and firemen, with exams administered by ICC and a $50 fee. Pittsburgh runs a comparable local programme. Neither is a statewide licence, and no statewide individual operator licence exists.

There is no Rhode Island state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Rhode Island's Boiler and Pressure Vessel Act and its implementing regulation are built entirely around a 'Certificate of Inspection' issued for the EQUIPMENT and a 'Commission' issued to authorised INSPECTORS, evidenced by a Commission Card per 28-25-4. There is no individual day-to-day boiler operator licence created by state law. This is distinct from Rhode Island'S separate, genuinely state-licensed Hoisting Engineer programme under Ch. 28-26, which covers cranes and excavation equipment rather than boilers. A 'Boiler Operator License' application WAS located - but it is issued by the City of Woonsocket specifically, a municipal credential rather than a state one, and other Rhode Island municipalities may or may not run comparable programmes. That local form is very likely what the earlier trade-school directory was describing when it implied a state licence existed. Since no state-level individual licence exists, there is no state reciprocity question.

There is no South Carolina state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: South Carolina's state-level boiler credential found in the materials reviewed is a 'Boiler Installation' specialty exam required for a CONTRACTOR'S licence, with an ASME 'S' stamp or National Board 'R' stamp as alternative qualifying routes - an install/repair credential, not a day-to-day operator licence. No individual state-level boiler OPERATOR licence was located, consistent with the pattern in several other southern states where day-to-day operation is unlicensed and only installation/repair is regulated.

There is no South Dakota state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: South Dakota's own occupational licensing directory lists the 'South Dakota State Fire Marshal (for information on requirements for boiler operators, Department of Public Safety)' - phrasing that points to an informational/equipment-inspection role rather than a mandatory individual operator licence. No South Dakota statute or rule establishing a personal boiler-operator credential distinct from equipment inspection was located.

There is no Tennessee state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Tennessee's Boiler Unit programme is entirely equipment- and inspector-centric: it issues Installation Permits and Certificates of Boiler Inspection for the equipment itself, and its Board of Boiler Rules - five members appointed by the Governor - promulgates rules for 'Safe operation, proper installation, repair, and use of boilers.' But licensure attaches only to INSPECTORS: 15 state Deputy Inspectors plus insurance-company Special Inspectors, both nationally commissioned by the National Board and separately authorised by Tennessee'S Chief Boiler Inspector. No provision creating an individual day-to-day boiler operator licence was located in Title 68 Ch. 122 or its implementing rules, so there is no credential for an out-of-state licence to reciprocate against. Note the useful negative: the statute's use of the phrase 'Safe operation' describes what the RULES govern, not a person who must be licensed - a distinction easy to misread.

There is no Texas state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: TDLR's own programme summary explicitly classifies Boiler Safety as 'Practice Act? No. Title Act? Yes' - meaning TDLR does not regulate who may PRACTISE as a boiler operator, only equipment registration, Certificates of Operation and inspections, with 51,580 certificates issued in FY25. There is accordingly no individual boiler-operator licence in Texas to reciprocate. The practice-act/title-act distinction is the exact question this trade turns on in every state, and Texas is the only agency found that answers it in those words.

There is no Utah state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Utah's S410 classification covers 'Fabrication, construction, and installation' of boiler and pipeline systems. That is a contractor credential for building the plant, not a licence to operate one day to day. No individual boiler operator licence appears anywhere in Utah'S scheme. The same install-versus-operate distinction catches people out in Oregon, South Carolina and Missouri.

There is no Vermont state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Vermont credentials boiler inspectors only. The Division of Fire Safety's own trade licensing page lists exactly what it licenses: 'Electricians, Plumbers, Commissioned Boiler Inspectors and Elevators.' The inspector Commission runs three years at $150 initially and to renew, and requires both a valid Vermont Commission and a National Boiler Commission. Most holders work for insurance companies. No individual day-to-day operator licence appears in 20 V.S.A. Chapter 173 or in the Vermont Fire & Building Safety Code. Be careful with one source in particular: a licensing-information site advertises a '$200, 3-5 week' Vermont boiler operator licence with 'Interstate licensing compacts'. It is the same generic template that produced false claims for New York and Oregon, and the Division'S own licensing page contradicts it.

There is no Washington state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: L&I's own programme page states verbatim: 'A boiler operator's license is not required for individuals who operate boilers in the state of Washington. However, a valid boiler operator'S license is required for: City of Seattle... City of Spokane... City of Tacoma.' A clean confirmation that Washington has no state-level individual operator licence - only three named municipalities run their own programmes, Seattle'S administered by SDCI. No state-level reciprocity question arises. This is the ideal shape for one of these records: the agency states both the negative and the exceptions in its own words.

There is no West Virginia state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: West Virginia does not license boiler operators individually, and the State Fire Marshal's own FAQ settles which agency to ask: 'All permits and processes pertaining to the boilers, including inspections, are exempt from the State Fire Code and are under the jurisdiction of the West Virginia Division of Labor.' Under 21-3-7 the Commissioner of Labor issues an annual 'Permit to operate a steam boiler' to the person or corporation owning or operating the boiler. That is an equipment and business permit rather than a personal credential, and operating without it is an offence tied to the equipment, not to being an unlicensed individual. The structure of the code confirms it. Chapter 21 contains separate, genuine individual licensing articles for HVAC technicians at 21-16, plumbers at 21-14, elevator mechanics at 21-3C and crane operators at 21-3D, with electricians at 29-3B. Boilers have no equivalent individual-operator article. The legislature wrote personal licences for five neighbouring trades and not for this one.

There is no Wyoming state licence for this trade to reciprocate. Local rules may still apply.

What applies instead: Wyoming's only confirmed statewide contractor-trade licence is for electricians; general contractor, plumbing, HVAC, roofing and boiler-operator licensing are handled at city/county level. A specific example located is the City of Casper, which issues individual boiler-operator licences locally - 2 years' experience, $20 initial and $10 renewal - a municipal, not state, credential. No statewide individual boiler-operator licence or reciprocity mechanism was located.