Water Treatment Operator

Alabama has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity with two gates. ADEM may issue a certificate in a comparable classification to a person holding a current certificate from another state obtained by examination, provided that state's requirements are comparable to or higher than ADEM'S. Critically, reciprocity is granted only to operators applying from states that reciprocate with ADEM - a mutual-reciprocity condition. Issuance is contingent on submitting an application, the nonrefundable fee under r. 335-1-6-.06, a copy of the present certificate, and other supporting documentation ADEM requires. No Alabama exam is required on this path. No residency or in-state-employment requirement appears in the rule. Applies to the water treatment (Grades II-IV) and water distribution (Grade I) certificates classified in r. 335-10-1-.03. A separate reciprocal application form is published on ADEM's forms index. Fee: nonrefundable application fee under ADEM Admin. Code r. 335-1-6-.06; amount not stated within Division 10.

Alabama runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: Single agency, single chapter, one reciprocity rule covering both disciplines. The Division 10 text reached is the revision effective April 3, 2007 posted on ADEM's site; no newer consolidated text was located.

Alaska has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Case-by-case reciprocity, no Alaska exam where granted. DEC weighs the education/experience requirements of the certificate held, the exam passed, and the applicant's own education and operator experience. Hard limit: OpCert does not grant reciprocity to operators from states that deny reciprocity to Alaskan operators, and the applicant is told to verify this with their home state first. Two fallbacks if the home state does not reciprocate: (1) If an ABC standardized exam was passed within the past three years, OpCert may certify based on education and experience; (2) Holders of ABC Professional Operator (PO) certification will be certified based on education and experience. Process: mail the 'Request for Reciprocity' form with the $300 fee - faxed and emailed requests are not accepted. OpCert contacts the state of origin plus current and past employers before deciding; average 4-6 weeks, currently longer. No residency requirement stated. DEC publishes this page under its Large System Operator materials; small system (SU/ST) operator certification is not addressed there, so coverage of small-system certificates by reciprocity was not established. Fee: $300 nonrefundable reciprocity review fee.

Alaska runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One program for both disciplines. Alaska's reciprocity is expressly conditioned on the sending state reciprocating with Alaska, with an ABC-exam workaround if it does not.

Arizona has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: ADEQ shall issue a certificate to an applicant holding a valid certificate from another jurisdiction who (1) Passed a written, validated examination in Arizona or in another jurisdiction whose exam is substantially equivalent and validated by ADEQ, and (2) Submits written evidence of the experience and education required under R18-5-112. No Arizona exam is required where the out-of-state exam qualifies. Accepted types include Water Treatment and Water Distribution. Reciprocity is 'like for like' and capped at Arizona's highest class: Arizona issues Grades 1-4, so a Grade 5 credential elsewhere yields a Grade 4 here. Certification must be active - expired, inactive, suspended or revoked credentials are rejected; if within three months of expiration, at least 30 PDHs/CEUs earned during the term must be uploaded. ADEQ contacts the issuing agency to verify the credential was earned by examination and not by prior reciprocity, and that it is in good standing. All documents and payment go through the ADEQ Certification Portal; review takes up to 30 days. Military-base certifications are honored but only at Grade 1. No residency or in-state-employment requirement stated. Fee: $340 nonrefundable reciprocity review fee per application (FY26 schedule, nonrefundable whether approved or denied), plus $90 per certificate issued.

Arizona runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One program, one rule, and ADEQ's own fact sheet expressly lists all four credential types as accepted for reciprocity.

Arkansas has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Qualified yes, and the mechanics matter. Pathway 1 - Section XIV.C 'Endorsement': requires a substantially similar license in another US jurisdiction (that state must require HS diploma/GED, drinking-water training similar to ADH Table 2, a proficiency test, and maintenance training), held in good standing, never revoked for bad faith or a law/rule/ethics violation, and not suspended or on probation. But under XIV.C.1.b and XIV.C.2.c the applicant must still 'Pass an appropriate grade water treatment or water distribution license exam' as the evidence of competence - the Arkansas exam is not waived on this pathway. ADH does issue a temporary and provisional license immediately on receipt of the application, fee and documentation, effective roughly 90 days or until the Board decides. Pathway 2 - Section XIV.F.3.b 'Automatic Occupational Licensure' (Act 457 of 2023): an applicant in good standing for at least one year with a similar-scope Water Operator License from another state, or with three years' work in the occupation in a state that does not license it, is eligible for automatic licensure subject only to an examination specific to Arkansas law - and ADH may waive even that state-law exam where the applicant's education, training and experience is a sufficient substitute and waiver would not harm public health. This second pathway is genuine reciprocity. Penalty clause - Section XIV.D: if the applicant is licensed in a state that does not offer Arkansas residents reciprocity similar to Ark. Code Ann. § 17-1-108, ADH requires the applicant to complete the mandatory Table 2 training (40-96 hours depending on grade and type) or document substantially equivalent training. Separate Treatment (Grades I-IV) and Distribution (Very Small System, Grades I-IV) licenses must each be applied for and each is evaluated separately. No residency requirement for endorsement; the automatic-occupational-licensure definitions are framed around establishing residency. Fee: $25 reciprocity evaluation fee per license evaluated (Sec. XII.E) plus the $10 license fee (Sec. XII.B); initial licensure fee waiver available to low-income, recently unemployed, and certain benefit-receiving applicants under Act 725 of 2021.

Arkansas runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: MATERIAL SPLIT, and a trap. Wastewater offers straightforward exam-waiving reciprocity. Drinking water has TWO different out-of-state pathways with opposite answers: the pathway ADH actually labels 'Endorsement' still requires passing the Arkansas grade exam, while a separate 'Automatic Licensure' pathway added by Act 457 of 2023 does waive it. Do not read the word 'Endorsement' as reciprocity here.

California has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity. The Board issues a water treatment operator certificate and a water distribution operator certificate by reciprocity to any person holding a valid, unexpired, comparable certification from another state, the United States, prescribed territories or tribal governments. The Board compares your education and experience against California requirements and grants certification where equitable.

California runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: MATERIAL SPLIT. California runs two separate programs with genuinely opposite reciprocity answers. Prior combined record recorded a single 'yes' for both, which overstated the wastewater side.

Colorado has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Reciprocity is an application type in the CCWP Portal, governed by Board Policy 13-1. Exam treatment is conditional and this is the key distinction: operators who took a Colorado-comparable examination may be eligible for Colorado certification WITHOUT examination, while operators who took a custom (non-comparable) examination may only be allowed to bypass Colorado's sequential testing requirement - meaning they can test at the level sought without working up through lower classes, but they still test. In addition, out-of-state applicants must meet Colorado'S education and experience requirements for the requested certification category and level at the time of application, and must meet Colorado's mandatory regulatory training requirement. Review takes roughly 10 business days, with the decision emailed to the applicant. Decisions of the Board'S contractor may be appealed in writing to the Board within 30 days, stating the subject matter and grounds. No residency or in-state-employment requirement is stated. No class exclusions were identified.

Colorado runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One board certifies all four categories - water treatment, water distribution, municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, and wastewater collection. The exam is waived only where the out-of-state exam is Colorado-comparable; a custom out-of-state exam buys sequencing relief, not an exam waiver.

Delaware has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: 'Reciprocal' is one of four license categories on the official Drinking Water Operator License Application, alongside Base-level Water Supply Operator, Operator-in-Training, and Distribution. To receive reciprocity from another state the applicant must provide a copy of their current license/certificate and a copy of that state'S licensing requirements, so the review is an equivalence comparison against Delaware's standards. The application form does not require a Delaware examination on this path. Employment nexus: the same application requires Delaware public water system employment information - the name of the PWS at which the applicant 'Is employed or expects to be employed,' pws ID, position, duties and treatment processes - and a certification block signed by the applicant'S current Direct Responsible Charge operator. Applications are reviewed by the Advisory Council for Certification of Public Water System Operators; submittals must arrive 14 working days before a Council meeting to be reviewed, and incomplete applications are returned. The application acknowledgement states the enclosed fee is nonrefundable, but the form does not state the amount; ODW accepts online payments for renewals only, not new applicants. Licenses run approximately two years. Limit of verification: the text of 16 DE Admin. Code 4463 itself could not be retrieved - the Delaware Administrative Code page for 4463 returned an empty document - so the specific regulatory subsection governing reciprocity, any excluded license categories, and the fee schedule were not read. The finding above rests on ODW's own program page and its current official application form (revised 7/2023).

Delaware runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: Two agencies, two separate regulations, two separate application processes - but both grant reciprocity on an equivalence review, and both attach a Delaware employment nexus.

Georgia has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Genuine endorsement, not merely exam eligibility. Verified verbatim on the Board's own page: 'The Board may, upon application, issue a certificate without examination to any person who holds a certificate in good standing issued by another country or by state, territory, or possession of the United States' where: the issuing jurisdiction has, in the Board'S opinion, 'requirements substantially similar to those of the Board'; the applicant submits a complete Certification by Endorsement application; 'an endorsement affidavit form must be completed by the certifying state specifying that the applicant has a current certification and is in good standing'; and the applicant holds at minimum a high school diploma or GED. Class mapping is by the Board's published Endorsement Matrix (Rev. 10/2025), which maps other states' classes to Georgia Class IV/III/II/I and expressly states 'This tabled is used for guidance only. Applications for reciprocity are reviewed by the Board on a case-by-case basis.' no class is excluded - Georgia Class I (highest) is shown reachable by endorsement from roughly 30 states. No residency requirement and no Georgia-employment requirement appears in the statute, the rule, or the Board FAQ; the out-of-state checklist does list 'Employment Verification' but its scope (Georgia employment vs. Documentation of the underlying out-of-state experience) could not be determined from official sources. Also required: transcript, Secure & Verifiable Document, Affidavit of Citizenship, background check run internally. Paper applications are no longer accepted - filing is through the GOALS portal. Exam caveat: the same checklist lists 'Passing Exam Score' unconditionally, contradicting the 'without examination' rule text; unresolved from official sources. Fee: $100.00 non-refundable endorsement application fee (Board FAQ). Rule 750-9-.01 fixes no dollar amounts - it states only that the fee schedule 'shall be published on the Board'S website', so the amount can change. The live GOALS fee schedule returned HTTP 403 and could not be checked..

Georgia runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: Single board, single statute (O.C.G.A. Title 43 Ch. 51) and single rule chapter (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Dept. 750) for both disciplines, but each discipline was confirmed independently: the Board runs separate 'Apply to be a Water Operator' and 'Apply to be a Wastewater Operator' pages and publishes one Endorsement Matrix containing SEPARATE class-equivalency charts for water supply/distribution and for wastewater treatment/collections. UNRESOLVED CONFLICT: the statute and Rule 750-4-.03 both say a certificate may issue 'without examination', but the Board's own out-of-state document checklists for BOTH disciplines list 'Passing Exam Score' with no qualifier. Could not resolve which controls in practice.

Hawaii has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity - the examination is waived entirely, not merely made available. Rule text: an applicant 'currently certified by another state, territory, or possession of the United States of America, or by another country or entity that is listed in the Certification Contacts section in ABC'S annual directory, may apply for certification without an examination in the grade in which the applicant is currently certified.' DOH's own reciprocity FAQ confirms: 'If an applicant's application for certification by reciprocity is approved by the Board, no examination is required.' grade cap: issued only in the grade currently held - no upgrade by reciprocity. Covers both the Water Treatment Plant Operator (WTPO) and Distribution System Operator (DSO) tracks, Grades 1-4 on both 2026 application forms; the OIT category is separate and not a reciprocity path. No residency requirement and no Hawaii-employment requirement appears in the rule or on either 2026 form, and no two-way reciprocity condition - both of which distinguish water from wastewater here. Submit the WTPO or DSO Certification Application with the 'Reciprocity Certification' box checked plus a copy of the current out-of-state certificate showing its expiration date. Applications may be filed year-round and are acted on at the next Board meeting; no exam-cycle deadline applies. CAVEAT: the HAR 11-25 compilation currently linked from the SDWB page (11-25-003.pdf) is a scanned image with no text layer and would not parse; the rule text above comes from DOH's own hosted compilation at health.Hawaii.gov/opppd, cross-checked against DOH'S 2016 rulemaking rationale and the current 2026 forms, whose fees match. Cite as § 11-25-3 rather than pinning the subsection number. Fee: $100 total - $30 application fee plus $70 certificate fee, both submitted at time of application (HAR § 11-25-10(2) As amended; matches the 2026 WTPO and DSO forms). The certificate fee is refundable if the application is denied..

Hawaii runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: Genuinely separate programs - different boards, different DOH branches, different HAR chapters (11-25 vs 11-61), different authorizing statutes (HRS 340F vs HRS 340B), different fees, different mailing addresses, and materially DIFFERENT reciprocity conditions. Wastewater imposes a two-way reciprocity test and a Hawaii-employment requirement that the water rule does not. Note the authorizing chapters are HRS 340F (water) and HRS 340B (wastewater), not 340E.

Idaho has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Verified verbatim: 'Any person who holds a valid license to practice as a drinking water system operator or a wastewater system operator or a backflow assembly tester from any other state in which the legally enacted qualifications for licensure are not lower than the qualifications for licensure set forth in this chapter and in the rules adopted pursuant hereto, may upon proper application and payment of a fee as may be established by board rule not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100), and with the approval of the board, be accepted for licensure under the provisions of this chapter.' This is a grant of LICENSURE, not exam eligibility. Drinking water operators are expressly named. It is DISCRETIONARY ('with the approval of the board') and turns on a substantial-equivalency test the board applies. Exam: not addressed in the current statute or current rule. The pre-2023 rule expressly authorized waiver ('The board may waive the examination requirements and issue the appropriate license for applicants holding licenses issued by other States that have equivalent license requirements'); that text was deleted in the zero-based rewrite with no replacement. Whether DOPL waives the exam in current practice could not be verified - the board's own procedural page (secure.ibol.Idaho.gov WWP Licensure Process) is unreachable, resolving to a private IP and blocked by robots. Residency: none; § 54-2409 requires only that the applicant 'Be a lawful resident of the United States.' No in-state employment requirement found. CLASSES: Distribution and Treatment, each Operator-In-Training, Class I Restricted, Class I, II, III, IV, plus Very Small Drinking Water Systems; no class is excluded from endorsement by any text located. Board minutes note reciprocity files and Class III/IV are the most staff-intensive 'Due to the verification of responsible charge.' Applications are filed through the edopl.Idaho.gov portal; there is no downloadable operator endorsement form. Exams are ABC-validated, delivered by PSI. Under the § 67-9409 alternative, the applicant must 'Complete an application, submit supporting materials, and undergo the same background checks', pays 'the same licensing fees as required for applicants under the standard licensing process', and the board 'shall not establish a jurisprudence examination' - but note § 67-9409 bars only jurisprudence exams and does not itself guarantee a general exam waiver. Fee: $30 Endorsement Fee per DOPL's currently published WWP fee schedule. Statutory cap is $100 (§ 54-2410). A pending draft rule (IDAPA 24.05.01 Draft 3, 09-02-25) proposes raising Endorsement to $100 - not yet adopted..

Idaho runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One board covers both disciplines plus backflow assembly testers. STRUCTURAL FINDING: the endorsement pathway is STATUTORY (Idaho Code 54-2410), not in the current administrative rule. Idaho's zero-based regulation rewrite stripped endorsement out of IDAPA 24.05.01 - board minutes of 2023-10-02 record 'Removal of any reference to endorsement/reciprocity' - and the current rule (eff. 7-1-26) has only sections 000, 001, 002, 100, 200, 400 with no endorsement section. The old rule's express exam-waiver language went with it, so exam treatment is now board discretion rather than a codified entitlement. Idaho Code 67-9409 (universal licensure) is an independent alternative pathway.

Illinois has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Reciprocal certification WITHOUT examination, but four conditions all apply: (1) The Agency finds you met minimum standards equivalent to or more stringent than Illinois; (2) The other certifying jurisdiction accepts Illinois certificates by reciprocity in return; (3) You reside in Illinois OR are employed at an Illinois public water supply; (4) Fees are paid. Submit the Agency's reciprocal certification form, evidence the other jurisdiction'S certificate is unexpired and in good standing, and written authorization for Illinois to contact that jurisdiction. Separate route: operators trained by the US Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps or Navy may be granted reciprocal certification without examination. Fee: required fees must be paid (amount not stated in the rule text reviewed).

Illinois runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: Both disciplines impose a MUTUAL-RECIPROCITY condition and an Illinois residency-or-employment requirement, so eligibility depends on your own state's stance toward Illinois as well as your credentials.

Indiana has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: IDEM's own application - State Form 12094 (R11/6-26), 'Public Water Supply Application for Water Treatment Plant and Water Distribution System Operator Certification' - presents 'By examination' and 'By reciprocity' as alternative application types, confirming a real reciprocity pathway rather than exam eligibility. 327 IAC 8-12-6(b) provides the commissioner 'may issue a certificate by reciprocity as outlined in IC 13-18-11-9' where the applicant submits proof of current certification and the applicant's grade. IC 13-18-11-9 authorizes issuance of a certificate 'Without examination in a comparable classification' - the exam is WAIVED, not merely made available - but is DISCRETIONARY ('May') and doubly conditioned: (1) The issuing state'S certification requirements must not conflict with Indiana's chapter and must be 'Of a standard not lower than' Indiana's; and (2) The other state or territory must grant reciprocal privileges to Indiana-certified operators. Reciprocity is into a comparable grade only. Continuing-education hours are not required at the moment reciprocal certification is conferred, but the holder must earn full CE contact hours for all future renewal periods under 327 IAC 8-12-7.5(a). The applicant must attach a copy of the out-of-state certificate and give its certification number and classification. No residency or Indiana-employment prerequisite was found in the statute, rule or form. No excluded grades were found. Note the separate 'Facility Specific Operator' credential (327 IAC 8-12-3.5/4.5, State Form 53210) is a distinct non-exam pathway and was not established as reciprocity-eligible either way. Fee: $30 nonrefundable application fee per grade of certification applied for (State Form 12094). The separate $45 Ivy Tech testing-site fee is an exam-seat fee and would not apply where the exam is waived, though this was not separately confirmed for reciprocity applicants..

Indiana runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: Single agency, but two separate rule articles, two program staffs and two application tracks. CITATION CORRECTION: 327 IAC 5-22 is the REPEALED wastewater operator rule. IDEM rulemaking #18-365 repealed 327 IAC 5-22 and replaced it with 327 IAC 5-23, which is what IDEM's current wastewater pages and manual cite. 327 IAC 8-12 for water treatment/distribution operators is current and correct. Both articles route to the same statutory reciprocity authority, IC 13-18-11-9, but each discipline was verified against its own IDEM materials.

Iowa has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Two-tier answer, and the tier matters. Mandatory out-of-state programs - true reciprocity, exam fully waived: 'Applicants who have been certified under other states' mandatory certification programs, the equivalency of which has been previously reviewed and accepted by the department, shall be certified in an appropriate classification and grade without examination.' Two conditions still attach: the applicant 'Must have passed an examination generally equivalent to the Iowa examination' and 'must meet the education and experience qualifications established in this chapter' (r. 81.6). Voluntary out-of-state programs - weaker and discretionary: certification 'will be considered', and 'The director may require the applicant to pass the Iowa examination.' Confirmation that this is a genuine exam exemption: r. 81.9(1) Provides that 'All applicants not certified by reciprocity pursuant to 81.9(3) shall successfully pass an operator certification examination prior to receiving certification.' MECHANICS: 'Applicants seeking reciprocal Iowa certification shall submit a reciprocity application form provided by the department and the certification fee'; the applicant 'shall be certified at the appropriate grade pursuant to 81.6(1).' Veterans additionally submit documentation of veteran status under Iowa Code § 35.1(2). No Iowa residency requirement and no Iowa-employment requirement appears anywhere in the chapter. No grade or class is excluded - Grade IV is not carved out; the rule says 'appropriate classification and grade' with no ceiling. Covers both water treatment and water distribution. Lapse trap: 'An applicant who obtains certification in Iowa through reciprocity and subsequently allows their Iowa certification to lapse will be required to reapply for certification in accordance with 81.9(5)e' - which requires passing an examination. Fee: $30 reciprocity application fee plus the certification fee of $20 per half-year ($80 for a full two-year cycle); renewal $60 biennially. CAVEAT: the $30 reciprocity application fee appears in DNR's undated 'Certified Water and Wastewater Operator Program Requirements Summary' but is not itemized in the current fee rule 567-81.7, which lists only examination $30, certification $20 per half-year, late penalty $18 and renewal $60. Treat the $30 as DNR guidance, not rule-backed..

Iowa runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One DNR program and one rule chapter - 567 IAC ch. 81, titled 'Operator Certification: Public Water Supply Systems and Wastewater Treatment Systems' - govern all classifications. Reciprocity at 567-81.9(3) sits in that shared chapter and by its terms reaches every classification in it, including the wastewater classifications set by rule 81.3; this is not an inference across disciplines. CITATION CORRECTION: the chapter has been renumbered - reciprocity was rule 567-81.11 in the 2020 version but is 567-81.9(3) in the current version (IAC 5/14/25), where 81.11 is now 'Operator by affidavit.' Cite 81.9(3). Checked for a reorganization into the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship: none found; the live site, a July 2025 DNR news release and the Legislature's department page all still read 'Iowa Department of Natural Resources.'

Kansas has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: A real reciprocity credential exists - it is not merely permission to sit the Kansas exam - but it is discretionary and thinly documented. KDHE's own words: 'Currently, Kansas awards reciprocity to operators from other states on a case-by-case basis. The reciprocity approval process includes a comparison of the original certifying state's program to Kansas requirements, review of the operator'S training and work experience, and a check to ensure the operator's certificate is active and in good standing by directly confirming with the issuing state.' MECHANICS: submit KDHE's Reciprocity Form plus a resume of training and experience, a copy of the present certificate(s), and names/addresses/phone numbers of contact persons at previous employers. The form asks whether the issuing state required a written examination, and about the education, on-the-job experience and training that state required. Exam waiver not established - this is the material gap: no official KDHE source I could retrieve states that the Kansas examination is waived for reciprocity applicants. The form is silent on it. Do not represent Kansas as an exam-waiver state without confirming with KDHE. No class exclusion and no class cap appears in the form or the regulations. No residency requirement found in any official document. Employment: the Reciprocity Form asks for 'Present or Prospective Kansas Employer' - prospective is accepted, so pre-existing Kansas employment does not appear to be a hard prerequisite; by contrast the ordinary Operator Examination Application does require the applicant be 'Presently employed by or under contract with the public water supply system or wastewater treatment facility known to KDHE.' DURATION: the regulation styles the fee a 'One-year reciprocity fee', which points to a one-year credential rather than a permanent Kansas certificate, but no retrieved official source states the term explicitly. The 2020 COVID-19 temporary policy (MO, OK, CO, NE, IA; auto-approved) is EXPIRED - 'All temporary reciprocity will expire on December 31, 2020' - and does not describe current practice. Kansas'S expedited/universal licensure statute K.S.A. 48-3406 does not enumerate water/wastewater operator certification (it names KDHE only for water well contractors and child care), and although its list is non-exhaustive, no KDHE document applies it here - applicability unverified. Fee: $25.00 'One-year reciprocity fee' per K.A.R. 28-16-35 (verbatim from KDHE's hosted regulation text). For comparison the standard examination fee is also $25.00. Note the hosted regulation text is dated to the 8-31-01 amendment and KDHE'S current payment form could not be retrieved (HTTP 429 on four attempts), so a current-dollar re-check is advisable..

Kansas runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One program, one rule set and ONE reciprocity form covering both disciplines - the form literally instructs the applicant to 'circle one or both: water operator and/or wastewater operator.' IMPORTANT STRUCTURAL FINDING: the substantive reciprocity criteria exist in NEITHER statute NOR regulation. The only regulatory trace of reciprocity anywhere in K.A.R. 28-16-30 through 28-16-36 is a single fee line in 28-16-35. The criteria are administered as unpublished agency policy, case by case.

Kentucky has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Equivalent certification may be issued WITHOUT examination to a holder of a valid certificate from another US state, territory or possession. Requires Application for Reciprocity and Equivalency plus fee. A board reviews and recommends acceptance or denial against criteria in 401 KAR 11:050 Section 1(8). Fee: $500 reciprocity and equivalency fee.

Kentucky runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Louisiana has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Exam WAIVED entirely, but discretionary. Verbatim § 7337.A: 'Reciprocity shall be granted at the discretion of the committee of certification, without examination, to holders of comparable certificates issued by other states, territories, or possessions of the United States.' The certificate issues in a comparable grade; no class ceiling or excluded class is stated. CONDITIONS: (a) the out-of-state certificate 'must have been received after passage of an examination at least equivalent to that given by the Louisiana committee of certification for the level of competency for which application is made'; (b) Louisiana employment required - § 7337.B: 'A reciprocal certificate will not ordinarily be issued unless the applicant is employed, or has accepted employment, in a Louisiana water or wastewater facility.' No residency requirement. 'The burden of proof to submit sufficient information for the committee of certification'S consideration shall be upon the applicant.' SUBMIT: the Reciprocity Request Packet application; a Certification Verification letter completed by the certification officer of the issuing state; a copy of the out-of-state certificate or other satisfactory proof; high school diploma or equivalent with copies of diplomas/transcripts; documented water/wastewater work experience; then the certificate application with fees. CAVEAT: the Reciprocity Request Packet carries a boilerplate certification line - 'Do hereby agree to take the required examinations at the time and place designated by the Committee of Certification for Water and Sewerage Works Operators' - which contradicts the rule'S 'without examination' language and appears carried over from the standard application blank. Confirm with [email protected] or (225) 342-7512. Fee: $20 for the first certificate in the water category, $10 for each additional water certificate (duplicate certificates $5; replacement ID cards $5). No reciprocity-specific fee is published; § 7337 requires only that the application 'be accompanied by the appropriate fee.'.

Louisiana runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: The expected LDH/LDEQ split does NOT exist. LDH certifies both drinking water and wastewater operators under one program, one rule chapter and one committee. LDEQ's own Water Enforcement page disclaims the function and refers readers to LDH. LDEQ does run a separate certification program for SOLID WASTE facility operators (LAC 46:XXIII, Board of Certification and Training for Solid Waste Disposal System Operators) with its own reciprocity clause and $100 fee - that is a different occupation and was ruled out, not used. Reciprocity here is DISCRETIONARY and conditioned on Louisiana employment.

Maine has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity with a full exam waiver. Rule 6(B) verbatim: 'The Board may issue a license, upon application, without examination in a comparable classification to any person who holds a license or certificate issued by any state, territory or possession of the United States, or another country, if, in the judgment of the Board, the requirements for licensure of operators of public water systems in that jurisdiction are equal or greater than those outlined in this rule.' The official license application PDF confirms: 'Applicants holding a valid license or certificate in another state or country may apply for Reciprocity and may be issued a Maine license in a comparable classification without examination.' MECHANICS: the waiver is not tiered by class - no lower-class-only limit and no class at which Maine reimposes its exam; the license issues at a 'comparable classification' across the full ladder (VSWS, Class I, II, III, IV). Discretionary ('may'), decided case by case on the Board judging the issuing jurisdiction'S standards equal to or greater than Maine's. The applicant must still independently satisfy Maine'S own substantive prerequisites: high school diploma or GED, plus the experience floor for the class sought (6 months VSWS, 1 year Class I, 2 years Class II, 3 years Class III, 4 years Class IV). A strong out-of-state license waives the test, not the experience. Submissions: the paper License Application (not the exam application) with the reciprocity path elected, a copy of the existing out-of-state license, the issuing state / license number / expiration date, and completed education and experience sections; payment must accompany the form. Because the exam is waived, the usual requirement to attach ABC exam results does not apply. No residency requirement and no in-state-employment requirement appear in the rule or the application. No classes are excluded. Correction applied in verification: Section 6 of the rule is titled 'Licensing Procedure', not 'Reciprocity'; reciprocity is subsection 6(B). Fee schedule at 6(F). Fee: $75 initial license fee, which the application states expressly covers the reciprocity path ($20 to later upgrade class or add a discipline). Checks payable to Treasurer, State of Maine..

Maine runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: Genuine split with separate rules, applications and fees. Both disciplines nonetheless land in the same place: a true exam waiver, not exam eligibility. Fees differ sharply ($75 water vs $250 wastewater). Notable currency point on the wastewater side: the superseded 2018 DEP application form required mutuality ('...which grants reciprocity to Maine operators'); the current Ch. 531 rule text and the 10/2024 application both drop that clause, verified independently, so incoming applicants no longer need their home state to reciprocate back to Maine.

Maryland has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity with full exam waiver, not exam eligibility. COMAR 26.06.01.11A verbatim: 'The Board may grant operator certification to out-of-State applicants without examination, if the applicant: (1) Submits an application that provides evidence of educational and experience qualifications which satisfies Regulations.04 and.16 of this chapter; (2) Possesses a valid certificate from the Association of Boards of Certification, or from another state which administers examinations that are substantially equivalent to the examinations in Maryland; (3) Is employed or awaiting specific employment pending certification in Maryland; (4) Pays an application fee as specified in Regulation.07 of this chapter; and (5) Upon approval of the application for reciprocity, pays a certification fee as specified by Regulation.07 of this chapter.' The Maryland exam is waived entirely - no lower-class-only limitation and no class ceiling appears in.11. ABC is not required: the 'or' in.11A(2) Is disjunctive, so a certificate from any state administering substantially equivalent examinations qualifies independently of ABC. Applies to Water Treatment Plant operator certificates (Classes 1-5 and G) and the single Water Distribution (WD) classification. DISCRETIONARY: the Board 'May' grant, and MDE'S certification-pathway document requires a 'Valid Out-of-State Certificate or License Equivalent for MD Works - Type and Class', so the incoming certificate is mapped to the corresponding Maryland works type and class rather than automatically issued at the highest grade held. Key exclusion: COMAR 26.06.01.11B(2) Verbatim - 'Superintendents. Superintendent certification may not be granted by way of reciprocity. Upon certification as an operator by reciprocity, persons shall follow superintendent certification requirements set out in these regulations.' employment requirement: no residency requirement, but a real in-state employment nexus - the applicant must be 'employed or awaiting specific employment pending certification in Maryland' (.11A(3)), and.11B(1) Requires the application be 'verified by the present employer in Maryland'. Submissions: Board-provided reciprocity application forms, employer verification, and proof of the.04/.16 education and experience requirements. The companion 'Certification of Previous Employment' form requires date employed, total operating hours at the facility, a duty summary, a facility description and diagram on company letterhead, and a good-moral-character attestation, returned within 14 days to MDE, 1800 Washington Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21230. Practical warning: MDE's posted reciprocity application form is revision 01/2017 and lists no fees; the amounts live only in COMAR.07D. Fee: $150 reciprocity application fee (paid with the application) plus $50 initial certification fee (paid only upon approval) = $200 total, per COMAR 26.06.01.07D. Nonrefundable, payable to 'Board of Waterworks and Waste Systems Operators'. Renewal $50 per certification category per 3-year period, capped at $100 for all certificates held simultaneously..

Maryland runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One board, one chapter (COMAR 26.06.01), one reciprocity regulation (26.06.01.11) for both disciplines - verified against Environment Article sec. 12-201 ('There is a State Board of Waterworks and Waste Systems Operators in the Department') and sec. 12-101, which defines a single 'Board'. Each discipline was still checked independently against the chapter's own classification tables. The material limit is not discipline-based but certificate-type based: SUPERINTENDENT certification cannot be obtained by reciprocity in either discipline. Also note MDE's website uses informal shorthand letters (T, D, W, C, I, S) that do NOT match COMAR's class designations - do not cite MDE's letters as COMAR classes. Separately, HB 1120 (2026), Ch. 492, effective Oct 1 2026, adds State Government Article secs. 10-14A-01 to 10-14A-05 letting a Foreign Service member or spouse relocating to Maryland practice under their out-of-state license for the duration of the assignment; its fiscal note expressly lists this Board. That is practice-under-out-of-state-license, not Maryland certification, and is Foreign Service only - not a general universal-recognition law. Maryland's 2025 expedited service-member/spouse law (HB 895, Ch. 6) does NOT reach this Board, as it covers only the Business Occupations and Professions, Business Regulation, Financial Institutions, Labor and Employment, and Commercial Law Articles - not the Environment Article.

Massachusetts has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity with the Massachusetts written examination waived. 236 CMR 4.05(5) Verbatim: 'The Board may issue a certificate by reciprocity upon payment of a non-refundable fee set by the Commissioner of Administration and Finance without written examination in a comparable classification to any person who holds a certificate in any state, territory or possession of the United States or any country with any professional certifying organization if, in the judgment of the Board, the candidate has demonstrated qualifications for certification of operators of public water systems that do not conflict with the provisions of 236 CMR 4.00 and are of a standard not lower than that specified by 236 CMR 4.00.' 236 CMR 2.00 defines 'Reciprocity' as 'certification of a person who has passed a Board approved examination or a person who has a certification accepted by the Board and who meets the experience and education requirements of the Board.' MECHANICS: issuance is discretionary ('may issue') and only in a comparable classification, with the Board judging the out-of-state standard 'Not lower than' 236 CMR 4.00; the applicant must still satisfy the Board'S education and experience requirements. No grade exclusions appear - 236 CMR 4.05 has six subsections and none excludes any grade (VSS, VND, 1T-4T, 1D-4D). No residency and no in-state-employment requirement appears in the regulation. The board's how-to page confirms reciprocity is a distinct, non-exam-dependent pathway: 'All applications (except upgrades and reciprocity) must be submitted within 12 months of passing an examination.' limitation on submission mechanics: no standalone drinking-water reciprocity PDF application is published - the board'S forms list (temporary emergency, TCH, contract operator experience, provisional, education/experience worksheet, exam training course, training waiver, experience form, code of ethics, inactive status) contains no reciprocity form. Applications run through the eLIPSE online portal and the reciprocity-specific submission checklist could not be viewed without a portal login, so the exact document list for this discipline is not established.

Massachusetts runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: CONFIRMED SPLIT, and the agency alignment is the REVERSE of the common assumption: the DRINKING WATER board sits under the Division of Occupational Licensure (not MassDEP), while the WASTEWATER board's forms are published and processed by MassDEP (applications mailed to MassDEP, P.O. Box 4062, Boston, MA 02211). One nuance: M.G.L. c.13 sec. 66B still makes the commissioner of environmental protection (or designee) the drinking water board's chairman, so MassDEP holds a statutory chair role without housing the board. Citations also differ from the commonly cited ones: drinking water is M.G.L. c.13 sec. 66B and c.112 secs. 87CCCC and 87DDDD with regulations at 236 CMR - NOT M.G.L. c.111 sec. 160, NOT 302 CMR, NOT 310 CMR. Both disciplines grant true reciprocity, established independently.

Michigan has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Reciprocity available through a Drinking Water Operator Reciprocal License Application. EGLE compares the out-of-state certificate against Michigan's requirements. Framed around moving to Michigan to fill a job vacancy. Submit the reciprocal application plus exam application(s) for the corresponding license, resume, position descriptions for drinking water sector roles held, education and training records, and a current copy of the out-of-state license.

Michigan runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: NOTABLE. Michigan is documented elsewhere in this dataset as reciprocating with nobody across its construction trades. Both operator disciplines DO reciprocate, so the blanket 'Michigan never reciprocates' framing does not hold for this trade.

Minnesota has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity with exam waiver, not exam eligibility. Minn. Stat. 115.76 authorizes the commissioner of health, 'upon application, [to] issue certificates without examination, in a comparable classification to any person who holds a certificate in any state, territory, or possession of the United States or any country, providing the requirements for certification of operators under which the person'S certificate was issued do not conflict with the provisions of sections 115.71 to 115.77 and are of a standard not lower than that specified by rules adopted under sections 115.71 to 115.77.' Minn. R. 9400.1350 makes the grant mandatory when that test is met - item A: 'If the certification requirements of the other state are not in conflict with Minnesota Statutes, sections 115.71 to 115.77, and are of a standard not lower than those in this chapter, the applicant must be granted a certificate.' Item B: where requirements conflict or are lower, 'The applicant must be notified in writing by the respective commissioner of those areas which were not equivalent and what, additionally, the applicant must do to meet the standards in this chapter.' Item C: 'The nonrefundable reciprocity fee shall be considered the fee for application of examination if the applicant is denied a certificate through reciprocity' - i.e. The exam is the fallback only if reciprocity is DENIED, which confirms the exam is waived when reciprocity is granted. MECHANICS: reciprocity is requested on MDH's own 'Water Supply System Operator Exam Application' (rev. 2/1/2018), which carries a distinct line '$40 Reciprocity (You must attach a copy of your current certificate)' alongside the ordinary $32 lines for Class A, B, C and D exams, and cross-references part 9400.1350. Required submission: the MDH application form, the $40 fee, and a copy of the current out-of-state certificate. No class exclusion is stated anywhere - the statute grants a certificate 'in a comparable classification', so MDH determines the equivalent Minnesota class rather than capping reciprocity; MDH classes run A-E. No residency and no Minnesota-employment requirement appears in the statute, the rule, or the application form. MDH's public FAQ confirms reciprocity exists but carries no detail, directing questions to the Drinking Water Protection Program. Fee: $40 nonrefundable reciprocity application fee. Note: the companion per-class fee on the MDH form is $32, not $23; $23 is MDH'S Renewal fee and is not charged alongside reciprocity..

Minnesota runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: Split verified independently. Minn. Stat. 115.76 names both officials explicitly: 'The commissioner of health, in the case of water supply system operators, and the commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency, in the case of wastewater treatment facility operators.' Unusually, both disciplines run on the SAME statute (Minn. Stat. 115.71-115.77) and the SAME jointly administered rule chapter, Minn. R. ch. 9400, with reciprocity at Minn. R. 9400.1350 keyed to 'the respective commissioner' - but each agency runs its own application, review and fee. Reciprocity application fee is $40 in both disciplines, coincidentally identical. Minnesota is notable for imposing NO residency and NO in-state-employment requirement in either discipline, and NO class exclusion - a direct contrast with Montana and Missouri.

Mississippi has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Reciprocity with a genuine exam waiver exists under both versions of the rule, so status 'yes' is safe - but the mechanics differ materially between them and the current version could not be confirmed on an official host. Version a (reached on the official Secretary of State host, but in the /ACProposed/ directory, i.e. A PROPOSED filing, and using superseded 'Part III' numbering): 'Certificates may be issued, without examination, in a comparable classification to an operator who holds a certificate in any state, territory, or possession of the United States or any country that has entered into a reciprocity agreement with the Bureau.' That version conditions reciprocity on a bilateral agreement with the Bureau. Version B (apparently the current codified rule, 15-20-72-2.1.3(5), reachable only via commercial mirrors current through June 12, 2025 - not an official host, and therefore not treated as officially verified): 'Reciprocal certification may be issued in a comparable classification to an operator who holds a valid certification in any state, territory, or possession of the United States, provided the applicant's current certification is comparable to the class being applied for and the state from which the operator is requesting reciprocity utilizes a formal examination process. Any operator requesting reciprocal certification may request a waiver from the Director if they hold a valid certification in any state, territory or possession of the United States that does not utilize a formal examination process.' Version B has no reciprocity-agreement precondition at all; instead the test is whether the issuing state uses a formal exam process, with a Director's waiver available even if it does not. It also drops 'Or any country'. Which is operative could not be established from an official source - no sos.ms.gov /ACCode/ (adopted code) PDF for this chapter could be located; every URL pattern probed returned 404. Newer SOS filings do use 'Part 20' numbering, which is consistent with Version B being current. Common to both: the Mississippi written exam is waived and a certificate issues in a Comparable classification (Mississippi Classes A through E; A-C treatment/surface-water oriented, D-E distribution-only and smaller systems). No class is expressly excluded in either version. No residency or in-state-employment requirement appears in the water rule under either version - a real difference from the wastewater side. No msdh reciprocity application form could be found: it is absent from the MSDH forms page, the Training and Certification page, and the Bureau landing page, and the Water Operator Exam Handbook does not mention reciprocity at all. The MSDH online application portal (ms.accessgov.com) is JavaScript-gated and returned no readable content. Applicants likely need to contact the Bureau directly. WARNING for downstream researchers: a document titled 'Out of state reciprocity verification' at msdh.ms.gov/page/resources/7370.pdf is an MSDH Bureau of emergency medical services form and has nothing to do with water operators. Fee: $50.00 initial certification fee in any classification ($30.00 renewal). No separate reciprocity-specific fee is published. Fee text differs slightly between versions: the current codified rule says 'An initial certification', the proposed filing said 'Initial certification or reactivation of an expired certificate'..

Two versions of the rule are in circulation and which is operative could not be established from an official source. The current codified version has no agreement precondition — it turns on whether your state uses a formal examination process, with a Director's waiver available if it does not. An older proposed filing would have required a bilateral agreement instead. Both grant a genuine exam waiver.

Note: MATERIAL SPLIT WITH DIFFERENT MECHANICS. No unified operator certification board. Both derive from the same enabling statute, the Municipal and Domestic Water and Wastewater System Operator's Certification Act (Miss. Code Ann. 21-27-201 et seq.), but the Act splits administration between MSDH and MDEQ, and the two reciprocity provisions are NOT the same. MDEQ's wastewater rule conditions reciprocity on the issuing state having entered a reciprocity agreement with the Department, and MDEQ publishes NO list of such states - a real practical unknown. The MSDH drinking water side has a version problem described in the water detail below. CONFIDENCE IS 'secondary' FOR THIS STATE AS A WHOLE, driven entirely by the drinking water side: the only MSDH reciprocity text reachable on an official state host was a PROPOSED rule filing, and the apparently current codified text was reachable only through non-official commercial mirrors. The MDEQ wastewater findings ARE official-grade (MDEQ's own hosted regulation PDF and its own reciprocity application form); if the merge step can carry per-discipline confidence, treat wastewater as official and water as secondary.

Missouri has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity with the exam waived entirely. 10 CSR 60-14.020(5) Verbatim: '(A) Certificates may be issued, without examination, to any person who holds a valid certificate attained by examination in any state, territory or possession of the United States or any country or any other certifying authority, if the requirements for certification of operators under which the person'S certificate was issued do not conflict with the provisions of this rule and are at least as stringent as this rule. (B) The operator requesting certification by reciprocity must have actual water treatment or distribution working experience with a public water system appropriate to the certification sought in the state, province, country, territory or other authorized area which issued the certificate for which reciprocity is requested. (C) Within one hundred eighty (180) Days after beginning employment with a public water system in Missouri, an operator shall apply for reciprocity on the form provided by the department and shall submit to the department the associated application fee set forth in 10 CSR 60-16.040. (D) Reciprocal certificates will not be issued to persons who are not employed with a public water system in Missouri. If employment with a Missouri public water system is dependent upon Missouri certification, the department will send a letter of intent to issue a certificate to the applicant. The letter of intent is valid for one hundred eighty (180) Days provided that the certificate that the application is based upon remains valid. After that time, the applicant must reapply. (E) The level of certificate issued will be determined by comparing the original certifying agency's requirements for certification to Missouri requirements.' MECHANICS: (a) exam waived entirely, not merely at a lower class - but the class granted is not automatic; DNR compares the issuing agency's requirements to Missouri'S, so a downgrade is possible if the origin state's criteria are less stringent; (b) no residency requirement, but a hard in-state employment requirement - reciprocal certificates are not issued to persons not employed by a Missouri public water system, and applicants whose Missouri job is contingent on certification get a 180-day letter of intent instead; (c) the application must be filed within 180 days of beginning Missouri employment; (d) no class is categorically excluded - Class A is not excluded; eligibility turns on the 'At least as stringent' comparison and on the origin certificate having been attained by examination and still being valid; (e) the qualifying working experience must have been obtained in the jurisdiction that issued the certificate; (f) submit form MO 780-1091 plus the fee. Fee: $75 reciprocity application fee, per 10 CSR 60-16.040(B): 'The application fee for certification by reciprocity is seventy-five dollars ($75)'. Renewal is $60 every three years per 10 CSR 60-16.040(C)..

Missouri runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One DNR Operator Certification Unit administers both disciplines and uses a single combined reciprocity form, MO 780-1091 ('Application for Reciprocity of a Water Treatment, Water Distribution, Wastewater or Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) Operator Certificate'). But the two disciplines rest on separate statutes, separate commissions, separate rule chapters, and DIFFERENT FEES ($75 water vs $65 wastewater), so each was verified independently. Both grant true reciprocity with the exam waived. Missouri's distinguishing feature is a hard IN-STATE EMPLOYMENT requirement in both disciplines with a 180-day clock. The direct PDF of form MO 780-1091 could not be fetched (permission error), so documentation details come from the CSR rule text rather than the form.

Montana has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity, not merely exam eligibility. MCA 37-42-305 verbatim: 'The department may consider for certification the holder of a certificate issued by a governmental agency or equivalent certification board of another state on presentation to the department of satisfactory evidence that the applicant is in responsible charge of works located in this state requiring a certified operator and that the applicant has successfully passed an examination at least equivalent to that required under 37-42-202(2).' The Montana exam is thus waived on the strength of the equivalent out-of-state exam; the grant is discretionary ('may'). DEQ's own program page lists the requirements: (1) Hold a valid water certification in another state, (2) Meet Montana'S minimum experience requirements for the certification type requested, (3) 'be in responsible charge of a system in Montana', and (4) Have an approved Montana application on file; and states the applicant must 'show they have met certification requirements which are at least equivalent to the Montana requirements' and that 'You must be employed by a water or wastewater system in Montana in order to apply for reciprocity.' in-state employment is mandatory. There is no residency test as such. Submissions: a completed Water Operator Certification Application, a letter detailing how the requirements were met and experience with specific systems and treatment processes, copies of the out-of-state credentials and supporting documents with contact information for the issuing certifying authority, plus fees. DEQ states processing takes up to six weeks. Class-comparability limit (from ARM 17.40.203, read via a commercial mirror only, not officially verified): (8) Requires the operator be fully certified in another state, (a) have experience meeting Montana minimums, (b) 'is in responsible charge of a system located in Montana that requires a certified operator', and (c) have passed a water exam in a state with an EPA-approved certification program, or (d) an equivalent wastewater exam; (9) 'The examination referred to in (8)(c) and (d) must be for a certification classification at least as complex as the classification for which the operator seeks reciprocal certification in Montana'; (10) 'Operators certified under (8) must pay a one-time fee of $70 in addition to the fees applicable for the Montana certification sought.' So there is a class-comparability condition but no blanket exclusion of any class and no exam-required-above-a-certain-class rule. Note the DEQ application PDFs are dated 2021 on the site but are internally stamped Rev 10/2015; the DEQ web page is the better current source. Fee: $70 one-time reciprocity fee plus $70 application fee, per discipline. DEQ's page states '$70 reciprocity fee and $70 application fee for each water and wastewater application.' Related current fees: exam $70 each, renewal $30 water..

Montana runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One combined DEQ program covers drinking water (Water Distribution 1A-4A, Water Treatment 1B-4B) and wastewater (Wastewater 1C-3C, Industrial Wastewater 1D-4D, On-site 2E-4E), with fees charged per discipline. Montana's two distinguishing features are a HARD IN-STATE RESPONSIBLE-CHARGE REQUIREMENT - you cannot obtain reciprocity in the abstract, you must already be in responsible charge of a Montana system - and a CLASS-COMPARABILITY LIMIT on the qualifying out-of-state exam. SOURCE LIMITATION: rules.mt.gov could not be reached from this environment (HTTP 405 via fetch, 403 at the egress proxy on every URL form tried), and no DEQ mirror of the ARM text exists. The ARM provisions cited below were read only through a commercial mirror and should be re-verified against rules.mt.gov before publication. Everything sourced to MCA (mca.legmt.gov) and to DEQ's own program page IS official.

Nevada has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity - the Nevada/PSI examination is WAIVED, not merely made available. NAC 445A.6355(1) Verbatim: 'A certificate may be issued by the Division, without examination, on a case-by-case basis to a person in a comparable classification who has passed an adequate written examination and who holds a valid certificate in another state, territory or possession of the United States or another country if the requirements for the certification of operators are consistent with and not of a lower standard than the provisions of this chapter.' The companion gating rule NAC 445A.6345(2)(c) requires the Division to find that the applicant passed an examination EQUIVALENT to the NAC 445A.631 Nevada exam and obtained the operating experience required by NAC 445A.633. Limits: discretionary and case-by-case, not an entitlement; the out-of-state credential must be at FULL classification (an out-of-state OIT, provisional or apprentice credential does not support reciprocity, and the route yields a full certificate rather than an OIT certificate); an expired certificate or an incomplete application 'will not be considered'; foreign certificates are expressly eligible. No residency or in-state-employment requirement appears in the text. Submissions required by NAC 445A.6355(2): a letter stating the specific type and level of certification requested; a resume of work history, education and experience; a copy of the valid unexpired certificate showing issue/expiration dates and type/level; copies of or references to the issuing jurisdiction's education and experience regulations including its own reciprocity guidelines; copies of or references to its facility classification system; a description of the examination taken (format, approximate number of questions, topics covered); and contact information for the issuing agency. The Division must respond in writing within 60 days of receipt. Applies across Grades 1-4; Grades 3 and 4 additionally submit post-secondary education documentation, an organizational chart showing the applicant'S position, and a current job description per NDEP's official application form. Note that NDEP'S application form and web pages never state the waiver - the regulation is the only source that answers it. Fee: $150 (NAC 445A.651 line for a certificate issued pursuant to NAC 445A.6345(2)(c), i.e. The reciprocity line, at the FY2020-21-and-thereafter rate set by R156-17AP). The $140 shown in NDEP's application instructions is the stale FY2019-20 rate; the $150 on the form is correct. No PSI exam fee applies on the waiver route..

Nevada runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: Same department, two different bureaus, and wastewater is further delegated to a contracted third-party board. Both disciplines waive the exam, but each rests on its own regulation and each was verified separately - the drinking water answer required pulling the LCB adopted-regulation instrument because the Legislature's NAC chapter file will not serve the section body.

New Hampshire has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity with the exam waived, at the department's discretion. RSA 332-E:6, VI: 'Certificates may be issued, upon payment of the initial $50 fee, without examination, in a comparable classification to any person who holds a certificate issued by the appropriate certification agency of any federal, state, interstate, territorial or other level of government, if, in the judgment of the department, the requirements for certification... Are of a standard not lower than that specified by rules adopted pursuant to this chapter.' Env-Dw 502.07(c) carries it into the rules: 'No applicant shall be certified who does not successfully pass the examination, except that certificates of proper classification shall be issued without examination as specified in RSA 332-E:6, VI and RSA 332-E:7.' Env-Dw 502.05(c)(1) Requires the application to state whether it is based on reciprocity and to give the issuing state and out-of-state certification number. Distinct second mechanism, do not conflate: Env-Dw 502.07(b) provides that where an applicant 'Has successfully passed, in another jurisdiction, the examination that is administered by the department, the department shall accept the results of that examination in lieu of requiring the applicant to take the examination again' - that is credit for having sat the same standardized exam, narrower than the RSA 332-E:6, VI reciprocity route. No grade is excluded; the statute grants a 'Comparable classification' with no carve-out across all five grades (1A, 1, 2, 3, 4). No NH residency or in-state-employment requirement appears in RSA 332-E or Env-Dw 502.03/502.04, though Env-Dw 502.06 requires a responsible official to sign and verify the employment block on the application, and RSA 332-E:6, V lapses a certificate to inactive two years after employment ends. Caveat: the public NHDES water works operator certification page does not itself describe reciprocity - the authority is the statute and rule, and the reciprocity application form could not be retrieved. Fee: $50 initial certificate fee (RSA 332-E:6, VI); $50 biennial renewal (Env-Dw 502.09(c), 50% surcharge if more than 30 days late). The $104 vendor computer-based exam charge does not apply on the no-exam route..

New Hampshire runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One department but genuinely separate programs - different bureaus, different enabling statutes (RSA 332-E vs RSA 485-A:7-c), different rule chapters (Env-Dw 502 vs Env-Wq 304), different grade nomenclature (water 1A/1/2/3/4; wastewater I/II/III/IV) and different decision-makers (the department itself for water; the Wastewater Certification Committee for wastewater). Both grant real reciprocity, but wastewater excludes the top grade and water does not. NHDES-hosted PDFs returned HTTP 403 and the onlineforms.nh.gov portal is JavaScript-only, so the application forms themselves could not be retrieved; findings rest on statute and administrative rule text from the NH General Court's official site plus NHDES program pages.

New Jersey has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity - the New Jersey examination is waived, not merely made available. N.J.S.A. 58:11-69 verbatim: 'The department may issue licenses, without examination, for the operation of systems to such persons who, in the judgment of the department, meet all the requirements of this act and the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this act and who hold valid current licenses to operate a system with at least the equivalent classification in a state, country or territory other than the State of New Jersey, which state, country or territory also recognizes the validity of New Jersey licenses, and which has requirements for the issuance of licenses to operate systems at least as stringent as the requirements of the State of New Jersey.' Applies to T and W licenses; VSWS is a separate low-tier license with fees waived. Conditions: hold a valid current out-of-state license of at least equivalent classification; MUTUALITY - the issuing jurisdiction must itself recognize NJ licenses ('New Jersey may only grant reciprocity for another State'S license if that State grants reciprocity to New Jersey licensees'); that jurisdiction'S requirements must be at least as stringent as NJ's; the applicant must independently meet NJ'S minimum education and experience requirements for the class sought; and per NJDEP's FAQ the applicant 'Must have passed an examination that is considered equivalent to the New Jersey exam' - i.e. The exam already passed elsewhere stands in place of NJ'S, which is what the statute's 'without examination' language operates on. Process, N.J.A.C. 7:10A-1.11(b)-(c): file the application form plus the nonrefundable application fee; the Board of Examiners evaluates; if criteria are met the Department issues the license on receipt of the nonrefundable initial license fee. Documents: forms ADM-035 (cover) and ADM-035A (Statement of Qualifications - original signatures only, photocopies rejected, separate form per employer/facility), high school diploma, evidence of required training courses, and experience documentation; ADM-035A expressly requires Direct Responsible Charge detail for 'out-of-state/reciprocity applicants for classifications 3 and 4.' Fee is mailed to BWSE with the cover page; supporting documents emailed to [email protected]. No residency and no in-state-employment requirement appears in the statute or in N.J.A.C. 7:10A-1.6 or 1.11. No class or grade is excluded; the only class-specific condition found is the heightened DRC documentation at Classes 3 and 4. Fee: $70.00 nonrefundable application fee plus $50.00 initial license fee on issuance (N.J.A.C. 7:10A-1.8); $50.00 annual renewal, $20.00 late fee. Application and initial license fees are waived for VSWS..

New Jersey runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One statute and one rule chapter cover both disciplines, and the reciprocity provision is discipline-neutral. Class letters differ from what is commonly assumed: T = public water treatment (1-4), W = public water DISTRIBUTION (1-4), VSWS = very small water system; S = public wastewater TREATMENT (1-4), C = public wastewater COLLECTION (1-4), N = industrial wastewater treatment plant, NS = industrial system with only an oil/water separator or sedimentation unit. NJDEP publishes no roster of reciprocal states - mutuality and equivalence are decided case by case. Several dep.nj.gov resources returned HTTP 403 (program page, Board of Examiners page, licensing.pdf rules reprint, board minutes); equivalent official content was obtained from nj.gov-hosted copies.

New Mexico has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity - the exam is waived entirely. 20.7.4.24(B) NMAC verbatim: 'The department may issue certificates, at an equivalent level of certification, without examination to applicants who hold valid certificates or licenses issued by any state, territory, or foreign jurisdiction, provided that the requirements for issuance of such certificates or licenses are, in the opinion of the department, equal to or higher than those set forth in this part.' The statute mirrors it at s.61-33-5: 'The department may, in its discretion, endorse for certification without examination an operator who submits evidence satisfactory to the department that the applicant has reached the age of majority and holds a valid license or certification in any state, territory or foreign jurisdiction having standards equal to or exceeding those of New Mexico.' DISCRETIONARY ('may' / 'in its discretion') and conditioned on NMED judging the issuing jurisdiction's standards equal or higher; a denial leaves the applicant on the normal exam track. NMED runs this as an 'Equivalency' application: UOCP 'Will evaluate water and wastewater certifications from other States and Tribal Authorities for certification equivalency,' the review 'Involves confirmation of previous experience and requirements met for determination of the appropriate level of a New Mexico Certification(s),' and a successful applicant receives a letter 'Stating an equivalency certification(s) for New Mexico is awarded.' Documents: copy of the current out-of-state water certification(s); high school diploma or GED or transcripts showing graduation date; college transcripts if any; copies of training-completion certificates. No residency and no in-state-employment requirement appears in 20.7.4.24 NMAC or in the Act. No levels are excluded by rule; NMED posts equivalency applications across the full water ladder - Water Supply WS1-WS4, Distribution DS1-DS3, Water Sample Tech WST1-WST2, and Small/Advanced Small Water. Caveat: NMED'S current public pages describe the evaluation but do not restate the exam waiver, so the waiver rests on the rule and statute text (both fetched directly). New Mexico's Uniform Licensing Act universal-recognition provision (NMSA 1978 s.61-1-31.1) was checked and is not the operative pathway - the Utility Operators Certification Act invokes the ULA only for suspension and revocation (s.61-33-7) - and its text could not be read (HTTP 403), so its applicability is separately unverified. This is moot because s.61-33-5 supplies independent endorsement authority. Fee: $30.00 per certificate requested, non-refundable (20.7.4.24(B) NMAC: 'Application for certification under this provision must be accompanied by a $30.00 fee per certificate requested, payable to the department.' NMED emails the fee total after review, with 3 days to pay.).

New Mexico runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One program, one rule part and one advisory board across both disciplines - but 20.7.4.20(B) NMAC requires SEPARATE certificates for public water supply systems and public wastewater facilities, and the $30 fee is charged per certificate requested. Both disciplines were confirmed from rule text that names them explicitly rather than by inference. NMED brands the process 'Equivalency,' a word that in several other states means eligibility-only; in New Mexico it is not - the controlling section is titled 'Certification Without Examination.'

North Carolina has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity - the exam is waived and routinely so in practice. G.S. 90A-25(b): 'The board shall issue a certificate, without examination, in a comparable grade to any person who holds a certificate in any state, territory or possession of the United States, if in the judgment of the Board of Certification the requirements for operators under which the person'S certificate was issued are of a standard not lower than that specified under rules and regulations adopted under this Article.' 15A NCAC 18D.0201(b) provides that 'Applications for certification of an operator certified in a state other than North Carolina shall be submitted to the Board for review'; the older dedicated reciprocity rules 18D.0302 and.0405 were REPEALED effective 05-01-2006, so the process now runs on the statute plus board review. Confirmed in practice from board minutes: the 01-20-2026 WTFOCB minutes record motions 'Recommend A-Surface certification be issued for reciprocity,' 'Recommend A-Distribution certification be issued for reciprocity' and 'Recommend B-Well certification be issued for reciprocity,' all passing unopposed; the 06-21-2022 minutes record certifications issued outright to applicants from Texas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Florida. No grade is excluded - the highest grade (A) is demonstrably granted by reciprocity in Surface, Well and Distribution. Residency or employment required: 'You must be a legal resident of North Carolina, employed in North Carolina, or have a firm job offer from a North Carolina employer.' Documents: completed reciprocity application (one per certification requested, typed or printed and mailed); copy of the active out-of-state certification showing level and date; letter of good standing from the issuing state agency confirming no disciplinary actions in the past 5 years; letter from a past employer documenting employment dates, position, plant size, duties and responsibilities (a resume is expressly not accepted in place of detailing experience); proof of NC employment or a job offer letter; and a list of professional schools and recent training. Must arrive at least three weeks before the next quarterly board meeting. Grades: C/B/A-Surface, D/C/B/A-Well, D/C/B/A-Distribution, Cross-Connection Control, plus Apprentice. CONTRAST - the military pathway is exam eligibility only: DEQ states military experience 'may allow you to be eligible to sit for a North Carolina drinking water certification exam,' and 2022 minutes show military applicants merely approved to take the C-Surface exam within one year, in one case at a lower grade than requested. Fee: $50 non-refundable application processing fee per application (one application per certification sought), payable to nc wtfocb.

North Carolina runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: MATERIAL SPLIT. WTFOCB operates under N.C.G.S. Ch. 90A Article 2 and 15A NCAC 18D; WPCSOCC under Article 3 and 15A NCAC 08G, on separate quarterly meeting schedules with separate application forms. Drinking water is genuine exam-waiving reciprocity including the top A grades but REQUIRES an NC residency or employment nexus; wastewater has NO residency requirement but waives the exam ONLY for operators on the ABC reciprocal registry. Two further traps: (1) NC's MILITARY drinking-water pathway is exam-eligibility only and must not be conflated with the out-of-state civilian pathway; (2) the published wastewater rule 15A NCAC 08G .0410 still requires a Commission-administered exam and recites a $100 fee, both superseded by G.S. 90A-40(b), G.S. 90A-42(a)(6) and current DEQ guidance - the rule text has not been conformed. The NC OAH rules server (reports.oah.state.nc.us) could not be fetched (https/http redirect loop), so NCAC text was read from DEQ's own hosted copies.

North Dakota has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: True reciprocity - the examination is waived, not merely unlocked. NDAC 33.1-19-01-07(6) Verbatim from the official ndlegis.gov rule PDF: 'The department may issue certificates by reciprocity, without examination, to any person holding a certificate from any other state, territory, possession of the United States of America, or any country providing the requirements for certification of operators under which the operator'S certificate was issued are equal to or higher than specified under this chapter for a like certificate and reciprocal privileges are granted to certified operators in North Dakota.' Two conditions are in the rule text: the issuing jurisdiction'S requirements must be equal to or higher than North Dakota's for a like certificate, and that jurisdiction must grant reciprocal privileges to ND-certified operators. Issuance is discretionary ('May'). DEQ's handout 'System Requirements for Employing Certified Water and Wastewater Operators' adds three practical conditions under a heading titled 'Reciprocity': candidates 'Must be certified in another state by exam' - so a grandfathered or administratively issued out-of-state certificate does not qualify - must 'Fulfill education and experience requirements,' and must pay the reciprocity fee. No residency requirement and no North Dakota employment requirement appears in the rule; 33.1-19-01-03(5) Only requires an operator in direct responsible charge to hold a certificate at least equal to the class of the facility where employed. No class or grade is excluded - the rule says 'A like certificate' across all five grades (IA, I, II, III, IV). Documents are not enumerated in the rule; 33.1-19-01-04 requires application 'On appropriate forms' approved by the department, submitted through DEQ'S authenticated online portal, which could not be inspected without a login. Minor text variance noted: a secondary republisher renders the provision as 'without written examination'; the official ndlegis.gov PDF says 'without examination.' The official text was used; the outcome is the same either way. Fee: $50.00 reciprocity fee per DEQ's 'System Requirements for Employing Certified Water and Wastewater Operators' handout - treat as unreliable. That undated handout also lists a $50 exam fee and $25 annual renewal, both contradicted by the current rule NDAC 33.1-19-01-06 ($150 per examination, $40 annual renewal per certificate, amended effective 04-01-2026). The rule itself states no separate reciprocity fee. Confirm the current amount with DEQ..

North Dakota runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: No separate water and wastewater boards and no statutory advisory council (DEQ publishes minutes for internal and external Operator Certification Advisory Committees, but these are administrative rather than statutory licensing bodies). Reciprocity is DISCRETIONARY and MUTUALITY-CONDITIONED - the rule requires that the sending jurisdiction grant reciprocal privileges to North Dakota operators, so eligibility depends on which state you are coming from. Note an internal tension in the rule: 33.1-19-01-11(3) says 'All applicants must pass a certification examination,' while 33.1-19-01-07(6) is the specific exception permitting issuance without examination. The application portal (mfopcert.deq.nd.gov) is authenticated, so the reciprocity document checklist could not be verified.

Ohio has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Applicant holding a valid certificate or license from another state or province may apply for reciprocity. Reviewed case by case; the Operator Certification Advisory Council recommends to the Ohio EPA Director. Ohio EPA publishes a dedicated Water Supply and Distribution reciprocity comparison chart.

Ohio runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Oklahoma has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Mutuality is a hard condition - this is the key limit. OAC 252:710-1-4 defines reciprocity as DEQ recognition of another state's certification 'So long as that state recognizes certifications issued by DEQ as well.' 252:710-3-38 then permits DEQ to issue a waterworks certificate at an equivalent level WITHOUT examination to a holder of a valid certificate from any state that offers reciprocal certification to Oklahoma operators, provided that state'S program has equivalent certification requirements. So an operator from a state that does not reciprocate with Oklahoma is not eligible, regardless of how strong their credential is. A completed application must be submitted; the DEQ form requires the applicant to name the originating state and classification and states reciprocity may be granted where the out-of-state certification is current, in good standing and comparable. Active-duty military and their spouses have an expedited route: on receipt of transfer or honorable-discharge orders they may apply in advance and DEQ must issue within 30 days if the credential is in good standing and reasonably equivalent. A reciprocal certificate carries the same renewal duties as any other Oklahoma certificate (renewal fee plus professional development hours; renewal is $46 per license). No residency requirement found - OAC 252:710-1-7 expressly contemplates nonresident holders renewing Oklahoma certificates. No class exclusions found.

Oklahoma runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: CITATION CAVEAT. DEQ's current public webpages (Operator Certification and Program Information, both refreshed Feb 2026) do not describe reciprocity at all - they cover renewal, fees and study guides only, and all applications have moved to an online portal that is not publicly readable. The reciprocity mechanics below come from (a) the current definition of 'Reciprocity' in OAC 252:710-1-4 and the text of OAC 252:710-3-38, both read on commercial code publishers rather than the Oklahoma Secretary of State's own OAC, and (b) a DEQ application form reproduced in an official oklahoma.gov study manual that is marked Rev. 7/2007. One publisher's history line for 252:710-3-38 also carries a 'Revoked at 21 Ok Reg 1645, eff 6-11-04' annotation that conflicts with the rule text it prints. Treat the existence of the program as well-supported and the current section number and fee as unconfirmed. Verify with the OpCert Hotline (405-702-8228) before relying on this.

Oregon has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Case-by-case reciprocity, not automatic. DWS may grant certification by reciprocity to an individual holding a current valid certification from another state or province with a recognized certification program, where the examination, experience and education requirements are equivalent to Oregon's. DWS states the determination is made case-by-case. Material exclusion: DWS states it can generally offer reciprocity only to applicants from states holding primacy with EPA, and names Wyoming and the District of Columbia as not currently holding primacy - an operator coming from either of those two jurisdictions should not count on this route. Applicants submit proof of education (diploma, GED, or transcripts) and their active out-of-state distribution or treatment certificate. The reciprocity route is documented for the Levels 1-4 distribution and treatment certifications; the separate Small Water System operator certificate is its own exam-based credential under OAR 333-061-0228, which since Aug 1 2022 requires passing an Authority-approved written examination and is exempt from fees - do not assume the Levels 1-4 reciprocity route reaches it. Oregon also applies an experience ceiling generally: experience earned at a given plant or system qualifies you only up to one classification level above that system.

Oregon decides case by case rather than from a list, granting reciprocity where another state's or province's examination, experience and education requirements are equivalent to its own. One practical limit: it can generally only offer reciprocity to applicants from states holding primacy with the EPA.

Note: Two different agencies, two different rule chapters, and two genuinely different reciprocity tests. Both say yes, but for different reasons and with different disqualifiers: DEQ's limit is what KIND of exam you passed (standardized vs state-specific), while DWS's limit is WHICH STATE you are coming from (EPA primacy). An operator holding both credentials must run two separate applications to two separate agencies.

Pennsylvania has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: The Board may issue a Pennsylvania certification to an applicant holding a valid water operator certification from another state, territory, DC, or a Board-approved registry. Board-approved registries include the ABC Registry and discharge papers documenting water or wastewater system operation from the US Military or US Coast Guard. Certificate is granted based on meeting the experience requirement at the highest comparable Pennsylvania class system. No credit is given for advanced education when certifying through reciprocity. Requires a copy of the valid out-of-state certificate and a PA State Police non-notarised Criminal History Record dated within 90 days of receipt. Fee: $150 for Class A, B, C or D; $100 for Class Dc or E.

Pennsylvania runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Rhode Island has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Dedicated reciprocity route with its own application form ('Drinking Water Operator by Reciprocity'). An operator holding a certification from another state applies on that form; the Board reviews it and confirms that the other state's certification requirements are equivalent to Rhode Island'S; on Board approval the operator certification program manager issues the new Rhode Island license. Timing is the real constraint: the Board must review and approve every application - exam, upgrade or reciprocity - at one of its QUARTERLY meetings, so this is a multi-month process, and the published calendar of application deadlines and Board meetings governs. Two license types (treatment and distribution) across five levels, including a Very Small System (VSS) license for systems serving fewer than 500. RIDOH uses the WPI-ABC 2017 standardized exams for its own examination route, which is what makes equivalence review workable for out-of-state standardized-exam holders. RIDOH's published reciprocity procedure states no Rhode Island residency or in-state employment condition - unlike the wastewater Board - but this is the absence of a stated condition rather than an affirmative statement that none exists; confirm with DWQ (401-222-6867). Full certification renews on a three-year cycle, OIT on two years, with training contact hours by class; courses approved in other states but not in Rhode Island are not accepted toward RI renewal. Fee: Application/licensing fee set by RIDOH fee regulation 216-RICR-10-05-2; specific reciprocity amount not verified.

Rhode Island runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: MATERIAL SPLIT ON EMPLOYMENT. Both boards grant reciprocity, but the DEM wastewater Board states flatly that it has authority to license only individuals working in Rhode Island - you cannot obtain the credential in advance of an RI job. RIDOH publishes no equivalent condition on its reciprocity route. Also note the DEM Board has no collection-system credential at all, so an incoming collections operator has nothing to reciprocate into.

South Carolina has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Applies to both Water Distribution System Operator and Water Treatment Plant Operator licences, each of which has its own 'Certification by Reciprocity' fee line in Reg. 10-15. Mechanics: the Board must first receive a complete application with a $50 check or money order. It then sends a verification questionnaire directly to the licensing agency named on the application; once that comes back, the Board reviews and determines the licensure level to be granted - so the incoming grade is not guaranteed to match. Stated turnaround is up to two working weeks after the questionnaire is returned. Eligibility: the out-of-state licence must be CURRENT and carry no disciplinary actions. Exam: whether the exam is waived depends on which examinations were previously passed in the licensing state - the Board's position is that reciprocity applicants 'May not have to take an exam depending on previous examinations passed.' South Carolina uses WPI-ABC standardised exams through PSI, so standardised-exam holders are the best-placed applicants. Grandparented operators are not recognised. No residency or in-state-employment requirement found. Levels run E/D through A (Water Treatment adds an E level). A separate Military Spouse Licensure pathway exists at LLR. Renewal is $30 per licence per year, with continuing education required and no exemptions. Fee: $50 non-refundable reciprocity application fee per licence type (S.C. Code Regs. 10-15: 'Water Distribution System Operator Certification by Reciprocity: $50'). Paid by check or money order to the Board, not to PSI..

South Carolina runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: The word 'reciprocity' here does not mean an agreement. The Board states it has NO agreement with any state; every application is an individual determination, and the exam waiver is discretionary rather than guaranteed. It is still a true licensure-by-reciprocity route - it has its own statutory fee category in the fee schedule - but an applicant should not assume the exam will be waived.

South Dakota has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Discretionary, board-reviewed reciprocity using a dedicated 'Application for Operator Certification Through Reciprocity' form. Mechanics from the form itself: one certificate per application; the application must reach the Secretary of the Board of Operator Certification at least four weeks before the next Board meeting; each application must be accompanied by a $60 fee payable to DANR; a copy of the certificate presently held must be attached. Applications are reviewed case-by-case, comparing the requirements for the certificate held against South Dakota's requirements for the corresponding certificate. Explicit warning on the form: 'You may not be awarded any certificate if the requirements to obtain your current certificate are lower than the standards in South Dakota.' The form asks whether an exam was passed to acquire the certificate and whether the certificate was itself obtained through reciprocity - both bear on the determination, and a credential acquired by reciprocity elsewhere is flagged. The governing rule frames the test around requirements at least equal to those in ARSD 74:21 and reciprocal privileges being granted to South Dakota operators by the Association of Boards of Certification or by the issuing state, territory or possession. Applicants also supply education, training and detailed daily-duty descriptions. Four classifications per operational category. No residency requirement found; the form asks for a home mailing address, not South Dakota employment, and separately ARSD 74:21:02:55 allows an unemployed certificate holder to renew for two years. CAVEAT: the official rule text at sdlegislature.gov requires JavaScript and could not be rendered in full; section headings and partial rule text were obtained through the site'S own indexed content, and the operative mechanics above are taken from DANR's own current form. Fee: $60 per application, one certificate per application, payable to 'DANR' (check or money order; if the form is faxed or emailed the fee must follow by mail).

South Dakota runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One reciprocity application form covers every category, and it carries an explicit warning that no certificate at all may be awarded if the applicant's home-state requirements are lower than South Dakota's - the outcome is not merely a grade reduction.

Tennessee has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Genuine exam waiver by statute. T.C.A. 68-221-910 authorises the Certification Board to grant reciprocity WITHOUT an examination to operators certified in other states, provided that state's certification requirements are comparable to or greater than Tennessee'S. Conditional mutuality: issuance 'may be contingent upon reciprocal privileges being granted by that state to an operator from Tennessee' - permissive rather than automatic, but a live discretionary condition. Mechanics: apply on the Application for Certificate of Competency (CN-0704) plus the corresponding supplement sheet for each certification sought - Supplement A is the Water Filtration Plant Classification Worksheet. A complete application, all supporting documentation and the $100 fee must be received 60 or more days before the scheduled Board meeting; anything later rolls to the following meeting. The Certification office then sends a verification form to the originating state, and only after that form comes back is the application presented to the Board, with the applicant notified of the meeting date and the staff recommendation beforehand. The certificate is mailed on Board approval. Rules 0400-49-01 additionally require a sworn application signed by the applicant and payment of a non-refundable $100 for each reciprocity application; the Board may on written request review a late reciprocity application. Grandparented operators are not allowed in Tennessee. No residency or in-state-employment requirement found. Certificates renew annually with continuing education required every three years. Fee: $100 non-refundable per reciprocity application (per certification sought), by check or money order payable to 'Treasurer, State of Tennessee'.

Tennessee runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: Reciprocity here is a full statutory exam waiver, but it is Board-approved on a fixed meeting calendar with a 60-day cut-off, so timing dominates. Tennessee also does not recognise grandparented operators.

Texas has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Case-by-case reciprocity. Requires a current license from another state, territory or country that was EXAM-EARNED, plus good compliance history and good standing with the issuing authority. Applied for through the Occupational Licensing Electronic Application (OLEA) reciprocity section with a copy of the current license and any training certificates. Fee: $111 application fee.

Texas runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Utah has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Direct exam waiver by rule: 'The Director, upon recommendation from the Commission, may waive examination of applicants holding a valid certificate or license issued in compliance with other state certification plans having equivalent standards, and grant reciprocity.' Permissive, and the equivalence of the other state's PLAN - not just the individual'S credential - is the test. Mechanics per DDW: complete and return the Reciprocity Application to the Division of Drinking Water; reciprocity is reviewed and approved by the Field Services Manager (in practice the Commission-recommendation step is handled administratively); if approved, a NOTARISED Proof of Citizenship form is required (one-time, all new applicants) plus a reciprocity fee for each certificate granted, paid through the DDW shopping cart. Restricted vs unrestricted is the trap: passing (or being waived from) the exam alone yields a restricted certificate if the applicant lacks Utah's experience requirement; an Unrestricted Status Application must be filed separately once the minimum qualifications in R309-300 Table 5 are met, and no more than 50% of the experience requirement may be satisfied by education (and at Grades I and II the one-year experience requirement cannot be reduced by education at all). Disciplines are Distribution (five grades including Small System) and Treatment (four grades). Certificates run three years and renew with CEUs (2.0-3.0 per three-year period by classification); wastewater CEUs do not count toward drinking water renewal except for possible partial credit at the Field Services Manager'S discretion. No new grandparent certificates are issued. No in-state employment condition appears in R309-300 for reciprocity. Fee: $180 per certificate (DDW Operator Certification fee schedule, effective July 1, 2023; the same schedule lists online exam $174, paper exam $240, three-year renewal $180, reinstatement $360).

Utah runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: MATERIAL SPLIT ON EMPLOYMENT. Both divisions waive the exam for equivalent out-of-state credentials, but only the WASTEWATER rule conditions issuance on being employed in Utah: an applicant still working out of state, or relocated but not yet hired into a Utah wastewater job, gets only a 'letter of intent to issue a certificate' rather than a certificate. R309-300 contains no such condition for drinking water. Both sides also require a notarised proof-of-citizenship / lawful-presence form, which is easy to miss.

Virginia has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Two distinct routes. (1) Regulation route - not reciprocity: 18VAC160-30-80 (as amended eff. 1/16/2026) provides that an applicant holding an active, current license or certificate in another jurisdiction who meets this chapter's requirements, including equivalent experience and education, must pass a board-approved examination to become licensed. (2) ULR route - genuine recognition without the Virginia exam: applicant must hold a valid out-of-state license with a similar scope of practice; must have held it at least one year (this one-year threshold is waived entirely for current licensees of DC, Maryland, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee or West Virginia); the issuing state must have required both a passing examination and education/training/experience to obtain it; no unresolved complaints, pending investigations or disciplinary actions; no disqualifying criminal record under 54.1-204. Submit the ULR application, a Certification of Licensure/Letter of Good Standing dated within 60 days from each jurisdiction (stating license number, initial date, expiration, means of obtaining licensure, and closed disciplinary actions), and an Experience Verification Form. Available for all six waterworks classes (Class 1 through Class 6). Applicants from a state that does not license the occupation may still qualify with three years' practice, but must sit the Virginia exam if they have never passed an exam anywhere ('ULR by exam' line items). DPOR may additionally require a state-laws examination under 54.1-205. No residency or in-state employment requirement stated. Fee: $114.50 non-refundable ULR application fee (includes the $7.25/yr technology fee added by 2026 House Bill 30), same for every class.

Virginia runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: Two routes with opposite answers, and they must not be conflated. Under the board's own regulation (18VAC160-30-80) an out-of-state licensee gets NO exam relief. Relief comes only from the separate statutory Universal License Recognition program. Also a real difference between the disciplines: the waterworks ULR form requires only ONE year of holding the out-of-state license, the wastewater ULR form requires THREE.

Washington has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: The department may issue a WDS (Water Distribution Specialist), WDM (Water Distribution Manager) or WTPO (Water Treatment Plant Operator) certification without examination to an applicant holding a valid, unrestricted certificate from another state or province, if (a) that program's education, operating experience and professional growth requirements are substantially equivalent standards to Washington'S, and (b) the applicant passed the ABC-validated examination or a department-determined equivalent, with an equivalent Washington passing score of at least 70 percent. The applicant must comply with all of WAC 246-292-070 EXCEPT the examination and application fees, and must submit proof of the valid unrestricted out-of-state certification plus the reciprocity fee. Excluded classes: reciprocity is available only for WDS, WDM and WTPO. Cross-Connection Control Specialist (CCS) and Backflow Assembly Tester (BAT) are expressly 'Not applicable' for reciprocity in Table 8 and must be obtained by examination; BTO is not available by either route. No residency or in-state employment requirement in the rule. Fee: $177.00 application fee by reciprocity per classification (vs $87.00 by examination), WAC 246-292-995 Table 8. Certificates expire December 31 annually; $42 annual renewal regardless of number of classifications..

Washington runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: Two different agencies under two different statutes (ch. 70.119 RCW for drinking water, ch. 70.95B RCW for wastewater) and two different rule chapters, but both grant reciprocity on substantially similar terms. The mechanics differ in one respect worth noting: Health charges a materially higher reciprocity fee than its own by-examination fee ($177 vs $87), while Ecology charges only its ordinary application fee.

West Virginia has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Mandatory reciprocity: the Commissioner SHALL grant certification to a public water systems operator certified by another jurisdiction if the applicant (1) Is actively seeking, has been offered, or has accepted employment which requires a certified operator in West Virginia - an employment-nexus requirement, though it is satisfied merely by actively seeking such work rather than requiring residency; (2) Submits a completed application in a manner approved by the Commissioner; (3) Meets the educational and work experience requirements prescribed by the Commissioner through rulemaking (64CSR4) - these are not waived; and (4) Demonstrates successful passage of an examination substantially equivalent to the WV certification level sought, as determined by the Commissioner. Exam relief is conditional: under subsection (b), if the Commissioner determines the other jurisdiction's examination is not equivalent, the operator IS required to pass the West Virginia certification examination for the level sought. No classes are excluded by the statute; WV water classes are 1D, Class R, WDS, and Classes I-IV. Separately, subsection (c) allows a certified public water system to apply for a limited waiver letting an operator perform tasks one grade higher as staffing supplement, provided the system already has at least one operator certified at the required class.

West Virginia runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: West Virginia is unusual in having a single statute expressly covering both disciplines by name: W. Va. Code 16-1-9g, 'Reciprocity in licensing for public water systems operators and wastewater operators,' added by 2023 HB 2848. The statute is mandatory ('the commissioner SHALL grant certification'), not discretionary.

Wisconsin has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: Certificates may be issued for comparable certification, without examination, in a comparable grade and subclass, to any person holding a current certificate in any state, territory or possession of the United States, or any country, if in the judgment of the department the applicant has met the equivalent of subchapter I's provisions in examinations and operational experience. DNR'S own program page adds the gating condition that the applicant must have taken one or more exams to gain the out-of-state certification. A complete reciprocity application requires: Drinking Water Operator Reciprocity Application (form 3400-218); Social Security Number Request Form (9400-568); a cover letter or resume describing overall experience; a copy of the current out-of-state certificate; and a Waterworks Operator Certification Experience Form (3400-066B) completed separately for each facility worked at (a former supervisor's signature is not required for past employers). Grades are T (operator-in-training) and 1; subclasses are D, G, I, L, S, V, Z, and reciprocity is granted subclass-by-subclass into comparable subclasses. Processing takes 1-3 months. No residency or in-state employment requirement. Certificates expire 3 years from issuance; renewal requires 18 hours of continuing education (24 for a surface-water operator-in-charge) and a $45 renewal fee. Fee: $100 reciprocity application fee (separate application and fee required per discipline).

Wisconsin runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: One agency, one chapter, but two separate reciprocity provisions and two separate applications - a $100 fee is charged for EACH discipline, so an operator seeking both pays $200.

Wyoming has a reciprocity provision for out-of-state water operators, but whether it reaches your credential depends on the terms. See what is actually required below.

What's actually required: An operator certified as a water operator in another state may obtain a Reciprocal certification in Wyoming - the state issues its own certificate on the strength of the out-of-state credential, so this is more than exam eligibility. Criteria: (i) the Administrator must receive a letter of good standing or similar verification direct from the regulatory agency that issued the current certification, stating the applicant's name, status of certification, original issue date, expiration date, level and area of certification, and any disciplinary action imposed; and (ii) the applicant must meet Wyoming'S certification requirements in Section 6. Section 6 is not waived and carries real weight: high-school diploma or equivalent; residence in or employment as an operator in Wyoming (sec. 5-6(d), restated on the DEQ reciprocity application form); demonstrated compliance with the Section 7(c) examination requirement; and the level-specific experience and continuing-education minimums - Level 1 requires 6 months operational experience and 35 hours CE, Level 2 requires 12 months and 70 hours, Level 3 requires 24 months (12 at a Level 2+ facility) and 300 hours, Level 4 requires 36 months (24 at a Level 3+ facility) and 400 hours. Certification must be obtained for the desired level and all preceding levels. On the exam: sec. 5-14 does not itself say 'without examination'; the prior codified version of this section listed as an express criterion that 'the applicant has passed an exam that meets Wyoming'S minimum requirements,' and Wyoming administers ABC standardized exams, so a previously passed equivalent-level ABC exam is the intended mechanism rather than a fresh Wyoming sitting. The current sec. 5-7(c) text could not be retrieved to confirm this directly. The Wyoming certificate expires December 31 of the expiration year of the certification being reciprocated, not to exceed three years, and is subject to ordinary renewal thereafter.

Wyoming runs a standards-based program rather than a named list of states - your credential is judged against its own requirements. See the terms below.

Note: Wyoming imposes a hard eligibility gate the other five states in this batch do not: the applicant must reside in OR be employed as an operator in Wyoming. This applies to all certification including reciprocity, via NR-equivalent sec. 5-6(d).