Operator certification reciprocity, state by state
Moving your water or wastewater operator certificate to a new state? Here is how each state treats an out-of-state certificate, sourced from the same 51 agency directories behind our state guides.
Data verified June 2026
How to read this table
What does reciprocity actually mean here?
Reciprocity means a state will recognize the certificate you already hold instead of making you start over. Almost no state grants it automatically. Most review your certificate against their own grade structure, which is why the table below groups states by posture rather than answering yes or no.
Where do these figures come from?
Each row is extracted from that state's own agency directory, the same source behind our 51 state guides. A state name links to its full guide. Where a state states no reciprocity fee, the table says so rather than leaving the cell blank or carrying a figure across from another state.
What this table cannot promise
It cannot tell you whether your specific certificate will transfer. Grade structures differ, and a case-by-case state means a person reviews your file. Treat this as the starting point for the call you are about to make, not the answer.
Reciprocity by state
All 51 states carry a sourced reciprocity posture. Verified June 2026 against each state's own agency directory.
| State | Reciprocity posture | Reciprocity fee |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | case-by-case, comparable-certificate | $180 |
| Alaska | case-by-case | $300 |
| Arizona | narrative only | Not stated |
| Arkansas | comparable-certificate | $25 to $40 |
| California | case-by-case, comparable-certificate | $182 |
| Colorado | comparable-certificate | $150 |
| Connecticut | narrative only | $240 |
| Delaware | narrative only | Not stated |
| District of Columbia | narrative only | Not stated |
| Florida | comparable-certificate | $100 |
| Georgia | comparable-certificate | $100 |
| Hawaii | narrative only | $25 to $70 |
| Idaho | narrative only | $30 to $100 |
| Illinois | case-by-case | $10 |
| Indiana | no-formal-reciprocity, case-by-case | Not stated |
| Iowa | case-by-case, comparable-certificate | $30 |
| Kansas | case-by-case | $25 |
| Kentucky | case-by-case | $50 to $500 |
| Louisiana | case-by-case, comparable-certificate | Not stated |
| Maine | comparable-certificate | $75 to $250 |
| Maryland | comparable-certificate | $150 |
| Massachusetts | comparable-certificate | $80 |
| Michigan | narrative only | Not stated |
| Minnesota | case-by-case | Not stated |
| Mississippi | comparable-certificate | $75 |
| Missouri | comparable-certificate | $25 to $40 |
| Montana | narrative only | $70 |
| Nebraska | no-formal-reciprocity, comparable-certificate | $150 |
| Nevada | case-by-case, comparable-certificate | $150 to $250 |
| New Hampshire | comparable-certificate | Not stated |
| New Jersey | comparable-certificate | $50 to $70 |
| New Mexico | narrative only | $30 |
| New York | no-formal-reciprocity, case-by-case | Not stated |
| North Carolina | narrative only | $100 |
| North Dakota | narrative only | Not stated |
| Ohio | narrative only | $45 |
| Oklahoma | comparable-certificate | Not stated |
| Oregon | case-by-case | Not stated |
| Pennsylvania | comparable-certificate | $100 to $150 |
| Rhode Island | comparable-certificate | Not stated |
| South Carolina | case-by-case, comparable-certificate | $50 |
| South Dakota | comparable-certificate | $60 |
| Tennessee | narrative only | $100 |
| Texas | case-by-case, own-exam-required | Not stated |
| Utah | comparable-certificate | $198 to $200 |
| Vermont | no-formal-reciprocity, comparable-certificate | Not stated |
| Virginia | narrative only | Not stated |
| Washington | no-formal-reciprocity | $287 |
| West Virginia | comparable-certificate | Not stated |
| Wisconsin | case-by-case | Not stated |
| Wyoming | narrative only | Not stated |
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