Read this one carefully, because the plumbing license rules in Louisiana are mid transition. Act 908 of the 2026 Regular Session abolishes the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana effective January 1, 2027 and moves all plumber licensing to the contractors board, with much lower experience requirements. If you are close to qualifying under the current rules, the timing matters a lot.
Two boards, and one of them is going away
- State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA) licenses individual people: apprentice, residential limited, journeyman, master, gas fitters and medical gas. Through December 31, 2026 only. spbla.com licenses
- Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) licenses the business. From January 1, 2027 it also takes over individual plumber licensing. lslbc.gov plumbing classification
Right now you need both. SPBLA for the human, LSLBC for the company on plumbing work over $10,000. State law preempts local exams for master plumbers, so cities cannot run their own licensing test, though local permits, inspections and fees still apply. SPBLA is also physically moving into the LSLBC building at 600 North Street in Baton Rouge on September 1, 2026.
What Act 908 changes on January 1, 2027
- Journeyman drops to 2,500 hours of verified apprentice work, plus a written and a practical exam
- Master becomes journeyman plus 1,000 hours, plus a written exam
- Two new contractor tiers: Master Plumbing Contractor and Residential Plumbing Contractor
- A journeyman may not supervise more than three apprentices
- A Plumbing Contractors Subcommittee is created inside LSLBC, and two plumber seats are added to the LSLBC board
- Everyone licensed by SPBLA on or before December 31, 2026 is grandfathered into the equivalent LSLBC license on January 1, 2027
LSLBC has not published the implementing rules yet, so fees, exam vendor, CE and reciprocity mechanics for the 2027 system are still unknown. Do not trust any site quoting 2027 fees today.
Current tiers and hours, through December 31, 2026
Louisiana splits hours by whether you are indentured in a Louisiana Workforce Commission approved program or unindentured, meaning just working. Indentured needs fewer hours.
- Apprentice: registration only, $20, renewed annually, must be employed by a master company and supervised on the job. No CE.
- Residential Plumber Limited: 3,000 hours indentured or 4,000 unindentured. Exam is 80 questions in 3 hours on the 2021 IRC, plus a one hour, three part practical.
- Journeyman Plumber: 7,000 hours indentured or 8,000 unindentured, under direct supervision of a licensed journeyman or master. Exam is 80 questions in 3 hours on the 2021 IPC and IRC, plus a one hour practical.
- Master Plumber: hold a current Journeyman Plumbing License, or a Louisiana PE license. Three part written exam covering the codes, the Sanitary Code Part XIII, and the NASCLA Louisiana master plumbers business and law guide.
- Journeyman Natural Gas Fitter: 3,000 hours indentured or 4,000 unindentured, or a current journeyman plumber license plus two years of gas fitting.
The board administers exams itself in Baton Rouge and Shreveport. There is no PSI or Prov here.
Continuing education
Annual, and it scales with what you hold:
- Residential Plumber Limited or Journeyman: 3.5 hours
- Active Master Plumber: 5 hours
- Journeyman or residential plus gas fitter: 4.5 hours
- Master plus gas fitter: 6 hours
- Apprentices: none. Inactive masters not working the trade: none, but file the inactivity affidavit
Residential and journeyman hours have to be taken in one day. Masters can do five hours in one day or split into two sessions inside 30 days. Miss the December 31 deadline and you have to contact the board about a make up course.
Renewals, fees and insurance
Everything renews annually and expires December 31, with CE done before you submit. From the board 2026 renewal form:
- Apprentice registration: $20
- Residential Plumber Limited: $40
- Journeyman Plumber or Natural Gas Fitter: $50
- Master Plumber, active: $190. Inactive: $40
- Medical Gas Installer: $40. Medical Gas Verifier: $210
Late fees kick in after December 31 and again after March 31, and apprentices submit a recent paycheck stub with renewal.
If you are the licensee responsible for company operations, you also submit current certificates for general liability of $500,000, vehicle insurance, and workers compensation, or a workers comp affidavit if you are exempt. SPBLA does not require a surety bond.
The contractor license side
LSLBC requires a plumbing classification license once the value of the work exceeds $10,000, labor plus materials. Commercial and residential licenses need a net worth of $50,000 or more, and home improvement and labor only specialties need $25,000. If you do not have the net worth you can post a bond or letter of credit for the amount instead. You submit a financial statement current to within 12 months, prepared and signed by an accountant, bookkeeper or CPA.
A contractor holding an SPBLA Master Plumber license is exempt from the trade exam. General liability and workers compensation are required with no exceptions, and certificates have to come to the board directly from your insurance agent, not from you. Statutory fee caps are $50 for the exam and $100 each for the license and the renewal, with up to a $400 surcharge for out of state contractors. LSLBC licenses expire on the anniversary of the original issue date and you pick a one, two or three year term.
Reciprocity
SPBLA reciprocates at the journeyman level only, with Texas and Arkansas. Master licenses are not reciprocated. Separately, you can use an out of state license to qualify to sit for the Louisiana journeyman exam, but only if that license required at least 8,000 hours, or 4,000 hours for the natural gas exam. There are also Welcome Home Act and military spouse pathways.
Louisiana plumbing license FAQ
Should I get licensed before or after January 1, 2027? If you can finish under the current rules, do it. Anyone licensed on or before December 31, 2026 is grandfathered into the equivalent new license automatically.
Does the transition wipe out my license? No. Act 908 grandfathers apprentice, journeyman and master licenses straight across.
What is the difference between indentured and unindentured? Indentured means you are in an approved apprenticeship program, which cuts the hours you need. Unindentured means you are just working, which adds 1,000 hours at every tier.
Do I need the contractor license too? Only once a job exceeds $10,000 in labor and materials. Below that, the SPBLA license covers the work.
Before you apply
Licensing rules change, sometimes mid-year. Confirm every requirement with the board directly before you pay a fee or schedule an exam. This page is a plain-English summary, not legal advice.
More: our plumbing license guide, the full plumbing license by state index, and how to start a plumbing business once your license is in hand.
