How to become a licensed plumber in Louisiana

Journeyman level 8,000 hours on the job + state exam What's a journeyman?

Licensing office State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA); Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) from January 1, 2027 [1][2][3]

The license pathway in Louisiana

1. 1

   Apprentice

   • $20 ($10 registration plus $10 processing)
   • Yearly by December 31; no continuing education

   Your entry registration. You must work for a company that employs a master plumber, under the direct, constant, on-the-job supervision of a journeyman or master. You register as indentured (in an apprenticeship program approved by the Louisiana Workforce Commission) or unindentured (working only). [1][4][9]

2. 2

   Residential Plumber (limited)

   • 4,000 hours on the job
   • Yes: 80 questions, 3 hours, 2021 IRC (International Residential Code), plus a 1-hour, three-part practical; $135
   • $40 license
   • Yearly by December 31; 3.5 hours CE

   An optional license that lets you repair plumbing in one- and two-family homes on your own, at the direction of a master plumber. You qualify with 4,000 hours as a registered apprentice, or 3,000 hours if you're indentured. [1][4]

3. 3

   Journeyman Plumber

   • 8,000 hours on the job
   • Yes: 80 questions, 3 hours, 2021 IPC (International Plumbing Code) and IRC, plus a 1-hour practical (floor plan, screw pipe and copper projects); $135
   • $50 license
   • Yearly by December 31; continuing education every year from an approved provider

   Lets you install, alter and repair plumbing while employed by a master plumber. Through 2026 you need 8,000 hours as a registered apprentice under a journeyman or master, or 7,000 if you're indentured. Act 908 sets 2,500 hours of verified apprentice work from January 1, 2027. [1][2][4]

4. 4

   Master Plumber

   • Yes: three written parts (codes, 80 questions; sewage disposal, 25 questions; business and law, 40 questions); $110
   • $190 active, $40 inactive
   • Yearly by December 31; 5 hours CE for active masters

   Can plan and supervise plumbing and employ apprentices and journeymen; each plumbing company needs one. You qualify by holding a current journeyman license (or a professional engineer license). From 2027, Act 908 also requires 1,000 hours of work as a licensed journeyman. [1][2][4]

Who needs a license in Louisiana

Louisiana licenses plumbers statewide. SPBLA says "all persons performing plumbing and or natural gas in the state of louisiana must be registered as an apprentice if unlicensed," and apprentices must work for a master's company under a journeyman or master.

State law says a journeyman may do plumbing only while employed by a master plumber, and no company may hold itself out as doing plumbing unless it employs a master plumber. Plumbing work of $10,000 or more also needs a plumbing license from LSLBC, the state contractors board, and LSLBC says that license requires a master plumber license.

Gas fitting is licensed by the same board, with its own apprentice-to-master ladder. [1][4][5][6][7]

Act 908: plumbing moves to LSLBC in 2027

Act 908 of 2026 (House Bill 953) abolishes the State Plumbing Board and transfers plumbing licensing to LSLBC. Its main provisions take effect January 1, 2027. Anyone holding an apprentice, journeyman or master plumber license from SPBLA on or before December 31, 2026 holds the equivalent LSLBC license on January 1, 2027. The carry-over clause names only apprentice, journeyman and master plumber licenses; if you hold another SPBLA license (residential plumber or gas fitter, for example), confirm its status with LSLBC. SPBLA's home page says the board relocates to LSLBC's building at 600 North Street in Baton Rouge on September 1, 2026, but the same page still asks you to visit and send mail to 11304 Cloverland Avenue, so confirm the address before you mail anything.

What changes under the new law:

• Journeyman: 2,500 hours of verified work as an apprentice plus a written exam and a practical exam (down from 8,000 hours under SPBLA's current requirements).
• Master: a journeyman license, 1,000 hours of verified work as a licensed journeyman, and a written exam.
• Apprentices: register with the board and verify your employment twice a year; the law says apprentices "shall be placed in an apprenticeship approved by the board."
• Supervision: a journeyman may supervise no more than three apprentices.
• Contractors: a master plumbing contractor license (qualified by a master) and a residential plumbing contractor license for homes up to three floors (qualified by a journeyman or master).

LSLBC's plumbing subcommittee can add requirements by rule, and LSLBC is holding open discussions on the transition. Check with LSLBC before you apply in 2027. [2][3][8]

The license ladder through 2026

• Apprentice: $20 registration; work under a journeyman or master.
• Residential Plumber (limited): 4,000 hours (3,000 indentured) plus an exam; repairs in one- and two-family homes.
• Journeyman Plumber: 8,000 hours (7,000 indentured) plus a written and practical exam.
• Master Plumber: a current journeyman license plus a three-part written exam.

Count full-time work at about 2,080 hours a year. SPBLA accepts payroll records or W-2s from a master company as proof, not employer letters or 1099s. Once you're approved for an exam, you can get a one-time temporary work permit ($75) to work as a journeyman until the exam date.

See the plumber hub to compare states, and journeyman vs. master. [1]

The exams

SPBLA gives its exams in Baton Rouge and Shreveport; journeyman exams are held quarterly. Apply at least 30 days before an exam date. If you don't show up or cancel late, you lose the fee.

• Journeyman: one written part (80 questions, 3 hours, based on the 2021 International Plumbing Code and 2021 International Residential Code) and a 1-hour practical with floor plan, screw pipe and copper projects. $135 ($125 exam plus $10 processing).
• Residential Plumber: 80 questions in 3 hours on the 2021 IRC, plus a 1-hour, three-part practical. $135.
• Master: Part I, 80 questions in 3 hours on the 2021 IPC and IRC; Part II, 25 questions in 2 hours on the state sanitary code's sewage disposal part; Part III, 40 questions in 2 hours on the NASCLA (National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies) Louisiana business, law and project management guide. $110.

Results come by mail within about two weeks. A passing score on one part stays good for one year while you retake the other. [1]

Fees, renewal and continuing education

After you pass, the license fee is $40 for a residential plumber, $50 for a journeyman, and $190 for an active master ($40 inactive). Apprentice registration is $20.

All registrations and licenses renew every year by December 31. Apprentices need no continuing professional education (CPE). Licensed plumbers take continuing education every year from an approved provider: SPBLA lists 3.5 hours a year for residential plumbers, 5 hours for active masters, and 3.5 hours for inactive masters working as journeymen. [1][9]

If you're licensed in another state

SPBLA reciprocates journeyman plumber and natural gas licenses only with Arkansas and Texas. Texas journeymen in good standing can get both Louisiana licenses without another exam, using the forms on SPBLA's reciprocation page. There is no reciprocity for master licenses.

From other states, an out-of-state plumbing license earned with at least 8,000 hours qualifies you to take the Louisiana journeyman exam. Louisiana's Welcome Home Act (2024) also lets a board license you if you've held a similar license elsewhere for at least a year, passed an exam or met experience standards there, are in good standing, have no disqualifying record, and live in Louisiana. See our reciprocity guide. [1][10][11][12][13]

Steps to get licensed in Louisiana

1. Get hired by a plumbing company and register as an apprentice

   Your employer must have a licensed master plumber. Send SPBLA the notarized apprentice application with $20 before you start work. [1][9]

2. Work under a journeyman or master and document your hours

   Keep payroll records or W-2s. Through 2026 you need 8,000 hours (7,000 if indentured) for the journeyman exam; from January 1, 2027, Act 908 sets 2,500 hours. [1][2]

3. Apply for the journeyman exam

   Submit the notarized application with your proof of hours and $135 at least 30 days before an exam date. Exams are held in Baton Rouge and Shreveport; check the exam schedule. [1]

4. Pass the written and practical exams and get licensed

   Pass the 80-question written exam and the hands-on practical, then send the initial journeyman license form with $50. If you pass one part, that score is good for one year. [1]

5. Renew every year and work toward master

   Renew by December 31 and take continuing education every year from an approved provider. With a journeyman license you can sit for the three-part master plumber exam ($110). [1]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train plumbers in or for Louisiana, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• Union

  UA plumbers and pipefitters locals in Louisiana

  The United Association runs five-year apprenticeships in plumbing, pipefitting, HVACR (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration) and welding that combine paid work with classes. UA Local 60 in the New Orleans area says it is seeking apprentices; find the local for your area with the UA's directory. [14][15]

• State program

  Louisiana Workforce Commission approved apprenticeship programs

  Indentured apprentices are enrolled in a program approved by the Louisiana Workforce Commission and need fewer hours for the residential and journeyman exams. SPBLA points applicants to the state's apprenticeship site to find an approved program. [1]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask