Transfer Your Plumber License to Louisiana: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-21 · source: State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA) ↗
Conditionally — Louisiana recognizes plumbing licenses from 2 named partner states (Arkansas, Texas). A plumber licensed by examination and in good standing there applies to the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA) under the agreement; Louisiana waives its journeyman plumber examination only for applicants licensed as journeyman plumbers in Arkansas or Texas under the State Plumbing Board's bilateral reciprocity agreements (license held in good standing and obtained by examination); every other out-of-state plumber must pass the Louisiana written and manual journeyman exam, though a valid out-of-state plumbing license may be submitted to qualify to sit for it. From any other state you qualify and sit Louisiana's journeyman exam as a new applicant. Application fee: $40–$165 (Exam track: $125 examination fee plus $40 initial license fee (about $165 total) per La. Admin. Code tit. 46 Pt. LV §312. Reciprocal Arkansas/Texas applicants are exam-exempt and pay the board's reciprocal application fee (reported around $100 for the Arkansas journeyman-plumber/natural-gas-fitter application), which could not be confirmed on a reachable official page.).
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Verdict
Reciprocity with 2 states
Read Louisiana's reciprocity as a named list, and the list is the rule: if you were licensed by examination in a state on it and your license is in good standing, the streamlined track below applies; if not, no amount of field experience substitutes for Louisiana's exam. Two cautions. The agreement is directional — it describes the states Louisiana recognizes, which tells you nothing about the reverse move — and it typically excludes licenses that were grandfathered in rather than earned by examination. Confirm both against the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA) before you rely on the waiver.
Louisiana journeyman plumber reciprocity is bilateral and limited to Arkansas and Texas (master licenses do not reciprocate). The Louisiana Administrative Code (Title 46 Pt. LV) itself only grants temporary permits to out-of-state journeymen from like-examination states and requires ALL journeyman applicants to pass the written and manual exam; the exam-waiver reciprocity runs through separate board-to-board agreements, corroborated by the Texas board's official Louisiana reciprocity page and the Arkansas Department of Health's Arkansas/Louisiana reciprocity reference. Exam-track fees ($125 exam + $40 license) are from the codified LAC §312; the reciprocal application fee (~$100) and any specific experience-hour threshold to sit the exam could not be confirmed on a reachable official page because the board site (spbla.com) blocked automated fetching. Verification is via the board's public plumber search; no national plumber database exists.
Louisiana requirements at a glance
| Exam | Louisiana waives its journeyman plumber examination only for applicants licensed as journeyman plumbers in Arkansas or Texas under the State Plumbing Board's bilateral reciprocity agreements (license held in good standing and obtained by examination); every other out-of-state plumber must pass the Louisiana written and manual journeyman exam, though a valid out-of-state plumbing license may be submitted to qualify to sit for it |
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| Additional requirements |
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| Fees | $40–$165 (Exam track: $125 examination fee plus $40 initial license fee (about $165 total) per La. Admin. Code tit. 46 Pt. LV §312. Reciprocal Arkansas/Texas applicants are exam-exempt and pay the board's reciprocal application fee (reported around $100 for the Arkansas journeyman-plumber/natural-gas-fitter application), which could not be confirmed on a reachable official page.) |
| Processing time | No board-stated processing time published in the LAC or reachable board pages. |
Step by step
- Confirm Louisiana's current requirements on the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA) website — rules change.
- Submit the reciprocity/endorsement application to the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA) (application linked on this page).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Reciprocity: hold a current journeyman plumber license in good standing in Arkansas or Texas, obtained by examination (the Arkansas agreement additionally requires having held the Arkansas journeyman license for a set period and can carry a natural-gas-fitter endorsement).
- Submit the reciprocal license application with a copy of the current out-of-state license.
- Non-reciprocity applicants must pass the Louisiana written and manual journeyman plumber examination (75% or higher); a valid out-of-state license may be used to document the experience needed to sit for it.
- Journeyman plumbers may work only while employed by a Louisiana-licensed master plumber.
- Pay the fees ($40–$165 (Exam track: $125 examination fee plus $40 initial license fee (about $165 total) per La. Admin. Code tit. 46 Pt. LV §312. Reciprocal Arkansas/Texas applicants are exam-exempt and pay the board's reciprocal application fee (reported around $100 for the Arkansas journeyman-plumber/natural-gas-fitter application), which could not be confirmed on a reachable official page.)) and allow No board-stated processing time published in the LAC or reachable board pages..
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Louisiana:
Frequently asked questions
Does my plumbing license transfer to Louisiana?
Conditionally — Louisiana recognizes plumbing licenses from 2 named partner states (Arkansas, Texas). A plumber licensed by examination and in good standing there applies to the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA) under the agreement; Louisiana waives its journeyman plumber examination only for applicants licensed as journeyman plumbers in Arkansas or Texas under the State Plumbing Board's bilateral reciprocity agreements (license held in good standing and obtained by examination); every other out-of-state plumber must pass the Louisiana written and manual journeyman exam, though a valid out-of-state plumbing license may be submitted to qualify to sit for it. From any other state you qualify and sit Louisiana's journeyman exam as a new applicant. Application fee: $40–$165 (Exam track: $125 examination fee plus $40 initial license fee (about $165 total) per La. Admin. Code tit. 46 Pt. LV §312. Reciprocal Arkansas/Texas applicants are exam-exempt and pay the board's reciprocal application fee (reported around $100 for the Arkansas journeyman-plumber/natural-gas-fitter application), which could not be confirmed on a reachable official page.).
Will I have to take Louisiana's plumbing exam?
Louisiana waives its journeyman plumber examination only for applicants licensed as journeyman plumbers in Arkansas or Texas under the State Plumbing Board's bilateral reciprocity agreements (license held in good standing and obtained by examination); every other out-of-state plumber must pass the Louisiana written and manual journeyman exam, though a valid out-of-state plumbing license may be submitted to qualify to sit for it.
Which states does Louisiana have plumbing reciprocity with?
Arkansas, Texas (2 states, verified 2026-07-21 against the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA)). The waiver applies only if you were licensed by examination there; plumbers from every other state qualify as new applicants.
What will licensing in Louisiana cost an out-of-state plumber, and how long does it take?
$40–$165 (Exam track: $125 examination fee plus $40 initial license fee (about $165 total) per La. Admin. Code tit. 46 Pt. LV §312. Reciprocal Arkansas/Texas applicants are exam-exempt and pay the board's reciprocal application fee (reported around $100 for the Arkansas journeyman-plumber/natural-gas-fitter application), which could not be confirmed on a reachable official page.); processing No board-stated processing time published in the LAC or reachable board pages..
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- La. Admin. Code tit. 46 Pt. LV §312 — Fees (journeyman exam $125, initial license $40) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- La. Admin. Code tit. 46 Pt. LV §301 — Licenses required / journeyman exam and out-of-state temporary permits ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners — Reciprocal License Agreement with Louisiana ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Arkansas Department of Health — Plumbing & Natural Gas (Arkansas/Louisiana reciprocity agreement) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- Louisiana Division of Administration — State Plumbing Board of Louisiana board record ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
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