Florida to Louisiana: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Florida does not issue a statewide journeyman plumber license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Louisiana's standard path for out-of-state applicants.
Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Out-of-state plumbing license accepted as exam eligibility (all states other than Texas and Arkansas)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A plumber who holds a valid, unexpired plumbing license from any other state may use it to qualify for the Louisiana Journeyman Plumber exam in place of Louisiana apprentice registration and the 7,000/8,000-hour payroll documentation. The applicant attaches a copy of the out-of-state license to the standard journeyman application for Board approval; the journeyman application states that 'Only States that require at least 8,000 hours on-the-job training will be accepted', so a license from a state with a lower hour threshold will be refused. Nothing else is waived: the applicant files the notarized application at least 30 days before a quarterly exam with $135, passes the 80-question written exam on the 2021 International Plumbing Code and International Residential Code and the 1-hour practical (floor plan, screw pipe and copper projects) with 70% in each category, then pays $50 for the initial license. There is no separate law or business exam at the journeyman level. Once licensed, the journeyman must be employed by a licensed Louisiana master company to work and renews annually before December 31 with continuing education.
R.S. Act 908 of 2026 moves plumbing licensing to the LSLBC; requirements may change after the transfer.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
What you must already have
- Your Florida license must be active and in good standing.
- The origin state must require at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job training for the license held; licenses obtained with fewer hours are not approvedJourneyman application, eligibility paragraph c, and the licenses page out-of-state note.
- You must document at least 8,000 hours of qualifying work experience.The out-of-state license stands in for the 8,000 hours (unindentured) or 7,000 hours (indentured) of Louisiana apprentice payroll documentation that in-state applicants must submit.
What you'll do to get licensed in Louisiana
- 1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($125). Journeyman Plumber Exam Fee payable to SPBLA by check or money order with the notarized application (filed at least 30 days before the quarterly exam date; forfeited for no-show or cancellation under 30 days, 50% retained for earlier withdrawal).
- 2Application fee. Pay the application fee ($10). Processing Charge added to the exam fee ($135 total).
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Board-administered Journeyman Plumber exam in Baton Rouge or Shreveport: 80-question, 3-hour written exam on the 2021 International Plumbing Code and 2021 International Residential Code plus a 1-hour practical (floor plan, screw pipe and copper projects); minimum 70% in each category; a passed part is kept for one year.
- 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($50). Initial Journeyman License fee paid with the Initial Journeyman License form after passing; license expires December 31 each year (renewal fee not published on the pages reviewed).
- 5Other. Copy of the valid out-of-state plumbing license attached to the notarized application; applicants convicted of a plumbing-related felony must contact the Board.
- 6Other. Temporary Work Permit ($75, one per lifetime) allowing an approved candidate to work as a journeyman until the scheduled exam date (if applicable).
- 7Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Continuing education every year through an SPBLA-approved provider before the December 31 renewal (hour count for journeymen not stated on the pages reviewed).
Published fees on this path total $185, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Exam preparation
Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.
- Exam fee · $125
- Trade exam
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Louisiana licenses journeyman plumbers
Louisiana journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA)
Louisiana licenses Journeyman Plumbers statewide through the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA), which also registers apprentices and licenses Residential Plumbers, Master Plumbers, natural gas fitters and medical gas and WSPS endorsements. A new in-state applicant must be a registered apprentice with 7,000 hours (indentured, in a Louisiana Workforce Commission-approved program) or 8,000 hours (unindentured) of supervised plumbing work documented by payroll records or W-2s, file a notarized application with $135 ($125 exam + $10 processing), and pass a Board-administered 80-question, 3-hour written exam on the 2021 IPC/IRC plus a 1-hour practical, scoring at least 70% in each category. The first license costs $50; licenses expire December 31 each year and renewal requires annual continuing education (hours for journeymen are not stated on the pages reviewed). A journeyman works under a licensed Louisiana Master Plumber and must be employed by a licensed master company for the license to be 'workable'. The Board has signed journeyman reciprocity agreements only with Texas and Arkansas; a plumbing license from any other state qualifies the holder to sit the Louisiana journeyman exam without Louisiana apprentice registration, provided the origin state required at least 8,000 on-the-job hours. Act 908 of the 2026 session transfers plumbing licensing to the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors; the transition was under public discussion in late 2026 and no changed requirements had been published.
Why Florida has nothing to transfer
Florida journeyman plumber · “Journeyman Plumber certificate of competency (county-issued)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Issued by County and municipal licensing boards (no state journeyman license)
Florida has no state journeyman plumber license. The Construction Industry Licensing Board within DBPR certifies and registers plumbing contractors only (occupation codes CF/RF); s. 489.105 never defines 'journeyman', and the Board's plumbing application list has no journeyman credential. Hillsborough County states there is 'no State of Florida requirement for anyone to hold a Journeyman Certificate of Competency.' Section 489.1455, F.S., instead authorizes counties and municipalities to issue journeyman licenses in the plumbing (and pipe fitting, mechanical, or HVAC) trades to a person who scores at least 75 percent on a proctored journeyman exam, has completed a registered apprenticeship or 12,000 hours of on-the-job training, and completes Florida Building Commission coursework, and it requires every county and municipality to recognize a journeyman licensed by any other Florida county or municipality. Large urban counties run such programs (Hillsborough's Journeyman Plumber Certificate of Competency; Miami-Dade's Construction Trades Qualifying Board plumbing journeyman card). An out-of-state journeyman plumber license carries no state-level recognition, so an arriving plumber should expect to document experience and take the county exam in the first county that requires a card, after which that Florida county card is portable statewide under s. 489.1455(2).
How local licensing works in Florida
How local licensing works. DBPR's Construction Industry Licensing Board certifies (statewide) and registers (locally qualified) plumbing contractors and issues no personal license below contractor. Section 489.1455, F.S. lets counties and municipalities license journeymen in the plumbing, pipe fitting, mechanical and HVAC trades on three conditions: 75 percent on a proctored Block and Associates or other board-approved journeyman exam, a registered and state-approved apprenticeship or 12,000 hours of on-the-job training, and Florida Building Commission-approved coursework (within 6 months of certification). Subsection (2) makes every county and municipality recognize a journeyman licensed by any other Florida county or municipality. A journeyman card never authorizes contracting; the holder works under a certified or registered plumbing contractor.
Hillsborough County. Development Services issues a Journeyman Electrician or Plumber Certificate of Competency. Fees on the 2026-09-16 page: $50 nonrefundable initiation, $100 on acceptance, $70 one-time registration. The holder 'must always work under the supervision of a properly licensed Electrical/Plumbing Contractor.' Application is through HillsGovHub with apprenticeship completion (if any), an approved-agency exam score if already tested, and a verification-of-experience form. From the 2026-09-15 reading of the same hub: three years of proven field experience (up to one-half education equivalent), open-book exam at 75 percent or above, $240 fee; the county 'only reciprocates with Broward and Palm Beach County in specific trade categories' and only for journeymen who scored 75% or higher. The 2026-09-16 hub extract did not reprint those figures.
Pinellas County. The Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board journeyman application (read 2026-09-15 for HVAC/electrical FL; pinellas.gov and the PDF failed to extract on 2026-09-16) offered Plumbing, Electrical, Pipe Fitting, Air Conditioning and Sheet Metal Journeyman classifications: open-book independent-agency exam, about six hours, passing grade 70%, $75 non-refundable application fee, notarized employer experience certificates, six-year employment history and three character letters. No out-of-state reciprocity is printed on that form. Journeymen must be certified by PCCLB to work in the county.
Broward, Palm Beach, Orange and Duval. Broward County's Building Code Division Central Examining Boards use a contractor/journeyman packet (Chapter 9) that the HVAC and electrical FL files document for mechanical and electrical journeymen ($225 journeyman application / $120 renewal / $50 letter of reciprocity as of January 1, 2025; 75% GITS or ProV exam). Treat those as leads.
Out-of-state journeymen. None of the county programs reviewed publishes an out-of-state reciprocity rule. Expect to sit the first county's exam; a qualifying Florida county card is then recognized statewide under s. 489.1455(2).
- Hillsborough County (Development Services, Journeyman Plumber Certificate of Competency)
- Miami-Dade County (Construction Trades Qualifying Board - Plumbing)
- Pinellas County (Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board - Plumbing Journeyman)
- Broward County (Building Code Division, Central Examining Boards)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Louisiana journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Florida?
- Yes. Louisiana requires the trade exam on this path.
- What does it cost to get a Louisiana journeyman plumber license from Florida?
- Published fees on this path total $185, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Florida work hours count in Louisiana?
- Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Louisiana's eligibility requirements.
- Does it work the other way, from Louisiana to Florida?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Louisiana to Florida, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- SPBLA home page - 'Open Discussion: Plumbing Licensing Transition' (Act 908 of the 2026 Legislative Session) · State Plumbing Board of Louisiana · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- SPBLA - Journeyman Plumber Exam Application and Candidate Bulletin · State Plumbing Board of Louisiana · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- State Plumbing Board of Louisiana - Licenses (Apprentice, Residential Plumber, Journeyman Plumber, Master Plumber, WSPS, Medical Gas, Natural Gas) · State Plumbing Board of Louisiana · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.