Texas to Louisiana: journeyman plumber license reciprocity
Louisiana has a reciprocity agreement with Texas: a Texas journeyman plumber can get a Louisiana license without retaking the trade exam.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Texas reciprocal journeyman plumber license (no exam)
A signed state-to-state agreement. The trade exam is waived; you apply, prove your history, and pay the fee.
The Board issues a Louisiana Journeyman Plumber license, together with a Journeyman Natural Gas Fitter license, to a plumber who has held a Texas Journeyman Plumber license for at least two years, without a Louisiana exam. The applicant mails the one-page Texas Reciprocal Journeyman Plumber/Natural Gas Fitter Initial License Application with a 2x2 photo or government photo ID, a copy of the Texas journeyman license (a Texas master encloses proof of having previously held a journeyman license), and $100 covering both licenses ($40 license fee plus $10 processing for each). The license is 'non-workable' unless the applicant is employed by a licensed Louisiana master company, expires December 31 each year and requires annual continuing education.
The form does not ask whether the Texas license was obtained by exam or state a no-discipline requirement. Texas's board (TSBPE) publishes no corresponding agreement for Louisiana licensees, so this rule is one-sided as of the Texas file's verification date. Whether the Board will keep the agreement after Act 908 transfers plumbing licensing to the LSLBC is not published.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Count toward eligibility
- Agreement
- Active
What you must already have
- You must have held your Texas license for at least 2 years.'This agreement will only apply to those who have held a Texas Journeyman Plumber License for at least 2 years.' A Texas Master Plumber qualifies by including proof of having previously held a journeyman license.
- Your Texas license must be active and in good standing.
- The form asks whether the applicant has been convicted of a felony associated with the art of plumbing; if yes, the applicant must contact the Board before applying
What you'll do to get licensed in Louisiana
- 1License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($40). Journeyman Plumber License Fee.
- 2Application fee. Pay the application fee ($10). Processing Charge for the Journeyman Plumber license.
- 3License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($50). Journeyman Natural Gas Fitter license issued with the reciprocal application ($40 fee + $10 processing); the form totals $100 for both license types.
- 4Other. 2x2 profile picture or copy of a government photo ID, copy of the Texas Journeyman Plumber license (or proof of a previously held journeyman license for a Texas master), and the name and Louisiana master license number of the employing Louisiana company if working in Louisiana.
- 5Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Continuing education classes every year; licenses expire December 31 of each license year.
Published fees on this path total $100, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
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.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Louisiana journeyman plumber exam if I'm licensed in Texas?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path under the agreement with Texas.
- How long do I need to have held my Texas license?
- At least 2 years before applying.
- What does it cost to get a Louisiana journeyman plumber license from Texas?
- Published fees on this path total $100, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Texas 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 Texas?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Louisiana to Texas, the mechanism is endorsement.
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
- SPBLA - License Reciprocation (Texas and Arkansas reciprocal journeyman applications) · State Plumbing Board of Louisiana · Agency Page · verified September 16, 2026
- SPBLA - Texas Reciprocal Journeyman Plumber/Natural Gas Fitter Initial License Application · State Plumbing Board of Louisiana · Form · verified September 16, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.