Missouri to Louisiana: master plumber license reciprocity
Missouri does not issue a statewide master 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.
No master reciprocity: obtain a Louisiana journeyman license, then pass the master exam
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
The State Plumbing Board of Louisiana does not recognise out-of-state master plumber licenses at the master level: its licenses page states that the Board 'does not reciprocate Master licenses', the master application contains no out-of-state provision, and the only qualifying credentials for the master exam are a current Journeyman Plumber license or a Louisiana professional engineer license. An out-of-state master therefore first obtains a Louisiana journeyman license, either by reciprocity (Texas or Arkansas journeyman license held two years, $100, no exam) or by using the out-of-state license to qualify for the journeyman exam ($135, written and practical exam), and then applies for the master exam with $110. The master exam is a three-part open-book written test at 70% per part covering the 2021 IPC/IRC, Title 51 Part XIII of the Louisiana sanitary code and the NASCLA Louisiana business-and-law guide, so both a trade exam and a law/business exam are required. After passing, the applicant pays $190 for an active license tied to a company with insurance on file or $40 for an inactive license, renews before December 31 each year and completes 5 CPE hours (3.5 if inactive and working as a journeyman). No minimum time as a journeyman is stated on the pages reviewed.
The licenses page says the master applicant 'must have a current Journeyman Plumbing License' without saying it must be a Louisiana license, but the application asks for a 'Journeyman License No.' and the page adds that master licenses are not reciprocated; treated as requiring the Louisiana journeyman license. R.S. The separate LSLBC commercial contractor licence (plumbing work over $10,000) is a business licence outside this Board and is not covered here. 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
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Do not count
What you must already have
- Current Louisiana Journeyman Plumber license (obtained by Texas/Arkansas reciprocity or by passing the Louisiana journeyman exam), or a current Louisiana professional engineer license
What you'll do to get licensed in Louisiana
- 1Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($100). Master Plumber Exam Fee payable to SPBLA with the notarized application (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 ($110 total).
- 3Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Master Plumber exam Parts I and II: 80 open-book multiple-choice questions on the 2021 International Plumbing Code and International Residential Code (3 hours) and a 2-hour part on Title 51 Public Health-Sanitary Code Part XIII Sewage Disposal (December 2022 edition); 70% required in each category; a passed part is kept for one year.
- 4Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Master Plumber exam Part III: 40 questions in 2 hours on the NASCLA Louisiana Master Plumbers and Master Natural Gasfitters Guide to Business, Law, and Project Management, 2nd Edition; 70% required.
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($190). Initial Active Master Plumber license (associate the license with a current plumbing company or provide proof of insurances for a new company); alternatively $40 for an Inactive license to work as a journeyman under a master company or while not working in the trade; expires December 31 each year.
- 6Insurance. Carry the required insurance (if applicable). Proof of insurances for the employing company, filed and kept current with the Board by the company's designated Responsible Active Master Plumber (types and amounts not stated on the pages reviewed).
- 7Continuing education. Complete continuing education. 5 hours of Continuing Professional Education each year before the December 31 renewal for an active master (3.5 hours for an inactive master working as a journeyman; exempt if inactive and not working in the trade).
Published fees on this path total $300, 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 · $100
- Trade exam
- Law / code exam
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance · if applicable
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
How Louisiana licenses master plumbers
Louisiana master plumber · “Master Plumber”
Statewide license
Issued by State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA)
Louisiana licenses Master Plumbers statewide through the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA). A Master Plumber may perform plumbing work and employ registered apprentices and licensed journeymen; each plumbing company must designate one Responsible Active Master Plumber who keeps the company's insurance on file with the Board under La. R.S. 37:1361 et seq. To sit the master exam an applicant must hold a current Journeyman Plumber license (or a Louisiana professional engineer license) and file a notarized application with $110 ($100 exam + $10 processing). The exam is a three-part open-book written test scored at 70% per part: 80 questions on the 2021 IPC/IRC, a part on Title 51 Public Health-Sanitary Code Part XIII (sewage disposal), and 40 questions on the NASCLA Louisiana Master Plumbers and Master Natural Gasfitters Guide to Business, Law, and Project Management. The initial license is $190 active (associated with a plumbing company that has insurance on file) or $40 inactive; licenses expire December 31 and active masters complete 5 hours of CPE a year (3.5 hours for an inactive master working as a journeyman). The Board states that it 'does not reciprocate Master licenses'; out-of-state masters enter through the journeyman license. Act 908 of the 2026 session transfers plumbing licensing to the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, which was holding public discussions on the transition in late 2026.
Why Missouri has nothing to transfer
Missouri master plumber
Licensed by cities and counties
Missouri issues no statewide master plumber or plumbing contractor license. RSMo chapter 341 leaves plumber licensing to cities over 15,000 and first-classification counties, whose boards examine master plumbers, set fees and license terms and (in counties) require master plumber and master drainlayer surety bonds; no state agency licenses the trade and the voluntary statewide contractor license that exists for electrical work has no plumbing counterpart. The master credential therefore exists only locally: Springfield's Master Plumber certification (4 years as a certified journeyman or 10 years' experience, ICC exam, $50), Kansas City's plumbing contractor license qualified by a supervisor holding a certificate of qualification (Prometric or ICC exam, $60 application, $181 four-year renewal; contractor license $55 application, $181 issuance), St. Louis County's Master Plumber license and certified contractor list, and the City of St. Louis Plumbers and Drainlayers Board of Examiners' master plumber and drainlayer licenses. An out-of-state master plumber license carries no state-level recognition; Springfield accepts an identical ICC, Prometric, Experior or Block exam score of 75% or better in place of retesting and Kansas City may accept a comparable exam it deems equivalent, while the St. Louis County and City of St. A master arriving from another state should expect to qualify in each jurisdiction separately and then obtain that jurisdiction's contractor license and bond to pull permits.
How local licensing works in Missouri
How local licensing works. There is no state plumbing board. Under RSMo chapter 341, city boards of examiners (cities over 15,000) and county boards of plumbing and sewer inspection (first-classification counties) examine master plumbers; § 341.170 sets the county master plumber qualifications, § 341.180 the application fees, license terms and re-examination rules, and § 341.200 requires master plumbers and master drainlayers to post surety bonds. The master license is the credential that lets a plumber pull permits and run a plumbing business, and each jurisdiction issues and enforces its own.
St. Louis County. The Plumbing Licensing office (41 South Central Avenue, Clayton, 314-615-3741) issues Master Plumber licenses and publishes a Certified Contractors list; the Board of Plumbing Examiners meets the first Thursday of each month at 8:00 a.m., and renewals carry PEU continuing-education requirements. Louis.** The Building Division's Plumbers and Drainlayers Board of Examiners licenses master plumbers and drainlayers and reviews licensing matters and complaints for plumbing and drainlaying work in the city; permits are issued to city-licensed contractors. Every licensed contractor must employ a full-time supervisor who holds a Kansas City certificate of qualification in the plumbing trade, obtained on an application with notarized references and a passing score from a recognized agency such as Prometric or ICC ($60 application, first four-year certificate free, $181 renewal); the city 'may accept comparable examinations from other jurisdictions if deemed equivalent or superior'. Whether a separately titled master plumber license, plumbing-specific experience hours or named reciprocity with Kansas jurisdictions exist could not be confirmed because kcmo.gov and both fallback routes were blocked on 2026-09-16.
Springfield. Building Development Services certifies Master Plumbers: 4 years as a certified journeyman plumber or 10 years of satisfactory experience in the trade, documented on notarized employer experience forms and approved by the board (first Thursday monthly, 5:00 p.m., Busch Building; approval to test good for one year). The exam is the ICC master plumber exam through Pearson Vue (about $125 paid to Pearson Vue), 75% to pass; the certification card costs $50 with $50 annual renewal, and a master must file a Master Registration form to qualify a contracting business (Master Resignation form on leaving). Out-of-state treatment: 'Reciprocity from another jurisdiction' applicants submit the same experience documentation plus an exam score notification of 75% or better from Prometric, Experior, Block or ICC (Pearson Vue) for the identical exam Springfield requires; otherwise they test. Springfield also certifies Master Gas fitters (4 years as a certified gas journeyman, or 4 years as a master mechanic or plumber plus 2 years as a gas journeyman).
Columbia and others. Columbia, St.
- St. Louis County (Transportation and Public Works, Plumbing Licensing / Board of Plumbing Examiners)
- City of St. Louis (Building Division, Plumbers and Drainlayers Board of Examiners)
- Kansas City (City Planning and Development, contractor licensing and certificates of qualification)
- Springfield (Building Development Services, Trade Certifications)
- Columbia (Community Development, Building and Site Development)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Louisiana master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Missouri?
- Yes. Louisiana requires the trade exam on this path, plus a law or code exam.
- What does it cost to get a Louisiana master plumber license from Missouri?
- Published fees on this path total $300, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Missouri work hours count in Louisiana?
- No. Louisiana does not credit out-of-state hours on this path.
- Does it work the other way, from Louisiana to Missouri?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Louisiana to Missouri, 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
- 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 - Master Plumber Exam Application and Candidate Bulletin · State Plumbing Board of Louisiana · Form · verified September 16, 2026
- SPBLA - License Reciprocation (Texas and Arkansas reciprocal journeyman applications) · 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.