Pennsylvania to Louisiana: master plumber license reciprocity
Pennsylvania 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 recognize 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). The Board's current rules set no minimum time as a journeyman.
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. The separate LSLBC commercial contractor license (plumbing work over $10,000) is a business license outside this Board and is not covered here. Act 908 of 2026 moves plumbing licensing to the LSLBC on January 1, 2027 and adds a requirement of 1,000 hours of verified work as a licensed journeyman.
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. For an active license, proof that the employing company carries workers' compensation, motor vehicle liability and at least $500,000 of general liability insurance, filed and kept current with the Board by the company's designated Responsible Active Master Plumber (not required for an inactive license).
- 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
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 on January 1, 2027; existing licenses carry over, and the Act requires 1,000 hours of verified work as a licensed journeyman before the master license.
Why Pennsylvania has nothing to transfer
Pennsylvania master plumber · “Master Plumber (city-issued; no state license)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Pennsylvania issues no statewide master plumber or plumbing-contractor license; none of the Department of State's 29 boards covers the trade, so the master-level credential exists only in cities that have chosen to license it. Allentown posts a 2026 Master Plumber Exam Application and requires a separate business license to contract. Harrisburg posts a plumbing license application whose master-versus-journeyman split was not verified. Pittsburgh's plumbing trade-license page 404'd. There is no state-level recognition of an out-of-state master plumber license and no municipal program verified here that waives the plumbing trade exam. An arriving master should expect to apply city by city, document local experience thresholds, and sit each city's exam (ICC or city-written) unless that city later publishes an exam-waiver rule.
How local licensing works in Pennsylvania
How local licensing works. With no state plumbing board, each Pennsylvania city that licenses master plumbers does so under its own ordinance. The journeyman card, where it exists, does not authorize pulling permits or running a shop; the master (or master-contractor) license does. A master license is valid only in the issuing city. The journeyman page states that a journeyman works 'under a licensed master plumber' and may not operate a business, which implies the master license is the contracting credential. Other PLI trade licenses are issued to individuals, expire 365 days from issue, and (for electrical and mechanical) accept ICC master exams for any code year plus a stated experience total; whether plumbing follows that pattern is unverified. 2025 plumbing license fee unknown.
Allentown. 2026 Master Plumber Exam Application is posted under Professional Trades Licensing. Contracting requires the trades license and a city business license. Reciprocity not mentioned on the landing page. Electrical Option B on that same form (eight years in lieu of exam) must not be assumed to apply to plumbing.
Inbound master. No Pennsylvania state license and no verified exam-waiver reciprocity. Plan on a new application in each city where permits will be pulled. Philadelphia is the most fully documented shop: obtain the Master Plumber's License after (typically) holding or qualifying beyond the journeyman ICC path; confirm current master fees and exam on the master service page before applying. Allentown requires its master plumber exam application plus a business license. Scranton uses the 2021 master contractor packet. Statewide reciprocity: none.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Louisiana master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Pennsylvania?
- 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 Pennsylvania?
- Published fees on this path total $300, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Louisiana to Pennsylvania, 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 23, 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 23, 2026
- SPBLA - Master Plumber Exam Application and Candidate Bulletin · State Plumbing Board of Louisiana · Form · verified September 23, 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.