Wyoming to Louisiana: master plumber license reciprocity
Wyoming 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 Wyoming has nothing to transfer
Wyoming master plumber
Licensed by cities and counties
Wyoming issues no master plumber or plumbing contractor license; the State Fire Marshal's electrical program is the only statewide trade licensing and it has no plumbing component. The master credential exists only in city ordinances: Cheyenne's Master (8,000 apprentice hours plus 6,000 journeyman hours and an ICC/NICET/NASCLA exam), Casper's Master Plumber (apprenticeship or four years plus five years as a journeyman or master, ICC G27-N), Laramie's master plumbing certificate of qualification (three years beyond journeyman, city exam), Gillette's Master Plumber (five years plus the ICC exam), Sheridan's Master Plumber (2018 ICC G27 with Gas) and Jackson's Master Certificate of Qualification (ICC G-series National Standard exam plus time in service). In every one of these cities a plumbing contractor must be or employ a master of record, and the contractor license is a separate business license with fees from $150 to $300 plus insurance or bond. No city accepts an out-of-state master license: Casper, Gillette and Jackson reciprocate only with other Wyoming jurisdictions, Sheridan refuses all outside licenses, Cheyenne's Board has undefined discretion, and Laramie may waive its exam for an equivalent certificate from any governmental agency. Rock Springs registers contractors for $125 with proof of insurance and tests nobody.
How local licensing works in Wyoming
How local licensing works. There is no state plumbing board; each city's ordinance defines its own master-level license and the plumbing contractor license it qualifies. The reciprocity statute the cities cite reaches only other Wyoming jurisdictions, and no city publishes a route that honours another state's master plumber or plumbing contractor license.
Cheyenne. A Master level craft employee license (12.1.8) requires 4 years/8,000 hours documented as an apprentice (or certified equivalent training) plus 3 years/6,000 hours documented as a journeyman and passing results on a current ICC, NICET or NASCLA exam from the Board's list. Fees are $50 application plus $50 initial and $25 renewal. A Plumbing (C1) contractor - covering plumbing and pipe-fitting systems other than fire sprinklers - may be licensed only if it always employs a full-time master or qualified supervisor of that class, who may represent only one contractor (13.0); the C1 tested contractor license costs $50 application plus $200 initial and $75 renewal. Reciprocity is at the Board's discretion (3.3.2/3.5.1) with no published partner list and a statute limiting it to Wyoming jurisdictions.
Casper. Master Plumber ($75 new, $37.50 renewal) requires a federally recognized plumbing apprenticeship or four years in a Casper-licensed plumbing shop plus five years as a journeyman or master plumber in a Casper-licensed shop, and proof of passing ICC G27-N or equivalent. A Plumbing Contractor license ($300/$150) covers any plumbing work including steam and water boilers, must be backed by a full-time licensed master plumber, and requires $250,000/$500,000/$250,000 liability insurance. Reciprocal Master/Journeyman licenses ($50/$25) are limited to holders of a current license from another Wyoming jurisdiction with comparable testing.
Laramie. A master plumbing certificate of qualification requires three years as a journeyman (Table 15.24.020-1) and the building official's examination ($5 per attempt), or is issued without exam on presentation of a certificate from another governmental agency whose exam the board of examiners finds at least equal. All plumbing contractor work must be performed by or under the supervision of a master plumbing certificate holder, who must be available to the building official within 24 hours. The Plumbing Contractor license costs $300 new and $35 renewal and requires a business location and telephone, a $500,000 combined single limit insurance certificate naming the City and a Wyoming Workers' Compensation certificate of good standing; licenses and certificates run January 1 - December 31.
Gillette. Master Plumber ($50 new, $50 renewal) requires five years of approved experience and passing ICC examination results. A Class D Plumbing Contractor ($150/$50) works under the 2024 IPC, may not do gas pipefitting on its plumbing license, and must designate a Master of Record - a full-time employee or owner licensed as a Master Plumber, able to reach any job site within 48 hours and replaced within 60 days if they leave. Reciprocity (5-III-1(d)) is limited to active, good-standing licenses from other Wyoming local governments, with testing waived on proof of the ICC plumbing or contractor exam and no fee charged.
Sheridan. Master Plumber ($50 new, $50 annual) acts as Master of Record for a plumbing company, must show they meet the Plumbing Contractor requirements (2018 ICC G27 exam, four-year journeyman plumber verification on Form JP, two-year project verification on Form A) and pass the 2018 ICC G27 Master Plumber with Gas exam. The Plumbing Contractor license ($200 new, $200 annual) also needs a $1,000,000 liability insurance certificate and a $10,000 license and permit bond, and every plumbing business must hold both a contractor license and a Master of Record. The City does not accept licenses from other cities, towns, counties or states.
Jackson. The Master Certificate of Qualification card is the prerequisite for a Plumbing Contractor license and is the only individual card the Town still issues. It is obtained by passing the ICC National Standard trades exam through Pearson VUE (only G-series tests based on the 2018 I-Codes are accepted) and meeting the time-in-service requirement in JMC 15.36.050, or by reciprocity for someone 'currently licensed and in good standing in a Wyoming jurisdiction that meets our licensing requirements'. Applications go through the SmartGov portal with a 30-day processing window; the contractor license then requires the bond and insurance in JMC 15.36.035 and renews every December 31, while the Master COQ card renews triennially with six hours of ICC-accredited continuing education. Licensing covers only work inside Town limits.
Rock Springs. Contractors register with the Building Inspection Office ($125 fee and a certificate of insurance naming the City) before working; no master license or exam exists.
- Cheyenne (Contractor Licensing Board / Building Safety Department)
- Casper (Community Development Department)
- Laramie (Code Administration)
- Gillette (Building Inspection Division / Board of Examiners)
- Sheridan (Building Division)
- Jackson (Planning & Building Department)
- Rock Springs (Building Inspection Office)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Louisiana master plumber exam if I'm licensed in Wyoming?
- 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 Wyoming?
- Published fees on this path total $300, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Wyoming 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 Wyoming?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Louisiana to Wyoming, 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.