- Louisiana licenses plumbers through the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana, and anyone doing plumbing without a license must be a registered apprentice.
- To sit for the master exam you need a current journeyman plumber license, or a professional engineer license. The journeyman exam needs 8,000 hours of plumbing as a registered apprentice, or 7,000 hours in an approved apprenticeship program.
- Plan for two exams: the trade exam and a business and law exam.
- Pay runs from about $18.33 an hour for the lowest-paid tenth of plumbers to $38.24 for the top tenth.
- Jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally.
The path in Louisiana, step by step
Louisiana licenses plumbing work at the state level through the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana. These are the steps it lays out, in order.
- Register with the State Plumbing Board as an apprentice and work for a master plumber's company under direct supervision.
- Log 8,000 hours of plumbing (7,000 in an approved apprenticeship) and pass the journeyman plumber exam.
- Apply for the master plumber exam with the $110 fee and pass all three parts.
- Get an active master license for $190 and file general liability, workers compensation and vehicle insurance certificates with the board.
- For plumbing jobs of $10,000 or more, also get a commercial plumbing license from the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.
- Renew every year by December 31 after 5 hours of continuing education.
The full license guide, with every fee and form: plumbing license in Louisiana.
Finding an apprenticeship in Louisiana
Louisiana runs Registered Apprenticeship through its own State Apprenticeship Agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor to register and oversee programs there. Its staff are state employees, and it may use the federal paperwork or forms of its own. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Louisiana State Apprenticeship Agency as the contact.
Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.
Across the country. Most plumbers learn the trade in a 4 or 5 year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training plus some classroom instruction each year.
License levels and exams in Louisiana
The license to aim for: Master Plumber license.
Trade exam. Yes. The master plumber exam has three written parts. Part one covers the 2021 International Plumbing Code and Residential Code, and part two covers the state sanitary code on sewage disposal.
Business exam. Part three of the master exam covers business, law and project management. The contractors board license also requires its online Business and Law course.
Keeping it. Every year by December 31. Active master plumbers need 5 hours of continuing professional education before renewing.
Coming from another state. The board does not reciprocate master licenses. It has journeyman reciprocity with Texas and Arkansas.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Master Plumber | Install, repair and maintain new and existing plumbing systems, and employ apprentices and journeyman plumbers. |
| Journeyman Plumber | Install, repair and maintain plumbing under the supervision of a Louisiana master plumber. |
| Residential Plumber | Repair existing plumbing in one and two family homes while employed by a master plumber. |
| Apprentice registration | Required for anyone doing plumbing without a license, working for a master plumber's company under direct supervision. |
| Plumbing classification (Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors) | Contractor license for plumbing jobs over $10,000. |
What the Louisiana license costs
The fees the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Master plumber exam application | $110 |
| Active master plumber license | $190 |
| Inactive master plumber license | $40 |
| Journeyman exam application (exam fee plus processing) | $135 |
| Journeyman license | $50 |
| Apprentice registration | $20 |
What plumbers earn in Louisiana
The median plumber in Louisiana earned $30.62 an hour in May 2025, 27th of 51 states, with 8,360 on payrolls. The national median was $30.67.
At the bottom of the range, a quarter of plumbers in Louisiana earned under $24.40 an hour and a tenth under $18.33. At the top, a quarter earned over $35.99 and a tenth over $38.24.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.33 | $38,120 |
| 25th percentile | $24.40 | $50,750 |
| Median | $30.62 | $63,680 |
| 75th percentile | $35.99 | $74,870 |
| 90th percentile | $38.24 | $79,540 |
Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: plumber salary in Louisiana.
Jobs ahead in Louisiana
Louisiana's labor market office projects jobs for plumbers growing from 10,040 in 2022 to 11,040 in 2032, a change of 10%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 1,000 openings a year.
Jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2.3% projected nationally, ranking 20th of the 50 states in the file.
These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters.
Starting your own plumber business in Louisiana
To contract on your own in Louisiana, the license is the Master Plumber license.
Insurance. Active master plumbers must keep certificates on file with the board showing general liability, workers compensation and service vehicle liability coverage.
Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Louisiana median of $30.62 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $124.36 per billable hour. Try your own in the plumber labor rate calculator.
The full checklist is in how to start a plumbing business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.
Where this comes from
The license steps, fees and rules are from the official pages below, read on the date shown. Pay is the BLS May 2025 state estimate, the job outlook is Louisiana's own long-term projection, and the apprenticeship details are from the U.S. Department of Labor. A detail an official page did not confirm is left out.
- State Plumbing Board of Louisiana, license types (checked 2026-10-08)
- State Plumbing Board, signage and insurance (checked 2026-10-08)
- Notice on the plumbing licensing transition (Act 908) (checked 2026-10-08)
- LSLBC frequently asked questions (checked 2026-10-08)
- LSLBC exams and classifications (checked 2026-10-08)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, SOC 47-2152
- Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2022 to 2032 (state labor market offices) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Apprenticeship System (Office of Apprenticeship and State Apprenticeship Agencies) (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, State Offices (checked 2026-10-09)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship Program (checked 2026-10-09)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (checked 2026-10-09)
Training, schools and certifications for every state: how to become a plumber.