Your Louisiana plumbing license: what the plumbing board's move to the LSLBC means, and your first 30 days

Published November 3, 2026 · Law, board forms, city pages and utility pages checked November 3, 2026, including Act 908 of 2026

• Free. The whole 30-day checklist is on this page. The printable version (PDF, Word or Google Docs) comes by email.
• Deepsel is our product: free estimate, invoice and scheduling software for contractors (scheduling, quotes, invoicing, card payments). The section before the FAQ says where it fits and where it doesn't.
• Not legal advice. Every rule here links to the statute, rule, board form, city page or utility page it comes from. Call the LSLBC (225-765-2301) or the plumbing board (225-756-3434) before you bet a job on my reading.

Right now your company runs on two licenses, and on January 1, 2027 they end up under one board. The State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) license with the Plumbing classification lets your company bid and do plumbing jobs of $10,000 or more, houses included. Your master plumber's license from the State Plumbing Board is what makes plumbing legal at any price, and it can stand behind one company only.^5,15,22 On January 1, Act 908 abolishes the plumbing board, turns every apprentice, journeyman and master license into "the equivalent license" at the LSLBC, and drops the $10,000 line, so any business that offers plumbing will need a plumbing contractor license.¹

Before then, four things matter most. Renew the master license by December 31 ($190, after five hours of continuing education). Keep $500,000 of general liability, plus vehicle and workers' comp certificates, on file with the board. Letter both sides of your trucks with your company name, address, phone and master's number. And register in each city that asks, New Orleans first.^9,11,12,27

If you searched "louisiana plumbing board" this fall, one of Google's top results was a social post whose preview says the change means "there will no longer be plumbing testing, plumbing licenses, and plumbing regulations." The enrolled act says the opposite: it keeps the exams, carries your license over, and requires a plumber's license for "any plumbing work of any kind."¹ What it does change is the hours, the company license and who writes the rules, and the LSLBC hasn't published those rules yet. This page covers what you hold today, what January 1 changes, and what to do in the next 30 days. The general rules for builders and remodelers are in Louisiana contractor license requirements, the electrician's side is in the Louisiana electrical contractor license, and what a written contract must say is in the Louisiana contract template.

What happens to the Louisiana plumbing board on January 1, 2027

Act 908 (House Bill 953) was signed June 12, 2026. Its licensing sections take effect January 1, 2027.^1,2 The board already moved into the LSLBC's building at 600 North Street in Baton Rouge on September 1.⁴ The act's grandfather clause is one sentence: "Any person licensed in this state as an apprentice plumber, journeyman plumber, or master plumber by the State Plumbing Board on or before December 31, 2026, shall hold the equivalent license of the State Licensing Board for Contractors created by this Act on January 1, 2027."¹ Here is what moves, read from the enrolled bill's struck and underlined text.

Sources for the table: Act 908¹ and its digest,² the plumbing statutes it repeals,^5,7,8 the board's license page,¹⁰ and the LSLBC law and checklist.^14,23

What nobody knows yet

The LSLBC's own memo of November 1, 2026 says existing licenses carry over, that "Businesses offering plumbing services must hold the appropriate contractor license," and that "Additional transition information will be provided as rules and procedures are finalized."³ On November 3 I found no proposed plumbing rules on its site. Until they appear, these are open:

• What your LSLBC classification will be called. The statute renames the major classification "Master Plumbing."¹
• What happens to gas fitter, residential plumber limited, water supply protection specialist and medical gas licenses. The act defines gas fitting but doesn't license it in its new sections, and its grandfather clause names only apprentices, journeymen and masters. The digest says the old grades were repealed.^1,2
• Whether plumbing contractors will carry any insurance minimum, and whether a residential plumbing contractor counts as a residential license for the $500,000 rule.¹⁴
• Whether the plumbing board's rules on truck lettering and one company per master survive. Both come from the plumbing board's statute and rules, and the statute is repealed.^5,9
• Continuing education hours for 2027 and later.

The LSLBC is taking questions in person. Its second open discussion on the transition is Tuesday, November 24, 2026, at 9:30 am in its board room at 600 North Street, Baton Rouge, and the notice asks for input on "any items that may be unclear or may not have been fully addressed in the legislation."⁴ If you hold a gas or backflow license, go or send your question in writing.

Who must hold what: your Louisiana master plumber license and the company

Louisiana licenses the person and the business, and until December 31 the business layer has two pieces.

The plumbing board's side. "No employing entity shall hold itself out as engaging in the business or art of plumbing unless it employs a master plumber," and employing one means "employment on a regular paid basis for actual services performed supervising journeyman plumbers."⁵ The master designates the company to the board, and "A master plumber shall designate no more than one employing entity at any time."⁵ The board's rule spells it out: employment "for wages or under a bona fide contract of hire with no more than one employing entity at any given time."⁹ A company can have several active masters, but the board wants "one (1) designated Responsible Active Master Plumber for each company," and that master keeps the company's insurance on file.¹⁰ I found no ownership share in the law: the master can own the company or work for it. Registering a new company, or moving your license to one, is a Certificate of Issuance form and $160 per license, with the company's insurance certificates attached.¹²

The LSLBC's side. Your Plumbing classification is "contingent upon holding an active Master Plumber License issued by the State Plumbing Board," and the LSLBC has said it will suspend Plumbing licenses without one on file.²² Your qualifying party (the person who qualified the license) must be a principal (an owner, officer, member or manager) or a full-time W-2 employee working at least 32 hours a week.^14,21 The license belongs to the company, not to that person.²¹

If your master leaves. On the plumbing board's side the law gives no grace period: from the day you don't employ a master, the company can't hold itself out as a plumbing company. The only exception is death, which gives the company six months on the deceased master's license if it applies in writing within 30 days.^5,9 The master must tell the board within 30 days of changing employers.⁹ On the LSLBC's side, tell the board within 30 days, qualify a replacement within 60, and don't start new work in the classification until you have one.^14,21 So name a backup master before you need one.

Being someone else's master. If a company asks you to be its master of record, the rules above apply to you personally. You can be the master for one company only, which includes a side business of your own. The board can discipline a master who habitually lets a company hold itself out as employing him when it doesn't, or who lets unlicensed people do plumbing work.^5,8 The LSLBC treats "Permitting a license to be used for any purpose by any person other than the person to whom the license is issued" as a violation, and New Orleans' plumbing code says a master works for "only one firm partnership or corporation, and must devote his full time."^16,27 The pay plumbers report online is modest: "$25k a year is what we pay our master of record," one wrote (r/Plumbing, February 2026). The rules exist because of the arrangement a Colorado owner described: "Most hire a master plumber in name only to pull permits" (Reddit, June 2026). From January 1, a master plumbing contractor's qualifying party must still be a licensed master, but the one-company rule sits in the law being repealed, and the LSLBC's general law lets a qualifying party also qualify a subsidiary.^1,14 Ask before you sign up for two.

What your Louisiana plumbing license covers

The LSLBC classification covers "The construction, installation, maintenance, or repair of potable and non-potable tap water and/or sewer water systems within a building structure or house," and the statute adds service lines.^13,22 Project value counts "the entire cost of the labor, materials, rentals, and all direct and indirect project expenses ... regardless of who pays the costs," so a $7,000 labor quote with $3,500 of customer-bought fixtures is a $10,500 job.¹³ The statute says "$10,000 or more"; the board's page says a license is needed when the value "exceeds $10,000." At exactly $10,000, go with the statute.

Sources for the table: the LSLBC statute, rule and classification page,^13,21,22 the plumbing statutes and rules,^5,6,9 the board's license page and renewal form,^10,12 and Act 908.¹

A few lines people get wrong:

• Gas piping isn't in the plumbing license. Gas fitting is its own license through 2026. The hookup "from the outlet side of the appliance shutoff valve to the appliance inlet" isn't gas fitting, so swapping a gas water heater's connector is open to you; a new valve or new pipe upstream of it is not.^5,6
• Drain cleaning is plumbing work. The board's rules define repair as "the performance of repairs to existing plumbing, the clearing of stoppages, or repairing leaks." Only an owner's own maintenance staff may clear stoppages, through cleanouts, without a license. I found no exemption for drain-cleaning companies.⁹
• Heating loops aren't plumbing. The plumbing law excludes "All piping used for heating or cooling where it is not directly connected with a potable water supply system." A boiler loop is mechanical work.⁶
• Septic belongs to the health department's installers "up to the inlet connection of the primary treatment device." The building sewer to that point is yours.⁹
• Water softeners and filters. I found no special rule. Cutting one into the house's water line is installing apparatus "for supplying water," which is the definition of plumbing, so treat it as plumbing work.⁶
• Fire sprinklers belong to the State Fire Marshal's licensees, not to plumbers.³⁶

Supervision: apprentices, journeymen and who may work alone

Today, every unlicensed person doing plumbing or gas work must register as an apprentice and "be in the employ of a master company."¹⁰ Apprentices work only under "direct, constant, on-the-job supervision," which the board's rule defines as a licensed journeyman or master "physically present and in direct communication at the property or jobsite" for houses and single-story commercial work, and in the same building on the same floor for multi-story commercial.^5,9 The plumbing law sets no ratio of its own; apprentices are supervised "as governed by Louisiana Works," the agency that approves apprenticeship programs.⁵

Who may work alone: a master; a journeyman, as long as a master's company employs him; and a residential plumber limited on one- and two-family houses at a master's direction. A journeyman who repaired plumbing on his own before January 1, 2024 may keep doing so for five years, and must pass the master exam within that time.⁵

From January 1, the act sets a number: "A journeyman plumber shall not supervise more than three apprentice plumbers." A journeyman may supervise another journeyman only at a residential plumbing contractor, and masters supervise at master plumbing contractors.¹ The bigger change is that a journeyman can qualify a residential plumbing contractor, which means a journeyman can own a house-plumbing company without a master.¹

Where your license stops

Gas lines for ranges, dryers, generators and tankless heaters

Natural gas piping takes a gas fitter license at any price through 2026, with the appliance-connector exception above.^5,6 A journeyman plumber can qualify for the gas fitter exam after two years of gas work under a licensed gas fitter.¹⁰ Until someone in your company holds it, sub the gas line out. Propane is a different agency: installing LP gas systems or appliances takes a permit or registration from the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission, and the registration is open to master plumbers.³⁵ From January 1, the LSLBC's Mechanical classification still covers "gas piping" on jobs of $10,000 or more, and the question of who licenses smaller gas jobs is one of the open ones.¹³

Water heater circuits, sump pumps and other wiring

The pipes are yours, the circuit isn't. New Orleans issues electrical permits only to holders of its Class A electrical license, and Jefferson Parish wants a parish-licensed electrician's filing for electrical work.^28,32 Swapping an electric water heater on the existing circuit is plumbing. A new circuit or a bigger breaker for a tankless heater is an electrician's job. More on the electrician's side in the Louisiana electrical contractor license.

Boilers, furnaces and air conditioning

Mechanical work needs the LSLBC Mechanical classification from $10,000, and Jefferson Parish requires a parish-licensed mechanical contractor's filing for "Replacement or installation of air conditioning, and heating equipment."^13,28 Anyone who opens a refrigerant circuit, a heat pump water heater included, needs EPA Section 608 certification.³⁸

Lead paint in pre-1978 houses

Opening painted walls in a house built before 1978 is renovation under EPA's lead rule, which EPA runs directly in Louisiana and which covers "all firms, even sole proprietorships." Firm certification and a certified renovator are required unless the job disturbs "6 square feet or less of painted surface per room" inside, or 20 outside.³⁷ A repipe through every room of an old house passes that quickly.

Taking the whole remodel as the prime contractor

On a job that needs an LSLBC license, "the licensee shall hold the classification for the majority of work performed."¹⁶ You can be the prime on a bathroom where plumbing is most of the work. You can't be the prime on a $60,000 kitchen remodel where plumbing is a fifth of the work.

One open question: house jobs of $7,500 or more

The contractors law exempts "Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing licensees who are acting exclusively within the scope of their classification." Act 757 of 2026 is easy to read as repealing that line: its Section 2 repeals R.S. 37:2157(A)(19), where the exemption sat. Read with its struck and underlined coding, though, Section 1 strikes the text of the old (18) and only the number "(19)," so the exemption moves up to become (18).¹⁵ On my reading it survives, renumbered. Without it, the home improvement registration would cover repairs and improvements to a house from $7,500, and an $8,500 repipe would need it.^13,15 I don't know how the board reads it, and Act 908's new residential plumbing contractor license may settle it from January. If you do house work, email the board before you sign a $7,500 house job and keep the answer.

Louisiana plumbing permits, inspections and the utilities

The Louisiana plumbing code

The state code adopts the 2021 International Plumbing Code with Louisiana amendments, the plumbing chapters of the 2021 International Residential Code for one- and two-family houses, and the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code. Parishes and cities enforce it.²⁵ The amendments you'll meet on water heaters:

• "The installation of fuel gas distribution piping and equipment, fuel-gas-fired water heaters and water heater venting systems shall be regulated by the International Fuel Gas Code."
• The pan must be "a minimum of 2-inches" deep and drain through "an indirect waste pipe having a diameter of not less than 1-inch."
• The relief valve may discharge "to the floor, to a waste receptor, mop sinks or to the outdoors."

From January 1, 2027, a $10 state fee also applies to some locally issued permits under Act 881.³

Who pulls the permit

The licensed plumber, and on jobs that need an LSLBC license a building department may not issue a permit to anyone without "an active license in the appropriate classification for the scope of work."¹⁸ One plumber's view of how often that happens on water heaters: "No plumber is pulling a permit to change a water heater unless someone is forcing him to do so" (Reddit, August 2026). In Louisiana's biggest jurisdictions, someone is:

• New Orleans. The Sewerage and Water Board (S&WB), not the city, inspects plumbing. Permits are issued through the city's One Stop, and "A Licensed Master Plumber (registered with sewerage and water board) is required to file a plumbing permit to install, construct, reconstruct, alter, or repair any plumbing system." Registration is $150, then $100 a year, renewed before March 1. A permit is $50 for up to five fixtures and $10 for each one after. Work covered before inspection gets uncovered, and skipping the rules can mean "water service interruption." Firms based outside the S&WB's area must keep their master "resident in the greater New Orleans area" while the work is in progress.^26,27
• Jefferson Parish. "Replacement or installation of water heaters, toilets, faucets, etc. requires filing by a State Plumbing Board of Louisiana licensed plumber, gas fitter, etc.," before work starts.²⁸
• Baton Rouge. Permits for "Replacement of water heater," "Gas line work," "Replacement of any water line, vent, drain or sewer line" and "Replacement of any plumbing valves or shut offs." No permit for "Replacement of plumbing fixture," for clearing stoppages and repairing leaks, or for pulling and resetting a toilet.²⁹
• Shreveport requires a contractor's registration before plumbing work in the city. Lafayette's Permitting Division handles the city and the unincorporated parish.^30,31

Everywhere else, call the permit office before your first job there.

What a water heater swap needs

Put these in the quote: the permit or filing; a pan at least 2 inches deep with a 1-inch drain; a relief line to an approved spot (in New Orleans, the S&WB code wants a 3/4-inch minimum drain "to the outside of the building" and a shutoff valve within two feet on the cold side); gas venting to the fuel gas code; and an electrician if the circuit changes.^25,27 If the gas pipe or valve upstream of the appliance shutoff changes, that part takes a gas fitter.⁶

The homeowner exemption

The plumbing law doesn't apply to "Work done by an individual on his own personal residence," and the contractors law exempts owners working on their own homes, with an affidavit for the permit.^6,15 New Orleans is stricter: a homeowner gets a permit only for a single dwelling he lives in, doing all the labor himself, after he "first satisfactorily passes an examination."²⁷ The exemption covers the owner, never the plumber the owner pays.

Gas utilities: no meter until the inspector releases it

The gas utility map changed in 2025. CenterPoint sold its Louisiana gas utilities to Delta Utilities, and on July 1, 2025 Entergy sold its gas business in New Orleans (about 109,000 customers) and East Baton Rouge Parish (about 95,000) to Delta too.³⁴ If an old customer file says CenterPoint or Entergy gas, it's Delta now. Check the customer's gas bill for the utility. The two I read:

• Atmos Energy: service lines and meter sets go through its Builder Portal or Builder Services (866-332-8667). The service line goes in after framing, and a meter set request needs the BTU load, the equipment list and a confirmed gas riser.³³
• Delta Utilities: for a new appliance or generator, the customer engages "a licensed contractor to provide load data," gets the permit, and Delta completes the service after it receives "gas approval from the jurisdictional authority." Its appliance and generator page lays out the steps.³⁴

A tankless job that needs a bigger meter is three calls: the utility for the load review, the permit office, and the inspector whose release the utility waits for.

Water: New Orleans' connections and backflow

• New connections: private water and sewer lines are installed "using a licensed master plumber," who must "file for intent to establish new service connections" first. The tap on the public main is done by a contractor with a "Municipal and Public Works Contractor license and a certificate of insurance indemnifying SWBNO by at least $5 million." Sub that part.²⁶
• Backflow: assemblies are tested at installation and every year, and a missed test can put a monthly non-compliance fee on the customer's water bill. A "general tester" with a recognized certificate may test but "is not authorized to install, repair, or maintain" assemblies on private property. That work takes a plumber with the WSPS endorsement. The S&WB charges $50 per backflow test and keeps a list of approved plumbers and testers.^26,27

Outside New Orleans, ask each water system how it runs backflow testing and whose test reports it accepts.

Can I take this job? A table for a Louisiana plumbing license holder

The verdicts assume you hold the LSLBC Plumbing classification with an active master behind it, and that "permit" means the local one.

Sources for the table: gas fitting and the connector rule,^5,6 board rules on repair, septic and supervision,⁹ license types,¹⁰ the LSLBC law,^13,15,16 the code,²⁵ New Orleans,^26,27 Jefferson Parish, Baton Rouge and Shreveport,^28,29,30 the gas utilities,^33,34 propane, fire sprinklers, lead and refrigerant.^35,36,37,38

What happens if you cross the line

The plumbing board, through December 31

• A criminal fine of "not less than five hundred dollars nor more than five thousand dollars, or imprisoned for not more than ninety days, or both."⁸
• On a customer's complaint, a board fine of up to $5,000 against any person "or employing entity" doing plumbing without a license. The same applies to unlicensed gas fitters.⁸
• Injunctions, with attorney fees if the board wins.⁸
• Discipline against the master's license for letting unlicensed people do plumbing work or letting a company use his name.⁸
• Enforcement fees of up to $10 a day, capped at $500, for missing signs and truck lettering.⁹

The LSLBC, now and from January 1

• A fine "of up to ten percent of the total contract or the value of the work bid or being performed," plus administrative costs and attorney fees.²⁰ On a $30,000 commercial repipe without the right classification, that's up to $3,000 before costs. From January 1 the plumbing subcommittee can impose it too, and plumbing without the plumbing contractor license becomes its own violation at any job size.¹
• Contracting without a license is a misdemeanor: up to $500 a day, three months in prison, or both. Causing more than $300 of harm while unlicensed: $500 to $5,000 and six months to five years.¹⁹

New Orleans

The S&WB fines "not more than one thousand dollars for each offense or imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both," charges an investigation fee of $50 to $500 for work done without a permit, and can shut off water service.^26,27

Getting paid

A contractor "who fails to obtain a license" can't file a statement of claim or a lien for the money.¹⁷ Louisiana's First Circuit held that "any contract made in violation of the Contractors Licensing Law is null and void" and limited the contractor to its actual costs "with no allowance for profit or overhead." That contractor held a commercial license, but not the classification the job needed.²⁴

Insurance

Through 2026 the plumbing board itself requires the general liability, vehicle and workers' comp coverage, so a lapse is a license problem before it's a claims problem.^7,11 What your insurer pays on work outside your license is in your policy, not in state law. Ask your agent in writing whether the policy covers gas work, backflow work and jobs outside your classification, and keep the reply.

Your first 30 days: the checklist

Everything is here. The printable version has the same items with blanks for your license, permit and policy numbers and your renewal dates. Get it three ways: make your own copy in Google Docs (lands in your Drive), download the Word version (.docx), or download the PDF. Pick a format, enter your email and I'll send the links. Copies don't update, so its footer gives the date I checked the rules.

1. Look yourself up twice. On the LSLBC contractor search, write down the company's license number, classifications, qualifying party and expiration date. On the plumbing board's public search, check each person's license and that your master's designated company is yours.^4,14
2. Keep the entity in good standing with the Louisiana Secretary of State as long as you're licensed, and use the exact licensed name: the LSLBC "does not recognize DBA's."^14,23
3. Settle your master and your backup. One designated responsible master for the company, on a regular paid basis, for no other company. If the master leaves: the master tells the plumbing board within 30 days, the LSLBC gets notice within 30 and a new qualifying party within 60, and you start no new plumbing work until then. A new company or a move is a Certificate of Issuance and $160 per license. Changes to owners, officers, address, email or business structure go to the LSLBC within 30 days.^5,9,12,14,21
4. Insurance on file with the plumbing board. General liability and property damage of at least $500,000 aggregate, vehicle liability at the legal minimum (a proof-of-insurance card per truck works), and workers' comp, or, if the workers' comp law exempts you, the board's notarized exemption affidavit (it covers a company with no employees, or owners of at least 10% each claiming the exemption). Certificates without an end date count for the current license year only. There's no state bond, and the LSLBC asks no insurance of your commercial classification; its financial test was the $50,000 net worth at application.^7,11,12,23 Every employer must also secure workers' comp under R.S. 23:1168.³⁹
5. Renew every plumbing board license by December 31, 2026. "IF YOU WILL BE WORKING IN THE YEAR 2027, YOU MUST RENEW BY DECEMBER 31ST, 2026." Finish continuing education first: five hours for an active master, three and a half for a journeyman. By December 31: $190 active master, $50 journeyman, $50 natural gas fitter, $40 medical gas installer, $20 apprentice (with a recent pay stub), $10 WSPS. After December 31 the active master fee is $250, after March 31 $310. Renew on the licensee portal or the 2027 renewal form. I found no first-year exception to the CPE rule, so if you were licensed this year, ask the board.^9,12 Renewing now means your license reaches the LSLBC on January 1 already current for 2027.¹
6. Letter the trucks and the paperwork. Both sides of every service vehicle, in letters at least 2 inches high: the company's full name, physical address, phone and "LMP" with the master's license number. The same on a job sign visible from the street at every site (one sign with 4-inch letters at the entrance if you're the only plumbing company on a multi-site project), and on "All public advertising, solicitations, customer invoices, and business correspondence." Keep an established place of business that takes calls and notices during business hours. In New Orleans the S&WB wants proof of the signs, trucks and ads each year before it renews your registration.^9,11,27 Contracts for licensed work also show "the full names, addresses, and the license number of the contractor."¹⁷ The plumbing invoice template has a spot for it.
7. Register where you'll work. New Orleans: S&WB master plumber registration ($150, then $100 by March 1 each year) and an Orleans Parish occupational license. Jefferson Parish: zoning clearance, then an occupational license from the Sheriff's Office. East Baton Rouge: an occupational license a month before you open. Shreveport: the contractor's registration. Lafayette: ask the Permitting Division.^{27,28,29,30,31,32}
8. The gas utilities. Atmos: set up a Builder Portal account through Builder Services (866-332-8667). Delta Utilities (former CenterPoint areas, plus New Orleans and East Baton Rouge Parish): save its business and builder page and the appliance and generator steps. Ask each how a meter set or upgrade is booked and how the inspector's release reaches them.^33,34
9. The water systems. In New Orleans, save the S&WB's plumbing page and connection steps, and line up a Municipal and Public Works contractor for taps. Elsewhere, ask each water system about its backflow program and test reports.²⁶
10. Decide on gas and backflow. Get a gas fitter license or a gas fitter to sub to. Add the WSPS endorsement ($20, after a 40-hour tester certification) or line up a tester. Renew both by December 31 either way.^10,12
11. Line up the trades you sub to, and look each one up. An electrician with the local license, a mechanical contractor, a State Fire Marshal-licensed sprinkler firm, a licensed septic installer, an LP gas permit holder. Contracting with an unlicensed contractor is a violation for you.¹⁶
12. Ask the LSLBC two things in writing and keep the answers: whether your house jobs of $7,500 or more need a home improvement registration, and what your Plumbing classification, gas license and backflow endorsement become on January 1. Or ask in person at the open discussion on November 24, 9:30 am, 600 North Street, Baton Rouge.^4,15
13. Pre-1978 houses: EPA firm certification and a certified renovator before you open more than 6 square feet of painted wall in a room.³⁷
14. Records. Keep five years of contracts, subcontracts and sub licenses; the LSLBC can ask for them on five business days' notice.¹⁴
15. Calendar. December 31: plumbing board renewals. Before March 1: S&WB registration. Your LSLBC renewal on the anniversary of issue, with no continuing education for commercial classifications. Insurance expirations. January 1: the switch to the LSLBC, and watch its site for the new rules.^{3,12,14,23,27}

More for new plumbing contractors

• How much to charge per hour: service call minimum, first hour and flat prices, with a free rate sheet.
• Water heater replacement checklist: the code items, the permit and what to charge, with a free printable.
• You got your master plumber license. Now what? Stay for a raise or start your own plumbing business, with the numbers for each.
• Asked to be the master of record: what being a company's plumbing qualifier pays, and what it can cost you.

Where Deepsel fits

Deepsel is the field service software I build, and it doesn't know Louisiana plumbing law. It won't track your master's renewal, your S&WB registration or the January 1 switch, and it doesn't pull permits or book meter sets. What it does: the shop-wide terms text you set once is copied onto every quote and shows on the customer's quote page, and the invoice footer is copied onto every invoice, so your company name, physical address, phone, LMP number and LSLBC number go on every quote and invoice without retyping. You can attach checklists to a quote for the office and techs to fill in (permit number, inspection date, backflow test result), each answer stamped with who and when; they stay internal and never show on the customer's page. Equipment records hold a water heater's brand, model, serial, year, fuel, gallons, venting, location and a nameplate photo. Quotes can carry options, the customer approves and signs on screen, and an optional card deposit is credited on the final invoice. Free covers 30 estimates and 30 invoices a month for your whole team, with scheduling and dispatch, quotes, invoicing, card payments, and customer and equipment records; Pro is $29 a month with unlimited estimates and invoices (pricing).

Frequently asked questions

What happens to the Louisiana State Plumbing Board on January 1, 2027?

Act 908 of 2026 abolishes it. Its licensing, enforcement, staff and records move to the State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC), where a new 11-member Plumbing Contractors Subcommittee writes the plumbing rules and continuing education. Licenses don't lapse: anyone licensed as an apprentice, journeyman or master plumber on or before December 31, 2026 holds the equivalent LSLBC license on January 1, 2027. The board has already moved into the LSLBC building at 600 North Street in Baton Rouge.

Do I need an LSLBC license if I have a Louisiana master plumber license?

Through December 31, 2026, yes for plumbing jobs of $10,000 or more, counting labor and all materials: that takes the LSLBC Plumbing classification, which the LSLBC keeps only with an active master plumber license on file. Under $10,000, the master license and a registered employing entity are enough. From January 1, 2027 the dollar line goes away: any person or business that offers or does plumbing needs a plumbing contractor license, either master plumbing contractor (any building) or residential plumbing contractor (houses up to three floors).

How do you get a plumbing license in Louisiana, and how long does it take?

Until the end of 2026, through the State Plumbing Board: register as an apprentice ($20) with a master company, then a journeyman exam after 7,000 hours in an approved apprenticeship or 8,000 hours without one, then the three-part master exam. From January 1, 2027, Act 908 sets 2,500 hours as an apprentice plus written and practical exams for journeyman, and 1,000 hours as a licensed journeyman plus a written exam for master. The LSLBC hasn't published its exam rules yet.

What insurance does a Louisiana plumbing company need?

Through 2026, the company a master designates must carry workers' compensation as required by law, vehicle liability at the legal minimum, and general liability and property damage of at least $500,000 aggregate, with certificates on file with the plumbing board (its 2027 renewal form asks for them). There's no state bond. The LSLBC asks for no insurance on commercial classifications like Plumbing. That insurance statute is repealed on January 1, 2027, and Act 908 adds no plumbing insurance rule, so watch the LSLBC's new rules. Keep the coverage either way.

How do I look up a Louisiana plumbing license?

Individual plumbers, gas fitters, medical gas installers and backflow specialists are on the State Plumbing Board's public search at public.spbla.com. Companies with an LSLBC license, including the Plumbing classification, are on the LSLBC contractor search. Check both before you hire a sub: contracting with an unlicensed contractor is a violation for you too.

What plumbing code does Louisiana use?

The 2021 International Plumbing Code with Louisiana amendments, the plumbing chapters of the 2021 International Residential Code for one- and two-family houses, and the 2021 International Fuel Gas Code for gas piping and gas water heaters and their venting. Parishes and cities enforce it. New Orleans adds the Sewerage and Water Board's own plumbing code. One Louisiana amendment you'll meet on every water heater: the pan must be at least 2 inches deep and drain through a pipe of at least 1 inch.

How many hours of continuing education does a Louisiana plumber need?

Under the State Plumbing Board's rule: five hours a year for an active master, three and a half for a journeyman or residential plumber, more if you also hold a gas license, all taken in the prior calendar year and finished before you submit the renewal. Licenses expire December 31. The LSLBC requires no continuing education for commercial classifications, and from 2027 the plumbing subcommittee sets the plumbers' requirement.

Sources

1. Act 908 of 2026 (HB 953), enrolled: new definitions in R.S. 37:2150.1 (journeyman and master plumber licenses, "master plumbing contractor," "plumber," "residential plumbing contractor," gas fitting and its appliance-connector exclusion), "plumbing contractor" redefined without the $10,000 amount, Plumbing Contractors Subcommittee (2155.1), "Master Plumbing" major classification and the plumbing contractor license and qualifying parties (2156.1), plumber's licenses, hours, supervision and the three-apprentice limit (2156.1.1), new violation 2158(A)(24), fines (2164), repeal of R.S. 37:1361-1380 (Section 2), grandfather clause (Section 4), abolition of the board (Section 5), rules before January 1, 2027 (Section 6), effective January 1, 2027 (Section 7). Struck and underlined text read from the enrolled PDF. legis.la.gov; bill history ("Signed by the Governor - Act 908"), legis.la.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
2. Résumé Digest, Act 908 (HB 953), 2026 Regular Session: prior law's grades including residential plumber limited, medical gas installer and verifier and water supply protection specialist repealed; new law licenses apprentice, journeyman and master plumbers and plumbing contractors; signed June 12, 2026. legis.la.gov, read November 3, 2026.
3. LSLBC, "Changes to Contractor Licensing Laws," memo dated November 1, 2026 (Act 908: equivalent licenses, "Businesses offering plumbing services must hold the appropriate contractor license," transition information to follow; Act 881: a $10 Commission fee on designated locally issued permits from January 1, 2027), lslbc.gov; release of October 30, 2026, lslbc.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
4. LSLBC, open discussions on the plumbing transition, October 27 and November 24, 2026, 9:30 am, 600 North Street, Baton Rouge, lslbc.gov; State Plumbing Board of Louisiana home page (relocated to the LSLBC September 1, 2026; Act fully in effect January 1, 2027; license search), spbla.com; LSLBC contractor search, lslbc.louisiana.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
5. La. R.S. 37:1367 (2025): residential plumber limited, journeyman "under the employment of a master plumber," apprentice supervision "as governed by Louisiana Works," journeymen who repaired independently before January 1, 2024, "A master plumber shall designate no more than one employing entity at any time," "No employing entity shall hold itself out as engaging in the business or art of plumbing unless it employs a master plumber," local examination preempted, medical gas, water supply protection specialist endorsement, gas fitter license. justia.com, read November 3, 2026.
6. La. R.S. 37:1377 (2025), definitions: plumbing and its exclusions ("All piping used for heating or cooling where it is not directly connected with a potable water supply system," "Work done by an individual on his own personal residence"), water supply protection, gas fitting and the exclusion for "Piping connection, disconnection, or reconnection from the outlet side of the appliance shutoff valve to the appliance inlet." justia.com, read November 3, 2026.
7. La. R.S. 37:1380 (2025), insurance for master plumbers' employing entities: workers' compensation as required by law; vehicle liability "in the minimum amount required by law"; "Comprehensive general liability and property damage insurance in a minimum aggregate amount of five hundred thousand dollars." justia.com, read November 3, 2026.
8. La. R.S. 37:1373 (injunctions), 37:1374 (criminal fine of $500 to $5,000 or up to 90 days; board fine up to $5,000 on a consumer complaint, including unlicensed gas fitters) and 37:1378 (license discipline, including (A)(5) and (A)(6)), all 2025. 1373, 1374, 1378 on justia.com, read November 3, 2026.
9. State Plumbing Board rules, LAC 46:LV: §101 (direct, constant on-the-job supervision; employing entity; maintenance work; repair includes "the clearing of stoppages"; individual sewage systems), law.cornell.edu; §301 (change of employer reported within 30 days; one employing entity; six months after a master's death; signs, vehicles "on both sides," advertising, invoices and correspondence; enforcement fees up to $10 a day and $500 in total), law.cornell.edu; §1001 (continuing education: five hours for masters, three and a half for journeymen and residential plumbers), law.cornell.edu. Read November 3, 2026.
10. State Plumbing Board of Louisiana, "License Types" (apprentice registration and master company employment; hours for each license; master exam and $190 active or $40 inactive license; "one (1) designated Responsible Active Master Plumber for each company"; WSPS endorsement with a 40-hour tester certification; medical gas; natural gas fitter and master natural gas fitter), spbla.com, read November 3, 2026.
11. State Plumbing Board of Louisiana, "Signage and Insurance" (job site signs, service vehicles on both sides, 2-inch lettering, "LMP XXXX," advertising and invoices; certificates of general liability, workers' compensation and service vehicle liability insurance), spbla.com, read November 3, 2026.
12. State Plumbing Board of Louisiana forms: 2027 Renewal Form (CPE before submitting; "General Liability ($500,000), Vehicle, and Workers' Compensation insurance certificates"; renew by December 31, 2026; fee schedule), spbla.com; 2027 Workers' Compensation Exemption Affidavit (no employees, or owners of at least 10% each), spbla.com; Certificate of Issuance ($160 per license for a new company or a move), spbla.com. Read November 3, 2026.
13. La. R.S. 37:2150.1, definitions: (4) project value, (12) and (13) home improvement from $7,500, (16) mechanical contractor (including plumbing and gas piping, $10,000; master plumber license for plumbing over $10,000), (21) plumbing contractor ("including service lines," $10,000 or more). LSLBC, "Contractors Licensing Law and Rules and Regulations," updated 8/1/2026, pp. 3-6, lslbc.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
14. La. R.S. 37:2156 (licensed name, Secretary of State good standing, local competency licenses), 37:2156.1 ((A)(7) Plumbing; (B)(2) $50,000 net worth; (E) qualifying party, 30 days to notify and 60 to replace, principal or full-time employee, may also qualify a subsidiary; (F) $500,000 liability and workers' comp for residential, mold and home improvement; (I) statewide plumbing contractors excluded from local examinations; (J) master plumbers exempt from the trade exam), 37:2156.2(A) (records five years, produced within five business days). LSLBC law book updated 8/1/2026, pp. 11-16, lslbc.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
15. La. R.S. 37:2157(A): (12) employees of a licensee, (13) owners of their personal residences with an affidavit, (17) subcontractors of residential license holders except plumbing and other trade scopes, (19) "Electrical, mechanical, and plumbing licensees who are acting exclusively within the scope of their classification," as printed in the law book updated 8/1/2026, p. 19. Act 757 of 2026, effective August 1, 2026: Section 1 (enrolled page 15) strikes the text of the old (18) and the number "(19)," leaving this exemption unstruck as the new (18); Section 2 repeals (A)(19), legis.la.gov; Résumé Digest, legis.la.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
16. La. R.S. 37:2158(A): (1) work without a license in the proper classification, (4) "the licensee shall hold the classification for the majority of work performed," (7) contracting with an unlicensed contractor, (8)(a) "Permitting a license to be used for any purpose by any person other than the person to whom the license is issued," (18) permits. LSLBC law book updated 8/1/2026, pp. 19-21, lslbc.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
17. La. R.S. 37:2159(A)(2) (contracts show "the full names, addresses, and the license number of the contractor") and (D) (no claim or lien for a contractor "who fails to obtain a license"). legis.la.gov, read November 3, 2026.
18. La. R.S. 37:2160(B): a local building department "shall not issue a building permit to any person who does not hold an active license in the appropriate classification for the scope of work." LSLBC law book updated 8/1/2026, p. 24, lslbc.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
19. La. R.S. 37:2163(C): misdemeanor, up to $500 a day, three months, or both; $500 to $5,000 and six months to five years where an unlicensed person causes harm over $300. legis.la.gov, read November 3, 2026.
20. La. R.S. 37:2164(A): fine "of up to ten percent of the total contract or the value of the work bid or being performed," plus administrative costs and attorney fees. legis.la.gov, read November 3, 2026.
21. LSLBC rules, LAC 46:XXIX, in the law book updated 8/1/2026, pp. 28-43: §105, §107 (changes within 30 days), §109 (qualifying employee "working at least 32 hours per week"; work in the classification "may not begin ... until the qualifying party is replaced"), §125 (the license belongs to the licensee), §127, §301(F)(38) Mechanical and (47) Plumbing. lslbc.gov, read November 3, 2026.
22. LSLBC, "Plumbing" classification page ("A license is required when the value exceeds $10,000. Plumbing is also a subclassification of Mechanical."), lslbc.gov; "Advisory Notice: 2025 Master Plumber License Required" (a Plumbing license "is contingent upon holding an active Master Plumber License issued by the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana"), lslbc.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
23. LSLBC, "Checklist of Items Required for Initial License and to Maintain License" (certificates of insurance "Not required for Commercial Applicants/Licensees"), lslbc.gov; Financial Statement form ($50,000 net worth), lslbc.gov; FAQ (commercial plumbing license at $10,000 or more for master plumbers; no continuing education for commercial licensees; no DBAs), lslbc.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
24. Quaternary Resource Investigations, LLC v. Phillips, 2018 CA 1543 (La. App. 1 Cir. 11/19/20), 316 So.3d 448. law.justia.com, read November 3, 2026.
25. Louisiana Uniform Construction Code Council, "Uniform Construction Code Law and Rules and Regulations," May 20, 2026: R.S. 40:1730.28.1 (plumbing provisions of the IBC, IRC and IPC); LAC 17:I.111 (International Plumbing Code, 2021 Edition, with amendments to 101.2, 504.6 and 504.7.1, and IRC P2801.6.1 and P2804.6.1); LAC 17:I.113 (International Fuel Gas Code, 2021 Edition). lsuccc.la, read November 3, 2026.
26. Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans: "Plumbing Information" (permits through the City's One Stop; a registered master plumber files; inspections; water service interruption; fines up to $1,000 or 30 days), swbno.org; "Connect to Water/Sewer Main" (master plumber files intent; Municipal and Public Works license and $5 million insurance for taps), swbno.org; "Approved Plumbers and General Testers," swbno.org. Read November 3, 2026.
27. Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, Plumbing Code, revised 2024: 2.2.1, 2.2.6 (homeowner permits and examination), 2.2.8 (registration renewed before March 1), 2.3(B)-(D) (signs and trucks; one firm, full time; out-of-area firms' master resident in the greater New Orleans area), 3.9.1 (fees: $50 permit for up to five fixtures, $10 per extra fixture, $150 and $100 master plumber certificate, $50 to $500 investigation fee, $50 backflow test), 13.13.4 (water heaters), definitions of backflow general tester and technician, annual backflow tests and non-compliance fees. swbno.org document storage, read November 3, 2026.
28. Jefferson Parish: Building Regulatory Division ("A licensed plumber is required to install a new water heater with the issuance of a plumbing filing"), jeffparish.gov; FAQ (filings by a State Plumbing Board licensed plumber for water heaters, toilets and faucets, by a parish-licensed mechanical contractor for heating and air conditioning, and by a parish-licensed electrician; permits before work; zoning clearance before an occupational license), jeffparish.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
29. City of Baton Rouge Permit & Inspection Division, "Understanding Permit Requirements" (plumbing and gas work needing permits, and exemptions), brla.gov; Occupational License Tax, brla.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
30. City of Shreveport, "Contractor's Registration" (required for plumbing work in the city). shreveportla.gov, read November 3, 2026.
31. Lafayette Consolidated Government, "Business Permits and Licenses." lafayettela.gov, read November 3, 2026.
32. City of New Orleans: Electrical Permit (only a City Class A electrical license holder may obtain one), nola.gov; Occupational License, nola.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
33. Atmos Energy, "Residential and Commercial Builders" (Builder Portal; Builder Services 866-332-8667; service line after framing; meter set information). atmosenergy.com, read November 3, 2026.
34. Delta Utilities, "Delta Utilities completes acquisition of CenterPoint Energy's natural gas utilities in Louisiana and Mississippi," deltautilities.com; "Delta Utilities completes acquisition of Entergy's natural gas utilities in New Orleans and East Baton Rouge Parish" (about 109,000 and 95,000 customers), deltautilities.com; "Generator and Appliance Installation," deltautilities.com; Entergy, "Entergy gas distribution business sale" (completed July 1, 2025), entergy.com. Read November 3, 2026.
35. La. R.S. 40:1847(A): LP gas installations need a permit or registration from the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission; the registration "applies only to plumbers who hold a masters plumber's license ... or mechanical contractors." legis.la.gov, read November 3, 2026.
36. La. R.S. 40:1664.3 (life safety and property protection systems include "fire sprinkler systems and equipment"), 2025 version, justia.com; 40:1664.4(A) (State Fire Marshal license required), legis.la.gov. Read November 3, 2026.
37. EPA, "Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program" (Louisiana not an authorized state; "all firms, even sole proprietorships"), epa.gov; 40 CFR 745.83 (6 square feet per room inside, 20 outside), law.cornell.edu. Read November 3, 2026.
38. 40 CFR 82.161(a)(1): technician certification for anyone "reasonably expected to violate the integrity of the refrigerant circuit." law.cornell.edu, read November 3, 2026.
39. La. R.S. 23:1168(A): "An employer shall secure compensation to his employees." legis.la.gov, read November 3, 2026.