Louisiana Plumber License Renewal

Last reviewed October 2026 · 5 min read

Every Louisiana plumbing license expires on December 31 and renews each year: to work in 2027, you renew by December 31, 2026. A journeyman or residential plumbing license alone needs 3.5 hours of board-approved CPE first and an active master license alone 5, and whoever is responsible for the company's operations sends its insurance certificates. Renew late and it costs more. Act 908 of 2026 also moves plumbing licensing from the State Plumbing Board to the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) on January 1, 2027.

At a glance

Licenses: Apprentice (a registration), residential plumber, journeyman plumber and master plumber, plus natural gas fitter, master natural gas fitter, medical gas and water supply protection specialist licenses and endorsements
Renews every: Year. All plumbing licenses expire December 31 of each year. The board mails renewal applications by the end of October and issues renewals from November 1
Deadline: If you'll work in 2027, renew by December 31, 2026. A mailed renewal is on time if it's sent first-class with a postmark on or before the last day
Board change: Act 908 of the 2026 Legislative Session abolishes the State Plumbing Board on January 1, 2027 and moves its duties to the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC). Apprentice, journeyman and master plumbers licensed by the State Plumbing Board on or before December 31, 2026 hold the equivalent LSLBC license on January 1, 2027
Fee (renewed by December 31): Active master plumber $190; inactive master plumber $40; journeyman plumber $50; apprentice $20. The 2027 renewal form's fees include a $10 processing charge
Renewing late: A renewal received after December 31 is delinquent and costs more. The 2027 renewal form's totals, revival fee included: renewed by March 31, master $250, inactive master $55, journeyman $65, apprentice $35. After March 31, master $310, inactive master $70, journeyman $80, apprentice $50
CPE: Board-approved CPE every year, finished before you submit the renewal: 3.5 hours for a residential or journeyman plumber, 5 hours for an active master plumber. Apprentices need none
CPE with a gas license: 4.5 hours for a journeyman or residential plumber who also holds a gas fitter license. 6 hours for a journeyman or residential plumber with a master gas fitter license, or a master plumber with either gas fitter license
Missed CPE: A license holder who doesn't take CPE by December 31 must contact the board to complete a make-up course
Insurance: A master plumber license isn't renewed until the board has proof that the employing entity has workers' compensation insurance as the law requires, motor vehicle liability at the legal minimum, and general liability and property damage insurance of at least $500,000. A journeyman who repairs existing plumbing on their own, without a master, is subject to the same insurance requirements
Insurance certificates: Licensees responsible for company operations (responsible masters, or journeymen as applicable) send the company's general liability ($500,000), vehicle and workers' compensation certificates with the renewal form or before it, or a workers' compensation affidavit if the company is exempt
Inactive master: $40 a year. You can work as a journeyman for a master's company (3.5 hours of CPE), or not work in the trade (file an affidavit instead of CPE). Inactive masters don't need the insurance
Renew: Online at the SPBLA licensee portal, paying by credit card, or by mailing the renewal form with a check or money order payable to SPBLA. Renewals take up to two weeks to process
Working on an expired license: The board can assess special enforcement fees
Lapsed license: Instead of re-examination, the board may let you revive a lapsed residential or journeyman license by paying $50 for each year it wasn't renewed, or a master or inactive master license for $250 a year, up to four consecutive years

The State Plumbing Board's current rules and 2027 renewal form cover the renewal due December 31, 2026. From January 1, 2027 the LSLBC runs plumbing licensing, and late renewals, fees and CPE after that date may follow its rules: check with the LSLBC before relying on the 2027 form's revival fees or the lapsed-license rule.

Act 908 names apprentice, journeyman and master plumbers as carrying over to an equivalent LSLBC license. If you hold another license type, ask the board how it carries over.

How to renew

Take your board-approved CPE: 3.5 hours for a residential or journeyman plumbing license alone, 5 for an active master, more if you also hold a gas fitter license.
If you're responsible for the company's operations, collect its current general liability ($500,000), vehicle and workers' compensation certificates, or the workers' compensation affidavit.
Renew online at the SPBLA licensee portal, or mail the 2027 renewal form with a check or money order payable to SPBLA, by December 31, 2026.
Allow up to two weeks for processing, and watch for word from the LSLBC, which takes over plumbing licensing on January 1, 2027.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

End of OctoberThe board mails renewal applications. Book your CPE class if you haven't taken it this year.
NovemberRenewals are issued from November 1. Finish your CPE, then renew online or by mail, with the insurance certificates if you're responsible for the company's operations.
Early DecemberRenewals take up to two weeks to process: renewing now leaves time to fix a form that comes back before December 31.
December 31Last day to renew at the regular fee. Missed your CPE? Contact the board about a make-up course.

Put this renewal in your calendar

Know your expiration date? Download a free calendar file with reminders before it, no sign-up needed. It's made in your browser: nothing you type is sent to us (your browser keeps it only if you follow the sign-up link, for your new ledger). A Google Calendar button sends just that one event to Google.

The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your gas fitter, medical gas and water supply protection specialist licenses or endorsements, if you hold them
Your apprentices' registrations, which also renew by December 31
Your LSLBC contractor license, if you hold one for commercial or residential building work
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

When do Louisiana plumbing licenses expire?

All plumbing licenses expire December 31 of each year. If you'll work in 2027, renew by December 31, 2026.

How much does it cost to renew a Louisiana plumbing license?

Renewed by December 31: active master plumber $190, inactive master plumber $40, journeyman plumber $50, apprentice $20. A renewal received after December 31 costs more: the 2027 renewal form's totals, revival fee included, are master $250 and journeyman $65 if renewed by March 31.

How many CPE hours do Louisiana plumbers need?

Board-approved CPE every year, finished before you submit the renewal: 3.5 hours for a residential or journeyman plumber, 5 hours for an active master plumber. 4.5 hours for a journeyman or residential plumber who also holds a gas fitter license; 6 hours for a journeyman or residential plumber with a master gas fitter license, or a master plumber with either gas fitter license. Apprentices need none.

Is the Louisiana State Plumbing Board going away?

Yes: Act 908 of the 2026 Legislative Session abolishes the State Plumbing Board on January 1, 2027 and moves its duties to the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC). Apprentice, journeyman and master plumbers licensed by the State Plumbing Board on or before December 31, 2026 hold the equivalent LSLBC license on January 1, 2027.

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA), Licenses

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Louisiana guides

All Louisiana guides on one page

Plumber guides for other states

2027 license renewal deadlines, month by month

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

How LicenseLedger works for plumbers

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet

Louisiana Plumber License Renewal

Last reviewed October 2026 · 5 min read

At a glance

Licenses: Apprentice (a registration), residential plumber, journeyman plumber and master plumber, plus natural gas fitter, master natural gas fitter, medical gas and water supply protection specialist licenses and endorsements
Renews every: Year. All plumbing licenses expire December 31 of each year. The board mails renewal applications by the end of October and issues renewals from November 1
Deadline: If you'll work in 2027, renew by December 31, 2026. A mailed renewal is on time if it's sent first-class with a postmark on or before the last day
Board change: Act 908 of the 2026 Legislative Session abolishes the State Plumbing Board on January 1, 2027 and moves its duties to the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC). Apprentice, journeyman and master plumbers licensed by the State Plumbing Board on or before December 31, 2026 hold the equivalent LSLBC license on January 1, 2027
Fee (renewed by December 31): Active master plumber $190; inactive master plumber $40; journeyman plumber $50; apprentice $20. The 2027 renewal form's fees include a $10 processing charge
Renewing late: A renewal received after December 31 is delinquent and costs more. The 2027 renewal form's totals, revival fee included: renewed by March 31, master $250, inactive master $55, journeyman $65, apprentice $35. After March 31, master $310, inactive master $70, journeyman $80, apprentice $50
CPE: Board-approved CPE every year, finished before you submit the renewal: 3.5 hours for a residential or journeyman plumber, 5 hours for an active master plumber. Apprentices need none
CPE with a gas license: 4.5 hours for a journeyman or residential plumber who also holds a gas fitter license. 6 hours for a journeyman or residential plumber with a master gas fitter license, or a master plumber with either gas fitter license
Missed CPE: A license holder who doesn't take CPE by December 31 must contact the board to complete a make-up course
Insurance: A master plumber license isn't renewed until the board has proof that the employing entity has workers' compensation insurance as the law requires, motor vehicle liability at the legal minimum, and general liability and property damage insurance of at least $500,000. A journeyman who repairs existing plumbing on their own, without a master, is subject to the same insurance requirements
Insurance certificates: Licensees responsible for company operations (responsible masters, or journeymen as applicable) send the company's general liability ($500,000), vehicle and workers' compensation certificates with the renewal form or before it, or a workers' compensation affidavit if the company is exempt
Inactive master: $40 a year. You can work as a journeyman for a master's company (3.5 hours of CPE), or not work in the trade (file an affidavit instead of CPE). Inactive masters don't need the insurance
Renew: Online at the SPBLA licensee portal, paying by credit card, or by mailing the renewal form with a check or money order payable to SPBLA. Renewals take up to two weeks to process
Working on an expired license: The board can assess special enforcement fees
Lapsed license: Instead of re-examination, the board may let you revive a lapsed residential or journeyman license by paying $50 for each year it wasn't renewed, or a master or inactive master license for $250 a year, up to four consecutive years

Act 908 names apprentice, journeyman and master plumbers as carrying over to an equivalent LSLBC license. If you hold another license type, ask the board how it carries over.

How to renew

Take your board-approved CPE: 3.5 hours for a residential or journeyman plumbing license alone, 5 for an active master, more if you also hold a gas fitter license.
If you're responsible for the company's operations, collect its current general liability ($500,000), vehicle and workers' compensation certificates, or the workers' compensation affidavit.
Renew online at the SPBLA licensee portal, or mail the 2027 renewal form with a check or money order payable to SPBLA, by December 31, 2026.
Allow up to two weeks for processing, and watch for word from the LSLBC, which takes over plumbing licensing on January 1, 2027.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

End of OctoberThe board mails renewal applications. Book your CPE class if you haven't taken it this year.
NovemberRenewals are issued from November 1. Finish your CPE, then renew online or by mail, with the insurance certificates if you're responsible for the company's operations.
Early DecemberRenewals take up to two weeks to process: renewing now leaves time to fix a form that comes back before December 31.
December 31Last day to renew at the regular fee. Missed your CPE? Contact the board about a make-up course.

Put this renewal in your calendar

The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your gas fitter, medical gas and water supply protection specialist licenses or endorsements, if you hold them
Your apprentices' registrations, which also renew by December 31
Your LSLBC contractor license, if you hold one for commercial or residential building work
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

When do Louisiana plumbing licenses expire?

All plumbing licenses expire December 31 of each year. If you'll work in 2027, renew by December 31, 2026.

How much does it cost to renew a Louisiana plumbing license?

How many CPE hours do Louisiana plumbers need?

Is the Louisiana State Plumbing Board going away?

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

State Plumbing Board of Louisiana (SPBLA), Licenses

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Louisiana guides

All Louisiana guides on one page

Plumber guides for other states

2027 license renewal deadlines, month by month

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

How LicenseLedger works for plumbers

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet