STATE LICENSE
RequiredState Plumbing Board of Louisiana (LSLBC …
Today Louisiana plumbing runs on two tracks. The State Plumbing Board licenses people — apprentices (registered), residential plumbers limited, journeymen, and masters — and R.S. 37:1367 has no dollar floor: no natural person may do the work without the license. A business may not hold itself out as doing plumbing unless it employs a master plumber, and the master's employing entity must carry workers' comp, auto liability, and $500,000 aggregate general liability. On top of that, plumbing contracts of $10,000 or more (including service lines, per Act 757 of 2026) need the LSLBC Plumbing classification, which a master plumber obtains without a trade exam.
That structure ends this winter. Act 908 of 2026 abolishes the State Plumbing Board and transfers plumbing licensing to the LSLBC and a new Plumbing Contractors Subcommittee effective January 1, 2027. Anyone holding an apprentice, journeyman, or master license on or before December 31, 2026 holds the LSLBC equivalent on January 1, 2027. The new law creates Master Plumbing Contractor (any structure) and Residential Plumbing Contractor (homes up to three floors) business licenses and drops the $10,000 threshold from the plumbing-contractor definition.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Louisiana runs on parishes, not counties, and every parish or municipal permit desk is bound by R.S. 37:2160(B): it may not issue a building permit to anyone without an active LSLBC license in the classification that matches the scope, and it must collect a board-form exemption affidavit from owner-builders (§ 2160(C)). LSLBC staff may audit local permit lists monthly (§ 2160(A)). Beyond the state license, a contractor owes only local occupational license taxes, inspection permit fees, and any local competency license for mechanical, plumbing, or electrical contractors (R.S. 37:2156(N), electrical added by Act 757 of 2026); state law preempts local examination authority over LSLBC licensees (§ 2160(D)). In New Orleans, permits run through the Department of Safety & Permits, and a building-permit application must include a copy of the contractor's current Certificate of Registration and license number. Baton Rouge is a consolidated city-parish: the City of Baton Rouge/Parish of East Baton Rouge Permits & Inspections Division handles building, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical permits — except inside the City of St. George, which took over its own permitting on October 16, 2024. Jefferson, Caddo (Shreveport), and Lafayette permit offices apply the same state gate. For plumbing specifically, R.S. 37:1367(E) and 1368(B)(2) preempt local examination of master plumbers and bar any local master plumber license; parishes and cities may only collect locally adopted plumbing fees, and only from state-licensed plumbers. In New Orleans, plumbing permits run through the Sewerage and Water Board and must be applied for by a licensed master plumber.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Louisiana county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Act 908 abolishes the State Plumbing Board; LSLBC and its Plumbing Contractors Subcommittee take over licensing, CE, and enforcement. Existing licenses carry over automatically.
Plumbing Board licenses renew every year; renewals after the last day of December pay a revival fee, which rises after March 31.
The statutory fee schedule in R.S. 37:1371 dates to January 1, 2000; master fees are set by board rule.
A practical sequence for a new plumbing contractor in Louisiana. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Violating the plumbing licensing chapter is a criminal offense.
On a complaint from the customer, the Board may fine any person or employing entity doing plumbing without a license.
Contracting $10,000+ of plumbing without the LSLBC classification is unlicensed contracting under the contractors law.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
| County · City | Permit office | Portal |
|---|---|---|
| Caddo Parish Shreveport | City of Shreveport — Permits & Inspections Division ↗ Unincorporated: Caddo Parish Commission — Public Works, Engineering ↗ | My Government Online ↗ |
| Calcasieu Parish Lake Charles | City of Lake Charles — Permit Center ↗ Unincorporated: Calcasieu Parish Police Jury — Division of Planning and Development ↗ | MGO Connect ↗ |
| East Baton Rouge Parish Baton Rouge (consolidated gov.) | City of Baton Rouge / Parish of East Baton Rouge — Permits & Inspections Division ↗ | MyGovernmentOnline (MGO Connect) ↗ |
| Lafayette Parish Lafayette (consolidated gov.) | Lafayette Consolidated Government — Development & Planning, Permitting Division ↗ | MGO Connect ↗ |
| Orleans Parish New Orleans (consolidated gov.) | City of New Orleans — Department of Safety and Permits (One Stop Shop) ↗ | One Stop App ↗ |
| Terrebonne Parish Houma (consolidated gov.) | Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government — Planning & Zoning, Permits Division ↗ | MGO Connect ↗ |
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: The Plumbing Board's own website (spbla.com) could not be reached during research; its current fee and CE figures were taken from the May 2023 LAC 46:LV compilation on the state boards site and may have been revised in the November 2024 compilation · Post-January 1, 2027 LSLBC plumbing fees, exams, and any dollar threshold for Master or Residential Plumbing Contractor licenses (rules not yet adopted) · Residential plumber limited license fees (not shown in the reviewed fee schedule) · Local registration or competency-license requirements in Jefferson Parish, Caddo Parish/Shreveport, and Lafayette Consolidated Government were not reviewed on those governments' sites
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.