diff --git a/changelog/68755.fixed.md b/changelog/68755.fixed.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b6f106c582c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/68755.fixed.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Don't insert local paths before standard library paths in LazyLoader, preventing sys.path reordering when loader modules are already importable.
diff --git a/salt/loader/lazy.py b/salt/loader/lazy.py
index 1a89c796fce8..9127430ebffe 100644
--- a/salt/loader/lazy.py
+++ b/salt/loader/lazy.py
@@ -778,9 +778,12 @@ def _load_module(self, name):
 
         self.loaded_files.add(name)
         fpath_dirname = os.path.dirname(fpath)
+        fpath_appended = False
         try:
             self.__populate_sys_path()
-            sys.path.append(fpath_dirname)
+            if fpath_dirname not in sys.path:
+                sys.path.append(fpath_dirname)
+                fpath_appended = True
             if suffix == ".pyx":
                 mod = pyximport.load_module(name, fpath, tempfile.gettempdir())
             elif suffix == ".o":
@@ -917,7 +920,8 @@ def _load_module(self, name):
             self.missing_modules[name] = error
             return False
         finally:
-            sys.path.remove(fpath_dirname)
+            if fpath_appended:
+                sys.path.remove(fpath_dirname)
             self.__clean_sys_path()
 
         loader_context = salt.loader.context.LoaderContext()
diff --git a/tests/pytests/integration/ssh/state/test_state.py b/tests/pytests/integration/ssh/state/test_state.py
index f9fd126bb67c..5fbbc15426e0 100644
--- a/tests/pytests/integration/ssh/state/test_state.py
+++ b/tests/pytests/integration/ssh/state/test_state.py
@@ -113,3 +113,10 @@ def test_state_test(salt_ssh_cli, state_tree):
         ret.data["test_|-Ok with def_|-Ok with def_|-succeed_with_changes"]["result"]
         is None
     )
+
+
+def test_state_pkg(salt_ssh_cli):
+    ret = salt_ssh_cli.run("state.single", "pkg.installed", "coreutils", "test=True")
+    assert ret.returncode == 0
+    assert ret.data
+    assert ret.data["pkg_|-coreutils_|-coreutils_|-installed"]["result"] is not False