Click HERE to access the Contractor Search, then choose “Search by Type of Contractor” and select either: Commercial, Residential, Mold Remediation or Home Improvement from the drop down of options. Additionally, you can search by contractor name; license number; city/town; parish; and qualifying party.

Yes, the LSLBC has enacted a rule as follows:

§123. Licensure and Exemption of Exam for Individuals with Military Training and Experience, Military Spouses and Dependents [Formerly §129]

A. The board shall issue a license or registration to an applicant who is a member of the military, including United States Department of Defense civilian employees who have been assigned to duty in Louisiana, or an applicant who is married to or is a dependent of a member of the military or a United States Department of Defense civilian employee, if the member or United States Department of Defense civilian receives military orders for a change of station to a military installation or assignment located in this state or if the member or United States Department of Defense civilian has established this state as his state of legal residence as reflected in the member’s or United States Department of Defense civilian’s military record if, upon application to the board, all of the following conditions are satisfied by the applicant:

1. holds a current and valid occupational license in another state in an occupation with a similar scope of practice, as determined by the board.
2. has held the occupational license in the other state for at least one year.
3. has passed any examinations, or met any education, training, or experience standards as required by the board in the other state.
4. is held in good standing by the board in the other state.
5. does not have a disqualifying criminal record as determined by the board under the laws of this state.
6. has not had an occupational license revoked by a board in another state because of negligence or intentional misconduct related to the applicant’s work in the occupation.
7. did not surrender an occupational license because of negligence or intentional misconduct related to the person’s work in the occupation in another state.
8. does not have a complaint, allegation, or investigation pending before a board in another state which relates to unprofessional conduct or an alleged crime. If there is an existing complaint, allegation or investigation pending, the board shall not issue or deny a license or registration until the complaint, allegation, or investigation is resolved, or the applicant otherwise satisfies the criteria for licensure in this state to the satisfaction of the board.
9. pays all applicable fees and meets all other requirements for licensure.

B. The board shall issue a license or registration to an applicant who is a member of the military, or an applicant who is married to or is a dependent of a member of the military or United States Department of Defense civilian employee who has been assigned duty in Louisiana, upon application based on work experience in another state if, upon application to the board, all of the following conditions are satisfied by the applicant:

1. worked in a state that does not use an occupational license or governmental certification to regulate a lawful occupation, but the board regulates this lawful occupation with a similar scope of practice.
2. worked for at least three years in the lawful occupation.
3. has not had an occupational license revoked by a board in another state because of negligence or intentional misconduct related to the applicant’s work in the occupation.
4. did not surrender an occupational license because of negligence or intentional misconduct related to the person’s work in the occupation in another state.
5. does not have a complaint, allegation, or investigation pending before a board in another state which relates to unprofessional conduct or an alleged crime. If there is an existing complaint, allegation, or investigation pending, the board shall not issue or deny a license or registration until the complaint, allegation, or investigation is resolved, or the applicant otherwise satisfies the criteria for licensure in this state to the satisfaction of the board.
6. pays all applicable fees and meets all other requirements for licensure.

C. The board shall issue a license or registration to an applicant who is a member of the military or United States Department of Defense civilian employee who has been assigned duty in Louisiana, or an applicant who is married to or is a dependent of a member of the military or a United States Department of Defense civilian employee based on holding a private certification and work experience in another state if, upon application to the board, all of the following conditions are satisfied by the applicant:

1. worked in a state that does not use an occupational license or government certification to regulate a lawful occupation, but that occupation is lawfully regulated by this board through a license or registration.
2. has worked for at least two years in the lawful occupation.
3. holds a current and valid private certification in the lawful occupation.
4. the private certification organization holds the applicant in good standing.
5. has not had an occupational license revoked by a board in another state because of negligence or intentional misconduct related to the applicant’s work in the occupation.
6. did not surrender an occupational license because of negligence or intentional misconduct related to the person’s work in the occupation in another state.
7. does not have a complaint, allegation, or investigation pending before a board in another state which relates to unprofessional conduct or an alleged crime. If there is an existing complaint, allegation or investigation pending, the board shall not issue or deny a license or registration until the complaint, allegation, or investigation is resolved or the applicant otherwise satisfies the criteria for licensure in this state to the satisfaction of the board.
8. pays all applicable fees and meets all other requirements for licensure.

D. The education, training, or experience requirements for an occupational license issued by the board will be determined by the presentation from the applicant of satisfactory evidence that the applicant received comparable education, training or experience as a member of the United States armed forces or any national guard or other reserve component.

E. The applicant will be required to complete the business and law course.

F. Upon receipt of all required and complete documents, the board will provide the applicant with a written decision regarding the application for an occupational license within 30 calendar days after receiving an application.

G. 1. The applicant may appeal any of the following decisions made by the board, in a court of general jurisdiction:

• denial of a license.
• determination of the classification.
• determination of the similarity of the scope or practice of the occupational license issued.

H. A person who obtains a license or registration pursuant to this rule is subject to all laws regulating the occupation in this state and the jurisdiction of this board.

1. The term “military” means the armed forces of the United States, including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, and the reserve components thereof, the National Guard of any state, the Military Reserves of any state, or the naval militia of any state.

J. The term dependent means:

1. a resident spouse or resident unmarried child under the age of 21 years;
2. a child who is a student under the age of 24 years and who is financially dependent upon the parent; or
3. a child of any age who is disabled and dependent upon the parent.

K. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to any applicant receiving a dishonorable discharge or a military spouse whose spouse received a dishonorable discharge.

L. This Section preempts laws by township, municipal, county and other governments in the state which regulate occupational licenses and government certification.

There are no continuing education requirements for commercial, mold, or home improvement contractors/registrants.

There are continuing education requirements for residential construction contractors. A residential construction contractor is required to complete a minimum of six (6) hours of continuing education annually by a board-approved provider (click HERE to view providers). The contractor will maintain their education certificate for a five-year period and provide copies to this office, if requested. If the residential construction also holds a valid, current commercial license in one or more of the major classifications of 1) Building Construction; 2) Highway, Street and Bridge Construction; 3) Heavy Construction; 4) or Municipal and Public Works Construction, the six-hour requirement is considered to have been met.

Subcontractors who perform labor only and do not bid on or manage projects may be required to hold a contractor’s license or a home improvement registration with our board. Licensure requirement is determined by the type of project and the total project amount. (Total project value = the law requires that the cost of labor and materials be combined to assess the total project amount, no matter who supplies the materials.)

Subcontract labor only MUST be in contract with a licensed contractor. They may not contract with an owner.

For commercial projects, if the total project amount exceeds $50,000, a contractor’s license is required. For home improvement projects, if the total project amount exceeds $7,500 but not exceeding $50,000, a home improvement registration is required.

NOTE: There are no licensing requirements for labor only subcontractors performing work on new residential construction projects.

For labor only subcontractors on commercial projects, LSLBC has a specialty classification called Labor Only. There is no trade exam required for this specialty classification.

To obtain a commercial license with the Furnishing Labor Only classification, the subcontractor must:

Complete the online Commercial license application, found by clicking HERE
Upload the necessary documents and pay the fees
Complete the online Business and Law course (required for all license applicants)

If you are performing plumbing work valued at $10,000 or more including labor and materials, the law requires that you also hold a commercial plumbing license with the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.

A Commercial license does not allow you to build a single residential home. A Residential license with the Residential Construction classification is required for new home construction.

Anyone licensed by the Board must bid, contract, and perform work in their name as it appears on official records. LSLBC does not recognize DBA’s, Assumed Names or Fictitious Names as legal business entities and it will not appear on official records, including the license.

Registration with the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office does not qualify you to perform construction work in Louisiana. Being registered with the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office only gives your company the authority to operate a business in Louisiana and also generally for state sales tax purposes.

A Louisiana state contractor’s license/registration is required if you contract, bid, or perform work where to total project value including labor and materials exceeds the minimum threshold to hold a commercial license, residential license, mold remediation license, or an home improvement registration in the state of Louisiana. For information about each license or registration and the minimum threshold amounts, please see our Types of Licenses page found at: https://lslbc.louisiana.gov/types-of-licenses/

An occupational license is NOT a contractor’s license. An occupational license only gives you or your company the authority to operate a business in that city/parish and it’s generally for local sales tax purposes.

A Louisiana state contractor’s license/registration is required if you contract, bid, or perform work where to total project value including labor and materials exceeds the minimum threshold to hold a commercial license, residential license, mold remediation license, or an home improvement registration in the state of Louisiana. Information about each license or registration, the minimum threshold amounts, and the requirements for licensure please see our License Types and Information page at: https://lslbc.louisiana.gov/for-contractors/.

Louisiana State Contractors’ licensing law allows an owner to build their primary residence without a license. You must live in this home. You cannot build a home to rent or sell without a license. Louisiana State Contractors’ licensing law also allows an owner to build structures adjacent to their primary residence without a license, such as a shed. Visit your local permit office to obtain permits and a homeowner exemption form.

If you wish to build a home/dwelling on property you own that will not be used as your primary residence a licensed general contractor and any subcontractors on the project must be licensed.

LSLBC Statute R.S. 37:2161 defines construction management as:

A. (1) Any person who performs, attempts to perform, or submits a price, bid or offer to perform work in construction management whose scope of authority and responsibility include supervision, oversight, direction, or in any manner assumes charge for the construction services provided to an owner by a contractor or contractors, in which the value of the construction project is:

(a) In excess of fifty thousand dollars for a commercial construction project, shall possess a license from the board in the major classification applicable to the type of work being performed on the construction project.

(b) In excess of seventy-five thousand dollars for a residential construction project, shall possess a license from the board in the classification of residential construction.

(c) in excess of seven thousand five hundred dollars for a home improvement project, shall possess a license from the board in the classification of home improvement construction.

(2) An architect or engineer ensuring compliance with the plans and specifications for the construction project on behalf of the owner, or construction manager whose scope of authority and responsibilities do not include any of the tasks provided for in this Subsection and does not subcontract actual construction work, is not required to obtain a contractor’s license.

(3) An employee of the owner who supervises the construction or ensures compliance with the plans and specifications on behalf of the owner but does not bid or perform construction work for which a license is required does not have to be licensed.

Anyone performing a scope of work described in No. 1 that does not require a license., or anyone whose work fits into the categories included in Nos. 2 or 3 above is not required to obtain a license.

If you are just furnishing material or equipment, you are considered a manufacturer or supplier, and no license is required. Under normal circumstances, a supplier can ship the product to a jobsite with no further involvement on the project. However, if you bid to furnish and install, even if you plan to hire a licensed contractor to do the installation for you, your firm is required to hold a license.

A subcontractor who wishes to bid or perform commercial work where the total cost of the project including labor and materials for the following must be licensed with this Board:

• $50,000 or more for major and specialty classifications
• $10,000 or more for electrical, mechanical, and plumbing
• $1 or more for hazardous

A subcontractor who wishes to bid or perform residential work where the total cost of the project including labor and materials for the following must be licensed with this Board:

• $7,500 or more for home improvement projects
• $7,500 or more for residential swimming pools

LSLBC Statute R.S. 37:2162 regarding Joint Ventures: When two or more persons bid, contract, or perform construction work as a joint venture on any project for which a contractor’s license is required, the joint venture is required to be properly licensed by the board at the time of bid, contract, and performance of work in the classification for which the joint venture will perform work. This requirement applies to but is not limited to a corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, general partnership and any other entity operating as a joint venture on a project for which a contractor’s license is required from this board. This licensing requirement is required before persons or contractors are permitted to bid, contract, or perform work on a project for which a license is required regardless of whether they intended to operate as a joint venture.

There are no provisions in the Louisiana Contractor’s License Law to allow for a “temporary” license.

A contractor’s license or registration is required before you can bid, contract, or perform work. Click HERE for additional information about each type of license/registration.

Licenses/Registrations are issued once all requirements are met by the applicant.

The license belongs to the licensee, as: a corporate license belongs to the corporation; a partnership license belongs to the partnership; a limited liability company license belongs to the limited liability company, etc.; and an individual license belongs to the individual, regardless of the status of the qualifying party of the entity.