Louisiana General Contractor License — Requirements, Fees & Exam

Louisiana licenses the contracting business, not individual employees. PSI exam — verified from Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC).

Source-verified

Requirements below are drawn from Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) (official site) and last verified August 5, 2026. Boards change fees and rules often — confirm before acting.

Requirements at a glance

Who must hold the licence: The licence is issued to the contracting 'person' - which by R.S. 37:2150.1 includes an individual, firm, partnership, association, cooperative, corporation, LLC or LLP. The firm must additionally designate a natural-person qualifying party. LSLBC FAQ: 'A qualifying party is the person who holds the exam scores, and is not the owner of the license unless he/she is a sole proprietor.'
Qualifying party: R.S. 37:2150.1(23): 'Qualifying party means a natural person designated by the contractor to represent the contractor for the purpose of complying with the provisions of this Chapter including but not limited to meeting the requirements for the initial license and any continuation thereof.' R.S. 37:2156.1(E): an applicant 'shall designate a qualifying party for each classification and for the Louisiana business and law requirement'. On disassociation the board must be notified within 30 days and another qualifying party must qualify within 60 days. Eligible: a sole proprietor; a current full-time employee; any stockholder, officer or incorporator of a corporation; any partner of a partnership; any member or manager of an LLC.
What 'general contractor' maps to in Louisiana: R.S. 37:2150.1: 'General contractor means a person who contracts directly with the owner.' There is no separate 'general contractor' licence - LAC 46:XXIX.309: 'Any person bidding or performing the work of a general contractor for which a license is required must be licensed under the classification for which the majority of the work is classified.' LAC 46:XXIX.501(A): 'Any person bidding or performing the work of a general contractor on a residential project in the amount for which a license is required must be licensed under the classification residential construction.'
Citizenship/residency: R.S. 37:2156.1(B)(1): 'An applicant and a qualifying party for a license or registration shall be a United States citizen or legal resident of the United States.'
Financial statement / net worth: Board-form financial statement current to within 12 months, prepared and signed by an accountant, bookkeeper or CPA. Net worth $50,000+ for residential and commercial licences and all specialty classifications except labor-only; $25,000+ for home improvement, mold remediation and labor-only. An applicant short of net worth may instead satisfy the requirement 'by submitting an irrevocable letter of credit in the amount of the net worth requirement plus the amount of the applicant's negative net worth if any' (R.S. 37:2156.1(B)(2)). Financial statements are confidential and not public records.
Background investigation: R.S. 37:2156.1(C): the applicant, each principal and each designated qualifying party must pass a background investigation covering (1) fiduciary or monetary matters including bankruptcy, judgment, insolvency or lien, and (2) any criminal offense resulting in a conviction, guilty plea or plea of nolo contendere.
Insurance - CONFLICT between official sources: $500,000 (board's current position): R.S. 37:2156.1(F)(1) as printed in LSLBC's compilation effective Aug 1, 2026 requires workers' compensation plus 'liability insurance in a minimum amount of five hundred thousand dollars', and the LSLBC memorandum of July 13, 2026 states that 'Residential construction, its subclassifications and specialties, mold remediation, and home improvement applicants and licensees must maintain at least $500,000 in liability insurance or qualifying liability protection through an authorized liability trust fund' effective Aug 1, 2026 - note that the memorandum reaches specialties as well as subclassifications. $100,000 / $50,000 (still published elsewhere by official sources): R.S. 37:2156.1(E) as displayed on legis.la.gov, the LSLBC 'Checklist of Items Required for Initial License' page, the LSLBC FAQ, and the board's brochure 'Licensing Requirements for Contractors in Louisiana' (which carries no internal revision date). Certificates are not required of commercial applicants. Where to send the certificate - two official LSLBC pages give different addresses and the board has not reconciled them: the 'Checklist of Items Required for Initial License' says the certificate 'MUST BE SUBMITTED by your Insurance Agent by email to [email protected] at application and at renewal of the license/registration', and the FAQ's insurance answer also gives [email protected], but the FAQ's renewal answer says certificates 'should be emailed directly from the insurance agent to [email protected]'. Lapse is grounds for a cease-and-desist order and for suspension or revocation.
Secretary of State status: LAC 46:XXIX.105(C): 'Any business entity holding a license or registration shall obtain and maintain an active status with the Louisiana Secretary of State.'
Written contract required: R.S. 37:2159(A): every agreement to perform contracting services requiring licensure must include the complete agreement, the contractor's full name, address and licence number, a description of the work, the total amount agreed to be paid, the signature of all parties, and current certificates of insurance.
Scope discipline: R.S. 37:2156(F): a licensee may not bid or perform work outside the classification under which the licence was issued, and must bid, contract, transact and perform in the name exactly as it appears on the current licence.
Reciprocity: LSLBC letter of Oct 23, 2024 (superseding prior agreements): 'if an applicant/licensee/registrant holds a classification that requires a test in any other state, and they have passed that test - with no waivers, exemptions, or grandfathering in effect - the LSLBC will accept that passing exam for reciprocity. The exam will be accepted for the classification chosen by the LSLBC and will be equivalent in nature. All other requirements for licensure must be met, including the investigation of all violations or pending violations.'
Water well / environmental well work (effective July 1, 2026): Per the LSLBC memorandum of July 13, 2026: a person who works on any water well or environmental well or hole with a project value of $1 or more must hold the appropriate LSLBC licence and classification, pass the appropriate examination, register with LSLBC, remain in good standing with the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy, complete five hours of board-approved continuing education annually, and maintain required well registration.

Legal basis

Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) administers general contractor licensing in Louisiana. Every figure below is verified against the board’s own official pages and dated. Who must personally hold a credential — the contractor, the business, or the individual worker — is set out under Requirements.

What it’s called

LSLBC contractor license; Louisiana commercial contractor license; Louisiana residential building contractor license; Residential Building Contractor; Home Improvement Registration (HIR); Mold Remediation License; Louisiana state contractor license

License types & fees

Type	Experience	Exam	Fee	Scope Limit
Commercial License	No experience-hours requirement published in R.S. 37:2156.1 or LAC 46:XXIX; qualification is by a designated qualifying party who satisfies the exam/credential requirement. Financial qualification instead: net worth of $50,000 or more for residential and commercial licenses, their subclassifications and all specialty classifications except labor only (R.S. 37:2156.1(B)(2)), on a board-form financial statement current within 12 months prepared and signed by an accountant, bookkeeper or CPA.	Trade exam per classification, administered by PSI (LSLBC: 'Effective August 5, 2025, All trade exams will be administered by PSI Exams'), plus the Louisiana Business and Law requirement - a 50-question test taken in the LSLBC Contractor Portal, approx. 30-45 minutes, passing score 70 or above. The default is set by LAC 46:XXIX.301(E): 'All classifications require a written examination, a credential or license from another regulatory body, or both, unless otherwise noted.' On the LSLBC Exams/Classifications list three commercial entries are marked 'No Trade Exam' - Labor Only (code L.1), Telecommunications, Low Voltage (code 5.2, a subclassification of Electrical) and the specialty Limited Specialty Services (code S). Of the 16 entries LSLBC lists under 'Specialties', 15 require an exam or a credential: S.1 Auger and Dry Conventional Boring, S.2 Carpentry, S.3 Coastal Restoration and Habitat Enhancement, S.4 Concrete Construction, S.5 Concrete Reinforcement and Post Tensioning, S.6 Curb, Gutter, Driveways, Sidewalks, Retaining Walls, Patios, Foundations, S.7 Glass, Glazing, Store Fronts, Metal Partitions, Panels and Siding, S.8 Horizontal Directional Drilling, S.9 Industrial Cleaning and Material/Waste Handling, S.10 Insulation, S.11 Painting, Coating, and Blasting, S.12 Solar Energy Equipment and S.13 Tower Construction are each marked 'Trade Exam'; S.14 Water Well Drilling and S.17 Environmental Wells are each marked 'Credential' (both require Louisiana Department of Natural Resources licensure). Hazardous Materials (major classification 8) is marked 'Trade Exam, Credential' - BOTH, not one in place of the other; only its subclassifications split (8.1 Asbestos Removal and Abatement - Credential; 8.2 Hazardous Waste Treatment or Removal - Trade Exam; 8.3 Lead Based Paint Abatement and Removal - Credential; 8.4 Underground Storage Tanks - Credential). 'Specialty Classification' is not undefined: LAC 46:XXIX.301(D) defines it as 'a scope of work that allows a contractor to estimate, bid, quote, and perform work only as described in that specific classification', and the Exams/Classifications page defines it again as 'A classification which does not fall under a major classification in the Louisiana Contractors Licensing Law.'	Statutory maximums (R.S. 37:2156(C)): examination $50.00, license $100.00, renewal $100.00, delinquent $50.00. Non-Louisiana-domiciled contractors may be assessed a surcharge of up to $400 (R.S. 37:2156(D)). LAC 46:XXIX.131 sets no dollar figure - the board 'may set' the annual fee at its July meeting. Amounts actually published on LSLBC's live forms - 'Adding a Classification to an Existing License' (stamped 'Revised 01/30/2026') and 'Adding a Qualifying Party to an Existing License' (stamped 'Revised 01/30/2026'): Classification Fee $95.00 per classification per year, Processing Fee $40.00 per classification, Business and Law Fee $150.00. Both forms govern additions to an EXISTING licence, not an initial application. Trade exam fees are collected directly by PSI.	LSLBC: required for 'Commercial projects with a value of $50,000 or more (including labor and materials) when the property is to be used for commercial purposes'; subcontractors/specialty trades on commercial projects of $50,000 or more; 'Electrical/Mechanical/Plumbing projects exceeding $10,000 including labor and materials'; and 'Asbestos, Hazardous Waste, Lead Based Paint Abatement/Removal, and Underground Storage Tanks projects with a value of $1 or more.' CONFLICT on what counts as commercial: R.S. 37:2150.1(2) and the LSLBC Types of Licenses page define 'Commercial' as any construction project EXCEPT residential structures with no more than TWO separate dwelling units; the LSLBC brochure 'Licensing Requirements for Contractors in Louisiana' (the document carries no internal revision date; it is posted under the board's 2025/06 upload path) says no more than FOUR. Major classifications include Building Construction; Highway, Street and Bridge; Heavy Construction; Municipal and Public Works; Electrical; Mechanical; Plumbing; Hazardous Materials (R.S. 37:2156.1(A)).
Residential License (Residential Construction)	No experience-hours requirement published. Net worth of $50,000 or more (R.S. 37:2156.1(B)(2)).	Trade exam via PSI plus the Louisiana Business and Law requirement. R.S. 37:2156.1(E)(4): 'The board shall exempt from testing for a residential construction license any person who holds a building construction license that was issued by the board.'	Same statutory caps as commercial; the live per-item amounts published by LSLBC - $95.00 per classification per year, $40.00 processing per classification, $150.00 Business and Law - come from the board's 'Adding a Classification to an Existing License' and 'Adding a Qualifying Party to an Existing License' forms (each stamped 'Revised 01/30/2026'), which govern additions to an EXISTING licence rather than an initial application.	CONFLICT - two official LSLBC figures, three sources to two. (a) $50,000, and it governs: R.S. 37:2150.1(5)(a)(ii) ('Any new residential structure for which the project value is fifty thousand dollars or more') and R.S. 37:2150.1(24)(a), both as printed in the board's own compilation effective Aug 1, 2026; the LSLBC 'Types of Licenses' page - 'Residential Construction exceeding $50,000 (including labor and materials) of any residential structure'; and the LSLBC Exams/Classifications page, which publishes the same Residential Construction sentence as LAC 46:XXIX.301(50) but reading '$50,000'. (b) $75,000: LAC 46:XXIX.301(50) as printed in that same Aug 1, 2026 compilation - 'the construction of a residential structure as defined in 37:2150.1(16), when the cost of the undertaking exceeds $75,000. Residential Construction also refers to home improvement contracting as provided for in 37:2150.1(8) when the cost of the undertaking exceeds $75,000 dollars.' - and the live LSLBC FAQ, which quotes R.S. 37:2161 construction management as reaching work 'In excess of seventy-five thousand dollars for a residential construction project'; the board's own Aug 1, 2026 compilation has rewritten R.S. 37:2161 and its current text contains no dollar thresholds at all, so the FAQ is quoting a superseded statute. (The FAQ states no threshold of its own for NEW residential construction - asked for the thresholds it answers 'For information about each license or registration and the minimum threshold amounts, please see our Types of Licenses page' - though it does publish the home improvement band, 'For home improvement projects, if the total project amount exceeds $7,500 but not exceeding $50,000, a home improvement registration is required', which puts the residential licence's floor for home-improvement work at $50,000.) WHY $50,000 GOVERNS: LAC 46:XXIX is promulgated under R.S. 37:2156.1(L) and a rule cannot contradict its enabling statute; the compilation's rule text is additionally keyed to superseded paragraph numbering (it cites 37:2150.1(16) for residential structure and (8) for home improvement, which in the current statute are mechanical contractor and electrical contractor), while the live Exams/Classifications page prints the same rule at $50,000 with cross-references to 37:2150.1(22) and (10). NOT FORMALLY RESOLVED: the currently promulgated LAC 46:XXIX.301(50) text could not be read at the official Louisiana Administrative Code publisher - doa.la.gov refuses automated requests for the LAC volume PDF, and its LAC index paths resolve to a 'page not found', and the LSLBC Rules & Regulations page's 'Louisiana Administrative Code' heading carries no link - so this is a weight-of-evidence reading, not a formal one. The LSLBC brochure adds that residential work 'requiring any structural work' needs this licence regardless of value. Residential structure = used primarily for occupancy as a residence, incl. single-family dwellings and duplexes not more than three floors in height. A residential licensee may bid/contract residential swimming pools but must subcontract if it lacks the classification itself, where labor+materials exceed $7,500 - the two official sources describe the eligible subcontractor differently and the page states both: the LSLBC 'Types of Licenses' page says the residential contractor 'must use a subcontractor holding a license with the Residential Swimming Pools classification', while LAC 46:XXIX.503(A) in the board's Aug 1, 2026 compilation is broader - 'Only contractors holding one or more of the license classifications of building construction, swimming pools, or residential swimming pools are permitted to build or repair residential swimming pools when the value of the project exceeds $7500.' The 'Types of Licenses' page also lists a second trigger for the Residential licence: 'Home Improvements projects on existing residential structures exceeding $50,000' - i.e. a remodel above the Home Improvement Registration ceiling takes a Residential licence, not an HIR. Subclassifications: Residential Swimming Pools (9.1), Residential Roofing (9.2).
Home Improvement Registration	No experience-hours requirement published. Net worth of $25,000 or more (R.S. 37:2156.1(B)(2)).	No trade exam. LSLBC lists Home Improvement with classification code 'N/A' and requirement 'No trade exam'. A qualifying party must still be designated and complete the Business & Law course.	Statutory maximum 'Home Improvement fee $50.00' (R.S. 37:2156(C)(5)). LSLBC does not publish the charged registration total outside the online application.	CONFLICT - two official figures on the upper limit. (a) Up to $50,000: R.S. 37:2150.1 'home improvement contractor' = a project 'for which the project value is at least seven thousand five hundred dollars but less than fifty thousand dollars'; LSLBC FAQ and brochure agree. (b) Up to $75,000: LAC 46:XXIX.301 in the board's Aug 1 2026 compilation - 'A license is required when the value exceeds $7,500. Home improvement is limited to a value of $75,000', and LAC 46:XXIX.305(A)(4) - 'up to the statutory limits of the registration ($75,000)'. 'Home improvement' means reconstruction, alteration, renovation, repair, modernization, conversion, improvement, removal, demolition, or construction of an addition to a preexisting residential structure, project value $7,500 or more; it does not include services rendered gratuitously. A home improvement contractor 'shall not perform any structural work that is integral to the structural integrity of any new or existing structure, including but not limited to footings, foundations, outside walls, skeleton, bearing columns and interior load bearing walls, floor slabs, or roofing systems to any type.'
Mold Remediation License	No experience-hours requirement published. Net worth of $25,000 or more.	No trade exam - listed by LSLBC as a 'Credential' classification. Requires 24 hours of board-approved training in mold remediation and basic mold assessment; the qualifying party must also complete the Business & Law requirement.	Statutory caps in R.S. 37:2156(C) apply; no mold-specific charged amount published outside the online application.	Required for mold remediation projects with a value of $7,500 or more (LSLBC Types of Licenses; R.S. 37:2150.1 'mold remediation contractor').
Residential Roofing (classification 9.2, statutory treatment effective Aug 1, 2026)	Not separately published; follows the residential licence requirements.	Trade exam.	Not separately published; classification fees as above.	Per the LSLBC memorandum of July 13, 2026 (effective Aug 1, 2026): 'a building used primarily as a residence and containing up to four dwelling units in one structure is a residential roofing project. Subject to applicable exemptions, a person who advertises, solicits, quotes, bids, contracts, supervises, or performs roofing work with a project value of $7,500 or more must hold the Residential Roofing or Residential Construction classification.' Authority cited: Act 757 of 2026; La. R.S. 37:2150.1 and 37:2156.4. The four-dwelling-unit rule is expressly 'for the purposes of residential roofing only'.

Who does NOT need this license — exemptions

R.S. 37:2157(A) exempts, as printed in LSLBC’s compilation effective Aug 1, 2026: (1) any public utility providing gas, electric or telephone service regulated by the Louisiana Public Service Commission or the New Orleans city council, for work furnishing its authorized service; (2) owners of property who supervise or assume charge of construction on that property for the owner’s own use, not for sale or rent, where access is controlled by the owner so that only employees and nonpublic invitees are allowed access; (3) any person donating labor and services for supervision, construction, maintenance or repair of a building dedicated to worship owned by a legally established church - an affidavit of exemption on a board form is required to obtain the building permit; (4) any farmer doing construction for agricultural purposes on leased or owned land; (5) any person bidding or performing work on a project totally owned by the federal government; (6) any person engaged in rail or pipeline construction on property he owns or leases; (7) any person volunteering labor for a project funded by the Louisiana Community Development Block Grant, Louisiana Small Towns Environment Program; (8) any person, supplier or manufacturer who assembles, repairs, maintains, moves, puts up, tears down or disassembles patented or proprietary equipment supplied to a contractor for use solely on a construction project; (9) the manufactured housing industry, and any person doing service, warranty, repair or home improvement work on factory-built residential dwellings mounted on chassis and wheels; (10) any person bidding or performing work paid for by the Oilfield Site Restoration Fund or the CARES Act; (11) any work covering dewatering or water mitigation; (12) any employee of any licensee; (13) OWNERS OF PROPERTY who supervise or assume charge of construction, alteration, repair, improvement, movement, demolition or maintenance of their personal residences, IF THE HOMEOWNER DOES NOT BUILD MORE THAN ONE RESIDENCE PER YEAR (the one-year period commencing on the date the certificate of occupancy issues) - with an exception permitting more than one single-family dwelling in a year where the owner’s legal marital status changes, or the owner’s employment status changes requiring relocation more than fifty miles from his personal residence; an affidavit of exemption on a board form is required to obtain the building permit; (14) persons performing the work of a residential contractor in areas or municipalities that do not have a permitting procedure; (15) from HOME IMPROVEMENT licensure only - (a) a residential property owner who physically performs the home improvement work on his personal residence, (b) persons licensed as a residential contractor, and (c) any person who works exclusively in landscaping, or interior painting or wall covering; (16) from MOLD REMEDIATION licensure only - (a) a residential property owner who performs mold remediation on his own property, and (b) an owner or tenant, or a managing agent or employee of an owner or tenant, performing mold remediation on property owned or leased by the owner or tenant, unless that agent or employee engages in the business of performing mold remediation for the public; (17) any person performing work as a subcontractor for a residential construction licence holder, EXCEPT for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, mold remediation, water wells, asbestos, or hazardous materials scopes (LSLBC’s July 13, 2026 memorandum states that beginning Aug 1, 2026 this residential subcontractor exemption no longer applies to water-well work); (18) electrical, mechanical and plumbing licensees acting exclusively within the scope of their classification. R.S. 37:2157(B): these exemptions do not waive local and state health and life safety code requirements. ALSO NOTE, UNRESOLVED - a further exemption for ‘any person performing home improvement work for a building construction license holder, except for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, mold remediation, asbestos, or hazardous material scopes of work’ appears as R.S. 37:2157(A)(18) on legis.la.gov and is echoed by the LSLBC FAQ (‘Only those who hold a commercial license with the classification of “Building Construction” are exempt from a Home Improvement Registration. The value of the project, to include labor and materials, cannot exceed $50,000.’), but it is ABSENT from the board’s own Aug 1, 2026 compilation, which renumbers the following paragraph from (19) to (18). Whether Act 757 of 2026 repealed it could not be confirmed: the enrolled text of Act 757 could not be read (legis.la.gov is unreachable by direct request from this machine, and the reader that does reach its statute pages returns only an empty shell for its bill-document pages). Under the rule that absence from the sources checked is not proof of falsity, the exemption is reported here with all three official positions attributed rather than deleted. Note also the exemptions are from licensure, not from the separate thresholds: below the dollar thresholds for each licence type no LSLBC credential is required at all.

Fees

Statutory maximums (R.S. 37:2156(C)) - examination $50.00; license $100.00; renewal $100.00; delinquent $50.00; Home Improvement $50.00. These are CAPS, not charges: LAC 46:XXIX.131 states only that ‘The annual fee for licenses for the following year may be set by the board at its July meeting each year’ - no dollar figure is published in the rule. Amounts actually charged, from LSLBC’s live forms - each form’s own revision stamp is given because the board does not publish a consolidated fee schedule: ‘Adding a Classification to an Existing License’ (Revised 01/30/2026) charges a Classification Fee of $95.00 per classification per year, a Processing Fee of $40.00 per classification, a Business and Law Fee of $150.00, and an Exam Research/Waiver Fee of $150.00 ‘In instances where no trade exam is required due to reciprocity, previously passed exam, or other reasons’; ‘Adding a Qualifying Party to an Existing License’ (Revised 01/30/2026) charges the same $150.00 Business and Law Fee; the ‘Name and/or Structure Change’ form (Revised 07/15/2026) charges $100.00 ‘for Commercial, Residential, Mold and Home Improvement’; the ‘Application for Qualifying Party’ form is stamped Revised 09/17/2025. SCOPE CAVEAT: these are the fees for changing an EXISTING licence - the first form is headed ‘(To add a classification that is NOT currently listed on the license)’ - and LSLBC was not found to publish the same schedule for an initial application. Payment convenience charges: $2.00 plus 2.5% of subtotal (card) or $2.00 plus $1.00 (e-check). Trade exam fees are collected directly by PSI. Out-of-state surcharge: up to $400 (R.S. 37:2156(D)). Fees are non-refundable. The total charged for an initial licence application is NOT published by LSLBC outside its online application: LAC 46:XXIX.131 states only that ‘The annual fee for licenses for the following year may be set by the board at its July meeting each year’, R.S. 37:2156(C) publishes only caps, and the per-item amounts above come from forms that govern changes to an existing licence.

Exam

Two components. (1) Louisiana Business and Law - required of the qualifying party for every licence type; a 50-question test taken from the LSLBC Contractor Licensing Portal, approximately 30-45 minutes, passing score 70 or above. (2) Trade exam per classification - administered by PSI since August 5, 2025. Some classifications are satisfied by a Credential in lieu of a trade exam (Mold Remediation = 24 hours of board-approved training; Asbestos, Lead Based Paint and Underground Storage Tanks = LDEQ credentialing; Plumbing = Louisiana State Plumbing Board certificate; Water Well Drilling and Environmental Wells = Louisiana Department of Natural Resources licensure). The governing default is LAC 46:XXIX.301(E): ‘All classifications require a written examination, a credential or license from another regulatory body, or both, unless otherwise noted.’ Four entries on the board’s classification list carry no exam and no credential: Home Improvement (code N/A, ‘No trade exam’), Labor Only (L.1, ‘No Trade Exam’), Telecommunications, Low Voltage (code 5.2, ‘No Trade Exam’ - a subclassification of Electrical, for which the board states ‘All low voltage electrical applications. No examination or credential is required. A license is required when the value exceeds $10,000’) and the specialty Limited Specialty Services (code S, ‘No Trade Exam’). ‘Specialty’ as a whole does NOT mean exam-free - of the 16 entries under ‘Specialties’, S.1 through S.13 are each marked ‘Trade Exam’ and S.14 Water Well Drilling and S.17 Environmental Wells are each marked ‘Credential’, so 15 of the 16 require an exam or a credential. Nor is ‘Specialty Classification’ undefined: it is defined at LAC 46:XXIX.301(D) and again on the Exams/Classifications page. Hazardous Materials (major classification 8) is marked ‘Trade Exam, Credential’ - both are required, not one instead of the other (its subclassifications split: 8.1 Asbestos Credential, 8.2 Hazardous Waste Trade Exam, 8.3 Lead Based Paint Credential, 8.4 Underground Storage Tanks Credential). Trade exams need not be retaken on renewal if the same qualifier and classifications carry over. R.S. 37:2156.1(E)(4): the board must exempt from testing for a residential construction licence any person holding a board-issued building construction licence.

Renewal & continuing education

Licences and renewals expire on the anniversary of the date the licence was originally issued. On renewal the licensee elects a one-, two-, or three-year term, not to exceed three years (R.S. 37:2156(H)(1)). The same provision adds a limit whose reach LSLBC does not spell out: ‘Licenses dependent on insurance requirements or certifications shall not be eligible for multiple-year renewal’ (R.S. 37:2156(H)(1)). The board publishes no list of which licence types that captures, and its own ‘Renew Your License’ page states the election without qualification - ‘You can choose to renew for a one-, two- or three-year period on the online renewal form.’ Which licences are excluded is therefore not established by any LSLBC source located (statute, LAC 46:XXIX, the renewal page, the FAQ and the checklist were searched). A licence cannot be renewed until 60 days prior to expiration. After expiration there is a 15-day window to file without penalty; after that a delinquent fee not exceeding $50 applies. A licence not renewed within one year of expiration is no longer eligible for renewal and a new application is required. R.S. 37:2156(K)(1) also assesses an additional $100 per year on each contractor licence renewal, dedicated to accredited Louisiana public university or community college schools of construction management or construction technology - but it is DECLINABLE: the same paragraph requires that ‘The board shall include on each license renewal form issued to a contractor an optional election whereby the contractor may choose to not participate in the remission of the additional one-hundred-dollar dedication fee.’ Residential, home improvement and mold licensees in good standing for at least one consecutive year may apply for inactive status. Residential building contractors: a minimum of six (6) hours of continuing education annually from a board-approved provider. LSLBC: if the residential building contractor also holds a valid, current commercial licence in Building Construction; Highway, Street and Bridge Construction; Heavy Construction; or Municipal and Public Works Construction, the six-hour requirement is considered met. The contractor must keep the certificate of completion for five years. LSLBC states plainly: ‘There are no continuing education requirements for commercial, mold, or home improvement contractors/registrants.’ Separately, water well and environmental well contractors must complete five hours annually (effective July 1, 2026).

How to apply

Applications are handled by Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC). Start at the official application page .

Verify a license in Louisiana

Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) publishes a public license search , searchable by Contractor Company Name, Contractor First Name, Contractor Last Name, Contractor’s License Number, City, Parish, Contractor Type, Classification Type, Qualifier Last Name or Qualifier First Name. It covers all four LSLBC credential types, confirmed by the portal’s own ‘Contractor Type’ options: Commercial License Certificate, Home Improvement Registration, Mold Remediation License Certificate, and Residential License Certificate. At least one field must be entered to search.

Records come from Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC)’s own system. LicensingAtlas does not hold license records and cannot confirm any individual’s status — the date on this page refers to the requirements described above, not to anyone’s credential.

Frequently asked questions

Who issues general contractor licenses in Louisiana?

Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) issues general contractor licenses in Louisiana. You apply through the board’s official application page (linked above).

How much does a general contractor license cost in Louisiana?

What exam do you need to pass for a general contractor license in Louisiana?

How often do you renew a general contractor license in Louisiana?

Is continuing education required to renew a general contractor license in Louisiana?

Residential building contractors: a minimum of six (6) hours of continuing education annually from a board-approved provider. LSLBC: if the residential building contractor also holds a valid, current commercial licence in Building Construction; Highway, Street and Bridge Construction; Heavy Construction; or Municipal and Public Works Construction, the six-hour requirement is considered met. The contractor must keep the certificate of completion for five years. LSLBC states plainly: ‘There are no continuing education requirements for commercial, mold, or home improvement contractors/registrants.’ Separately, water well and environmental well contractors must complete five hours annually (effective July 1, 2026).

See every license and certification LicensingAtlas covers in Louisiana.

Sources & verification

Last verified against these sources: August 5, 2026.

We re-fetch every cited source on a weekly schedule: see what changed at the agencies, or every correction we have ever made.

LicensingAtlas states licensing and certification requirements categorically from official sources. It is a reference, not legal or career advice, and requirements change frequently — confirm details with the issuing board before you act.