Louisiana · Remodeling licensing · official-source guide
Louisiana licenses remodeling statewide through the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. A home improvement registration covers residential remodeling valued at least $7,500 but under $50,000 and requires no trade exam. Work of $50,000 or more, or any structural work, requires the Residential Construction license, which adds a trade exam, a financial statement and insurance filed with the board.
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Verify a licenseVerified against agency sources on 2026-10-05. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
Remodeling is regulated at the state level in Louisiana. The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) issues every license and registration a remodeler needs, from its office at 600 North Street in Baton Rouge. The board publishes its own compilation of the Contractors Licensing Law, Title 37 Chapter 24 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, together with the rules in LAC 46:XXIX. R.S. 37:2150 states the purpose plainly: protecting people who deal with contractors against incompetent, inexperienced, unlawful and fraudulent acts. Parishes and cities do not run a parallel examination system for remodelers. R.S. 37:2160(D) preempts municipal and local regulatory examination authority over all licensees, and a local government may only set requirements that are not less stringent than the state minimum. Cities still run permitting and inspection, and that is where the two layers meet. Under R.S. 37:2160(B) a local building department shall not issue a building permit to any person who does not hold an active license in the appropriate classification for the scope of work covered by the permit. R.S. 37:2160(A) lets board staff inspect each local permit office's list of issued permits every month to find people working without an active license, and requires parish and municipal permitting authorities to hand over unredacted permit documents on request. For a remodeler, that means the state license is not a filing you keep in a drawer. It is checked at the permit counter in every jurisdiction in Louisiana, and it is audited monthly against the permits you pulled.
Sourceslslbc.gov 1lslbc.gov 2
The board's statutes provide for four basic license types, and remodeling touches three of them. A Commercial license is required for commercial projects valued at $50,000 or more, with lower triggers for some trades: electrical, mechanical and plumbing work requires a license above $10,000, and asbestos, hazardous waste, lead based paint abatement or removal, and underground storage tank work requires a license at a value of one dollar or more. A Residential license is required for residential construction exceeding $50,000 and for home improvement projects on existing residential structures exceeding $50,000. A Home Improvement registration covers home improvement projects valued above $7,500 but not above $50,000. A Mold Remediation license is required for remediation projects of $7,500 or more, and the qualifying party must hold twenty four hours of training in mold remediation and basic mold assessment. R.S. 37:2156.1(A) now lists eleven major classifications, and home improvement and mold remediation sit alongside residential construction and building construction on that list. One crossover matters for remodelers. The board's FAQ states that only holders of a Commercial license with the Building Construction classification are exempt from a Home Improvement registration, and that the project value including labor and materials cannot exceed $50,000. Project value always combines labor and materials no matter who supplies the materials. R.S. 37:2158(B)(1) disregards any division of a contract or scope of work into parts that would avoid the need for a license, and treats the divided parts as one contract.
R.S. 37:2150.1(12) defines home improvement as the reconstruction, alteration, renovation, repair, modernization, conversion, improvement, removal or demolition of a preexisting residential structure, or the construction of an addition to it, or work on adjacent structures, where the project value is seven thousand five hundred dollars or more. Gratuitous services are excluded. R.S. 37:2150.1(13) then defines the home improvement contractor as a person who takes on a home improvement project valued at least seven thousand five hundred dollars but less than fifty thousand dollars. The same paragraph draws a hard line on scope: a home improvement contractor shall not perform any structural work that is integral to the structural integrity of any new or existing structure, including footings, foundations, outside walls, skeleton, bearing columns, interior load bearing walls, floor slabs, or roofing systems of any type. The board's own brochure restates this from the other direction, saying residential construction or home improvement projects of $50,000 or more, or requiring any structural work, must be bid and performed by a licensed Residential Building Contractor. R.S. 37:2157(A)(15) exempts three groups from home improvement licensure: a residential property owner who physically performs the work on his personal residence, persons already licensed as a residential contractor, and any person who works exclusively in landscaping or in interior painting or wall covering. R.S. 37:2157(A)(18) also exempts a person performing home improvement work for a building construction license holder, except for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, mold remediation, asbestos or hazardous material scopes.
Sourceslslbc.gov 1lslbc.gov 2
Residential Construction is major classification 9 on the board's published classification list, and the board states that the classification requires a trade exam. The classification text on the board's exams page describes it as the construction of a residential structure when the cost of the undertaking exceeds $50,000, and says residential construction also refers to home improvement contracting when the cost of the undertaking exceeds $50,000. Manufactured housing and dwellings mounted on a metal chassis and wheels are outside it. R.S. 37:2150.1(24) defines a residential contractor as a person who builds or superintends the construction of a residential structure not more than three floors in height for use by another as a residence where the project value is fifty thousand dollars or more, and expressly includes any person bidding or performing home improvement work valued at seven thousand five hundred dollars or more. R.S. 37:2156.1(B)(2) requires residential licenses and their subclassifications to show a net worth of fifty thousand dollars or more, against twenty five thousand dollars for home improvement, mold remediation and labor only specialties. An applicant short of the figure may satisfy it with an irrevocable letter of credit for the net worth requirement plus any negative net worth. Residential Swimming Pools is subclassification 9.1 and carries its own trade exam; the board states a licensed residential contractor may bid or contract to build or repair residential swimming pools but must use a subcontractor holding that classification for work above $7,500 if it does not hold the classification itself.
Roof work is the one remodeling scope that changed most recently, and the change is already in force. R.S. 37:2156.4(A) states that on and after January 1, 2026, any person who advertises, solicits, undertakes, attempts, offers, or submits a price, bid, quote or estimate to construct, supervise, direct, oversee, or perform any construction, modification, repair, or maintenance of any portion of a roofing system on a residential structure for which the project value is seven thousand five hundred dollars or more shall hold the classification of Residential Roofing or Residential Construction. Note that advertising and soliciting are listed alongside performing. Subsection B requires the residential roofing contractor to pass the residential roofing trade examination and to meet all other licensure requirements of a residential contractor. Subsection C makes residential roofing a subclassification of residential construction, and the board's exams page lists it as classification 9.2 with a trade exam. Subsection D widens the building types covered: for residential roofing only, any structure or building used as a residence containing no more than four separate dwelling units within a single structure counts as a residential roofing project and carries the same licensure requirements. R.S. 37:2150.1(25) defines residential roofing to include furnishing labor, or furnishing labor together with materials or equipment, and the installation of materials or equipment for any phase of roofing on a residential structure above the same seven thousand five hundred dollar value. A home improvement registration does not reach roofing systems, because R.S. 37:2150.1(13) excludes roofing systems of any type from a registrant's scope.
Sourceslslbc.gov 1lslbc.gov 2
Louisiana licenses the company, but the competence sits with a named individual. R.S. 37:2156.1(E)(1) requires an applicant to designate a qualifying party for each classification and for the Louisiana business and law requirement, and that qualifying party must meet all application requirements and satisfy any examination and credential requirement. If the qualifying party stops being associated with the license, the board must be notified within thirty days and another qualifying party must qualify within sixty days. Any principal or full time employee may serve, and a qualifying party may also qualify a subsidiary of a licensee. The board's FAQ adds that the qualifying party is the person who holds the exam scores and is not the owner of the license unless that person is a sole proprietor. R.S. 37:2156.1(B)(1) requires a financial statement on a board form, current to within twelve months of filing, prepared and signed by an accountant, bookkeeper or certified public accountant and signed by the applicant; a current statement prepared by a CPA may be attached instead. The statement and any financial information submitted are confidential and outside the Public Records Law. R.S. 37:2156.1(C) requires the applicant, each principal and each designated qualifying party to pass a background investigation covering fiduciary or monetary matters such as bankruptcy, judgment, insolvency or lien, and any criminal offense resulting in a conviction, guilty plea or plea of nolo contendere. The board may deny approval for cause, and criminal background information held by the board is confidential.
Sourceslslbc.gov 1lslbc.gov 2
PSI administers the board's trade examinations, and the board points candidates to PSI for exam content outlines, study reference lists and the Candidate Information Bulletin for each test. The board's FAQ states that approved candidates receive an eligibility letter from PSI with instructions for registering an account and scheduling. For remodelers the exam picture is simple. The Home Improvement classification is published with no trade exam, and LAC 46:XXIX.301(26) states that no examination or credential is required for home improvement. Residential Construction (classification 9) and Residential Roofing (classification 9.2) each carry a trade exam. LAC 46:XXIX.301(E) sets the general rule that all classifications require a written examination, a credential or license from another regulatory body, or both, unless otherwise noted. On top of the trade exam, the board's brochure lists completion of the Business and Law course among the items a residential license application must include, and the FAQ describes the online Business and Law course as required for license applicants. R.S. 37:2156.1(E)(4) lets the board exempt a qualifying party from required examinations, and requires it to exempt from testing for a residential construction license any person who holds a building construction license issued by the board. There is a penalty attached to the testing process itself: under R.S. 37:2156.1(E)(5), a person determined to have engaged in deceptive practices while taking or attempting to take a board examination is ineligible to serve as a qualifying party for three years. The board also states that trade exams need not be retaken on reapplication when the qualifier and classifications are unchanged.
Sourceslslbc.gov 1lslbc.gov 2lslbc.gov 3lslbc.gov 4lslbc.gov 5
Louisiana caps its contractor fees in statute rather than leaving them open. R.S. 37:2156(B)(1) directs the board to fix reasonable fees and reasonable late renewal penalties, but says the basic license fee shall be the sum of not more than one hundred dollars, with a lesser amount for additional classifications. R.S. 37:2156(C) then states that fees for licenses shall not exceed an examination fee of $50.00, a license fee of $100.00, a renewal fee of $100.00, a delinquent fee of $50.00, and a Home Improvement fee of $50.00. All fees must be paid before a license is issued or before changes or additions are made to an existing license. R.S. 37:2156(D) permits an additional surcharge of not more than four hundred dollars on the application for and issuance of a license to a contractor not domiciled in Louisiana, to cover the extra cost of investigating that application. R.S. 37:2156(K)(1) adds a separate one hundred dollar per year dedication fee assessed on each license renewal for accredited construction management and construction technology schools, and requires the board to print an optional election on each renewal form letting the contractor decline to pay it. LAC 46:XXIX.131(A) says the annual fee for licenses for the following year may be set by the board at its July meeting each year, and that prior year fees stay in force if no new fee is set. The board's FAQ lists a name or structure change fee of $100.
Insurance is the item that stops most residential applications. R.S. 37:2156.1(F)(1) requires residential construction and its subclassifications, mold remediation, and home improvement applicants to submit certificates evidencing workers compensation coverage in compliance with Title 23 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, and liability insurance in a minimum amount of five hundred thousand dollars, or liability protection from a liability trust fund authorized by R.S. 22:46(9)(d) in the same minimum amount. Note that the board's 2025 consumer brochure and FAQ both list a general liability minimum of $100,000 for these applicants, so confirm the figure that applies to your application with the board before you bind coverage. The procedural requirements are not negotiable either. R.S. 37:2156.1(F)(2) requires proof from an agent, broker or insurance company showing the licensee name, the insurer, the broker name and address, the policy number, the beginning and ending coverage dates, no exclusions for the scopes the licensee is licensed to perform, and the board listed as a certificate holder. Coverage must run for a minimum of six months and include all scopes the applicant is licensed to perform. LAC 46:XXIX.105(B) requires residential construction, home improvement and mold remediation holders to obtain and maintain both coverages from an insurer authorized to sell them, to file certificates with each new and each renewal application, and warns that a lapse may draw a cease and desist order and grounds for suspension or revocation. The FAQ states there are no exceptions to the workers compensation requirement.
R.S. 37:2156(H)(1) sets licenses and renewals to expire on the anniversary of the date the license was originally issued, and lets licensees elect one, two or three year renewal terms. There is an important exception for remodelers: licenses dependent on insurance requirements or certifications are not eligible for multiple year renewal, and residential and home improvement credentials carry mandatory insurance. After expiration there are fifteen days to file a renewal application without a penalty; past that, a delinquent fee not exceeding fifty dollars applies. R.S. 37:2156(J) ends renewal eligibility one year after expiration, after which a new application is required. The board states that renewal notices go out by email at sixty days and again at fifteen days before expiration, that a license cannot be renewed earlier than sixty days before expiration, and that trade exams do not have to be retaken if the same qualifier and classifications carry over. On continuing education, LAC 46:XXIX.505(A) requires a residential construction contractor to complete a minimum of six hours of continuing education annually from a board approved provider, to keep evidence for five years, and to produce it on request; a holder who also carries a current commercial license in building construction, highway street and bridge, heavy construction, or municipal and public works is exempt. Failure to complete the hours may subject the license to suspension or revocation. The board's FAQ states there are no continuing education requirements for commercial, mold or home improvement registrants. R.S. 37:2156.1(G) allows inactive status after one year in good standing.
Louisiana rewrote its examination reciprocity in 2024, and the current rule is broader than the old state by state agreements. In a letter to state regulatory agencies dated October 23, 2024, the board's executive director notified a change effective immediately: if an applicant, licensee or registrant holds a classification that requires a test in any other state and has passed that test with no waivers, exemptions or grandfathering in effect, the LSLBC will accept that passing exam for reciprocity. The exam is accepted for the classification chosen by the board and equivalent in nature. The letter states that all other requirements for licensure must still be met, including investigation of all violations or pending violations, and that the change renders any previous agreements null and void. So a remodeler moving into Louisiana may be able to carry a trade exam across, but still has to produce the financial statement, the insurance certificates, the qualifying party, the Secretary of State registration and a clean background investigation. Out of state companies should also plan for R.S. 37:2156(D), which allows a surcharge of not more than four hundred dollars on the application of a contractor not domiciled in Louisiana. Military applicants have a separate route. LAC 46:XXIX.123 directs the board to issue a license or registration to a service member, a Department of Defense civilian assigned to Louisiana, or a spouse or dependent, who holds a current license in a similar scope elsewhere for at least one year, in good standing, with no disqualifying record; the business and law course is still required.
R.S. 37:2159(A) applies to every agreement to perform contracting services that requires licensure or registration, which covers both the home improvement registrant and the residential licensee. The agreement must include the complete agreement between the parties with a clear description of any other documents incorporated into it; the full names, addresses and the license number of the contractor; a description of the work to be performed; the total amount agreed to be paid, or an approximation of the cost expected to be borne by the owner under a cost plus or time and materials contract; the signature of all parties; and current certificates of insurance proving workers compensation coverage and the amount of liability coverage maintained where insurance is a requirement. Subsection B requires all parties to be furnished a copy of the signed contract at signing, and states that no work shall begin before the contract is signed by all parties. Subsection C saves a defective contract from being void on noncompliance alone. Subsection D is the one that costs money: a contractor who fails to obtain a license cannot file a statement of claim, lien or privilege for sums allegedly owed under any contract, express or implied, where the chapter required a license to enter the contract. Three related grounds for discipline sit in R.S. 37:2158. Paragraph 20 makes failure to have a written contract signed and dated by all parties a violation. Paragraph 21 requires you to bid, contract and perform in the name exactly as it appears on your license. Paragraph 15 requires you to give the owner your name, license number, classification and current insurance certificates in writing on request.
Sourceslslbc.gov
Louisiana gives the homeowner a cancellation window when the agreement was solicited at the residence, and the obligation to disclose it falls on the contractor. R.S. 9:3538(A) gives the consumer the right to cancel a home solicitation sale until midnight of the third business day after the day the consumer signs an agreement or offer to purchase, in addition to any other right to revoke an offer. Cancellation occurs when the consumer gives written notice to the seller at the address stated in the agreement, and notice given by mail counts when it is deposited in a mailbox properly addressed with postage prepaid. The notice needs no particular form and is enough if it shows by any written expression the intention not to be bound. Subsection E removes the right where the consumer asks the seller to proceed without delay because of an emergency, the seller in good faith makes a substantial beginning of performance before notice, and goods cannot be returned in substantially as good condition. R.S. 9:3539(A) requires the seller to present a written agreement or offer to purchase that designates the date the consumer actually signs and contains the statement of rights. Subsection B requires the statement to appear under the conspicuous caption CONSUMER'S RIGHT TO CANCEL, with prescribed wording telling the buyer to mail notice before midnight of the third business day to the seller's named address and that the seller must return all of the cash down payment. Until the seller complies, the consumer may cancel by any means.
Sourceslegis.la.gov 1legis.la.gov 2
Louisiana regulates what you say about your license as tightly as what you build. R.S. 37:2163(A)(2) makes it unlawful for any contractor, licensed or unlicensed, to publish, transmit, distribute, or otherwise publicly circulate a misleading or false claim related to a person's license or classification in any medium, including but not limited to digital platforms. R.S. 37:2158(2) repeats that as a ground for revocation, suspension, refusal to renew, fines or debarment, using the phrase license status or classification. Two practical limits follow. R.S. 37:2156(F)(1) states that a licensee shall not be permitted to bid or perform any type of work not included in the classification under which the license was issued, and R.S. 37:2158(4) makes it a violation to bid, quote, estimate or perform a job without holding the classification for the majority of the work performed. So a home improvement registrant describing itself as a licensed residential contractor, or advertising structural or roofing scopes it cannot hold, is exposed on the advertising rule and on the classification rule at the same time. R.S. 37:2156(F)(2) requires a licensed or registered person to bid, contract, conduct all business transactions, and perform work in the name as it appears on the current license and the board's official records, which is why the name on your website and estimates should match the registry exactly. Anyone can check that registry. The board runs a public contractor search allowing lookups by contractor name, license number, city or town, parish, type of contractor, and qualifying party.
Sourceslslbc.gov 1lslbc.gov 2arlspublic.lslbc.louisiana.gov 3
The state license gets tested at the local permit counter. In New Orleans, a Non-Structural Renovation permit is required for any construction or change of use within an existing building, interior or exterior, and the Department of Safety and Permits lists contractor license information among the required documents. The city also requires an executed contract or approved estimate with the scope of work and costs inclusive of labor and materials, carrying signatures, printed names and titles of both the owner and the contractor. For owner occupied residential work, State Exemption Form R-1364 may be submitted instead of contractor license information, and work on a structure without a licensed contractor requires an Affidavit Claiming Exemption from Licensure. The published fee is $60 plus $5 per $1,000 of work to be performed, with a plan review fee of $1 per $1,000 where plans are required and a 50 percent surcharge on the permit fee for property in a local historic district subject to the Vieux Carre Commission or the Historic Districts Landmark Commission. The city states residential projects take 2 to 5 business days. In East Baton Rouge, the Permit and Inspection Division lists permit triggers that catch most remodeling, including any structural modification to an interior or exterior wall, any structural modification to roof or ceiling, roofing replacement, window and door replacement, and replacement of more than 100 square feet of sheetrock or wall paneling on an exterior wall or ceiling. Its notice states that residential work exceeding $7,500 must be performed by a registered home improvement contractor or licensed residential contractor.
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Louisiana attaches both criminal and civil exposure to contracting without the right credential. R.S. 37:2163(C)(1) makes anyone in violation guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable on conviction by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars per day of violation, or three months in prison, or both. R.S. 37:2163(C)(2) raises the stakes where an unlicensed person causes harm or damage to another in excess of three hundred dollars: on conviction the fine is not less than five hundred dollars and not more than five thousand dollars, or imprisonment with or without hard labor for not less than six months and not more than five years, or both. The district attorney where the violation occurs has sole authority to prosecute. Separately, R.S. 37:2164(A) makes any person who violates the chapter liable to the board, after notice and a hearing, for a fine of up to ten percent of the total contract or the value of the work bid or being performed, and where a value cannot be determined or does not apply, a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars, plus administrative costs and attorney fees. LAC 46:XXIX.711(B) makes an assessed penalty payable within sixty days and makes nonpayment a basis to deny issuance or renewal. R.S. 37:2164(C) lets the board issue cease and desist orders, and Subsection H bars anyone who fails to cease work after hearing and notification from applying for a license for up to one year. Collected fines go to a contractors educational trust fund rather than to a consumer claims fund.
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These are common details other guides publish about Louisiana, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
It depends on the project value including labor and materials. Louisiana defines home improvement at seven thousand five hundred dollars or more, so a kitchen remodel above that needs at least a Home Improvement registration. At $50,000 or more, or where any structural work is involved, the Residential Construction license applies instead.
The registration covers home improvement valued at least $7,500 but less than $50,000 and carries no trade exam, with a net worth requirement of twenty five thousand dollars. The Residential Construction license covers $50,000 and above, requires a trade exam, and requires a net worth of fifty thousand dollars.
No. R.S. 37:2150.1(13) bars a home improvement contractor from any structural work integral to the structural integrity of a structure, and names footings, foundations, outside walls, skeleton, bearing columns, interior load bearing walls, floor slabs and roofing systems of any type. That work needs the Residential Construction license.
Yes, since the start of 2026. R.S. 37:2156.4 requires anyone who advertises, bids, quotes or performs work on any portion of a residential roofing system valued at seven thousand five hundred dollars or more to hold Residential Roofing or Residential Construction, and to pass the residential roofing trade examination.
The board runs a public contractor search. A homeowner can look you up by contractor name, license number, city or town, parish, type of contractor, or qualifying party. Because R.S. 37:2156(F)(2) requires you to contract in the exact name on your license, the name they search should match your estimates.
R.S. 37:2156.1(F)(1) requires workers compensation certificates under Title 23 plus liability insurance at a minimum of five hundred thousand dollars, or equivalent liability trust fund protection. Certificates must name the board as certificate holder, show no exclusions for your licensed scopes, and run at least six months. Board guidance has listed a lower figure, so confirm yours.
Licenses expire on the anniversary of the original issue date, and licensees may elect one, two or three year renewal terms. Credentials that depend on insurance requirements or certifications are not eligible for multiple year renewal. Fifteen days of grace follow expiration before a delinquent fee of up to fifty dollars applies.
Residential construction contractors do. The rule requires at least six hours a year from a board approved provider, with evidence kept five years and produced on request. Holders who also carry a current commercial license in certain major classifications are exempt. The board states commercial, mold and home improvement registrants have no continuing education requirement.
Often yes. Since an October 2024 notice, the board accepts a passing exam from any other state for a classification that requires a test there, provided no waiver, exemption or grandfathering applied. The board picks the equivalent Louisiana classification. Every other licensure requirement, including the violations investigation, still applies.
R.S. 37:2159 requires the complete agreement, your full name, address and license number, a description of the work, the total price or a cost approximation on cost plus work, signatures of all parties, and current insurance certificates. Every party gets a copy at signing, and no work may begin before all parties sign.
When the agreement was solicited at the residence, R.S. 9:3538 lets the consumer cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing, by written notice to the address in the agreement. R.S. 9:3539 requires your contract to carry the conspicuous caption CONSUMER'S RIGHT TO CANCEL with the prescribed wording.
The board may revoke, suspend or refuse to renew, fine or debar you, and a fine can reach ten percent of the contract or work value, or ten thousand dollars where no value applies. Unlicensed contracting is also a misdemeanor carrying up to five hundred dollars per day of violation.
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