LOUISIANA CONTRACTOR FAQ

There are two steps in getting licensed as a residential or commercial building contractor in the State of Louisiana:

  1. The contractor must:
    • Complete the Residential Application. Additional information/documents may be requested within the application. See link below to download application.
    • Provide a financial statement affidavit showing a minimum of $10,000 net worth (must be current within 12 months of application).
    • Pass the required examinations. After the application is submitted, the Qualifying Party will receive testing information. See link below for classification list and additional examination information.
      • Must take Business & Law course
      • Must take trade exam, if applicable
    • After the application is submitted, provide proof of general liability insurance with a minimum amount of $100,000 and proof of workers’ compensation coverage. Insurance certificate(s) should be emailed directly from the insurance agent to insurance@lslbc.louisiana.gov. See link below for specific insurance information.
    • Be approved by the Board before issuance of the license.
  2. Upon receipt of the application, the State Licensing Board for Contractors will send you an examination scheduling notice with the date of your exam.  You will be required to pass a Business and Law exam and the Trade exam for the license you are seeking.

Any construction project of $50,000 or more ($1 or more for hazardous) must be performed by a licensed contractor, even the homeowners themselves. There are no provisions in the law to prevent an owner from applying for and being issued a contractor’s license. More information can be found when you click the link:  Louisiana Informational Brochure

No, the State testing agency does not allow any reference books into the examination area during exams.

You are required to complete six hours per year by December 31st to renew your Louisiana Contractor License.  This increased in January 2012 from four hours to six hours each year.

As of February 2012, continuing education is not required for contractors who hold Commercial licenses in the following classifications:

  • Building Construction,
  • Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction, or
  • Municipal and Public Works Construction

To find out more information, please view the February 2012 Contractor News Source Bulletin.

A delinquent penalty of $50 for late renewal of Commercial and Residential contractor licenses may be assessed 15 days following the expiration date.

Failure to renew your license within six months after your renewal date will result in forfeiture of your renewal rights and you will have to start all over.

Simply mail a copy of your Certificate of Completion from our course to the

State Licensing Board for Contractors
2525 Quail Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70808.

You DO NOT need to send the Continued Education Form because we have all of the necessary information printed on your certificate.

Yes. The NASCLA-Accredited Exam replaces the Trades exam for Commercial Contractors.

The NASCLA-Accredited Commercial Contractors exam is accepted in these States: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands, and West Virginia. This means that by passing one exam, you can easily become licensed to do commercial work in all eight states. Most of the states will require you to also pass the Business and Law exam for that State, but you will not be required to pass a separate Commercial Trades exam.

When you pass the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors, you will be listed in the NASCLA National Examination Database. You will then have this information available when you apply in any of the states that accept it.  You may also need to take each states’ specific business/law/project management exam in addition to the NASCLA exam.  Learn More

Yes.  The Building Construction (Commercial) license covers many classifications, including residential.  If you have more than two homes (residences) under contract at one time, you are required to have a commercial license.

Application packets and complete instructions can be found in the state of Louisiana website above.  Applications may be downloaded from the site or you may request an application to be mailed to you.

  • The Louisiana Contractor License Exam Prep courses take approximately 8-hours, but we move rapidly through the materials.  For a thorough review, you may want to allow twice that amount of time.
  • The NASCLA Accredited Commercial Contractor Course should take at least 24-30 hours.

Once you register, you have up to 6 months before your course is deactivated.  If you need longer, just give us a call and we arrange an extension.

Yes

Information is continually added and updated. Please check back.

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