Louisiana General Contractor License (LSLBC Guide)
Louisiana’s State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) issues four distinct credential types, Commercial, Residential, Home Improvement Registration, and Mold Remediation, each triggered by its own project-value threshold. Commercial and new residential construction need a license at $50,000 or more; home improvement and mold remediation need one at $7,500 or more.
Louisiana is also a named reciprocity partner with California’s CSLB, alongside Arizona, Mississippi, Nevada, and North Carolina, which matters if you’re licensed in California and considering Louisiana work, or the reverse.
What are Louisiana’s four credential types?
Commercial (projects $50,000+, classified by work type), Residential (new residential construction $50,000+), Home Improvement Registration ($7,500+), and Mold Remediation ($7,500+). Each requires its own application and, for Commercial, its own classification code, so the credential you need depends entirely on the project value and type of work you’re bidding.
What are the Commercial classification codes?
Building Construction (BC), Electrical (EL), Mechanical (ME), Plumbing (PL), and Specialty (SP), each covering a distinct scope under the Commercial license type. A commercial general contractor typically applies under Building Construction (BC), while trade-specific commercial work routes through the matching EL, ME, or PL code.
| Louisiana credential | Threshold | Net worth requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial | $50,000+ | $50,000 |
| Residential (new construction) | $50,000+ | $50,000 |
| Home Improvement Registration | $7,500+ | $25,000 |
| Mold Remediation | $7,500+ | $25,000 |
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, accessed 2026-07-19.
What changed for roofing contractors in 2025?
Act 422, effective August 1, 2025, expanded roofing contractor licensing so that all roofing contractors now need a separate LSLBC license regardless of project size, removing the smaller-project exemption that previously applied. If you do roofing work in Louisiana at any scale, confirm your current licensing status against this expanded rule rather than assuming a past exemption still applies.
What does the statutory fee schedule look like?
A $100 license fee, a $50 exam fee for the Business and Law requirement and for each classification you’re applying under, a $50 home improvement fee where applicable, a $100 renewal fee, and a $50 delinquent fee for late renewals. Out-of-state contractors may owe an additional surcharge of up to $400 on top of the standard fees. Confirm current totals directly with LSLBC before budgeting, since the board can adjust fees and classification rules.
Do I need a separate qualifying party for each classification?
Yes. Applicants must designate a qualifying party for each classification they hold and for the Louisiana Business and Law requirement itself, meaning a contractor holding both Building Construction and Electrical classifications needs qualifying parties who meet the experience and exam requirements for each one separately.
Does Louisiana’s CSLB reciprocity actually skip the whole process?
No, it streamlines equivalency review, not the entire application. A California-licensed contractor moving into Louisiana under reciprocity still files a Louisiana application, still meets Louisiana’s net-worth and fee requirements, and still needs any classification-specific documentation LSLBC requires; reciprocity mainly reduces duplicate exam testing, not the paperwork itself. See our how to get a general contractor license hub for how CSLB’s reciprocity program works across its five partner states.
Our general contractor license california requirements page covers the CA side of that reciprocity relationship, and nascla exam guide explains the separate multi-state exam program Louisiana also participates in.
Run a diagnostic round on the GC License Hub free contractor license practice quiz before your LSLBC exam date, and grab the GC License Hub exam prep cheat sheet for the four-credential comparison table above.
FAQ
What’s the dollar threshold for a Louisiana commercial contractor license? $50,000 or more for Commercial and new Residential construction; Home Improvement Registration and Mold Remediation kick in at $7,500 or more.
Do all roofing contractors need a separate license now? Yes, as of Act 422 effective August 1, 2025, every roofing contractor in Louisiana needs a separate LSLBC license regardless of project size.
Is Louisiana a CSLB reciprocity state? Yes, alongside Arizona, Mississippi, Nevada, and North Carolina, though reciprocity streamlines exam equivalency rather than eliminating Louisiana’s own application and fee requirements.
What net worth do I need for a Commercial license? $50,000, the same figure required for new Residential construction; Home Improvement Registration and Mold Remediation require a lower $25,000 net worth.
Can out-of-state contractors apply without extra fees? No, out-of-state applicants may owe an additional surcharge of up to $400 on top of Louisiana’s standard fee schedule.
Bottom line: Louisiana’s four separate credential types, each gated by its own project-value threshold, mean the first question is which credential fits your actual work, not just whether you’re licensed at all. Confirm current fees and the roofing rule’s full scope directly with LSLBC.
