§2156.1. Requirements for issuance of a contractor's license

           A. To become licensed in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter, an applicant shall make application to the board on a form adopted by the board and shall state the classifications for which he is applying from the list of major classifications listed herein or from the list of subclassifications and specialty classification as adopted by rule. The major classifications are:

           (1) Building construction.

           (2) Highway, street, and bridge construction.

           (3) Heavy construction.

           (4) Municipal and public works construction.

           (5) Electrical.

           (6) Mechanical.

[Effective Date: Text of Paragraph (B)(7) effective until January 1, 2027.]

           (7) Plumbing.

[Effective Date: Text of Paragraph (B)(7) effective on January 1, 2027.]

           (7) Master plumbing.

           (8) Hazardous materials.

           (9) Residential construction.

           (10) Mold remediation.

           (11) Home improvement.

[Effective Date: Text of Paragraph (B)(1) effective until January 1, 2027.]

           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. An applicant shall submit a financial statement on a form supplied by the board, current to within twelve months of the date of filing the application, prepared and signed by an accountant, bookkeeper, or certified public accountant and signed by the applicant, attesting the statement is true and correct. In lieu of a signature by a certified public accountant on the board's form, a current financial statement prepared by a certified public accountant may be attached.

[Effective Date: Text of Paragraph (B)(1) effective on January 1, 2027.]

           B.(1) An applicant and a qualifying party for a contractor's license or registration be a United States citizen or legal resident of the United States. An applicant shall submit a financial statement on a form supplied by the board, current to within twelve months of the date of filing the application, prepared and signed by an accountant, bookkeeper, or certified public accountant and signed by the applicant, attesting the statement is true and correct. In lieu of a signature by a certified public accountant on the board's form, a current financial statement prepared by a certified public accountant may be attached.

           (2) Residential and commercial licenses, their subclassifications, and all specialty classifications with the exception of labor only specialty, shall have a net worth of fifty thousand dollars or more. Home improvement, mold remediation, and labor only specialties shall have a net worth of twenty-five thousand dollars or more. An applicant without the net worth required by this Paragraph may satisfy the net worth requirement for all purposes 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. The financial statement and any information contained therein, as well as any other financial information required to be submitted by a contractor, shall be confidential and not subject to the provisions of the Public Records Law, R.S. 44:1 et seq.

           C. The applicant, each principal, and each designated qualifying party shall complete an application and pass a background investigation. An applicant shall provide all information or documentation requested by the board, including but not limited to documentation relative to identification, criminal history, and financial history. The board may deny approval of the applicant, any of its principals, or any qualifying party for cause. The background investigation shall be conducted in relation to all of the following:

           (1) Fiduciary or monetary matters including but not limited to any bankruptcy, judgment, insolvency, or lien.

           (2) Any criminal offense resulting in a conviction, guilty plea, or plea of nolo contendere.

           D. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, criminal background information in the possession of the State Licensing Board for Contractors shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed to any person outside of the agency, except as necessary for action on the application of the applicant. However, any such record may be released to the public in an administrative proceeding before the board, and any final determination made by the board relative to the fitness of any person to receive or to continue to hold a license issued by the board and any legal ground upon which such determination is based shall be a public record as provided by R.S. 44:4(51). The provisions of this Subsection shall not be construed to interfere or limit the jurisdiction and oversight of the legislative auditor or the inspector general

           E.(1) An applicant for licensure shall designate a qualifying party for each classification and for the Louisiana business and law requirement. The qualifying party shall meet all application requirements and shall satisfy any examination and credential requirement. When the qualifying party is no longer associated with the license, the board shall be notified within thirty days of the disassociation, and another qualifying party shall qualify within sixty days.

           (2) Any principal or full-time employee as defined in this Chapter may be the qualifying party of an applicant or licensee upon the satisfaction of all requirements.

           (3) A qualifying party may also be a qualifying party for any subsidiary of a licensee.

           (4) The board may exempt any qualifying party from the required examinations. 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.

           (5) Upon the determination that a person has engaged in deceptive practices when taking or attempting to take any board examination, the person shall be ineligible to serve as a qualifying party for a licensee for a period of three years.

           E. Residential construction and its subclassifications, mold remediation, and home improvement applicants shall be required to submit certificates evidencing workers' compensation coverage in compliance with Title 23 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, and liability insurance in a minimum amount of one hundred thousand dollars or liability protection provided by a liability trust fund as authorized by R.S. 22:46(9)(d) in a minimum amount of one hundred thousand dollars.

           F.(1) Residential construction and its subclassifications, mold remediation, and home improvement applicants shall be required to submit certificates evidencing workers' compensation coverage in compliance with Title 23 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, and liability insurance in a minimum amount of five hundred thousand dollars or liability protection provided by a liability trust fund as authorized by R.S. 22:46(9)(d) in a minimum amount of five hundred thousand dollars.

           (2) Proof of insurance coverage shall be provided by an agent, broker, or insurance company showing the name of the licensee, the name of the insurance company, the name and address of the insurance broker, the insurance policy number, the beginning and ending insurance coverage dates, no exclusions for the licensee's scopes of work for which he is licensed, and the board that is listed as a certificate holder.

           (3) Coverage shall be for a minimum of six months and shall include all scopes of work for which an applicant is licensed to perform.

           (4) The policy shall list the board as a certificate holder.

           G.(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any residential home improvement or mold remediation licensee in good standing with the board for not less than one consecutive year may apply to transfer the license to an inactive status.

           (2) An inactive licensee shall follow the same renewal requirements as an active licensee as provided in this Chapter, including the payment of fees, with the exception of the submission of current insurance certificates.

           (3) An inactive licensee shall be required to fulfill all prescribed continuing education requirements established for active licensees.

           (4) A licensee may request transfer from inactive status to active status at any time, if:

           (a) The inactive license has been renewed as provided for in this Section.

           (b) The inactive license is current at the time the request is received by the board.

           (c) The licensee submits the required insurance certificates as provided in Subsection E of this Section.

           H. Before a license is issued, a mold remediation license applicant shall be required to furnish evidence to the board that he has satisfactorily completed at least twenty-four hours of training in mold remediation and basic mold assessment.

           I.(1) Mechanical, plumbing, and electrical contractors licensed pursuant to the provisions of this Section are excluded from local, municipal, or parish regulatory authority examination procedures and may bid and perform work within any local jurisdiction upon paying all appropriate fees.

           (2) The purpose of this Subsection is to preempt local, municipal, or parish regulatory examination authority for statewide-licensed mechanical, plumbing, or electrical contractors bidding and performing work in multiple jurisdictions. The preemption shall further exclude the employees of statewide-licensed electrical and mechanical contractors from local, municipal, or parish regulatory examination or certification authority as a condition to performing work for the statewide-licensed electrical or mechanical contractor.

[Effective Date: Text of Subsection J effective until January 1, 2027.]

           J.(1) Any plumbing contractor who currently holds a Master Plumber License from the State Plumbing Board of Louisiana shall be exempt from any trade examination requirement.

           (2) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to permit plumbing contractors to perform plumbing work without first complying with the licensure provisions of Chapter 16 of this Title, R.S. 37:1361 et seq.

[Effective Date: Text of Subsection J effective on January 1, 2027.]

           J.(1) Any person or business that 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 plumbing system is required to hold the appropriate plumbing contractor license, classification, subclassification, or specialty classification.

           (2) A master plumbing contractor may contract to perform plumbing work for any structure. Master plumbing contractor qualifying party status may be obtained only by a licensed master plumber, and upon meeting all other requirements of licensure.

           (3) A residential plumbing contractor may contract to perform plumbing work only for a structure, not more than three floors in height, to be used by another as a residence. Residential plumbing contractor qualifying party status may be obtained by a licensed journeyman plumber or a licensed master plumber, and upon meeting all other requirements of licensure.

           K. The board may consolidate, add, or remove subclassifications or specialties by rule as it deems appropriate.

           Added by Acts 1976, No. 82, §2, eff. July 8, 1976; Amended by Acts 1981, No. 668, §1; Acts 1983, No. 295, §1; Acts 1988, No. 635, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1989; Acts 1989, No. 559, §1; Acts 1992, No. 681, §1, eff. July 6, 1992; Acts 1997, No. 148, §1; Acts 1997, No. 769, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1175, §1; Acts 2008, No. 725, §1, eff. January 1, 2009; Acts 2012, No. 163, §1, eff. August 1, 2012; Acts 2019, No. 371, §§1 & 2, eff. August 1, 2019; Acts 2022, No. 195, §1, eff. August 1, 2022; Acts 2025, No. 422, §1, eff. August 1, 2025; Acts 2026, No. 757, §1, eff. August 1, 2026; Acts 2026, No. 908, §1, eff. January 1, 2027.