§2156.1. Requirements for issuance of a 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.
(7) Plumbing.
(8) Hazardous materials.
(9) Residential construction.
(10) Mold remediation.
(11) Home improvement.
B.(1) An applicant for a license or registration 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.(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.
(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) 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.
G. 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.
H.(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.
I.(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.
J. 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. Jan. 1, 2009; Acts 2012, No. 163,
§1; Acts 2019, No. 371, §§1, 2; Acts 2022, No. 195, §1; Acts 2025, No. 422, §1.
NOTE: See Acts 1988, No. 635, §§2, 3.