We congratulate you on your desire to seek a contractor's license in the state of Louisiana. This is a big step forward that can open several doors for you. Louisiana Law requires anyone who performs construction work where the total project amount exceeds $50,000 for commercial projects, $10,000 for plumbing, electrical & HVAC, and $7,500 for residential projects within the state to be licensed by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.

The benefits of having a license are many. Primarily, you’ll be able to take on larger projects and expand your clientele. A license will make your business more credible. It can increase your earning potential since clients are willing to pay more money to a licensed contractor than a handyman.

The process of getting your Louisiana contractor license can be tedious. However, at Contractor Training Center, we make sure you’re prepared for this exam with our courses, study tools, and resources. We have years of experience in this industry. We know the best ways to help you prepare and pass the exam on the first try.

Wondering how to get a contractor's license in Louisiana? We’ll explain everything down below.

The Benefits of Having a Contractor's License in Louisiana

There are two benefits to having your contractor's license: increased earning potential and credibility. With a license, you’ll be able to take on larger projects. Plus, customers are willing to pay more money to a licensed contractor than a handyman.

Gives You Credibility

Having a license increases your credibility, allowing you to build trust with your clients. There are other ways you can gain their trust, but this is a big part of establishing yourself and your business, especially if you're working with new customers.

Gives You A Higher Earning Potential

Consequently, there are larger projects that you can't perform without a contractor's license. With one, you can take on big assignments, get more jobs, and increase your profit. More times than not, clients will pay a higher price to a licensed contractor as opposed to unlicensed handymen.

Not holding a license can result in trouble for you and your business. If caught, you can be looking at costly fines and a loss of clientele. Avoid this by taking the appropriate measures to get your license. If you’re unsure where to start, don’t worry. Get in touch with us today and we’ll walk you through the process.

We have helped over 30,000 contractors obtain their license! We are committed to your success and have an extremely high first pass rate. Everything you need to know about the Louisiana contracting exam can be found on our page. For any questions, we are only a phone call away.

There are 3 important steps in most states to obtain your license. These include:

1. Submitting an application
2. Completing a Business Law course
3. Passing a Technical exam

We are here every step of the way to guide and support you. We offer the right tools and resources to pass these exams on your first try. If you don’t pass, we will offer you the class once more for free until you do. Whatever you need, we are available to help!

How to Get a Residential Contractor's License in Louisiana

A contractor must:

• Complete the Residential Application. Additional information/documents may be requested within the 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. 
• 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. 
• Be approved by the Board before issuance of the license.

How to Get a Mechanical License in Louisiana

To apply for your license, visit the Louisiana State Licensing Board (LSLBC) website.

The state does not require continuing education before renewal. In addition, Louisiana has reciprocity agreements with Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah.

Provide a financial statement affidavit showing a minimum of $10,000 net worth (must be current within 12 months of application).

Submit a complete Commercial Application with classification. Once the application is received, the Qualifying Party will receive exam information.

Pass the Business and Law exam and the Mechanical Contractor exam.

New rules promulgated to ease contractor licensing process - January 2019

The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors recently promulgated rules to simplify and streamline the application, examination and renewal processes for licensed contractors and those seeking to become licensed contractors. Changes made in this regard include the following.

1. Insurance documents required for residential builders and residential specialty subcontractors, mold remediation contractors, and home improvement registrants will be collected at application and renewal time only, with contractors certifying that they will maintain continuous coverage while licensed/registered.
    
2. Residential building contractors will continue to be required to meet the continuing education requirement of 6 hours per year, but will no longer be required to submit continuing education certificates to this office. The contractor will maintain their education certificates for a five-year period and provide copies to this office if requested. Contractors will certify at application and renewal time that they have complied with this requirement.
    
3. Employees applying to be the Qualifying Party for a contractor will no longer be required to provide copies of payroll documents/payroll checks as evidence of employment. However, the Qualifier/Employee will be required to sign a legal affidavit, along with their employer, that they meet the 120-day mandated employment requirement.

If we can answer any questions or be of further assistance, please contact us support@contractortrainingcenter.com

Would you rather take an open book exam?

Because these exams are closed book, we recommend the NASCLA License. It is an OPEN BOOK EXAMINATION and it covers you for both residential and commercial construction in Louisiana. Even Better, it is accepted in 16 states for the technical exam. If you work in multiple states then this is absolutely the best license to get. You can be one and done for the technical side of your license in all of these states. More states plan to accept the NASCLA certification in the future, so this license designation will only get better. 

States that Accept the NASCLA License

The NASCLA exam replaces the trades exam for Commercial General Building Contractors in all 16 of these states. 11 of these states also accept it for Residential Building Contractors. The following states accept this license:

• Alabama -  Commercial Only
• Arizona - Commercial Only
• Arkansas - Commercial and Residential
• Florida - Commercial and Residential
• Georgia - Commercial and Residential
• Louisiana - Commercial and Residential
• Mississippi - Commercial and Residential
• Nevada - Commercial Only
• North Carolina - Commercial and Residential
• Oregon - Commercial and Residential
• South Carolina - Commercial and Residential
• Tennessee - Commercial Only
• US Virgin Islands - Commercial and Residential
• Utah - Commercial and Residential
• Virginia - Commercial Only
• West VA - Commercial and Residential

What this means is, if you pass one exam, you’ll have the hardest part of the licensing process complete for any of the states mentioned above. You may need to pass the Business and Law exam for certain states. However, you won’t have to take a separate Technical exam. It works in a similar manner as reciprocity but is a little easier as the NASCLA organization is designed to help you through this process.

The NASCLA National Exam Database keeps track of everyone who has passed the NASCLA Accredited Exam. If you’re performing work in another state, this makes the process quick and easy. Depending on the state, however, you may need to take a specific business/law exam and you will also need to complete the application process for that state. To register yourself with the NASCLA organization, go to the NASCLA database Fill out the online application and pay the $25 fee and you will be eligible to take the exam in about a week. This is the easiest and cheapest thing in the whole process. Exams are scheduled at www.psiexams.com You will need to create an account and register to take the exam. They will not let you register until the NASCLA organization has pre-approved you. 

In Louisiana, you will still need to complete the application process and the online Business and Law course offered by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.

Most states that accept the NASCLA Exam will require you to register your business with the Secretary of State so that they can tax you and submit a license application to the State Board of Contractors.

When a company with a NASCLA license finds opportunities for business in another NASCLA-accepting state, they must still apply for their contractor license for that state. NASCLA applicants are still required to meet all of the state’s license requirements, but they will never have to take the NASCLA exam again. Applicants can request copies of their test transcripts from the National Education Database at ned.nascla.org.   

At Contractor Training Center, we have all the exam prep classes and materials needed to pass the NASCLA exam and the Business Law exam for all 16 of the NASCLA states as well as many states’ Business and Law exams. We also have optional Application Fulfillment Services to help you through the application process. The application process is a bit tedious, so we save our contractors time and frustration and keep them on task by helping ensure all application documents are correct and ready to submit for approval.

How to Study for the NASCLA Exam

Applicants are only allowed to take the NASCLA exam 3 times within a one-year period after applying, so preparation is imperative. This is an open book exam and tabbing and highlighting the books is allowed and part of our curriculum. There are 21 books allowed in the testing room; our instructors have eliminated the need for 2 of the books, as they are extremely repetitive and unnecessary. This helps us lower our book bundle price, but purchasing the books is still the most expensive part of getting your NASCLA license.

It would take you a year to absorb the information found in the 21 reference manuals for the NASCLA exam. With our intensive exam prep courses, we can have you ready to take the exam in a week. We actually suggest taking the exam about 1 week after taking our NASCLA Exam Prep Course. It is not necessary to absorb all of the material in these books; the secret to passing the NASCLA exam is to be able to find the answers within the references quickly. This is where we come in. We have keyword techniques and time-saving strategies designed to make you efficient and confident while taking the exam. We also provide hundreds of NASCLA practice questions with our online practice test material to help you learn your way around the books and also plants a lot of information in your short term memory.

When you take a live class or webinar with us, we also provide you with a pre-recorded version of the class. This way, you have something to refer back to that you can watch as many times as you like. We allow you access to the material for 3 months. If you need it for a longer time period, then all you need do is ask and we will extend it at no additional cost.

The online content is where you will find the tabbing and highlighting instructions as well as the practice questions. We have optional services where we can send you the books already tabbed and highlighted, which will save you countless hours of preparing your books for the exam. Our tabbing and highlighting services are especially popular with busy professionals!

Pass Your Exam the First Time

At Contractor Training Center, we have an extremely high first-time pass rate for the NASCLA exam. If you do not pass on the first attempt, we will ask for your examination report from the testing center, to show us the categories of material where you struggled. We will use this information to give you supplemental instruction and let you attend another class for free. We are very good at training our contractors to pass this exam.  

We know having this exam under your belt is important for your business, and we take it seriously. Give us a call today to find out more about our prep seminar for the National NASCLA Accredited Contractor Exam. Our goal is your ultimate success!

Here are some important links for your convenience:

• Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors 
• Louisiana Contractors Licensing Laws
• Exams and Classifications List   
• Application Package