How to become a general contractor in Louisiana

The path in Louisiana, step by step

Louisiana licenses general contractor work at the state level through the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC). These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Decide which license fits: commercial, residential, or home improvement registration, based on the size of your jobs.
2. Name a qualifying party for the business.
3. Complete the LSLBC Business and Law course.
4. Pass the PSI trade exam for your classification, if one applies.
5. Gather a financial statement showing $50,000 net worth, and for residential, proof of $100,000 liability and workers comp.
6. Apply online through the LSLBC portal and pay the fees.
7. Renew on time and, for residential, finish six hours of continuing education each year.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: general contractor license in Louisiana.

Finding an apprenticeship in Louisiana

Louisiana runs Registered Apprenticeship through its own State Apprenticeship Agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor to register and oversee programs there. Its staff are state employees, and it may use the federal paperwork or forms of its own. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Louisiana State Apprenticeship Agency as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. New construction managers are usually hired as assistants and work under an experienced manager for up to a year, sometimes longer.

License levels and exams in Louisiana

The license to aim for: Residential Building Contractor license or Commercial license (Building Construction).

Trade exam. Residential Construction (9) and Building Construction (1) each have a trade exam, given through PSI.

Business exam. The qualifying party must complete the board's Business and Law course.

Keeping it. Licenses expire on the anniversary of the issue date. Renewal terms of one, two or three years are allowed, but state law bars multiyear terms for licenses that depend on insurance, such as residential. Residential contractors need six hours of approved continuing education each year.

Coming from another state. Out of state companies applying for a commercial or residential license can ask for reciprocity by sending a request form completed by their home state, if that state has a reciprocal agreement. Check with the board for which states qualify.

What the Louisiana license costs

The fees the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What general contractors earn in Louisiana

The median general contractor in Louisiana earned $52.89 an hour in May 2025, 27th of 51 states, with 5,530 on payrolls. The national median was $55.28.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of general contractors in Louisiana earned under $43.49 an hour and a tenth under $32.11. At the top, a quarter earned over $66.21 and a tenth over $83.61.

BLS has no separate wage figure for general contractors. These are its numbers for construction managers, the group BLS files general contractors under. They count managers on a payroll, so owners who run their own contracting business are not in them. Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: general contractor salary in Louisiana.

Jobs ahead in Louisiana

Louisiana's labor market office projects jobs for general contractors growing from 6,840 in 2022 to 7,900 in 2032, a change of 15.5%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 630 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 15.5% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 4.5% projected nationally, ranking 12th of the 49 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group construction managers.

Starting your own general contractor business in Louisiana

To contract on your own in Louisiana, the license is the Residential Building Contractor license or Commercial license (Building Construction).

Insurance. Residential and home improvement applicants must show at least $100,000 general liability and proof of workers comp. Commercial applicants do not submit insurance proof.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Louisiana median of $52.89 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $163.47 per billable hour. Try your own in the labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start a general contracting business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.