STATE LICENSE
ConditionalLouisiana State Licensing Board for Contr…
Act 422 of 2025 created R.S. 37:2156.4: on and after January 1, 2026, anyone who advertises, solicits, quotes, bids, or performs construction, repair, or maintenance on any portion of a residential roofing system worth $7,500 or more must hold Residential Roofing or Residential Construction. Residential Roofing is a subclassification of Residential Construction, so it carries the full residential package: trade exam, $50,000 net worth, workers' comp, and — since Act 757 of 2026 — $500,000 in liability insurance. Act 757 also stretched the residential-roofing definition to buildings with up to four dwelling units, effective August 1, 2026.
Roofing never fit the Home Improvement registration: the statute bars home improvement contractors from roofing systems. Commercial roofing of $50,000 or more needs the commercial Roofing and Sheet Metal, Siding classification. And because so much Louisiana roofing is storm work, R.S. 37:2159.1 matters: contractors may not interpret policies, act as public adjusters, take an assignment of insurance benefits (added by Act 757), or sign an owner before giving an itemized good-faith estimate.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Louisiana runs on parishes, not counties, and every parish or municipal permit desk is bound by R.S. 37:2160(B): it may not issue a building permit to anyone without an active LSLBC license in the classification that matches the scope, and it must collect a board-form exemption affidavit from owner-builders (§ 2160(C)). LSLBC staff may audit local permit lists monthly (§ 2160(A)). Beyond the state license, a contractor owes only local occupational license taxes, inspection permit fees, and any local competency license for mechanical, plumbing, or electrical contractors (R.S. 37:2156(N), electrical added by Act 757 of 2026); state law preempts local examination authority over LSLBC licensees (§ 2160(D)). In New Orleans, permits run through the Department of Safety & Permits, and a building-permit application must include a copy of the contractor's current Certificate of Registration and license number. Baton Rouge is a consolidated city-parish: the City of Baton Rouge/Parish of East Baton Rouge Permits & Inspections Division handles building, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical permits — except inside the City of St. George, which took over its own permitting on October 16, 2024. Jefferson, Caddo (Shreveport), and Lafayette permit offices apply the same state gate. Whether a re-roof needs a permit is a local-code question; the state rule is that any permit issued must go to a correctly classified licensee.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Louisiana county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Home improvement contractors are barred from roofing systems by statute, and Residential Roofing has been mandatory at $7,500+ since January 1, 2026.
For roofing only, Act 757 treats a building with up to four dwelling units as a residential roofing project (effective August 1, 2026).
Since August 1, 2026, soliciting or accepting an assignment of post-loss property-insurance benefits is against public policy and an unfair trade practice.
A practical sequence for a new roofing contractor in Louisiana. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Quoting or performing residential roofing of $7,500+ without the classification is unlicensed contracting.
Fine of up to 10% of the contract value, plus administrative costs and attorney fees.
Soliciting or accepting an assignment of post-loss benefits is an unfair or deceptive trade practice under the Insurance Code.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
| County · City | Permit office | Portal |
|---|---|---|
| Caddo Parish Shreveport | City of Shreveport — Permits & Inspections Division ↗ Unincorporated: Caddo Parish Commission — Public Works, Engineering ↗ | My Government Online ↗ |
| Calcasieu Parish Lake Charles | City of Lake Charles — Permit Center ↗ Unincorporated: Calcasieu Parish Police Jury — Division of Planning and Development ↗ | MGO Connect ↗ |
| East Baton Rouge Parish Baton Rouge (consolidated gov.) | City of Baton Rouge / Parish of East Baton Rouge — Permits & Inspections Division ↗ | MyGovernmentOnline (MGO Connect) ↗ |
| Lafayette Parish Lafayette (consolidated gov.) | Lafayette Consolidated Government — Development & Planning, Permitting Division ↗ | MGO Connect ↗ |
| Orleans Parish New Orleans (consolidated gov.) | City of New Orleans — Department of Safety and Permits (One Stop Shop) ↗ | One Stop App ↗ |
| Terrebonne Parish Houma (consolidated gov.) | Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government — Planning & Zoning, Permits Division ↗ | MGO Connect ↗ |
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: Whether the 6-hour annual residential CE rule (LAC 46:XXIX.505) applies to holders of only the Residential Roofing subclassification — the rule text names 'residential construction contractor' · Current LSLBC fee amounts — the board resets fees each July under LAC 46:XXIX.131; this record uses the statutory caps in R.S. 37:2156(C) · PSI trade-exam vendor fees (paid to PSI; not published on lslbc.gov) · Local registration or competency-license requirements in Jefferson Parish, Caddo Parish/Shreveport, and Lafayette Consolidated Government were not reviewed on those governments' sites
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.