South Carolina to Louisiana: general contractor license reciprocity
Louisiana has no reciprocity agreement with South Carolina. A South Carolina general contractor applies by endorsement.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Trade examination waived on a verified out-of-state license or the NASCLA examination (every state)
The board reviews your out-of-state credentials case by case. Some exam is usually still required, often only a law or code exam.
Louisiana has no named-state contractor reciprocity at the commercial level either. Its enabling statute, La. R.S. 37:2153(F)(5), lets the Board waive the trade portion of the examination for any applicant holding a license in a comparable classification in another state, on written certification from that state that the applicant passed the examination and is in good standing, and adds that the business law requirement is never waived; a Board notice of 23 October 2024 put that into practice for every state at once and cancelled the Board's earlier agreements. In practice the applicant sends the LSLBC Reciprocity Request form to the origin state's board, which seals and returns it with the license details and, for each classification, the person who passed the trade exam, the date, the exam developer and the score, and the applicant uploads it with the online application. The Board separately gives exam credit for a passing NASCLA Accredited Examination result towards the Building Construction classification, with the transcript sent to the Board directly by NASCLA. Whichever route is used, the qualifying party still completes the Louisiana Business and Law course and the entity still meets the $50,000 net-worth test, the background investigation and all fees, and the Board investigates all violations and pending violations before granting the waiver.
The Board matches the origin examination to whichever Louisiana classification it considers equivalent, rather than to the classification the applicant asks for, and it publishes no table mapping other states' classifications to its own, so confirm the classification you will be granted before you pay. Louisiana requires no trade experience for a contractor license, so documented out-of-state years neither shorten nor replace a step. Commercial applicants do not file insurance certificates with the Board and owe no continuing education, but a contractor holding both a commercial Building Construction license and a residential license has the residential six-hour requirement treated as met.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Out-of-state hours
- Do not count
What you must already have
- Your South Carolina license must be active and in good standing.La. R.S. 37:2153(F)(5) requires written certification from the licensing state, and the form is completed by a state board, so a city or parish contractor card from the origin state does not satisfy it.
- Your South Carolina license must have been obtained by examination, not by reciprocity or grandfathering.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.
- You must have passed a licensing exam in South Carolina that the destination considers comparable.The Board's online application asks whether the applicant is 'requesting to receive credit from an exam taken with NASCLA (National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies) for one of the following classifications: Building Construction, Residential Construction, or Electrical', which is the Board's own confirmation that it accepts the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors at this level. The transcript must come to the Board directly from the NASCLA Examination Database. NASCLA is an examination credential rather than a license or an interstate agreement, so it is open to an applicant from any state, and it waives nothing except the Louisiana trade examination.
- The applicant and every qualifying party must be a United States citizen or a legal resident of the United States, and each qualifying party must be a sole proprietor, partner, member or manager of an LLC, stockholder, officer or incorporator of a corporation, or a full-time employee of the applicant as the IRS defines full time. Louisiana sets no minimum trade experience or apprenticeship hours for a contractor license.
What you'll do to get licensed in Louisiana
- 1Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Louisiana Business and Law: an online course of roughly 30 to 45 minutes taken through the LSLBC Contractor Portal once the qualifying party is approved. The Board states it is not a pass or fail examination, and that it is required of every applicant seeking reciprocity from another state or using NASCLA for exam credit. The statute says the business law requirement is never waived, and an exam or administrative fee is charged for it as well as for each classification..
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Louisiana Building Construction trade examination, administered by PSI Services LLC since 5 August 2025 and scheduled after the Board issues the qualifying party an eligibility letter. It is required only where the trade examination is not waived by a verified out-of-state examination or by NASCLA credit, and a separate examination applies to each additional classification or subclassification sought. A failed examination cannot be retaken for 30 days, and a review may be requested after two failures. The content outline, candidate bulletin, question count, time limit, passing score and PSI fee sit inside the PSI scheduling portal; PSI Candidate Services on 855-340-3713 can confirm them..
- 3Application fee. Pay the application fee. Application fee paid with the online application. The Board does not publish a fee schedule on its website; La. R.S. 37:2156(C) caps the license fee at $100 and the examination fee at $50, and the annual fee is set by the Board at its July meeting. Fees are nonrefundable, and a one-time waiver of the initial licensing fees is available to applicants on SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, disability insurance or public housing, or earning under 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Ask the Board on 225.765.2301 for the current amounts..
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee. An exam or administrative fee is charged for each classification and for Business and Law, so a contractor taking several classifications pays several times. La. R.S. 37:2156(C) caps the examination fee at $50; PSI charges separately for the scheduled examination. Neither amount is published on the Board's site..
- 5License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee. License fee, capped at $100 by La. R.S. 37:2156(C), with a lesser fee for each additional classification. A license issued to a contractor not domiciled in Louisiana may also carry a surcharge of up to $400 to defray the cost of investigating an out-of-state applicant. Licenses expire on the anniversary of issue and a commercial licensee may elect a one-, two- or three-year renewal term..
- 6Financial responsibility. Show financial responsibility of at least $50,000. LSLBC Financial Statement form showing a net worth of at least $50,000 for a commercial license, current within twelve months of the application and prepared and signed by a certified public accountant, accountant or bookkeeper as well as by the applicant; a CPA-prepared statement may be attached instead of the Board's form. An applicant short of the figure may make it up with an irrevocable letter of credit covering the shortfall plus any negative net worth. The Labor Only specialty needs $25,000 instead. The financial statement is confidential and outside the Public Records Law..
- 7Business license. Obtain a business license. A corporation, LLC or limited partnership, including an out-of-state one, must be registered with the Louisiana Secretary of State and show a status of Active and In Good Standing, with its charter number on the application, and must stay registered for as long as it holds the license. The license is issued in the exact legal name and Louisiana does not recognize a DBA, trade name or fictitious name. A joint venture that bids or performs work must itself be licensed..
- 8Background check. Complete a background check. The applicant, each principal and each qualifying party complete an application and pass a background investigation covering financial matters such as bankruptcy, judgments, insolvency and liens, and any criminal conviction, guilty plea or plea of nolo contendere (La. R.S. 37:2156.1(C)). Debarment by a public entity, a bankruptcy in the past ten years, an open lien or judgment, a felony or non-traffic misdemeanour conviction and an unresolved child support delinquency each require supporting records to be uploaded..
- 9Insurance. Carry the required insurance (if applicable). The Board does not require a commercial applicant to file certificates of insurance; general liability and workers' compensation certificates are collected only from residential, home improvement and mold remediation applicants. Louisiana workers' compensation law still applies to the business independently of licensure, and owners and general contractors normally require liability cover by contract..
- 10Other. Completed and sealed LSLBC Reciprocity Request form returned by the origin state's licensing board, or a NASCLA transcript released to the Board directly from the NASCLA Examination Database, uploaded with the online application; plus articles of incorporation, articles of organization or the partnership agreement for a business entity, and a copy of any outside credential where the classification takes a credential in place of a trade exam, such as a Department of Environmental Quality asbestos certificate or a State Plumbing Board plumbing certificate. The application stays active for one year..
What you'll need to buy or arrange
Exam preparation
Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.
- Law / code exam
- Trade exam · if applicable
- Exam fee
Business registration
If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.
- Business license
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance · if applicable
How Louisiana licenses general contractors
Louisiana general contractor · “Commercial Contractor, Building Construction classification (major classification 1)”
Statewide license
Issued by Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC)
Louisiana's unlimited tier is the commercial license issued by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, and the classification that covers buildings is Building Construction: the building, maintenance, repair, raising, levelling, development or demolition of any and all structures, together with the landscaping, earthwork, parking areas, driveways and sidewalks. It sits alongside three other major commercial classifications, Highway, Street and Bridge Construction, Heavy Construction, and Municipal and Public Works Construction, plus Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing and Hazardous Materials and a long list of subclassifications and specialties, and a licensee may only bid or perform work inside the classifications printed on the license. A commercial license is required once a project for commercial purposes reaches $50,000 including labor and materials, and the threshold drops to $10,000 for electrical, mechanical and plumbing work and to $1 for asbestos, hazardous waste, lead-based paint and underground storage tank work. The license is entity-held and qualified by a named person: the business applies and designates a qualifying party for each classification and for the Louisiana Business and Law requirement, and that qualifying party is the one who sits the trade examination. A commercial applicant files a financial statement showing at least $50,000 net worth, passes a background investigation, and registers with the Louisiana Secretary of State; unlike a residential applicant, it does not have to file insurance certificates with the Board, and there is no continuing education requirement. A commercial license does not allow a contractor to build a single residential home, which needs the Residential Construction classification.
Common questions
- Do I have to take the Louisiana general contractor exam if I'm licensed in South Carolina?
- The trade exam is waived, but Louisiana requires a law or code exam.
- Do my South Carolina work hours count in Louisiana?
- No. Louisiana does not credit out-of-state hours on this path.
- Does it work the other way, from Louisiana to South Carolina?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Louisiana to South Carolina, the mechanism is reciprocity.
Sources
- LSLBC notice to State Regulatory Agencies, 23 October 2024 - Louisiana Examination Reciprocity · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Other · verified September 17, 2026
- LSLBC Online Application Instructions, revised 21 November 2025 · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- License Application Questions (complete list of questions on the online application) - LSLBC · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Checklist of Items Required for Initial License and to Maintain License - LSLBC · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Exams / Classifications (classification list) - LSLBC · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- FAQ - Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Faq · verified September 17, 2026
- LSLBC Financial Statement form, revised 10 September 2025 · La. R.S. 37:2156.1(B) · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- Contractors Licensing Law - La. R.S. 37 Chapter 24 and Rules & Regulations, effective 1 August 2026 · La. R.S. 37:2150.1, 2153(F)(5), 2156(C)-(D), 2156.1(B), (D), (E), (F), 2160(D); LAC 46:XXIX.111, .301, .2244 · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
- Licensing Requirements for Contractors in Louisiana (LSLBC public brochure) · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Other · verified September 17, 2026
- LSLBC Next Steps in the Application & Qualifying Party Process · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- Reciprocity - Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- LSLBC Reciprocity Request (For Licensure in Louisiana), revised 9 September 2025 · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- Test Registration and Scheduling (PSI) - LSLBC · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Types of Licenses - Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors · National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies · Other · verified September 17, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.