Moving to Louisiana as a general contractor: every state's rule
Louisiana has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: endorsement.
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.
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Alaska | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Arizona | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Arkansas | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| California | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Colorado | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Connecticut | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Delaware | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| District of Columbia | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Florida | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Georgia | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Hawaii | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Idaho | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Illinois | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Indiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Iowa | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Kentucky | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Maine | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Maryland | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Massachusetts | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Michigan | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Minnesota | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Mississippi | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Montana | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Nebraska | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Nevada | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| New Hampshire | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| New Jersey | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| New Mexico | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| North Carolina | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| North Dakota | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Ohio | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Oklahoma | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Oregon | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Rhode Island | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| South Carolina | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| South Dakota | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Tennessee | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Texas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Utah | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Vermont | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Virginia | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Washington | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| West Virginia | Endorsement | 2026-09-17 | |
| Wisconsin | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |