§2156.1. Requirements for issuance of a license

A. All persons who desire to become licensed as a contractor shall make application to the board on a form adopted by the board and shall state the classification of work the applicant desires to perform from a list of major classifications as follows:

(1) Building construction.

(2) Highway, street, and bridge construction.

(3) Heavy construction.

(4) Municipal and public works construction.

(5) Electrical work.

(6) Mechanical work.

(7) Plumbing work.

(8) Hazardous materials.

(9) Specialty classifications.

(10) Residential construction.

B. The board shall classify contractors according to the type or types of contracts which they may perform.

C. The applicant shall furnish the board with a financial statement, current to within twelve months of the date of filing, prepared by an independent auditor and signed by the applicant and auditor before a notary public, stating the assets of the applicant, to be used by the board to determine the financial responsibility of the applicant to perform work on a construction undertaking, the entire cost of which is fifty thousand dollars or more. Such assets shall include a net worth of at least ten thousand dollars. An applicant without the net worth required herein may furnish the board a bond, letter of credit, or other security acceptable to the board in the amount of such net worth requirement plus the amount of the applicant's negative net worth if any, and the furnishing of such bond, letter of credit, or other security shall be deemed satisfaction of such net worth requirement for all purposes. The financial statement and any information contained therein, as well as any other financial information required to be submitted by a contractor, shall be confidential and not subject to the provisions of R.S. 44:1 through 37, inclusive. Nothing contained in this Subsection shall be construed to require a licensed contractor to provide a financial statement in connection with the renewal of an existing license.

D.(1) The applicant for licensure shall designate a qualifying party who shall be the legal representative for the contractor relative to the provisions of this Chapter. The designated qualifying party shall complete an application supplied by the board. The board may deny approval of the qualifying party for good cause, which may include the ability of the proposed principal owner or owners, principal shareholder or shareholders, or qualifying party to engage in the business of contracting as demonstrated by his prior contracting business experience. Evidence which may be considered by the board shall be limited to any legal proceedings against the qualifying party or businesses where the qualifying party was in a position of control at the time a problem arose and the ultimate disposition of such proceedings, any financial history of bankruptcies, unpaid judgments, insolvencies, or any similar evidence. When the qualifying party terminates employment with the licensee, the board shall be notified in writing within thirty days of the disassociation and another qualifying party must qualify within sixty days. The qualifying party or parties are:

(a) Any individual contractor or copartner.

(b) Any employee of said applicant who has been in full-time employment for one hundred twenty consecutive days immediately preceding the application. Such employee shall not be allowed to be the qualifying party for more than one company and two subsidiaries.

(c) Any stockholder of a corporation who was an original incorporator or original stockholder as shown in the articles of incorporation.

(2) Upon good showing, the board may waive the required examinations for any person.

(3) Upon the determination that a person has engaged in deceptive practices when taking or attempting to take any board examination, such person shall be ineligible to serve as a qualifying party for a licensee for a period of one year.

E. Notwithstanding any other law of this state to the contrary, a mechanical, plumbing, or electrical contractor may obtain a license to bid and perform work statewide provided such contractor has successfully passed a written examination which is administered or approved by the State Licensing Board for Contractors, which examination shall be a standardized, nationally recognized test.

F. Upon completion of the above, and issuance of a state license for the classification of work for which the contractor desires to perform and contract, mechanical, plumbing, or electrical contractors licensed under this Section are excluded from local, municipal, or parish regulatory authority examination procedures and may bid and perform work within any local jurisdiction upon paying all appropriate fees. The purpose of this Subsection is preemption of local, municipal, or parish regulatory examination authority for statewide-licensed mechanical, plumbing, or electrical contractors bidding and performing work in multiple jurisdictions. Furthermore, this preemption shall further exclude the employees of statewide-licensed electrical and mechanical contractors from local, municipal, or parish regulatory examination or certification authority as a condition to performing work for the statewide-licensed electrical or mechanical contractor.

G. The board shall prepare and maintain a list of local equivalent examinations. Each such local equivalent examination shall be a standardized, nationally recognized test similar to the Block test, which is administered by a local regulatory authority.

H. Any mechanical or electrical contractor who has, prior to July 1, 1985, successfully passed both a state licensing examination administered or approved by the board and a local licensing examination in the same license classification, and who has continuously held such state and local licenses since July 1, 1985, shall be exempted from any requirement herein for passage of an additional test in that license classification. A mechanical or electrical contractor shall make application to the board for such exemptions on a form prepared by the board. The board shall provide for a date by which application for exemption forms must be filed.

I. Any plumbing contractor who currently holds a state license shall be exempt from any requirement herein for passage of an additional examination in that license classification and may bid and perform plumbing work statewide after making application to the board for such exemption on a form prepared by the board.

J. Nothing herein shall be construed to permit plumbing contractors to perform plumbing work without first complying with the licensure provisions of Chapter 16 of this Title, R.S. 37:1361 et seq.

K. Each applicant shall pay all fees required for issuance of the license as provided for in this Chapter.

L. Upon completion of the above requirements, the application shall be submitted to the board for review at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

M. The board shall waive the examination required and grant a mechanical contractor or an electrical contractor license to any person working in the electrical or mechanical construction industry who meets at least one of the following requirements:

(1) Holds either a mechanical or an electrical contractor's license which was issued prior to July 1, 2008, by a local municipality after having passed an examination administered or written by a national testing company approved by the board.

(2) Submits five original building permits, issued within the last three years, as proof that he has actually been engaged in either the mechanical or electrical construction building industry prior to July 1, 2008.

(3) Has completed six mechanical or electrical construction projects within the ten-year period prior to July 1, 2008, or has constructed one such project for another person within the five-year period prior to July 1, 2008.

N.(1) Any arborist who currently holds a valid state license issued pursuant to R.S. 3:3804 shall be exempt from any requirement herein for passage of an additional examination in the landscaping, grading, and beautification subclassification and may bid and perform the arborist work described in R.S. 3:3808(A)(1)(a) statewide after making application to the board for such exemption on a form prepared by the board.

(2) Nothing in this Subsection shall be construed to permit arborists to recommend or execute arborist work without first complying with the licensure provisions of Chapter 24 of Title 3 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, R.S. 3:3801 et seq.

Added by Acts 1976, No. 82, §2, eff. July 8, 1976. Amended by Acts 1981, No. 668, §1; Acts 1983, No. 295, §1; Acts 1988, No. 635, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1989; Acts 1989, No. 559, §1; Acts 1992, No. 681, §1, eff. July 6, 1992; Acts 1997, No. 148, §1; Acts 1997, No. 769, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1175, §1; Acts 2008, No. 725, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2009; Acts 2012, No. 163, §1.

NOTE: See Acts 1988, No. 635, §§2, 3.