Recently, the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors updated its publication titled Important Information Regarding Reciprocity (Revised 3/17/2015). Like many other states, Louisiana may give an applicant for a contractor’s license credit for having a contractor’s license in another state in which Louisiana has a reciprocity or examination endorsement agreement, and vice versa. In order to qualify for reciprocity in Louisiana, the qualifier for the license application submitted to the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors must be the qualifier on the contractor’s license in the reciprocal state. Louisiana has a reciprocity or examination endorsement agreement with Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
An out-of-state contractor applying for a Louisiana contractor’s license based upon a reciprocity or examination endorsement agreement is required to:
1. Be originally incorporated in the reciprocal state or the owner(s) must be resident(s) of that state.
2. Have held a contractor’s license in the reciprocal state for at least 3 years (except for Texas, for which there is no minimum period).
3. Not have been sanctioned by the reciprocal state’s licensing board for the past 3 years for a violation of the governing contractor’s licensing law.
4. Meet all other requirements for licensure by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors: A. Submit: (i) A completed, signed and notarized Commercial and/or Residential application; (ii) A completed, signed and notarized financial statement; and (iii) All of the required application and examination fees; and B. Send a “Request for Verification of License” form to the reciprocal state and, once completed by the reciprocal state, submit the completed form to the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (if the reciprocal state does not).
For additional information, contact Tarah Barbier, Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, 2525 Quail Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, 1-800-256-1392 or 225-765-2301, Ext. 210.
A Louisiana contractor applying for a contractor’s license in another state based upon a reciprocity or examination endorsement agreement is required to:
1. Submit the appropriate license application to the state’s licensing agency in which it is seeking a contractor’s license.
2. Confirm the state’s licensing agency’s rules for reciprocal credit for any required license examinations.
3. Obtain from the state’s licensing agency any form that it requires be filled out by the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.
4. Submit the form to the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors along with an $85 processing/research fee.
For additional information, contact Paula LaMotte, Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, 2525 Quail Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, 1-800-256-1392, Ext. 227.
Additional Source: R-E-C-I-P-R-O-C-I-T-Y ~ Find Out What It Means To You