What permits do you need to open a contractor or trade in New Orleans?

Occupational License Tax — Contractors

On top of, not instead of, the state contractors board license recorded at the state layer.

Plumbing Licensing (transitioning to a single board)

Plumbing is licensed on two layers at once, and the second layer is mid-transition into the first. A separate State Plumbing Board still licenses the individual tradesperson — a journeyman's application and exam run $135 with a $50 initial license, a master plumber $110 with a $190 active license, renewed annually by 31 December — while the general contractors board separately licenses the plumbing business itself once a project reaches $10,000, on the same statutory caps as its other trades, and exempts a business from its own trade exam if the applicant already holds the board's Master Plumber license. That two-board structure is being dismantled: the plumbing board relocated into the contractors board's own building on 1 September 2026 under a 2026 act, and full legal consolidation into a single agency lands on 1 January 2027, which is likely to reshape both the fee schedule and the training-hour requirements shortly after. Confirm the current structure directly before publishing anything dated after that changeover.

Mechanical (HVAC) Contractor License

Mechanical work worth $10,000 or more needs this license, on the same fee caps as the board's other major classifications. Heating, air conditioning, ventilation, duct work and refrigeration sit inside it as a subclassification rather than as their own separate board, so an HVAC business is licensed as a mechanical contractor rather than under a distinct HVAC category, still at the same $10,000 threshold.

Commercial Contractor License

Commercial work needs this license once the project's value reaches $50,000, under the board's general Building Construction classification. The fees are statutory caps rather than fixed points — an examination fee of no more than $50, a license fee of no more than $100 and a renewal of no more than $100 — and unlike residential work below, a commercial licensee may choose to renew for one, two or three years at a time rather than being locked into an annual cycle. A contractor not domiciled in Louisiana can be charged a further surcharge of up to $400.

Home Improvement Registration

A distinct, lower tier sitting between ordinary handywork and full residential contracting: work on an existing home worth $7,500 or more but under $50,000 needs this registration rather than the full residential contractor license, and a home improvement registrant may not perform work that is structurally integral to the building. The fee cap is lower too, no more than $50. Like the residential license above, it depends on insurance certification and so renews annually rather than on a multi-year cycle.

Residential Contractor License

The board's own current material states two thresholds for this license: the amended statute defining a residential contractor sets it at $50,000, while the board's bundled administrative rules, last formally amended in 2023, still state $75,000 for the same category. Both figures are recorded here; treat $50,000 as the statutory floor and confirm with the board before relying on either. The board's material is consistent on the insurance requirement, recently raised: a residential applicant must carry at least $500,000 of liability insurance, up from a prior $100,000 minimum, and because that insurance certification is a condition of the license, it cannot be renewed for more than one year at a time the way a commercial license can.

Electrical Contractor License

Electrical contracting work worth $10,000 or more needs this license, priced on the same statutory caps as the general commercial license — no more than $50 to examine, $100 to obtain and $100 to renew. Its most distinctive feature is what it does once held: state law excludes a statewide-licensed electrical contractor, and that contractor's own employees, from any local municipal or parish examination or certification requirement, letting a licensed contractor bid and perform work in any jurisdiction in the state on the strength of this one credential. A local government may still license electricians who are not working for a statewide-licensed contractor, and may still require its own business license and inspect the work.

Shared with other businesses in New Orleans

• Conditional Use Permit — City of New Orleans City Planning Commission, $1,160–$4,640 by building size — $1,160 up to 4,999 sq ft, $2,320 for 5,000–24,999, $3,480 for 25,000–74,999, $4,640 for 75,000 and above; a multi-family or townhouse project is $500 to $700 instead, one-time, per application. Also required for restaurants, salons and barbers, childcare centres, auto repair shops and veterinary clinics; what it involves is set out on the auto repair shops page.