Louisiana: who needs a license to work on your chimney or fireplace?
Checked Sep 2026·Laws as cited·3 of 4 records checked Sep 2026; 1 still dated Jul 2026
Public recordLA LAW
For consumer remedies, home-sale rules and carbon monoxide law, see Louisiana chimney & fireplace laws — know your rights. That page was verified Sep 2026.
Stove & insert installation: is a credential required in Louisiana?
#stove-installREGISTRATION- Credential
- Home Improvement Contractor registration (no trade exam; business & law course per rights pass) for jobs from $7,500 — a stove/insert install with liner or chimney work can cross the floor; below $7,500 NOTHING at state level (no solid-fuel credential; SPBLA/LPG lanes gas-only); THRESHOLD CEILING RESOLVED Sep 2026: residential license at $50,000 or more (R.S. 37:2150.1; LSLBC Types of Licenses 'exceeding $50,000') and HI band $7,500 to under $50,000 — the $75,000 figure was the pre-Aug-2024 statute (struck by Acts 2024 No. 178, eff. 8/1/2024), not a post-Act-422 change; NEW from 8/1/2026 (Act 757 of 2026): residential, HI and mold licensees/registrants must carry at least $500,000 liability insurance (was $100,000) with LSLBC as certificate holder; CODE: LSUCC statewide 2021 IRC eff. 1/1/2023 with mandatory parish/municipal enforcement — the strongest statewide code floor in the South batch, listing rules reach the whole state
- Issuing body
- Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (HI registration); parish/municipal permit offices (LSUCC)
- Statute
- La. R.S. 37:2150.1 (thresholds), 37:2175.1 et seq. (HI), 37:2156.1 (insurance, Act 757 of 2026); Acts 2024 No. 178; LSUCC (R.S. 40:1730.21 et seq., 2021 I-Codes eff. 1/1/2023 — code edition not re-verified Sep 2026)
- Dollar threshold
- $7,500 (HI registration floor); $50,000 (residential license)
- Exam
- n
- Local overlay
- y — New Orleans/Baton Rouge permit mechanics
- Confidence
- medium · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Chimney flashing: is a credential required in Louisiana?
#chimney-flashingLICENSE- Credential
- NEW REGIME in two steps — (1) Act 422 of 2025: LSLBC notice 12/8/2025 (re-read Sep 2026): 'Effective January 1, 2026', 'those licensees holding Residential Construction and Residential Roofing classifications may perform residential roof work' (the July row's 'HI registrants expressly barred' and the $7,500 figure are not stated on that notice as fetched); (2) Act 757 of 2026, eff. 8/1/2026 (LSLBC memo 7/13/2026): 'a person who advertises, solicits, quotes, bids, contracts, supervises, or performs roofing work with a project value of $7,500 or more must hold the Residential Roofing or Residential Construction classification', plus a $500,000 liability-insurance floor for residential/HI licensees with LSLBC as certificate holder; the Board's roofing classification scope includes 'waterproofing for associated parapet walls including flashings and other accessories' — chimney flashing/leak repair sits inside roof-system scope; below $7,500: no credential (matches the HI floor); Act 422 also added permit and penalty teeth eff. 8/1/2025
- Issuing body
- Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- Statute
- Act 422 of 2025 (amending La. R.S. 37:2150 et seq. — section numbers UNVERIFIED); Act 757 of 2026 (SB 326; R.S. 37:2156.1 insurance); LSLBC residential-roof-work notice 12/8/2025; LSLBC memorandum 7/13/2026
- Dollar threshold
- $7,500 (Act 757 of 2026, eff. 8/1/2026)
- Exam
- y (classification exam — format for the new class UNVERIFIED)
- Local overlay
- n
- Confidence
- high · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Gas fireplace service: is a credential required in Louisiana?
#gas-fireplace-serviceLICENSE- Credential
- Fuel-split plus a stacking contractor layer: NG = Louisiana State Plumbing Board is the 'sole and exclusive' licensor of gas fitting for the general public — installation/repair/improvement/alteration/removal of natural gas piping, tanks, AND APPLIANCES annexed to real property (R.S. 37:1361); Master/Journeyman Natural Gas Fitter (exams: 2021 IFGC written + practical; master via NG fitter license, LSLBC Mechanical statewide license, or PE) + mandatory Apprentice registration for ALL unlicensed persons doing gas work; preempts municipal gas-fitter licensing; homeowner own-residence exemption (section cite medium); LP = LPG Commission permits (R.S. 40:1846; LAC 55:IX): Class I any phase / Class II install+service LP containers, piping and appliances / Class R-1 LP PIPING only (must hold LA master plumber license) / Class R-2 LP APPLIANCES and equipment (must be in the mechanical contracting business) (class scopes NOT re-read Sep 2026 — LAC 55:IX-103/-107 on Cornell and the LPG permit-holder page do not state them) + card of competency for all 'service and installation personnel' ($20 examination fee, $10 annual renewal — LAC 55:IX-107, re-read) + CETP training; STACK: gas jobs exceeding $10,000 also need the LSLBC Mechanical (Statewide) license (LSLBC Types of Licenses: MEP 'exceeding $10,000 including labor and materials'); MISMATCH: chimney/masonry under $7,500 needs nothing (LSLBC HI registration floor) while gas has a $0 floor on both fuels
- Issuing body
- Louisiana State Plumbing Board (NG); Louisiana Liquefied Petroleum Gas Commission, Dept. of Public Safety (LP); LSLBC (mechanical >$10k)
- Statute
- La. R.S. 37:1361 (SPBLA exclusivity + preemption); La. R.S. 40:1846 + LAC 55:IX-103, -107, -177 (LP permits, competency cards, appliance installation); LSLBC thresholds per board Types-of-Licenses page (R.S. 37:2150.1 et seq.)
- Dollar threshold
- none (gas, both fuels); $10,000 (LSLBC mechanical stack); $7,500 to under $50,000 (HI registration band for the chimney side; residential license at $50,000 or more — RESOLVED Sep 2026: $50,000 per LSLBC Types of Licenses + R.S. 37:2150.1, lowered from $75,000 by Acts 2024 No. 178 eff. 8/1/2024)
- Exam
- y (NG fitter written + practical exams — journeyman: 2021 IFGC 80-question written + screw-pipe practical; LP competency-card exam; LSLBC NASCLA/business exams)
- Local overlay
- n for gas licensing (state preemption of local gas-fitter examination authority, R.S. 37:1361); New Orleans/Baton Rouge local mechanical/gas permit mechanics UNVERIFIED
- Confidence
- high (NG + thresholds); medium (LP class scopes not re-read) · checked 2026-09-25
- Sources
Gas log installation: is a credential required in Louisiana?
#gas-log-installLICENSE- Credential
- Propane gas-log install = LPG Commission Class I, Class II, or Class R-2 (appliances lane — R-2 requires being in the mechanical contracting business; R-1 is piping-only and expressly may NOT install appliances, and requires a master plumber license — a distinctive piping/appliance severance); NG gas logs = SPBLA natural gas fitter (appliances in the R.S. 37:1361 scope); installer personnel need LPG competency cards
- Issuing body
- Louisiana LPG Commission (LP); Louisiana State Plumbing Board (NG)
- Statute
- LAC 55:IX-103, -107 (permit classes, competency); La. R.S. 37:1361
- Dollar threshold
- none
- Exam
- y
- Local overlay
- n
- Confidence
- high (July); R-1/R-2 severance NOT re-verified Sep 2026 — class definitions not found in LAC 55:IX-103/-107 as mirrored or on the LPG permit page · checked 2026-07-10
- Sources
What insurance does Louisiana require of contractors?
#insurance- Regime
- license/registration (LSLBC residential >$50k, home-improvement registration $7,500–$50k, mechanical >$10k; SPBLA gas $0; LPG Commission $0)
- Liability minimum
- LPG COMMISSION permits: $1,000,000 minimum on the commission's PROPRIETARY certificate of insurance from a Louisiana-licensed agent, on file with the director before any permit, with 10-DAY pre-cancellation notice to the director stated on the certificate (LAC 55:IX-107(A)(3)) = STATE-VERIFIED; LSLBC Home Improvement registration: $100,000 GL minimum + proof of WC + Dept. of Revenue registration (board checklist + R.S. 37:2175.1–.3); SPBLA: active Master Plumbers / Master Natural Gas Fitters must keep GL + WC + service-vehicle liability certificates ON FILE with the board — but NO dollar minimums published (verified-existence, floor UNVERIFIED)
- Bond
- none confirmed as a mandatory license bond; LSLBC applicants lacking the $10,000 net-worth showing may post a surety bond in lieu (solvency substitute — medium); the circulating '$10,000 Louisiana home-improvement bond' does NOT appear on the board's own checklist — treat as UNVERIFIED/likely conflation with the net-worth-alternative bond (DEBUNK pattern); LPG: $1,000,000 in bonds/securities/CDs held in trust allowed IN LIEU of the insurance (substitute, not addition)
- Guaranty fund
- NONE — no contractor recovery/guaranty fund under LSLBC, SPBLA, or the LPG Commission (Restore Louisiana is federal CDBG disaster aid, not a fund); note instead R.S. 37:2175.6 limits unregistered home-improvement contractors' contract claims
- Workers' comp threshold
- 1 employee (R.S. 23:1035) — full/part-time, seasonal, temporary all count; TRAP: the manual-labor doctrine pulls 'independent contractors' INTO coverage when a substantial part of their time is manual labor (R.S. 23:1021(7) reported, medium) and principals are statutory employers of uninsured subs' workers (R.S. 23:1061 reported); sole props may elect out by written agreement with insurer; ARTIFACT: SPBLA accepts a NOTARIZED WC-EXEMPTION AFFIDAVIT at license renewal (expires Dec 31 or on status change)
- How to verify
- insurance: active LPG permit = state-verified $1M (fuel-scoped); LSLBC HI registration = $100k GL on file; SPBLA active-master status proves certificates exist but NOT amounts — badge wording must not state a floor; lookups lslbc.gov Verify-a-Contractor + spbla.com + LPG permit-holder list (AUTOMATED); WC: LWC coverage verification (laworks.net) + NCCI ewccv.com/cvs
- Confidence
- high (LPG/HI); medium (SPBLA floor, WC doctrine cites) · checked 2026-07-10
- Sources
Download the full licensing matrix (CSV) · All states
Before anyone goes on your roof
What should you ask a chimney company in Louisiana?
- Is your company a member of the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG)?
- Does the technician coming to my home hold an individual NCSG certification, and which one?
- Does the technician hold a National Fireplace Institute (NFI) certification — and for which fuel: wood, gas, or pellet?
- What other certifications does the technician hold (for example, CSIA), and can I check them on the issuer's own roster?
- What state or local license or registration covers this work here, and what is the number?
- Will you send a certificate of insurance, dated and naming your company, before work starts?
- Which NFPA 211 inspection level — Level 1, 2, or 3 — are you performing, and why that level?
- Will you show me what you found — photos or video of the flue — in writing?
We take no fee from any certification body, guild, or contractor, and are not paid to mention anyone named.