To apply for a Louisiana business license, form your legal entity with the Secretary of State, get a federal EIN from the IRS, then file the master application through the state’s geauxBIZ portal at geauxbiz.sos.la.gov. That single filing registers you with the Secretary of State, the Department of Revenue, and Louisiana Works. After the state side is done, pick up a local occupational license from your parish or city, and add any industry-specific permits your work requires. State filing fees start at $75 for a corporation or $100 for an LLC.
Form Your Business Entity First
The license application assumes your business already exists as a legal entity, so this step comes first. Most Louisiana owners form either a Limited Liability Company or a corporation through the Secretary of State under Title 12 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes. The choice affects personal liability, tax treatment, and the forms you’ll file going forward.
Filing fees depend on entity type:
- LLC Articles of Organization: $100
- Corporation Articles of Incorporation: $75
- Nonprofit Corporation: $75
Credit card payments carry a statutory $5 convenience fee. You can also pay by check, money order, or cash in person.1Louisiana Secretary of State. Get Forms and Fee Schedule
Planning to operate under a name other than your legal entity name? Louisiana handles trade name (DBA) registration at the parish level, not through the Secretary of State. File an Assumed Name Certificate with the Clerk of Court in the parish where you operate. Some parishes require notarization or newspaper publication, so check locally before filing. Search the Secretary of State’s commercial database first to confirm the name is available.
Get a Federal EIN from the IRS
Once your entity is formed, apply for a Federal Employer Identification Number from the IRS. The nine-digit EIN identifies the business for federal and state tax purposes, and you’ll need it to finish the Louisiana application. The IRS recommends forming the entity at the state level before applying for the EIN; doing it in the wrong order can slow things down.2Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number
The online application on irs.gov is free and issues your number immediately. Mail and fax using Form SS-4 are available but take longer.
File the Master Application on geauxBIZ
Louisiana’s geauxBIZ portal is the main tool for registering a new business. It submits your paperwork to three agencies at once: the Secretary of State, the Louisiana Department of Revenue, and Louisiana Works, the state workforce agency.3GeauxBIZ Portal. GeauxBIZ – Louisiana.gov One filing gets you a business charter, a state revenue account number, and an unemployment insurance account number.
If you’d rather file on paper, Form CR-1 (the Central Registration Application) covers the Department of Revenue portion. Mail it with payment to the Taxpayer Services Division in Baton Rouge, or fax it to (225) 219-2227. Paper filings skip the instant confirmation the portal provides and take longer to process.
What to Have Ready
Gather this information before you start the application, whether you file online or on paper:
- Your six-digit NAICS code, which classifies your business activity. Look yours up on the Census Bureau’s site.4Louisiana Department of Revenue. What Is a NAICS Code and Where Can I Locate It
- A physical street address for the business. P.O. boxes are not accepted as a location address.5Louisiana Department of Revenue. Instructions for Application for Louisiana Revenue Account Number
- Full names, titles, Social Security numbers, and home addresses for every director, partner, officer, or member.5Louisiana Department of Revenue. Instructions for Application for Louisiana Revenue Account Number
- Your federal EIN.
- The actual or anticipated date your business begins operating in Louisiana.
- Estimated monthly wages, if you have employees. The state uses this to set up withholding and unemployment insurance accounts.
Get the NAICS code and business description right. If you describe your activities vaguely, the Department of Revenue may open the wrong tax accounts, which creates problems at filing time. Depending on what you selected, you may be registered for sales tax collection, income tax withholding, corporate income or franchise tax, or some combination. Businesses selling taxable goods or services receive a Sales Tax Certificate; Louisiana’s state sales tax rate is 5.00 percent, and you’ll also collect any applicable local portion.6Tax Foundation. 2026 Louisiana Tax Rates and Rankings
Submit and Pay
On geauxBIZ, review everything carefully before you authorize submission. The system files with all three agencies at the moment you pay. Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express are accepted, with the same $5 statutory convenience fee that applies to other Secretary of State transactions, and electronic check is available too.7Louisiana Secretary of State. File Business Documents
For paper CR-1 submissions, send a check or money order payable to the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Paper applications take noticeably longer, often several weeks for manual processing and data entry, compared to the faster turnaround through the portal.
After approval, you’ll receive your Louisiana revenue account number and access to your business registration records. Online filers are notified by email; paper applicants by mail.
Get Your Local Occupational License
State registration does not replace the local occupational license that most Louisiana parishes and municipalities require. These are separate filings with separate fees, and in most places you can’t open the doors without one.8Louisiana Small Business Association. Small Business Startup Kit Call your parish or city government to confirm the specific requirements, which vary significantly from one jurisdiction to the next.
Two things usually come with the local license:
- A certificate of occupancy, issued by local or parish government after confirming your location is properly zoned.
- An occupational license tax, calculated by business type and gross receipts. New businesses typically pay a prorated amount for the first year, then renew annually based on the prior year’s revenue.9City of Baton Rouge. Occupational License Tax
Parishes and municipalities have independent authority to tax anyone conducting business within their borders. State registration doesn’t cover these local obligations.
Check for Industry-Specific Licenses
Some industries need a separate state license on top of the general registration. Common examples:
Contractors
Louisiana requires a license from the State Licensing Board for Contractors above these project thresholds: $50,000 for commercial construction, $50,000 for new residential construction, $7,500 for residential improvements or repairs, $7,500 for mold remediation, $10,000 for electrical or mechanical work, and $1 for anything involving hazardous materials. Residential and home improvement contractors must carry at least $100,000 in general liability insurance and maintain workers’ compensation coverage. Mold remediation contractors need at least $50,000 in general liability. Commercial contractors are not required to file insurance certificates with the board, though other state laws may still require coverage.10Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. Checklist of Items Required for Initial License and to Maintain License
Alcohol
Anyone who manufactures, sells, or is about to sell alcoholic beverages must get a permit from the Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control before conducting any business. Permits are renewed annually, with deadlines staggered by parish.11Louisiana Department of Revenue. Liquors – Alcoholic Beverage Permits
Health and Other Regulated Professions
Louisiana operates more than 20 professional licensing boards under the Department of Health alone, covering pharmacy, nursing, massage therapy, funeral services, and more.12Louisiana Department of Health. Licensing Boards If your business touches healthcare, counseling, dentistry, chiropractic care, or another regulated field, check with the relevant board. These credentials attach to individual practitioners, so each qualifying professional typically needs their own.
If You’ll Have Employees
Hiring triggers obligations that go beyond the initial application.
Workers’ compensation insurance. Louisiana law requires coverage for any employer with one or more employees, from the first day, for full-time, part-time, seasonal, and temporary workers. Narrow exemptions exist for domestic workers in private homes, certain small-farm agricultural workers, musicians under performance contracts, and licensed real estate agents. Corporate officers who own at least 10 percent of the company’s stock can elect out by notifying their carrier in writing. A first offense for failing to carry the required coverage brings civil penalties up to $250 per employee, capped at $10,000; a second or subsequent offense raises the per-employee amount to $500.13Justia. Louisiana Code 23-1170 – Penalty for Failure to Secure Compensation
Unemployment insurance. Any new employer who pays wages in Louisiana must file for a UI account number within 30 days. GeauxBIZ handles this as part of the master application. The 2026 taxable wage base is $7,000 per employee, and your initial tax rate is set at the average for your industry classification until you build enough experience for your own rate.14Louisiana Works. Louisiana Unemployment Insurance Tax Rates Most employers become liable for state UI taxes once they pay $1,500 or more in wages during any calendar quarter, or have at least one employee during any part of a day for 20 or more weeks in a year.15Louisiana Works. Unemployment Insurance Tax Guide for Employers
Workplace posters. Louisiana employers must display mandatory state and federal labor law notices in a visible, accessible location at each worksite. The state list covers workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, minor labor law, wage payment timing, pregnancy rights, and age discrimination, among others. Federal requirements add the minimum wage, OSHA safety, FMLA, and equal employment opportunity notices. Employers of minors and certain industries like food service have additional posting requirements.
Keep Your License Active
Every LLC, corporation, and partnership registered with the Secretary of State must file an annual report. The fee is $30 for most entities and $10 for nonprofits.1Louisiana Secretary of State. Get Forms and Fee Schedule File through geauxBIZ within 30 days of your renewal date.16Louisiana Secretary of State. Annual Report Filing Instructions
Miss it, and the state administratively terminates the entity. You then have up to five years to reinstate by filing Articles of Reinstatement ($75) plus $30 for each missed annual report. After five years, reinstatement is no longer available.17Louisiana Secretary of State. Articles of Reinstatement
Louisiana LLCs must keep copies of federal and state income tax returns for at least the three most recent years, along with financial statements for the same period, at the company’s registered office.18Louisiana State Legislature. Records and Information
Operating without a required license is costly. In certain regulated industries, a first violation carries a $10,000 penalty, with the amount multiplying by the number of violations for each subsequent offense.19Justia. Louisiana Code 47-818.124 – Engaging in Business Without a License Penalty Local jurisdictions can add their own penalties on top of state fines.