Louisiana professional licensing is governed by Title 37 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, which sets up individual boards for professions ranging from medicine and nursing to cosmetology, real estate, and general contracting.1Louisiana State Legislature. Revised Statutes – Title 37 Each board writes its own rules, issues and renews licenses, investigates complaints, and disciplines practitioners who break them. If you want to work in a regulated field in Louisiana, you deal with the board that covers that field, and its chapter of Title 37 tells you what to expect.
Getting Licensed
Nearly every regulated profession in Louisiana asks for the same three things: proof of qualifications, a passing exam score, and payment of fees. The details vary board by board.
Exams
Licensing exams test whether an applicant actually knows the work. Registered nurses take the NCLEX-RN through the State Board of Nursing. Contractors sit for both a trade-specific exam and a business-and-law exam through the State Licensing Board for Contractors.2Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors. Exams and Testing Cosmetology and plumbing applicants may need to complete hands-on assessments in addition to a written test.
Attorneys are a special case. Louisiana does not use the Multistate Bar Examination that most states rely on. It administers its own nine-part written exam weighted heavily toward Louisiana civil law, and applicants must also pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination with a scaled score of at least 80.3Louisiana Supreme Court Committee on Bar Admissions. The Bar Exam
Fees
Application fees are set by each board and vary widely. A pharmacist license through the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy costs $300.4Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1184 – Fees A real estate salesperson license through the Louisiana Real Estate Commission costs $45 under RS 37:1443.5Louisiana State Legislature. RS 37:1443 – Fees A physician license through the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners runs $382, plus separate charges for the mandatory background check.6Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. Application and Instructions for Initial Licensure – Physicians
Budget beyond the initial application. Fingerprinting, background checks, continuing education, license verifications, and duplicate certificates all cost extra. So do late renewals. Miss a required payment and your application can be denied outright, or an existing license suspended.
Keeping the License Current
Licenses expire. Renewal cycles run from annual to biennial depending on the profession. Registered nurses renew every two years.7Louisiana State Board of Nursing. Renewal FAQs Real estate licensees renew annually, with the timely window open from August 1 through September 30; renewing after that costs $50 through November 15 and can climb to $200 for active licensees who wait until December.8Louisiana Real Estate Commission. Renewal Season
Most renewals also require continuing education. Dentists, for example, must complete at least 30 hours of approved coursework during each two-year renewal period.9Cornell Law School. La. Admin. Code tit. 46, XXXIII-1611 – Continuing Education Requirements for Relicensure of Dentists Practicing on an expired license carries the same disciplinary exposure as practicing with no license at all.
If You Have a Criminal Record
A criminal record does not automatically disqualify you from professional licensure in Louisiana. Under RS 37:36, a board may deny a license only when a conviction is directly related to the profession being sought. Blanket rejections based on any criminal history are not allowed; the board has to identify a meaningful connection between the offense and the duties of the license.
If you have a record and are thinking about paying for education or training toward a licensed field, contact the board first and ask whether your specific conviction is likely to be a problem. Finding out before you enroll costs a phone call. Finding out after a degree program costs the degree program.
When a License Isn’t Required
Some activities that look like regulated work are exempt from Louisiana’s licensing rules. Knowing where the lines fall matters as much as knowing the rules themselves.
Property Owner Exemptions
Homeowners can supervise or manage construction, renovation, or repair of their own personal residence without a contractor’s license, provided they do not build more than one residence per year, measured from the date the certificate of occupancy is issued. There is a narrow exception for homeowners who need to relocate more than 50 miles due to a change in marital status or employment.10State Licensing Board for Contractors. Contractors Licensing Law and Rules and Regulations
Property owners can also sell, exchange, lease, or manage their own real estate without a real estate license. The exemption covers both individuals and business entities, but it does not extend to anyone in the business of selling timeshare interests.11Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:1438 – Applicability
Emergency Medical Care
Out-of-state physicians and other healthcare practitioners can practice in Louisiana during a public health emergency without first obtaining a Louisiana license. The State Board of Medical Examiners issues emergency temporary permits under Louisiana Administrative Code 46.XLV.412, provided the applicant holds a current unrestricted license in good standing elsewhere, presents valid identification, and completes an application.12Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. Emergency Temporary Permits for Health Care Practitioners Separately, Louisiana’s Good Samaritan Law protects out-of-state physicians who provide free emergency care at the scene of an emergency from being charged under the Medical Practice Act.13Louisiana State Legislature. RS 37:1731 – Good Samaritan Law
Federal Preemption
Federal law overrides state licensing in a few situations. Attorneys licensed in other states can appear in a Louisiana court on a case-by-case basis through pro hac vice admission, which requires sponsorship by a Louisiana-barred attorney and court approval.14United States District Court Eastern District of Louisiana. Pro Hac Vice VA healthcare professionals can treat veterans via telehealth in Louisiana regardless of where either party is physically located, under 38 U.S.C. 1730C, which expressly preempts conflicting state licensing laws.15Federal Register. Health Care Professionals Practicing Via Telehealth Interstate commercial truck drivers fall under federal Department of Transportation rules rather than Louisiana’s.
Moving to Louisiana or Practicing Across State Lines
If you already hold a license somewhere else, Louisiana may recognize it or streamline the process, depending on the profession.
Louisiana is a member of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which allows physicians to obtain licenses in multiple member states through a single application.16Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. Interstate Medical Licensure Compact The paperwork is simpler; the underlying obligations of each state’s practice act still apply.
Louisiana also participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact. Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses who hold a multistate license can practice in any compact member state without a separate Louisiana license, so long as they meet the uniform licensure requirements, including a fingerprint-based background check.17Louisiana State Board of Practical Nurse Examiners. Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC)
Military spouses have their own path. Under 50 U.S.C. ยง 4025a, a spouse who holds a professional license in good standing and relocates to Louisiana because of military orders can have that license recognized without starting over. The application requires proof of orders, a marriage certificate, and a notarized affidavit confirming the spouse meets Louisiana’s requirements. If the board cannot process the application within 30 days, it may issue a temporary license with the same rights as a permanent one.18Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 4025a – Portability of Professional Licenses of Servicemembers and Their Spouses
Complaints and Investigations
Complaints to a Louisiana licensing board can come from patients, clients, competitors, or anonymous sources. Once a complaint arrives, the board opens an investigation. Investigators can review records, inspect work sites, interview witnesses, and consult experts, and the Division of Administrative Law can issue subpoenas that compel testimony or document production.19Cornell Law School. La. Admin. Code tit. 1, III-711 – Subpoenas
Boards face statutory deadlines. Under RS 37:21, a board must notify the licensee named in a complaint within six months of receiving it or lose the ability to act on it. For negligence or intentional-act complaints, the board has two years from discovery to initiate proceedings, with an absolute cutoff of five years from the date of the act. Fraud complaints have no outer limit beyond the two-year discovery window, and license-violation complaints must be initiated within five years of the offense.20Justia. Louisiana Revised Statutes 37:21 – Limitations on Disciplinary Proceedings by Professional or Occupational Boards and Commissions
When public safety is at immediate risk, boards can act before a full hearing. The State Board of Medical Examiners, for instance, can summarily suspend a provider’s license, with a hearing required within 60 days of the suspension date.21Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. Adjudication Process
Hearings, Sanctions, and Appeals
Formal charges lead to an administrative hearing under the Louisiana Administrative Procedure Act, typically handled by the Division of Administrative Law.22Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes 49:992 – Applicability; Exemptions; Attorney Fees; Court Costs Both sides present evidence, call witnesses, and cross-examine. There is no jury. An administrative law judge or a panel of board members decides the outcome, and the burden of proof falls on the board.
A professional license is a constitutionally protected property interest. The board cannot revoke or suspend it without adequate notice and a meaningful opportunity to be heard.23Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Property Deprivations and Due Process Any board action that short-circuits the hearing process is open to legal challenge.
If the board rules against the licensee, the available sanctions include:
- Fines scaled to the severity of the violation
- Mandatory remedial education or additional training
- License suspension, sometimes with conditions for reinstatement
- License revocation, which may allow reinstatement after a designated period if the former licensee can show rehabilitation
Many boards offer consent agreements. These let a licensee accept disciplinary terms, often with reduced penalties, without going through a full hearing. The trade-off is that the agreement becomes part of the licensee’s permanent disciplinary record.
A licensee who loses at the administrative level can appeal to state district court. Under RS 49:978.1 (formerly RS 49:964, redesignated effective June 2025), a petition for judicial review must be filed within 30 days after the agency transmits notice of its final decision. The court can overturn the decision or send the case back if the board committed procedural errors, lacked substantial evidence, or acted outside its authority.24Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes 49:978.1 – Judicial Review of Adjudication
Practicing Without a License
Practicing a regulated profession without a license carries consequences beyond a letter telling you to stop. Boards can seek court injunctions to shut down unlicensed operations and issue cease-and-desist orders backed by fines. The contractors board, for example, can fine unlicensed contractors and debar them from future licensing under RS 37:2158.25Louisiana State Legislature. RS 37:2158 – Revocation and Suspension of Licenses; Issuance of Cease and Desist Orders
In some professions, unlicensed practice is a criminal offense. Practicing as an unlicensed sanitarian, for instance, is a misdemeanor carrying fines between $25 and $100, imprisonment from 10 to 60 days, or both per offense. Other professions carry steeper criminal penalties. The specific consequences depend on which chapter of Title 37 covers the profession, so anyone operating without credentials should read the applicable statute rather than assume the penalty is minor.
Disciplined licensees should also know that Louisiana board actions are typically public record. A revocation or suspension in Louisiana will likely surface in background checks by boards in other states, which can affect the ability to practice anywhere, not only here.