Louisiana’s Act 239 now requires a permit and post-installation inspection for every re-roofing project in the state, and contractors must hold an active LSLBC license with roofing classification to pull those permits legally. Homeowners who hire unlicensed contractors risk $7,500 fines, voided warranties, and insurance claims denied due to unpermitted work. Big Easy Roofers is fully licensed under LSLBC and handles all permit applications and inspections across New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, and Jefferson Parish.
If you own a home in New Orleans, two pieces of Louisiana legislation have changed the rules for every roofing project in the state. At Big Easy Roofers, we have watched these reforms reshape how licensed contractors operate across Southeast Louisiana, and every homeowner should understand what they mean before signing a roofing contract.
Act 239 now requires permits and inspections for all roof construction and reroofing statewide (effective August 1, 2025). Act 422, effective January 1, 2026, created a residential roofing license classification and set the project-value threshold at $7,500. Together, these laws give Orleans Parish homeowners stronger protections against unlicensed storm chasers.
Signed during the 2025 Louisiana Legislative Session, Act 239 (House Bill 85) requires every municipality and parish to issue permits and conduct inspections for roof construction and reroofing. Before this law, many parishes had no formal permit requirement for residential reroofing, allowing unqualified crews to install roofs without code oversight.
Under Act 239, all roofing work must comply with the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council’s adopted versions of the International Building Code (IBC) and the International Residential Code (IRC). The law also makes it a violation to begin work before a permit is issued, to misrepresent the project’s value or scope, or to skip required inspections. If your contractor cannot show a valid permit before tearing off your old shingles, that is a red flag. A qualified contractor who handles schedule a permitted roof installation will always pull permits before starting. Big Easy Roofers handles the full permit process for every project, so homeowners never have to navigate that paperwork themselves.
Effective January 1, 2026, Act 422 created a dedicated residential roofing license classification through the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC). Any person who advertises, solicits, bids on, or performs construction, modification, repair, or maintenance on a residential roofing system for a project valued at $7,500 or more must hold either a residential roofing license or a residential construction license.
That $7,500 threshold matters because most full or partial reroofing jobs in New Orleans, Metairie, and Kenner exceed it easily. Contractors applying for the new classification must pass the LSLBC’s residential roofing trade examination (a computer-based PSI test of 50 to 115 questions) and complete the LSLBC Business and Law course. Qualifying parties who already hold a Residential Construction, Building Construction, or Commercial Roofing classification are exempt from the trade exam but must still comply with all permit and inspection requirements under Act 239. Big Easy Roofers holds the required residential roofing classification and can verify its license status on request.
One of the most practical provisions allows building code enforcement officers to accept geotagged photographs for required roofing inspections. A geotagged photograph is digitally stamped with GPS coordinates, confirming exactly where and when the image was taken.
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Jun 2, 2026