Preparing for the Louisiana Electrical Contractor exam? Louisiana's system works differently than most states: there's no statewide Journeyman or Master electrician license at all — the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) licenses businesses as electrical contractors. This guide explains the classification system, the Business & Law and trade exam requirements, financial and insurance requirements, and the exact rules for tabs, highlighting, and notes on PSI's exam.
Quick Answer: What Do You Need?
| Licensing authority | Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) |
| What's actually licensed statewide | Electrical contractor businesses under a Commercial license — not individual Journeyman or Master electricians |
| Testing provider | PSI Services LLC (took over from ICC effective August 5, 2025) |
| Exams required | Business & Law exam and the Electrical Statewide trade exam (or a relevant subclassification exam) |
| Financial requirement | Minimum $10,000 net worth (financial statement affidavit, current within 12 months), or a surety bond to cover the deficit |
| Insurance | Minimum $100,000 general liability; workers' compensation mandatory with no exceptions |
| License trigger | Any electrical project (commercial) valued over $10,000 |
Who Regulates Electrical Contractors in Louisiana?
The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) licenses electrical contracting businesses statewide. LSLBC contracts with PSI Services LLC to administer the required exams — PSI took over this role from the International Code Council (ICC) effective August 5, 2025, so older references to ICC-administered Louisiana exams are outdated.
There's No Statewide Journeyman or Master License
This is the single most important thing to understand about Louisiana: unlike most states in our guides, LSLBC does not issue individual Journeyman or Master Electrician licenses at all. What LSLBC licenses is the electrical contracting business — a Commercial license with an Electrical classification. If you're looking for an individual trade credential rather than a contractor business license, that would be handled (if at all) by a local parish or municipal authority, not LSLBC; we have not yet verified which, if any, Louisiana localities issue their own individual electrician licenses, so confirm directly with your parish or city if that's what you need.
Electrical License Classifications
One correction worth making clearly: several third-party sites describe Louisiana's electrical contractor license using a "Class A / Class B" system. We could not confirm that terminology against LSLBC's own published classification list, which instead uses a numbered major/subclassification structure. As of our verification, the actual electrical classifications are:
- Electrical Statewide — the main electrical contractor trade exam, covering "the installation, construction, alteration, improvement, movement, maintenance, repair, or demolition of wiring, cabling, fixtures, appliances, equipment, and/or hardware for the supply of electricity to any structure, building, or project," where the work value exceeds $10,000
- Electrical Transmission Lines — a subclassification requiring its own trade exam, for transmission/distribution line work exceeding $10,000 in value
- Electrical Controls, Instrumentation and Calibration — a subclassification requiring its own trade exam, covering controls including HVAC systems and security/fire alarm panels
- Telecommunications, Low Voltage — notably, this subclassification requires no trade exam
All of these fall under LSLBC's Commercial license category (the broader category that also covers Residential, Home Improvement, and Mold Remediation licenses for other trades).
Financial and Insurance Requirements
Beyond passing the required exams, Commercial electrical contractor applicants must show:
- A minimum $10,000 net worth, documented with a financial statement affidavit current within the last 12 months (a surety bond can cover any deficit if you fall short)
- General liability insurance of at least $100,000
- Workers' compensation insurance — mandatory with no exceptions if you have employees
Insurance certificates must be emailed directly from your insurance agent to LSLBC (insurance@lacontractor.org) — LSLBC does not accept certificates submitted directly by the applicant.
How to Apply
- Submit a Commercial Application with your chosen electrical classification(s) to LSLBC, including your financial statement affidavit.
- Complete the mandatory Business and Law course before scheduling the Business and Law exam.
- Once LSLBC approves your application, you'll receive an email confirmation from PSI — wait for this before attempting to register with PSI directly.
- Schedule and pass both the Business & Law exam and your Electrical trade exam through PSI. Your testing eligibility is valid for one year; if you haven't passed within that window, you must reapply with the Board.
- Submit proof of insurance (general liability and workers' compensation) before licensure is finalized.
What's on the Exam?
Per LSLBC's current fee schedule, the Electrical Statewide trade exam costs $140 (as of the March 2026 bulletin) — note that some third-party sites cite a lower $120 fee, which appears to be outdated; go with the amount your PSI eligibility letter confirms. The Electrical Controls, Instrumentation and Calibration and Electrical Transmission Lines subclassification exams are each $125. Third-party test-prep sources commonly describe the Electrical Statewide exam as 100 questions, open book, with a 240-minute time limit and a 70% passing score — we were not able to independently confirm those specific numbers against a primary PSI content-outline document during our research, so treat them as third-party-sourced pending your own confirmation via PSI's candidate portal.
Exams are computer-based, delivered at PSI testing centers in Baton Rouge (two locations), Lafayette, Sulphur (Lake Charles area), Metairie, Monroe, Pineville (Alexandria), and Shreveport, plus PSI's nationwide network. Only non-programmable, silent, battery-operated calculators without paper-tape printing or an alphabet keyboard are allowed — no scientific calculators for any exam.
What NEC Edition Does Louisiana Test?
Third-party sources consistently report the 2023 NEC as the current edition for the Electrical Statewide exam. We couldn't independently verify that against a primary PSI content-outline document during our research (LSLBC's general scheduling bulletin covers logistics for all trades, not classification-specific reference lists) — but since it's the best-supported answer we found, it's the edition we'd point you toward below, with the same caveat: confirm with PSI or LSLBC that it's still current before you buy.
The best-supported match for Louisiana's current Electrical Statewide exam based on our research — confirm it's still correct with PSI or LSLBC before your test date.
Tabs, Highlighting, and Notes
This policy comes directly from PSI's current Louisiana examination scheduling bulletin and applies across LSLBC's PSI-administered trade exams, including electrical:
- Highlighting, underlining, annotating, and indexing are allowed — but only if done prior to the examination session.
- No writing in references during the exam. Any candidate caught writing in their references during testing will have the references confiscated and be reported to the department.
- No additional loose papers may be brought in alongside your approved references — any extra materials found will be removed and confiscated.
- Only permanent tabs are allowed for tabbing/indexing. Temporary tabs, including Post-it notes, must be removed before the exam begins.
- No loose pages or papers. Any printed reference material sourced from a website must be bound or placed in a binder.
Fees
| Exam | Fee |
|---|---|
| Electrical Statewide | $140 |
| Electrical Controls, Instrumentation and Calibration | $125 |
| Electrical Transmission Lines | $125 |
| Business and Law exam | Reported around $120 by third-party sources; not itemized on LSLBC's published trade-exam fee table — confirm current pricing with LSLBC or PSI |
These are exam fees only; LSLBC's application/license fees are separate and not detailed in the sources we reviewed for this page — confirm current licensing fees directly with LSLBC (225-765-2301) as part of your application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a Journeyman or Master Electrician license from the state of Louisiana?
No. LSLBC licenses electrical contracting businesses, not individual journeyman or master electricians. If your parish or city issues individual trade licenses, that would be a separate, local process.
Does Louisiana really use "Class A" and "Class B" electrical contractor licenses?
We could not confirm that terminology against LSLBC's own classification list, which instead names classifications like "Electrical Statewide," "Electrical Transmission Lines," and "Electrical Controls, Instrumentation and Calibration." Treat "Class A/B" descriptions you see elsewhere with caution.
What's the project value threshold that requires an LSLBC electrical license?
$10,000 or more in project value for electrical work, per LSLBC's own classification and FAQ pages.
Can I highlight my NEC before the Louisiana exam?
Yes — highlighting, underlining, annotating, and indexing are allowed if done before the exam session, using permanent tabs only. No writing or marking is allowed once testing begins.
Does Your Book Spot USA guarantee I'll pass?
No. No book or study guide can guarantee an exam result, and we don't claim otherwise.
Get the Correct Codebook
Once you've confirmed the current NEC edition with PSI or LSLBC, shop our current codebook options below.
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Official Sources
- LSLBC — Exams & Classifications (checked September 3, 2026)
- LSLBC — Types of Licenses (checked September 3, 2026)
- LSLBC — FAQ (checked September 3, 2026)
- LSLBC — Test Registration and Scheduling (checked September 3, 2026)
- PSI Services LLC — Louisiana Examination Scheduling Procedures bulletin, March 2026 (obtained via test-takers.psiexams.com/lacon)
Your Book Spot USA is not affiliated with LSLBC, PSI Services LLC, or NFPA. Candidate bulletins and licensing rules change — this page reflects our verification as of the date above, and we've flagged the specific facts we could not confirm from a primary source. Spot something outdated or incorrect? Let us know and we'll correct it.
