1.1 Act 422 (2025): The Residential Roofing Classification, the $7,500 Threshold & Licensing Requirements
Key Takeaways
Act 422 of the 2025 Regular Session (SB 122) enacted La. R.S. 37:2156.4; the Residential Roofing requirement applies on and after January 1, 2026.
Residential roof work with a project value of $7,500 or more requires the Residential Roofing or Residential Construction classification; Home Improvement registrants may not perform roofing systems of any type.
Residential Roofing applicants pass the PSI trade exam: 50 scored questions, 35 correct (70%) to pass, 120 minutes, open book, $125 fee (PSI bulletin, March 2026).
Every applicant designates a qualifying party who completes the LSLBC's online Business and Law course, which ends with an exam on the course content.
Act 757 of 2026 raised the liability insurance minimum for residential classifications from $100,000 to $500,000, effective August 1, 2026.
Why Act 422 Matters on This Exam
Before 2026, much Louisiana residential reroofing sat in a gray zone. A crew could bid a $20,000 reroof under a Home Improvement registration, and nobody tested its roofing knowledge. Storm seasons after Hurricanes Laura, Delta, Zeta, and Ida showed what that cost homeowners. Act 422 of the 2025 Regular Session (Senate Bill 122) closed the gap. It amended the contractor licensing law in La. R.S. Title 37, Chapter 24, and created a new Residential Roofing subclassification.
The Residential Roofing trade exam you are preparing for exists because of this Act. You also need its rules to run a lawful business the day your license issues.
The Core Rule: La. R.S. 37:2156.4
On and after January 1, 2026, R.S. 37:2156.4 applies to anyone who does any of the following for any portion of a roofing system on a residential structure with a project value of $7,500 or more:
- advertises or solicits the work
- undertakes, attempts, or offers it
- submits a price, bid, quote, or estimate
- constructs, supervises, directs, oversees, or performs construction, modification, repair, or maintenance
That person must hold the Residential Roofing or Residential Construction classification. The statute also says:
- A residential roofing contractor must pass the residential roofing trade examination and meet all other licensure requirements of a residential contractor.
- Residential Roofing is a subclassification of Residential Construction.
Notice how early the rule starts: advertising, soliciting, and bidding are covered. A door-knocker who hands out a $12,000 estimate without the classification has already violated the law, even if no shingle is ever installed.
Effective Dates to Keep Straight
| Date | What took effect | Source |
|---|---|---|
| August 1, 2025 | Most of Act 422, including new permit-related violations and the new "residential structure" definition | Act 422 of 2025; LSLBC notices |
| August 1, 2025 | Act 239: roof construction and reroofing must be permitted and inspected (Section 1.2) | Act 239 of 2025 |
| January 1, 2026 | Residential Roofing classification required for residential roof work of $7,500 or more | R.S. 37:2156.4(A) |
| August 1, 2026 | Act 757 of 2026: residential liability insurance rises to $500,000; for residential roofing, a structure with up to four dwelling units counts as residential | LSLBC memorandum, July 13, 2026 |
Thresholds Across the LSLBC Credentials
Louisiana licenses by project value and type of structure. Know which credential covers which job:
| Credential | When it is required | Can it cover residential roof work? |
|---|---|---|
| Residential Roofing (subclassification of Residential Construction) | Residential roofing projects valued at $7,500 or more | Yes |
| Residential Construction (major classification) | New residential structures valued at $50,000 or more; also home improvement work over the residential threshold | Yes |
| Home Improvement registration | Home improvement projects of $7,500 up to less than $50,000 | No. A home improvement contractor may not perform structural work, and the definition expressly lists roofing systems (R.S. 37:2150.1) |
| Building Construction with Roofing and Sheet Metal, Siding (commercial) | Commercial projects of $50,000 or more | Not by itself after January 1, 2026. The LSLBC told these licensees to add Residential Roofing by application (see below) |
Residential structure. Act 422 defines it as a building used primarily as a residence. Examples are single-family dwellings and duplexes of not more than three floors, plus structures that are part of or adjacent to the residence. For residential roofing only, Act 757 of 2026 (effective August 1, 2026) treats a building with up to four dwelling units in one structure as a residential roofing project.
Project value and contract splitting. R.S. 37:2158(B) says the board disregards "any division of a contract or scope of work into parts" that would avoid the need for a license. It treats the divided parts as one contract or scope of work. A $4,200 decking contract and a $5,100 shingle contract on the same roof are one $9,300 job.
Existing Licensees
The LSLBC and the construction code council sent a memo on December 8, 2025. From January 1, 2026, only Residential Construction and Residential Roofing licensees may perform residential roof work. Licensees who hold Building Construction or Roofing and Sheet Metal, Siding can get the Residential Roofing classification by applying, with no additional trade exam.
Licensing Requirements for a Residential Roofing Contractor
R.S. 37:2156.4(B) points you to the residential licensing requirements in R.S. 37:2156.1 and the LSLBC's checklist:
- Application to the LSLBC listing each classification sought.
- Qualifying party (QP) for each classification and for the Louisiana Business and Law requirement (R.S. 37:2156.1(D)).
- Business and Law course. The LSLBC's online course ends with an exam on its content. Every applicant must have at least one QP who completes it. Reciprocity may waive a trade exam, but it never waives this requirement.
- Residential Roofing trade exam (PSI), unless the applicant qualifies for an exemption.
- Financial statement on the board's form, current within 12 months. Residential and commercial licenses and their subclassifications need a net worth of $50,000 or more, or an irrevocable letter of credit (R.S. 37:2156.1(B)).
- Background investigation of the applicant, each principal, and each QP.
- Workers' compensation certificate and liability insurance. The minimum was $100,000. Under Act 757 of 2026 it is $500,000 from August 1, 2026. Proof must come from the agent, broker, or insurer, cover at least six months and all licensed scopes with no exclusions for those scopes, and list the LSLBC as certificate holder.
Licenses expire on the anniversary date. Licenses that depend on insurance requirements are not eligible for multi-year renewal (R.S. 37:2156(H)).
Who Can Be the Qualifying Party
Under R.S. 37:2156.1 and the LSLBC's QP application, the QP can be:
- a sole proprietor or the spouse of a sole proprietor
- a stockholder, officer, or incorporator of a corporation
- a partner of a partnership
- a member or manager of an LLC
- a full-time employee of the applicant, as defined by the IRS
The QP is the licensee's legal representative for the licensing law. If the QP leaves, the board must be told in writing within 30 days, and a new QP must qualify within 60 days (restated by Act 757 of 2026). Failing to maintain a QP is itself a violation under R.S. 37:2158(A)(9).
The PSI Residential Roofing Trade Exam
PSI Services has delivered all LSLBC trade exams since August 5, 2025. From PSI's Louisiana contractor bulletin (March 2026) and the Residential Roofing content outline:
| Item | Official detail |
|---|---|
| Scored questions | 50 multiple-choice |
| Passing score | 35 correct (70%) |
| Time | 120 minutes |
| Format | Open book, computer-based |
| Fee | $125 (retake $125) |
| Unscored items | 1 to 10 experimental questions; their time does not count |
| Eligibility | Valid one year after LSLBC approval |
| Calculators | Silent, non-programmable, no alphabet keypad; no scientific calculators |
Content outline (number of items):
| Content area | Items | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | 15 | 30% |
| Installation of Roof Coverings | 18 | 36% |
| Roof Drainage | 5 | 10% |
| Roofing Structures | 7 | 14% |
| Safety | 5 | 10% |
Approved references (bring your own copies):
- 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA construction standards), or PSI's selections
- Atcheson, Roofing Construction & Estimating (Craftsman, 1995)
- The NRCA Roofing Manual: Steep-slope Roof Systems—2025
- International Building Code, 2021
PSI says code questions are based only on the listed code edition, the 2021 IBC. Other references may be later editions.
Reference rules. You may highlight, underline, annotate, and permanently tab your books before test day. You may not write in them during the exam. Loose papers and Post-it notes are removed. Printed web material must be bound. This guide cites IBC 2021 section numbers so you can tab them: Chapter 15 for roof assemblies and Section 1202 for attic ventilation.
Selected Exemptions (R.S. 37:2157)
The exemptions most relevant to roofers are:
- Owners supervising work on their own personal residence, limited to one residence per year and requiring an affidavit of exemption for the permit (R.S. 37:2157(A)(13)).
- Farmers doing construction for agricultural purposes on leased or owned land.
- Employees of a licensee.
- Subcontractors working for a Residential Construction license holder, except for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, mold remediation, asbestos, or hazardous-materials scopes. Act 757 of 2026 adds water-well work to that list and requires the subcontract to be directly with the residential license holder.
A permit applicant who claims a residential exemption must sign the board's affidavit before the permit issues (R.S. 37:2160(C)).
On February 10, 2026, a contractor who holds only a Home Improvement registration gives a homeowner a written $11,400 bid to tear off and replace the shingle roof on a single-family house. What does Louisiana law say about this bid?
It is allowed because Home Improvement registrations cover residential projects from $7,500 up to $50,000.
It violates R.S. 37:2156.4, because bidding residential roof work of $7,500 or more requires the Residential Roofing or Residential Construction classification.
It is allowed as long as the contractor subcontracts the shingle installation to a crew with an occupational license.
It is allowed because the roofing classification applies only to commercial buildings of more than four units.
A roofer signs one contract for $4,200 to replace rotted decking and, the same week, a second contract for $5,100 to install underlayment and shingles on the same roof. How does the LSLBC value the project?
As two separate projects, each below the $7,500 threshold.
Only the larger contract counts because decking is carpentry, not roofing.
The contracts are treated as one $9,300 scope of work, so the licensing threshold is met.
The value is set by the homeowner's insurance estimate rather than the contracts.
Which description matches the PSI Residential Roofing trade exam as published in the March 2026 Louisiana contractor bulletin and content outline?
100 closed-book questions in 3 hours, with a passing score of 75%.
115 questions combining trade knowledge and business law, with the 2024 IRC as the code reference.
50 questions in 90 minutes, closed book, scored pass/fail with no set passing number.
50 open-book questions in 120 minutes, with 35 correct answers (70%) needed to pass and the 2021 IBC as the code reference.
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.