Contractor Gone ยท Louisiana
Contractor gone in Louisiana: where the money can come from
Louisiana licenses and registers contractors through a Board that takes complaints and can fine and revoke, but it keeps no fund. The complaint is worth filing for the pressure; the money comes from the chargeback, court, or the bankruptcy claim.
Run the free check for Louisiana
The four paths in Louisiana
| Card chargeback | Same in every state. Dispute for services not rendered within 120 days of the promised completion, no later than 540 days after the payment. Each payment has its own clock. |
| State fund | None. Louisiana has no recovery fund and no state bond program for homeowners. The money paths are the chargeback, small claims or civil court, and the bankruptcy claim if there is a case. |
| Bankruptcy claim | If the company filed, a proof of claim (Official Form 410) with the court by the bar date. A deposit for personal or household services is a priority claim up to $3,800 for cases filed on or after April 1, 2025 (11 U.S.C. 507(a)(7)); the rest is general unsecured. |
| Lien exposure: Real exposure | Louisiana's Private Works Act lets subs file a privilege against the property with notice; ask for the notice of contract and the sub's notice before paying anything twice. |
Is the contractor licensed?
Licensed by the State Licensing Board for Contractors (residential license over $75,000; home improvement registration $7,500 to $75,000). Look up the license. Most pool projects fall under the home improvement registration or the residential license.
Deposits and the contract
No statute caps deposits or sets a refund clock. confirm
Small claims
City or Parish Court, small claims, generally up to $5,000 as of 2025; confirm the current limit on the court's site before filing. Above the cap, the regular civil docket, where a lawyer is optional but usual. confirm
In order
- Pull the contract, every receipt, and your card or bank statements. The contract page shows where each number lives.
- Check the license at the link above. Licensed opens the licensing complaint; unlicensed means small claims and a report to the licensing body.
- If you paid by card, call the issuer today and open a dispute for services not rendered. The window closes; everything else waits.
- Send the demand letter by certified mail. It starts the clock the licensing body and the court will want to see.
- File the complaint with the State Licensing Board for Contractors (residential license over $75,000; home improvement registration $7,500 to $75,000). It pays nothing but it is the pressure that gets refunds.
- Search PACER for the company. A bankruptcy filing stops the letters and the lawsuit and replaces them with a proof of claim.
- Answer any subcontractor notice in writing with proof of what you paid. Louisiana's Private Works Act lets subs file a privilege against the property with notice; ask for the notice of contract and the sub's notice before paying anything twice.
The paperwork, done
The Contractor Gone kit, $39, fills every letter and form above with your facts: the chargeback script, the demand letter with Louisiana's deposit rule cited, the licensing complaint, the small-claims worksheet, the lien-defense letter, the proof of claim worksheet, and a checklist for hiring the contractor who finishes the job. What's in it, or run the check first; the answers carry into the kit.
Page written 2026-09-07. Rows marked verified were read on the agency page or statute on the date shown in the data; rows marked confirm are from general knowledge and should be checked with the agency. Spot an error? Email jon@homestillworks.com and it gets fixed the same day.