Am I forced to get licensed or hire a licensed contractor?

[Chad Mayo]

Does anyone know if I would be forced to hire a licensed general contractor in Louisiana for a rehab on 1300 sq ft single family residence if it's not my primary occupancy? What about other states? There's no structural work needed. I plan to invest $35K total in floors,drywall,paint,hvac,electrical, etc.

[Mitch Barry]

You don't have to be a general contractor to do work on a property that you own, but you are required to pull a permit from the local governing authority, even though not every one does. In Lafayette, LA it's the planning zoning and codes office. They will send inspectors by at various phases of construction to check that the work being done is performed up to code. The main things they are interested in is plumbing, electrical etc. After the flood we were required to have a moisture test on the studs and certificate prior to closing back up the walls. This is something good to have as it verifies with a paper trail that the work being done meets local and state building codes.