Leaving Angi in Louisiana? Here's the math.

Louisiana contractor context — LSLBC dual-threshold framework, post-Katrina rebuild discipline, and a sub-tropical building reality unlike any other state

Louisiana's State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) sets distinct dollar-value thresholds for residential and commercial work. Residential contractors must carry an LSLBC Residential Contractor license for projects $75,000+. Commercial contractors must carry an LSLBC Commercial Contractor license for projects $50,000+. Below those thresholds, a Home Improvement Contractor registration handles sub-$75K residential remodels in the $7,500–$75,000 band. The LSLBC also administers a Mold Remediation license required for any mold abatement work and sub-trade credentials (plumbing, electrical, mechanical). New Orleans's post-Katrina rebuild decade created one of the most discipline-demanding permit cultures in the Gulf South; Baton Rouge's state-capital market plus Shreveport's North Louisiana market all run through the same LSLBC framework. Hurricane-zone construction (V-zone, A-zone, BFE elevation requirements) is routine across the southern third of the state.

What Angi, Thumbtack, and Houzz charge you in Louisiana

Per Angi's publicly disclosed pricing page, Louisiana GCs reportedly pay $15–$85 per shared lead, with each lead routed to three to eight contractors at once. Thumbtack's public pricing page lists $7–$55 per contact across New Orleans and Baton Rouge, with each request forwarded to three to fifteen pros. Houzz's For Pros sells a $99–$399/month subscription regardless of whether any homeowner ever calls. All three figures come from 2026 public pricing pages and live in AskBaily's competitor-fees.json dataset under Creative Commons attribution.

None of these platforms check LSLBC license status at match-time or route scopes to match the $75K residential / $50K commercial thresholds. A Marigny homeowner asking for a $150K kitchen-plus-addition on Angi can be routed to a Home Improvement Contractor (sub-$75K band) — a statutorily impossible match. AskBaily checks the LSLBC license roster at match time.

The hidden cost: unconverted leads at Louisiana close rates

The 2023 FTC order against HomeAdvisor/Angi (In re HomeAdvisor, Docket 9407) documented shared-lead close rates in the 2–4% range on residential renovation projects $5K and up. In New Orleans — where homeowners shop three to five contractors for four to six weeks on $50K+ projects (slower than other markets because post-Katrina homeowner caution is real) — close rates on Angi leads run 4–6%. At 5% and $50/lead average, that's $1,000 per acquired customer. Baton Rouge close rates run similar; Shreveport and Lafayette trend slightly higher (5–7%) on lower scope values.

The structural problem: shared-lead platforms profit on attempts. New Orleans especially, where permit timelines can stretch 8-16 weeks for anything structural, estimator hours on unclosed leads are an outsized pipeline cost.

What AskBaily charges Louisiana contractors

AskBaily charges nothing to receive a match. We only earn when you close a project. Our take-rate is tiered 8–15% of closed-job revenue plus a 1.5% Trust and Safety reserve. All fees are published in our pricing page and cross-referenced against the competitor-fees dataset.

For Louisiana specifically, AskBaily verifies:

• LSLBC Residential Contractor license — for scopes $75K+ on residential; re-checked at match time.
• LSLBC Commercial Contractor license — for commercial scopes $50K+.
• Home Improvement Contractor registration — for residential scopes $7.5K–$75K.
• Mold Remediation license — required for any mold abatement scope; Baily flags mold-remediation-in-scope.
• Specialty trade credentials — LSLBC-issued plumbing, electrical, mechanical sub-trade licenses.
• New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits — city-level permit-pulling + OPSB building code.
• Baton Rouge Department of Development — East Baton Rouge Parish permit-pulling.
• Liability + Workers' comp — Louisiana Workers' Compensation Corp or private-carrier employer file.

The full requirement breakdown is at our Louisiana requirements page.

How to migrate: 5-step playbook

1. Download your LSLBC license certificate(s) — Residential, Commercial, HIC, Mold — whichever apply. Also pull COI, WC certificate, and specialty trade credentials.
2. Pause — don't cancel — your Angi and Thumbtack accounts. Set Angi to "not accepting leads" and Thumbtack to zero budget.
3. Apply at askbaily.com/for-pros/apply?source=recruit-louisiana. We'll ask for your LSLBC numbers, COI, WC certificate, and two recent closed-project addresses.
4. Complete the 10-minute onboarding call. A scoping interview so Baily learns your tone.
5. Set your first match zone. New Orleans pros typically start at a 15-mile radius (parish-bounded); Baton Rouge pros at 20-mile; Shreveport / Lafayette at 25-mile.

Louisiana-specific regulatory fit

Louisiana's LSLBC thresholds plus hurricane-zone reality make generic platforms mis-route constantly:

• $75K residential / $50K commercial thresholds — AskBaily routes scopes only to contractors with the right license tier. A $100K residential scope never sees a Home Improvement Contractor with $75K cap.
• HIC registration — for residential scopes $7.5K–$75K; separate registration, simpler than Residential Contractor license.
• Mold Remediation license — Louisiana mandates a separate Mold Remediation credential for any scope involving mold abatement (common post-flood); Baily flags scopes requiring this.
• V-zone + A-zone elevation — southern Louisiana parishes sit heavily in FEMA V-zones (velocity / wave action) and A-zones (flood); base-flood-elevation + breakaway-wall rules apply. Baily flags elevation requirements.
• Post-Katrina rebuild overlay — Orleans, Jefferson, St Bernard, Plaquemines parishes still carry specific permit requirements for scope in post-storm reconstruction zones.
• New Orleans Historic Districts Landmarks Commission (HDLC) — French Quarter, Garden District, Faubourg Marigny, Bywater, Treme all carry historic overlays. Match-time scoping flags HDLC review.
• Sub-tropical building envelope — Baily flags humidity-management, attic ventilation, and capillary-break requirements that generic platforms never raise at intake.

Apply to AskBaily as a Louisiana contractor

If you've been paying for Angi or Thumbtack leads in Louisiana and your close rate isn't clearing 7%, the math is almost always better under a closed-job take-rate. We welcome LSLBC Residential + Commercial Contractors and HIC-registered pros with prior Louisiana residential portfolio.

Apply now → askbaily.com/for-pros/apply?source=recruit-louisiana

No commitment, no contract to exit, no setup fee.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between Residential Contractor, Commercial Contractor, and HIC? LSLBC Residential Contractor handles residential scopes $75K+. LSLBC Commercial Contractor handles commercial scopes $50K+. HIC (Home Improvement Contractor) handles residential scopes $7.5K–$75K. AskBaily routes scopes to match your license tier.

Do I need a Mold Remediation license? Only if your scope explicitly includes mold abatement. Louisiana separately licenses Mold Remediation contractors; Baily flags scopes requiring this credential and routes accordingly.

How does AskBaily handle post-Katrina rebuild zones? Orleans, Jefferson, St Bernard, and Plaquemines parishes carry overlay permit requirements dating from the post-storm reconstruction. Baily flags parcel location and surfaces permit-track implications at scope time.

Do I need New Orleans Safety & Permits registration on top of LSLBC? Yes for permit-pulling inside Orleans Parish. New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits runs a separate contractor verification step. AskBaily checks.

What about V-zones and A-zones? Southern Louisiana has significant FEMA flood-zone coverage. V-zone (velocity zone) and A-zone (general flood) scope routing flags base-flood-elevation, breakaway-wall, and wet-floodproofing requirements. Baily surfaces these before you bid.

How does the 8-15% take-rate tier work? Jobs under $25K at 8-10%, $25K-$150K at 10-12%, $150K+ at 12-15%. Disclosed before you accept any scope.

Does AskBaily handle the homeowner payment flow? No — you invoice the homeowner directly. We take our fee from you, not the homeowner.

What happens if a matched homeowner doesn't close with me? Nothing. You owe nothing on unclosed scopes. The take-rate only fires on closed-job revenue you collect.

Migration math for New Orleans + Baton Rouge contractors

Here's what the math looks like for a typical mid-size residential GC running a crew of four to six on 60K–140K kitchen-and-addition projects.

Under Angi Pro Leads (publicly disclosed pricing, 2026):

• $55 average lead cost, 5 contractors per lead (you're one of five).
• Close rate: 5% (within the FTC-documented 2–4% shared-lead baseline, slightly elevated because you're experienced).
• Effective CAC: $55 / 0.05 = $1,100 per acquired customer.
• Annual pipeline: if you close 10 $100K jobs from this channel, that's $11,000/year in lead spend, plus estimator time on 190 calls that didn't close (roughly 48 estimator-hours at $85/hour = $4,038 in burned labor).
• Total cost-of-acquisition against channel revenue: $15,038 in direct + burned cost. On $1,000,000 in closed revenue from that channel, effective CAC runs about 1.5% of closed-revenue — and the calendar drag from the unclosed leads doesn't even show up on Angi's invoice.

Under AskBaily closed-job take-rate (2026):

• Zero lead fees. Zero subscription. Zero upfront cost.
• 8–15% of closed-job revenue tiered by scope value. For mid-band projects ($25K–$150K), that's 10–12%, plus the 1.5% Trust and Safety reserve.
• For the same 10 $100K jobs: 11.5% × $1,000,000 = $115,000 in platform cost.

The real question: if you didn't actually close 10 jobs from Angi — if you closed 5 because a different contractor's shared-lead auction beat you 5 times — your actual Angi CAC was closer to $2,200 per win, and the estimator-hours burn was the same. Under AskBaily, you only pay on closed revenue. If you close 5, you pay on 5.

When AskBaily wins on math: any channel where your close rate is under 12%. Most New Orleans GCs sit in that band.

When Angi can win on math: if you're the lowest-bid fastest-responder on shared-lead auctions and close 15%+. Most experienced GCs are not the low-bid shop.

Run your own numbers with the lead-cost calculator before you commit to anything.