New Orleans guide ยท How it works
A business is listed only when a public licensing record shows it. Its place in a list comes from public facts, counted the same way for everyone, and the method is all on this page.
Method last changed October 7, 2026
Only public licensing records, read from the files the licensing bodies publish:
Roofers, HVAC contractors, plumbers and remodelers get listings when the LSLBC and State Plumbing Board rosters arrive as public records. Until then those pages carry the license rules and no listings. We never fill a list from Google Maps, bought lists or anything a business didn't publish itself.
A person licensed under his or her own name with no business name, because that is a person, not a business. Employers of a licensee that don't sell the service, like a hotel, a school or a museum. Businesses based out of state. And any business that asked to be removed.
Each listing earns points from public facts; the list runs from most points to fewest, and ties go A to Z by name. The points:
| Fact | Points |
|---|---|
| License age: 1 point per 5 years since the board first issued it, up to 2 (only where the board publishes the first-issued date) | 2 |
| Classification fit: 2 points when the license class is the one for this work (arborist for tree work, landscape horticulturist for landscaping), 1 more for a local license for the same work (Jefferson Parish's tree company license) | 3 |
| A working website we confirmed belongs to the business (its own site shows its phone number) | 1 |
| The website loads over HTTPS | 1 |
| The website is set up for phones (a mobile viewport) | 1 |
| The website has a tap-to-call phone link | 1 |
| A phone number the business publishes itself (on its own site or its license record) | 1 |
| A service area the business publishes itself | 1 |
Facts we haven't checked yet count as zero until the next monthly refresh. The state's tree and landscape lists don't print a first-issued date, so license age counts for no one on those pages today. Website facts come from reading the site's own pages; a business can send us its site to be checked.
Every listing has a link to claim, correct or remove it. A correction to a phone, website or service area needs a page on the business's own site that shows it. A removal is permanent: the business stays off the guide even if it shows up on next year's license list, and we won't email it either. Claims and corrections are free and never change the order except through the facts above.
Monthly, from the latest license lists, with every change written to a changelog. The data page shows the counts.