You can check out contractors

St. Mary Parish people who need repairs after Tropical Storm Barry have a number to call or can go online to verify that contractors have the required licenses.
For information about contractors, you can call the St. Mary Parish Sales and Use Tax Department at 985-384-8510 or go to lslbc.louisiana.gov/contractor-search/
Cities or towns may have their own licensing requirements, the department said.
St. Mary Parish Sheriff Blaise Smith is advising the public to be careful when hiring contractors to repair homes, roofs, or remove trees as a result of Tropical Storm Barry.
“There are reputable local contractors who are licensed and insured and would be perfect to hire for these needs,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, after storms and disasters, there are those who come into the area who are not licensed, not insured, and may actually be scamming the citizens who are in need of legitimate help to restore their homes.”
Smith added, “Ask questions, ask to see credentials, or even get referrals from others concerning reputable contractors.”
The sales tax department offered this explanation of licensing laws:

Service businesses
R.S. 47:341 of the Occupational License Tax Law states any Municipality or Parish shall have the right to impose a license tax on any person conducting any business within the territorial jurisdiction of the Municipality or Parish. This would include but not limited to such businesses as gardening service, landscaping service, lawn service and tree service.
R.S. 47:346 requires that only one license shall be required for each place of business which is the principle place of the business in this State. Any business located in this state and not located in St. Mary Parish has to have a current Occupational License from the Jurisdiction in which the business is located. Any out of State business has to obtain a current Occupational License from the Jurisdiction in which they plan to perform a service.

In-state contractors
R.S. 47:355 Contractors (businesses performing services to immovable property) shall be required to have an Occupational License based on their total business activity. R.S. 47:362 states that no municipality or parish shall levy a license upon any Contractor except the municipality or parish in which is located the principal place of business of such contractor this State. Therefore Contractors are only required to have a current Occupational License for their principal place of business in order to provide services in St. Mary Parish. The maximum license tax paid by Contractors shall not exceed seven hundred fifty dollars.

Out-of-state
contractors
Out of state contractors who do not have a physical location in this State will not have a local Occupational License and therefore will be required to obtain one based on the total amount of the contract in the Jurisdiction in which the work is to be performed. The maximum license tax paid shall not exceed seven hundred fifty dollars.