SBA Feasibility Study Consultant in Louisiana

Current SBA rules for Louisiana borrowers

Every study we deliver is written to the SBA rules in force for your loan. As of November 2026, that means SOP 50 10 8.1 and the FY2027 fee notices.

SOP 50 10 8.1

SBA published SOP 50 10 8.1 on August 14, 2026 (Information Notice 5000-880695) and issued technical updates on September 25, 2026. It applies to applications that receive an SBA loan number on or after October 1, 2026. Under SOP 50 10 8.1:

• Change-of-ownership (acquisition) rules for 7(a) are consolidated into a new standalone Appendix 15. For acquisitions, the study's cash-flow and valuation support must be built to that appendix.
• SBA Express and same-institution debt refinancing gain new flexibility.
• The citizenship and residency requirement is incorporated. 100% of all direct and indirect owners must be U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals whose principal residence is in the United States, and lawful permanent residents are not eligible. SBA first applied this rule to loans on March 1, 2026 (Policy Notice 5000-876441).

Up to $10 million combined 7(a) + 504

Under SBA Policy Notice 5000-879058 (published May 18, 2026; effective for loans numbered on or after July 4, 2026), a borrower's outstanding 7(a) balance, up to the $5 million 7(a) maximum, no longer reduces the borrower's 504 capacity. Up to $5 million in 7(a) and up to $5 million in 504 can therefore be combined, for up to $10 million. The 7(a) loan is approved first. SBA's maximum guaranty exposure to one borrower and its affiliates remains $3.75 million ($4.75 million for qualifying export loans). For Louisiana hotels and special-purpose real estate, this changes how large a project can be financed with SBA support, and the study must show the combined debt service is covered.

FY2027 SBA fees (loans approved October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027)

What this means in Louisiana: a $700,000 7(a) loan with a 75% guaranty would normally carry a 3% upfront fee on $525,000, which is $15,750. For a qualifying manufacturer, food-supply-chain business (Louisiana's top 7(a) industry by dollars in calendar 2025 was broiler and meat-type chicken production, per GoSBA Loans, February 2, 2026) or rural business, that fee is $0. On a $500,000 504 debenture, the waiver removes a $2,500 upfront fee and about $1,015 in first-year annual fees. Because the 7(a) waiver stops at $700,000, our studies test loan sizing on both sides of that line. Rural status is determined by the project's address under SBA's rural definition, not by parish name. We check every address as part of the study.

Ask whether your project qualifies for the FY2027 fee waiver

Louisiana SBA and capital partners

SBA Louisiana District Office

One district office serves all 64 parishes from 500 Poydras St., Suite 828, New Orleans, LA 70130 (504-589-6685), Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Rachel Milam is District Director; SBA announced her appointment June 11, 2026.

Louisiana Small Business Development Center

Hosted by Louisiana State University, the Louisiana SBDC operates nine regional centers serving all 64 parishes plus the statewide Center for Business Growth and Innovation in Baton Rouge (louisianasbdc.org, 2026). Many of our clients arrive with an SBDC business plan, and our study gives that plan the independent market and financial support a lender requires.

504 Certified Development Companies active in Louisiana

Louisiana's 504 market is concentrated in a handful of in-state CDCs (SBA list of Certified Development Companies, 2026; activity from SBA Loan Index, cumulative since FY2010, data as of March 31, 2026):

State capital: Louisiana SSBCI

Louisiana Economic Development (LED) administers Louisiana's State Small Business Credit Initiative, for which the U.S. Treasury approved up to $113 million (announced 2022). Its credit programs include Collateral Support (pledged cash of up to $250,000 to secure loans of up to $1 million), a Loan Guaranty on loans of up to $1.5 million, and Micro Lending. SSBCI programs are separate from SBA programs, and our study can model a conventional SSBCI-supported structure alongside an SBA structure when a lender is weighing both.

Where Louisiana demand is coming from

Megaprojects

Demand is strongest in a few corridors, and much of it comes from temporary construction workforces:

• Meta Hyperion data center, Richland Parish: expanded to 5 GW and more than $50 billion (July 13, 2026), with about 7,500 workers at peak construction and 1,000 permanent jobs, per Meta.
• Woodside Louisiana LNG, Calcasieu Parish: $17.5 billion; final investment decision April 29, 2025; about 1,800 workers on site in May 2026 (KPLC, May 5, 2026); first LNG targeted for 2029.
• Venture Global CP2, Cameron Parish: Phase 2 reached final investment decision in March 2026; first LNG targeted for the second half of 2027 (Venture Global SEC filings, 2026).
• Hyundai-POSCO steel mill, Donaldsonville (Ascension Parish): $5.8 billion, 1,300 direct jobs averaging $95,000 (LED, March 24, 2025); ceremonial groundbreaking September 4, 2026; production targeted for the first quarter of 2029.

Leaders for a Better Louisiana estimated in September 2025 that six megaprojects could employ about 20,500 construction workers combined in late 2026 to early 2027. Our studies tie revenue to each project's dated workforce schedule and show that debt is serviceable on the post-construction baseline, not just at peak.

Population

Louisiana had 4,618,189 residents on July 1, 2025, down 0.9% since April 2020 (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, V2025). Growth is suburban. From 2024 to 2025, Lafayette Parish added 3,275 residents (+1.3%, to 257,949), Livingston added 1,891 (+1.2%, to 155,036), St. Tammany added 1,443 (to 279,108), Tangipahoa added 1,363 (+1.0%, to 141,346) and Ascension added 1,078 (+0.8%, to 135,105). Orleans (−1,323, to 362,154), Caddo (−1,091, to 224,226) and Jefferson (−1,006, to 431,398) lost population. Rooftop-driven concepts such as childcare, QSR, car washes and self-storage are strongest in the growing suburban parishes.

Tourism

Louisiana welcomed 45 million visitors in 2025, up about 254,000 from 2024. Visitor spending rose 5.4% to $19.5 billion, and the industry supported 225,600 jobs, per the Louisiana Office of Tourism (May 2026). In 2024, the state recorded 44.5 million visitors and $18.5 billion in spending.

Event-year distortion in New Orleans hotels

During Super Bowl LIX week (February 2–8, 2025), New Orleans hotels ran 74.2% occupancy at a $485.52 ADR. The same week in 2026 ran 57.5% occupancy at a $170.46 ADR (CoStar). A projection built on 2025 would badly overstate stabilized revenue. We build New Orleans hotel projections on a normalized, non-event base year and adjust for Mardi Gras date shifts.

Gaming

Louisiana riverboat casinos generated $1.811 billion in adjusted gross revenue in FY2024–25, including $703.9 million in Lake Charles and $533.7 million in Shreveport-Bossier. Caesars New Orleans earned $270.1 million (Louisiana Gaming Control Board, 30th Annual Report). These casinos anchor weekend leisure hotel demand in their markets.

What's in a Louisiana feasibility study

Every study is signed by David Jones, MAI, CCIM, and written for the lender, the CDC and the SBA file. Each one covers:

• Market and trade-area demand, built from current Census, BLS and industry data with every figure dated.
• Supply and competition inventory for the subject's market.
• A five-year revenue and expense projection, with insurance, flood and named-storm deductible reserves broken out separately.
• Debt-service coverage under the actual SBA structure (7(a), 504, or combined up to $10M) and FY2027 fees.
• Downside scenarios: insurance cost doubling, post-construction demand step-down, and event-year normalization.
• Specific findings and a clear conclusion on feasibility.

About David Jones, MAI, CCIM

David Jones holds the MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute and the CCIM designation, and has completed more than 4,300 feasibility studies. His Louisiana work is built for how Louisiana deals are actually underwritten: insurance-first, flood-aware and honest about temporary demand.

Talk to David about your project