Introduction The aims of this study were to determine the incidence of Local recurrence (LR) in patients at long‐term follow‐up after laparoscopic RFA (LRFA) and also to determine the risk factors for LR from a contemporary series. Methods Patients undergoing LRFA between 2005 and 2014 by a single surgeon were reviewed. Demographic and perioperative data were analyzed from a prospective database. Results LRFA was performed on 316 patients with 901 lesions. Median follow‐up was 25 months, with 76% of whom completed at least one year of follow‐up. The LR rate was 18.4%. The LR in patients followed for less than 12 months was 13.8%, 20.3% for 12 months, and 19.7% for 18 months (P = 0.02). One‐fourth of the LRs developed after the 1st year. Morbidity was 8.9% and mortality 0.3%. Tumor type, size, ablation margin, and surgeon experience affected LR, with tumor type, size, and ablation margin being independent. Conclusions This study shows that 14% of malignant liver tumors will develop LR within a year after LRFA. Additional 4% of the lesions will demonstrate recurrence within 1 cm of the ablation zone, mostly as part of a multifocal recurrence. Ablation margin is the only parameter that the surgeon can manipulate to decrease LR.