Contractor License Requirements by State
25 states licence general contractors themselves; 26 register them, licence only trades, or leave it to the city. 17 accept the NASCLA accredited exam.
States that licence general contractors
A state exam, a bond and in most cases documented experience. A dash means the figure is not a single number or was not verified; the state page says which.
| State | Licence | Bond | Liability | Experience | CE | NASCLA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | General Contractor licence | — | — | — | — | Accepted |
| Arizona | General commercial, general residential or genera… | — | — | 4 yr | — | Accepted |
| Arkansas | Commercial Contractor License, Building classific… | $10,000 | — | — | None | Accepted |
| California | B - General Building Contractor | $25,000 | — | 4 yr | None | Accepted |
| District of Columbia | General Contractor/Construction Manager Basic Bus… | — | $2,500,000 | None | None | No |
| Florida | Certified General Contractor | — | $300,000 | 4 yr | 14 hours every two years | Accepted |
| Georgia | General Contractor | — | $500,000 | 4 yr | None | Accepted |
| Hawaii | Class "B" General Building Contractor | — | $100,000 | 4 yr | None | No |
| Louisiana | Commercial Contractor License | — | — | None | None | Accepted |
| Maryland | Maryland Home Improvement Contractor License | $20,000 | $50,000 | 2 yr | None | No |
| Michigan | Residential Builder | — | — | None | 21 hours every three years | No |
| Minnesota | Residential Building Contractor | — | $100,000 | None | 14 hours every two years | No |
| Mississippi | Commercial Certificate of Responsibility | — | $300,000 | — | None | Accepted |
| Montana | Construction Contractor License | — | — | None | None | No |
| Nevada | B - General Building Contractor | — | — | 4 yr | None | Accepted |
| New Mexico | GB-98 General Building contractor licence | $10,000 | — | 4 yr | None | Accepted |
| North Carolina | General Contractor licence, issued at one of thre… | — | — | — | 8 hours a year | Accepted |
| North Dakota | Contractor License | — | — | None | None | No |
| Oregon | Residential General Contractor | $25,000 | $500,000 | None | 8 hours every two years | Accepted |
| South Carolina | General Contractor licence, issued in a financial… | — | — | 2 yr | — | Accepted |
| Tennessee | General contractor licence | — | — | — | — | Accepted |
| Utah | B100 General Building Contractor | — | $1,000,000 | 2 yr | 6 hours every two years | Accepted |
| Virginia | Contractor License | — | — | 5 yr | None | Accepted |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Contractor License | — | — | — | None | Accepted |
| Wisconsin | Dwelling Contractor certification | — | $250,000 | None | 12 hours every two years | No |
States with no general contractor licence
No state exam to sit. What exists instead, and who issues it.
- Alaska
Registration: General Contractor Registration; General Contractor with Residential Endorsement for privately owned residential structures of one to four units
- Colorado
No state contractor licensing board. The Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Professions and Occupations licenses electrical and plumbing contractors statewide; general contractor licensing is done by municipalities and counties
- Connecticut
Registration: Home Improvement Contractor registration; New Home Construction Contractor registration for building new homes
- Delaware
Registration: Contractor business license (Division of Revenue) plus Contractor Registration Certificate (Department of Labor)
- Idaho
Registration: Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, Idaho Contractors Board
- Illinois
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (roofing); Illinois Department of Public Health (plumbers and plumbing contractors)
- Indiana
Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (licenses plumbers, home inspectors and manufactured home installers, but not contractors); general and building contractor licensing and registration is left to Indiana cities and counties
- Iowa
Registration: Construction Contractor Registration
- Kansas
No state licensing board for general contractors. The Kansas Attorney General registers roofing contractors only (Kansas Roofing Registration Act); general, building and residential contractor licensing is done by cities and counties
- Kentucky
Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (licenses trades only); no state general contractor board exists
- Maine
No state licensing board for general contractors. The Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation (Department of Professional and Financial Regulation) licenses the trades — Electricians' Examining Board, Plumbers' Examining Board, elevator contractors, oil/solid fuel technicians — but not builders or remodelers. The Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division enforces the home construction contract law.
- Massachusetts
Registration: Construction Supervisor License (CSL), Unrestricted; plus Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration for residential remodeling
- Missouri
Missouri Division of Professional Registration (Department of Commerce and Insurance) — licenses Electrical Contractors statewide, but issues no general, building or residential contractor licence; general contractor licensing is left to cities and counties
- Nebraska
Registration: Contractor Registration (Contractor Registration Act)
- New Hampshire
No state board licenses general contractors. The Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) supports more than 54 boards, none of which covers contracting; construction credentials there are limited to Electricians, Mechanical Safety and Licensing (plumbing/gas fitting), the Installation Standards Board for Manufactured Housing, Home Inspectors, Architects and Engineers. Building permits and inspections are municipal.
- New Jersey
Registration: Home Improvement Contractor Business (HICB) registration
- New York
No state licensing board for general contractors. The NY Department of State's Division of Licensing Services licenses 35 occupations, none of which is a contractor licence; general contractors are registered or licensed locally (e.g. NYC Department of Buildings registration, NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection home improvement contractor licence, and county consumer affairs departments on Long Island and in Westchester/Rockland).
- Ohio
Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Industrial Compliance, Ohio Department of Commerce
- Oklahoma
Oklahoma Construction Industries Board
- Pennsylvania
Registration: Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) Registration
- Rhode Island
Registration: Contractor Registration (general contractor, residential and commercial)
- South Dakota
No state contractor licensing board. The South Dakota Department of Revenue issues the contractor's excise tax licence that every construction contractor must hold; the Department of Labor and Regulation licenses electricians and plumbers but not general contractors
- Texas
No state board licenses general contractors. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation licenses specific trades only — air conditioning and refrigeration contractors, electricians, elevator/escalator, industrialized housing and buildings, mold assessors and remediators, water well drillers, residential solar retailers and the rest of its program list. Plumbers are licensed separately by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. General contracting is left to city permitting and registration rules.
- Vermont
Registration: Residential Contractor registration
- Washington
Registration: General Contractor Registration (certificate of registration)
- Wyoming
No state contractor licensing board. Contractor licences are issued by counties, cities and towns; the Wyoming Department of Revenue Excise Tax Division registers construction projects and general contractors for sales and use tax purposes
Frequently asked questions
- Which states require a general contractor licence?
- Roughly half. The rest either register contractors without examining them, licence only specific trades such as electrical and plumbing, or leave general contracting entirely to city and county permitting. The table on this page says which is which, state by state.
- Do I need a licence in a state that does not issue one?
- Usually yes, just not from the state. Where there is no state licence the requirement moves to the city or county, and the thresholds — contract value, building type, permit class — are set locally. Check the jurisdiction you are actually building in, not the state.
- How much is a contractor licence bond?
- It is set by statute and varies widely, and several states tier it by the monetary limit of your licence rather than setting one figure. Each state page here gives the bond as its statute states it, with the sentence it was read from.
- Does a licence in one state work in another?
- Not by itself. Some states have reciprocity agreements and twenty accept the NASCLA accredited commercial exam in place of a trade exam, which saves you re-examining — but you still file, bond and insure separately in each state.
Licensed is the paperwork. Passing is the exam.
Practice questions for the NASCLA accredited exam, the Florida papers and the California CSLB exams, with explanations that cite the reference book.