Colorado Contractor License Requirements
We could not reach an official Colorado source to confirm the current figures, so this page shows none. What is below is only what could be confirmed elsewhere; check with the board before you rely on any of it.
No figures are shown for Colorado. The state’s own sites could not be read when this page was built, and a figure we have not read off an official source does not go on the page. Check with DORA/DPO directly.
What the state requires
- Licence
- None at state level
- Issued by
- 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
- NASCLA exam
- Not acceptedColorado is not on NASCLA's participating-agency list and has no state contractor exam.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a contractor licence in Colorado?
- Not from the state. Colorado does not licence general contractors at the state level. There is no state exam, no state bond and no state licence to hold — the requirement is local, so which permit or registration you need depends on the city or county you are building in. UNVERIFIED on a state source. Every Colorado state host refused this environment: dpo.colorado.gov, dora.colorado.gov, www.colorado.gov, cdle.colorado.gov, dola.colorado.gov, oedit.colorado.gov, leg.colorado.gov, content.leg.colorado.gov, www.sos.state.co.us and coloradosos.gov all returned HTTP 403 — the CloudFront block message is explicit that 'The Amazon CloudFront distribution is configured to block access from your country' — and apps2.colorado.gov (the DORA licence lookup) presents a human-verification challenge, which was not attempted. The statute site is behind the same block, so neither the board site nor the legislature's site could be read. The only Colorado government source that would load is the City and County of Denver, quoted above; it is municipal, not state, so it does not satisfy the spec and the record is left unverified. What the Denver page does show, and what should be re-checked against DORA directly from a US connection: Colorado's state-level construction licensing is limited to electrical and plumbing (a 'Colorado electrical or plumbing license' from DORA), while the contractor licence itself is issued by the city. Denver additionally does not reciprocate contractor licences from any other Colorado county or from other states, so a Colorado general contractor licenses separately in each jurisdiction.
- Does Colorado accept the NASCLA exam?
- No. Colorado is not on NASCLA's participating-agency list and has no state contractor exam.
Sources
“Community Planning and Development issues contractor licenses and certificates to individuals and companies who perform various types of construction and trade work in Denver. Denver does not accept or reciprocate contractor licenses and/or certificates from other counties or states.”
https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Community-Planning-and-Development/Contractor-Licensing“A Colorado electrical or plumbing license will substitute for a supervisor certificate. ... You must renew your plumbing state contractor card and master plumber card with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) before you can renew your Denver plumbing contractor license.”
https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Community-Planning-and-Development/Contractor-Licensing“All states listed below will accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination For Commercial General Building Contractors.”
https://www.nascla.org/nascla-commercial-exam-participating-state-agencies