Connecticut Contractor License Requirements
Registration is not a licence, but here it is still mandatory. Every figure below was read off the DCP or the statute, and the sentence it came from is listed at the bottom of this page. Where a figure could not be verified this page says so rather than showing a number.
What the state requires
- Licence
- Home Improvement Contractor registration; New Home Construction Contractor registration for building new homes
- Issued by
- Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, License Services DivisionConnecticut Home Improvement Act; New Home Construction Contractors registration as amended by Public Act 21-197
- Exam
- No exam
- Exam fee
- No verified figureHome Improvement Contractor: non-refundable application fee $220.00 and annual renewal fee $220.00. New Home Construction Contractor: $360.00 non-refundable ($240.00 registration fee plus $120.00 guaranty fund fee), plus an additional $100.00 guaranty fund fee if the registrant also wants the home improvement designation.
- Application fee
- $220
- Initial licence fee
- No verified figure
- Licence bond
- Not requiredNo licence bond. Consumer recovery runs through the Home Improvement Guaranty Fund and the New Home Construction Guaranty Fund, funded by the fees above.
- General liability
- $20,000Applicants must obtain general liability insurance of not less than $20,000 and supply the insurer's name and policy number in the application and in each online renewal. Connecticut's minimum is unusually low — it is a registration threshold, not a realistic commercial limit.
- Workers compensation
- No verified rule
- Experience
- None requiredNo experience or trade qualification is required; registration is not a competency credential.
- Continuing education
- No continuing education requiredNo continuing education for HIC or New Home Construction registration.
- Renewal
- Every year
- NASCLA exam
- Not acceptedNot applicable — Connecticut sets no examination for contractor registration.
What people get wrong
Connecticut issues no general contractor licence — DCP registers home improvement contractors and new home construction contractors, with no exam and no experience requirement. Home improvement excludes commercial work, subcontracted work, work covered by a trade licence, contracts under $200, and new-home construction (that is the separate New Home Construction registration, which does not apply to contracts on the same new home with a combined value under $3,500). Trades (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, elevator) are separately licensed by DCP and do require exams. portal.ct.gov refused direct requests from this network ('The request is blocked') and cga.ct.gov was unreachable, so the DCP pages were read through a text-extraction proxy; the quotes above are the DCP pages' own wording.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a contractor licence in Connecticut?
- Not from the state. Connecticut registers contractors rather than licensing them: Home Improvement Contractor registration; New Home Construction Contractor registration for building new homes through the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, License Services Division. Connecticut issues no general contractor licence — DCP registers home improvement contractors and new home construction contractors, with no exam and no experience requirement. Home improvement excludes commercial work, subcontracted work, work covered by a trade licence, contracts under $200, and new-home construction (that is the separate New Home Construction registration, which does not apply to contracts on the same new home with a combined value under $3,500). Trades (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, elevator) are separately licensed by DCP and do require exams. portal.ct.gov refused direct requests from this network ('The request is blocked') and cga.ct.gov was unreachable, so the DCP pages were read through a text-extraction proxy; the quotes above are the DCP pages' own wording.
- Does Connecticut accept the NASCLA exam?
- No. Not applicable — Connecticut sets no examination for contractor registration.
Sources
“All applicants must obtain general liability insurance of no less than $20,000 to be eligible for a home improvement contractor registration.”
https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/license-services-division/all-license-applications/home-improvement-applications“Non-refundable application fee: $220.00”
https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/license-services-division/all-license-applications/home-improvement-applications“All registrations expire annually on March 31st. The annual renewal fee is $220.00.”
https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/license-services-division/all-license-applications/home-improvement-applications“New non-refundable registration fee: $360.00 ($240.00 registration fee & $120.00 guaranty fund fee) Additional $100.00 guaranty fund fee for applicants wishing to also provide home improvement services.”
https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/license-services-division/all-license-applications/new-home-construction-contractor-applications“Any person or business that builds a new home needs a registration, inclusive of speculative housing.”
https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/license-services-division/all-license-applications/new-home-construction-contractor-applications“In Connecticut, all Home Improvement Contractors, New Home Construction Contractors, and Home Improvement Salespeople must be registered with the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP).”
https://portal.ct.gov/dcp/home-improvement