Indiana Contractor License Requirements
There is no state licence to describe, so what follows is the absence itself and what stands in its place — each confirmed on an official source, quoted at the bottom of this page.
What the state requires
- Licence
- None at state level
- Issued by
- 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
- NASCLA exam
- Not acceptedIndiana does not appear on NASCLA's list of state agencies accepting the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors, and has no state contractor licence for it to substitute for.
What people get wrong
Indiana licenses no general or building contractor at state level. The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency's own A-to-Z professions list has no contractor entry (nothing between Chiropractors and Controlled Substance Registrations, nothing at B for builder); the only construction credentials it issues are Plumbing (IC 25-28.5, exams delivered by PROV), Home Inspectors and Manufactured Home Installers. General contractors are licensed or registered by individual cities and counties — Indianapolis/Marion County, Fort Wayne, Evansville and others each run their own scheme — so an Indiana GC's obligations are local, not state. No state figures exist to record, so every numeric field is null by design, not for want of a source.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a contractor licence in Indiana?
- Not from the state. Indiana 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. Indiana licenses no general or building contractor at state level. The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency's own A-to-Z professions list has no contractor entry (nothing between Chiropractors and Controlled Substance Registrations, nothing at B for builder); the only construction credentials it issues are Plumbing (IC 25-28.5, exams delivered by PROV), Home Inspectors and Manufactured Home Installers. General contractors are licensed or registered by individual cities and counties — Indianapolis/Marion County, Fort Wayne, Evansville and others each run their own scheme — so an Indiana GC's obligations are local, not state. No state figures exist to record, so every numeric field is null by design, not for want of a source.
- Does Indiana accept the NASCLA exam?
- No. Indiana does not appear on NASCLA's list of state agencies accepting the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors, and has no state contractor licence for it to substitute for.
Sources
“Chiropractors Controlled Substance Registrations - Individual Practitioners for Multiple Professions Cosmetology & Barber Dentistry Diabetes Educators Dietitians Engineering”
https://www.in.gov/pla/professions/“Hearing Aid Dealers Home Inspectors Interior Design Registry Manufactured Home Installers Massage Therapy Midwifery Nursing”
https://www.in.gov/pla/professions/“Physicians Plumbing Podiatric Medicine Private Investigator & Security Guard Psychology Real Estate”
https://www.in.gov/pla/professions/“Indiana Statutes Title 25 Article 1 - Professions and Occupations Title 25 Article 28.5 - Plumbers Indiana Administrative Rules Title 860, Article 1 - General Provisions”
https://www.in.gov/pla/professions/plumbing-home/“Participating state agencies accepting the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors (Indiana is not among them).”
https://www.nascla.org/nascla-commercial-exam-participating-state-agencies