Kansas 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
- 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 countiesKan. Stat. Ann. §§ 50-6,121 to 50-6,138 (Kansas Roofing Registration Act); K.S.A. 12-1540 et seq. (city/county licensing of contractors)
- NASCLA exam
- Not acceptedKansas is not on NASCLA's participating-agency list, and it has no state contractor exam for the NASCLA exam to replace.
What people get wrong
The absence is confirmed on the Kansas Revisor of Statutes: the only statewide construction registration is the roofing contractor certificate held by the Attorney General, and K.S.A. 50-6,122(a)(2)(C) expressly carves out an 'exempt general contractor' from even that. K.S.A. 12-1540(d) defines 'general contractor' only for the purpose of city/county licensing, confirming that GC licensing in Kansas sits with municipalities. Practical consequence for applicants: there is no Kansas state contractor exam, bond or fee — you license per city (Wichita, Overland Park, Topeka, Olathe, Lawrence each run their own contractor licensing board, most using ICC exams). The Attorney General's own roofing pages (ag.ks.gov) returned HTTP 403 to this environment, so the current dollar amount of the roofing fee could not be read; only the statutory $500 cap is recorded.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a contractor licence in Kansas?
- Not from the state. Kansas 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. The absence is confirmed on the Kansas Revisor of Statutes: the only statewide construction registration is the roofing contractor certificate held by the Attorney General, and K.S.A. 50-6,122(a)(2)(C) expressly carves out an 'exempt general contractor' from even that. K.S.A. 12-1540(d) defines 'general contractor' only for the purpose of city/county licensing, confirming that GC licensing in Kansas sits with municipalities. Practical consequence for applicants: there is no Kansas state contractor exam, bond or fee — you license per city (Wichita, Overland Park, Topeka, Olathe, Lawrence each run their own contractor licensing board, most using ICC exams). The Attorney General's own roofing pages (ag.ks.gov) returned HTTP 403 to this environment, so the current dollar amount of the roofing fee could not be read; only the statutory $500 cap is recorded.
- Does Kansas accept the NASCLA exam?
- No. Kansas is not on NASCLA's participating-agency list, and it has no state contractor exam for the NASCLA exam to replace.
Sources
“No person shall engage in the business of or act in the capacity of a roofing contractor within this state without having a valid registration certificate as required by this act.”
https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch50/050_006_0123.html“Roofing contractor shall not mean: (A) A person engaged in the demolition of a structure or the cleanup of construction waste and debris that contains roofing material; (B) a person working under the direct supervision of the roofing contractor and who is hired by such roofing contractor as an employee or day laborer; or (C) an exempt general contractor.”
https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch50/050_006_0122.html“At the time of making application for a roofing contractor registration certificate pursuant to this act, the applicant shall pay to the attorney general a fee to be set by the attorney general, which shall not exceed $500 for the annual registration certificate.”
https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch50/050_006_0128.html“"general contractor" means any person having the necessary technical knowledge to properly plan and supervise the unlimited erection, alteration, addition or repair of any building or structure;”
https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch12/012_015_0040.html“Within their respective jurisdictions and subject to the provisions of K.S.A. 12-1542, any city or county may: (a) Utilize examinations other than those designated by K.S.A. 12-1541 ... (c) conduct such inspections and fix such reasonable fees therefor as the board of county commissioners or governing body of the city may prescribe.”
https://ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch12/012_015_0043.html“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