North Dakota Contractor License Requirements
Every figure below was read off the SOS 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
- Contractor License (Class A, B, C or D)
- Issued by
- North Dakota Secretary of State (the 'registrar' under NDCC ch. 43-07)N.D. Cent. Code ch. 43-07 (Contractors)
- Exam
- No exam
- Exam fee
- No verified figureThe fee is the licence fee and it is set by class, which is set by the largest single contract you may take: Class A (no limit) $450, Class B (up to $500,000 per job) $300, Class C (up to $300,000 per job) $225, Class D (up to $100,000 per job) $100. The $450 recorded here is Class A, the only class a general contractor with no project-size ceiling can use. Renewal fees are much lower — A $90, B $60, C $45, D $30 — plus a $50 penalty fee if you renew after March 1. A nonprofit building or rehabilitating a single-family dwelling given or sold below appraised value to a low-income person pays no fee at all.
- Application fee
- $450
- Initial licence fee
- $450
- Licence bond
- Not requiredNo licence bond. NDCC 43-07-11 'Contractor's bond - Requirements' was repealed in 1995 and was not replaced.
- General liability
- Required; no verified minimumA certificate of liability insurance must accompany the application and each renewal, in the same name as the licence, naming the North Dakota Secretary of State as certificate holder. The statute fixes no minimum limit. Workers' compensation goes through North Dakota Workforce Safety & Insurance: a current certificate of payment if you have employees residing in North Dakota, otherwise a WSI letter of good standing. Failing to keep liability coverage in force puts the licence 'not in good standing' and the contractor must stop soliciting or entering new projects.
- Workers compensation
- Required
- Experience
- None requiredNo minimum years. The applicant must be at least eighteen and must submit an application under oath 'containing a statement of the applicant's experience and qualifications as a contractor' — a sworn narrative, not a verified hour count.
- Continuing education
- No continuing education requiredNo continuing education requirement.
- Renewal
- Every year
- NASCLA exam
- Not acceptedNorth Dakota is not on NASCLA's participating-agency list. There is no North Dakota contractor examination, so the NASCLA exam has nothing to replace.
What people get wrong
North Dakota is the one state in this batch with a real state-issued general contractor licence, and it is issued by the Secretary of State rather than a trade board. Three things an applicant would otherwise get wrong. (1) The class is a contract-value ceiling, not a scope-of-work category: Class A has no limit, B stops at $500,000 per job, C at $300,000, D at $100,000, and you pay for the class you pick. (2) The licence year is fixed, not rolling — 'contractor year' runs March 2 to March 1, and a licence first issued in January or February runs to March 1 of the following year. Miss the March 1 renewal and the licence is 'not in good standing' and you are deemed unlicensed; you then have until June 1 to renew by paying a $50 penalty plus the renewal fee, and after June 1 the licence is expired. (3) There is no exam and no bond, but the licence is a precondition to suing: an unlicensed contractor 'may not maintain any claim, action, suit, or proceeding in any court of this state' arising from contracting work, and working unlicensed is a class A misdemeanour with a civil penalty of up to three times the licence fee. Electrical, plumbing and asbestos work need separate licences from the ND State Electrical Board, ND State Plumbing Board and ND Department of Environmental Quality.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a contractor licence in North Dakota?
- Yes. North Dakota issues a state general contractor licence — Contractor License (Class A, B, C or D) — through the North Dakota Secretary of State (the 'registrar' under NDCC ch. 43-07). North Dakota is the one state in this batch with a real state-issued general contractor licence, and it is issued by the Secretary of State rather than a trade board. Three things an applicant would otherwise get wrong. (1) The class is a contract-value ceiling, not a scope-of-work category: Class A has no limit, B stops at $500,000 per job, C at $300,000, D at $100,000, and you pay for the class you pick. (2) The licence year is fixed, not rolling — 'contractor year' runs March 2 to March 1, and a licence first issued in January or February runs to March 1 of the following year. Miss the March 1 renewal and the licence is 'not in good standing' and you are deemed unlicensed; you then have until June 1 to renew by paying a $50 penalty plus the renewal fee, and after June 1 the licence is expired. (3) There is no exam and no bond, but the licence is a precondition to suing: an unlicensed contractor 'may not maintain any claim, action, suit, or proceeding in any court of this state' arising from contracting work, and working unlicensed is a class A misdemeanour with a civil penalty of up to three times the licence fee. Electrical, plumbing and asbestos work need separate licences from the ND State Electrical Board, ND State Plumbing Board and ND Department of Environmental Quality.
- Does North Dakota accept the NASCLA exam?
- No. North Dakota is not on NASCLA's participating-agency list. There is no North Dakota contractor examination, so the NASCLA exam has nothing to replace.
Sources
“When the cost, value, or price of a job exceeds $4,000, the person doing the work must be licensed as a contractor in North Dakota (NDCC ch. 43-07). This includes subcontractors, general contractors, public contractors, and nonresident contractors.”
https://www.sos.nd.gov/business/licensing-registration/contractors“License Fees Class Contract Amount Fee Class A Over $500,000 per job $450 Class B Up to $500,000 per job $300 Class C Up to $300,000 per job $225 Class D Up to $100,000 per job $100”
https://www.sos.nd.gov/business/licensing-registration/contractors“You must include a certificate of liability insurance with the application. The liability insurance must be in the same name you are requesting for the contractor license. The certificate must list the North Dakota Secretary of State, 600 E Boulevard Ave, Dept 108, Bismarck, ND 58505, as the certificate holder.”
https://www.sos.nd.gov/business/licensing-registration/contractors“If you are a licensed contractor, you must renew your license on or before March 1 of each year.”
https://www.sos.nd.gov/business/licensing-registration/contractors“a. For a class A license, the sum of four hundred fifty dollars. b. For a class B license, the sum of three hundred dollars. c. For a class C license, the sum of two hundred twenty-five dollars. d. For a class D license, the sum of one hundred dollars.”
https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t43c07.pdf“To obtain a license under this chapter, an applicant who is eighteen years of age or older shall submit, on forms the registrar prescribes, an application under oath containing a statement of the applicant's experience and qualifications as a contractor. A copy of a certificate of liability insurance must be filed with the application and the contractor shall submit a statement from North Dakota workforce safety and insurance that the contractor has secured workforce safety and insurance coverage satisfactory to workforce safety and insurance.”
https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t43c07.pdf“43-07-11. Contractor's bond - Requirements. Repealed by S.L. 1995, ch. 397, § 9.”
https://ndlegis.gov/cencode/t43c07.pdf“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