District of Columbia Contractor License Requirements
Every figure below was read off the DLCP 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
- General Contractor/Construction Manager Basic Business License, Classes A, B, C, G and H
- Issued by
- Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Business Licensing DivisionD.C. Code § 47-2851.01 et seq.; 17 DCMR ch. 39
- Exam
- No exam
- Exam fee
- No verified figureDLCP's Contractor and Construction Services fee schedule: 6-month license $49.00 (General Contractor/Construction Manager only), 2-year license $99.00, 4-year license $198.00. Home Improvement Contractors are not eligible for the 6-month term. These are the contractor endorsement fees; the Basic Business License process also carries corporate registration, Certificate of Occupancy and Clean Hands steps with their own costs.
- Application fee
- No verified figure
- Initial licence fee
- $99
- Licence bond
- Not requiredNo bond is listed for the General Contractor/Construction Manager license. The separate Home Improvement Contractor license does require a $25,000 surety bond. The bond option in D.C. Law 25-244 ($25,000 for a residential contractor) is part of the un-implemented 2024 amendments.
- General liability
- $2,500,000Commercial general liability minimums scale with class under 17 DCMR § 3902.1: Class A (no limit on single-contract value) $2,500,000 per occurrence; Class B (single contracts to $10,000,000) $1,500,000; Class C (to $5,000,000) $500,000 per occurrence / $1,000,000 aggregate; Class G (to $2,000,000) $500,000 / $1,000,000; Class H (to $500,000) $500,000 per occurrence. The certificate must come from an insurer authorized in the District with an A.M. Best rating of B+ or higher, and must name DLCP as certificate holder. Home Improvement Contractors instead need $50,000/$100,000 bodily injury and $10,000 property damage under 16 DCMR § 803.2.
- Workers compensation
- Not required
- Experience
- None requiredNo experience requirement is currently in force. The General Contractor Licensing Amendment Act of 2024 would require at least 4,000 hours or 2 years of construction experience, but the sections creating it are marked [Not Funded] and have not been implemented.
- Continuing education
- No continuing education requiredNo continuing education requirement for the General Contractor/Construction Manager Basic Business License.
- Renewal
- Every 2 years
- NASCLA exam
- Not acceptedThe District does not appear on NASCLA's list of participating state agencies, and it currently administers no qualifying examination.
What people get wrong
The trap here is the 2024 law. The General Contractor Licensing Amendment Act of 2024 (D.C. Law 25-244) writes an exam, an experience floor and a bond into D.C. Code §§ 47-2853.78c and .78d, and those sections read '[Not Funded]' — subject to inclusion of the law's fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan, and therefore not implemented. As of this record DC still issues the General Contractor/Construction Manager license as a Basic Business License endorsement with no exam and no experience test; what actually gates it is the insurance level tied to the class (A through H), the Certificate of Occupancy, the pre-printed contract and Clean Hands. Any residential work also needs a designated Home Improvement Salesperson license, and the Home Improvement Contractor license is a separate endorsement with a $25,000 bond.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a contractor licence in District of Columbia?
- Yes. District of Columbia issues a state general contractor licence — General Contractor/Construction Manager Basic Business License, Classes A, B, C, G and H — through the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection, Business Licensing Division. The trap here is the 2024 law. The General Contractor Licensing Amendment Act of 2024 (D.C. Law 25-244) writes an exam, an experience floor and a bond into D.C. Code §§ 47-2853.78c and .78d, and those sections read '[Not Funded]' — subject to inclusion of the law's fiscal effect in an approved budget and financial plan, and therefore not implemented. As of this record DC still issues the General Contractor/Construction Manager license as a Basic Business License endorsement with no exam and no experience test; what actually gates it is the insurance level tied to the class (A through H), the Certificate of Occupancy, the pre-printed contract and Clean Hands. Any residential work also needs a designated Home Improvement Salesperson license, and the Home Improvement Contractor license is a separate endorsement with a $25,000 bond.
- Does District of Columbia accept the NASCLA exam?
- No. The District does not appear on NASCLA's list of participating state agencies, and it currently administers no qualifying examination.
Sources
“Business Activity General Contractor (A, B, C, G & H)/Construction Manager ... Requirements General Contractor (A, B, C, G, and H)/Construction Manager Certificate of Liability Insurance Certificate of Occupancy/Home Occupation Permit Contract Corporate Registration (if applicable) Tax Registration & Clean Hands Certificate”
https://dlcp.dc.gov/node/1618551“Contractor and Construction Services Fees 6-month license - $49.00 (General Contractor/Construction Manager Only) 2-year license - $99.00 4-year license - $198.00”
https://dlcp.dc.gov/node/1618551“Class A - The holder of a Class A license is subject to no limitation as to the value of any single contract. Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance of at least two and a half million dollars ($2,500,000) per occurrence (primary or umbrella) for bodily injury and property damage arising in any way from the issuance of the license.”
https://dlcp.dc.gov/node/1616056“applicants for the General Contractor/Construction Manager license are required to provide a Certificate of Insurance issued by an insurer authorized to insure in the District with a credit rating of B+ or higher by A.M Best Company, evidencing commercial general liability per 17 D.C. Municipal Regulation § 3902.”
https://dlcp.dc.gov/node/1616016“§ 47–2853.78c. Eligibility criteria for construction managers and general contractors. [Not Funded]”
https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/47-2853.78c“§ 47–2853.78d. Financial statements or balance sheets; surety bonds in lieu of providing financial statements or balance sheets. [Not Funded]”
https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/47-2853.78d“Has at least 4,000 hours or 2 years of experience performing construction work on commercial properties”
https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/25-244