Wyoming 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 contractor licensing board. Contractor licences are issued by counties, cities and towns; the Wyoming Department of Revenue Excise Tax Division registers construction projects and general contractors for sales and use tax purposesWyo. Stat. Ann. § 16-6-1101 (contractor licenses; reciprocity; requirements)
- NASCLA exam
- Not acceptedWyoming is not on NASCLA's participating-agency list. For cross-jurisdiction recognition inside Wyoming the statute points at the ICC exams instead: W.S. 16-6-1101(b)(ii) requires proof of the international code council examination for contractor, plumbing, mechanical or another appropriate examination, or an equivalent.
What people get wrong
The absence is confirmed inside the Wyoming statutes themselves. W.S. 16-6-1101, added by 2024 Senate File 114 and now printed in Title 16 of the Wyoming Statutes, is a reciprocity statute written entirely around licences issued by 'a county, city, town or other government entity' — the state is never an issuing jurisdiction. Practical effect for an applicant: you license in the jurisdiction where you work (Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie County, Teton County etc.), and since 2024 another Wyoming jurisdiction must recognise that licence provided it is active, you are in good standing, you supply whatever financial assurance the accepting jurisdiction requires, and you can show a passing ICC contractor/plumbing/mechanical exam or equivalent — fire systems work instead needs the relevant manufacturer certification. Some counties, such as Albany County, license no contractors at all. The only statewide contractor filing is with the Department of Revenue Excise Tax Division: form 121 registers a construction project and its general contractor, and non-resident contractors post a sales and use tax bond.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a contractor licence in Wyoming?
- Not from the state. Wyoming 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 inside the Wyoming statutes themselves. W.S. 16-6-1101, added by 2024 Senate File 114 and now printed in Title 16 of the Wyoming Statutes, is a reciprocity statute written entirely around licences issued by 'a county, city, town or other government entity' — the state is never an issuing jurisdiction. Practical effect for an applicant: you license in the jurisdiction where you work (Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie County, Teton County etc.), and since 2024 another Wyoming jurisdiction must recognise that licence provided it is active, you are in good standing, you supply whatever financial assurance the accepting jurisdiction requires, and you can show a passing ICC contractor/plumbing/mechanical exam or equivalent — fire systems work instead needs the relevant manufacturer certification. Some counties, such as Albany County, license no contractors at all. The only statewide contractor filing is with the Department of Revenue Excise Tax Division: form 121 registers a construction project and its general contractor, and non-resident contractors post a sales and use tax bond.
- Does Wyoming accept the NASCLA exam?
- No. Wyoming is not on NASCLA's participating-agency list. For cross-jurisdiction recognition inside Wyoming the statute points at the ICC exams instead: W.S. 16-6-1101(b)(ii) requires proof of the international code council examination for contractor, plumbing, mechanical or another appropriate examination, or an equivalent.
Sources
“16-6-1101. Contractor licenses; reciprocity; requirements. (a) As used in this section: (i) "Accepting jurisdiction" means a county, city, town or other government entity that is required to recognize and accept a license issued by an issuing jurisdiction;”
https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title16.pdf“(b) Each county, city, town and other government entity that issues licenses to contractors shall recognize a license issued to a contractor by another county, city, town or other government entity in Wyoming, in accordance with the following:”
https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title16.pdf“(ii) The contractor shall provide proof of the successful completion of the international code council examination for contractor, plumbing, mechanical or another appropriate examination, or an equivalent.”
https://wyoleg.gov/statutes/compress/title16.pdf“AN ACT relating to city, county, state and local powers; requiring local governments to recognize and grant reciprocity to contractor licenses issued by a Wyoming county, city or town; specifying conditions for reciprocity; and providing for an effective date.”
https://www.wyoleg.gov/2024/Introduced/SF0114.pdf“Construction Project and General Contractors Construction Project and General Contractor Registration (121) Non-Resident Contractor Sales and Use Tax Bond Single (124a) Non-Resident Contractor Sales-Use Tax Bond Covering Multiple Contracts (124b) Non-Resident Subcontractor Information Report (120)”
https://excise-tax-div.wyo.gov/contractor/registration“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