Contractor License Requirements by State

Licensing authority, when a license is required, classifications, scope, thresholds, bond, insurance, renewal, local permit layer and official lookup — each claim sourced and dated.

Certified vs registered credentials, classifications, exemptions, state fees, renewal/CE, bond/insurance and the official lookup — each claim sourced to statute, rule or DBPR guidance.

ROC business licenses with a qualifying party, the $1,000/permit threshold, 15 classifications, §32-1121 exemptions, state fees, the bond table and the official lookup — each claim sourced to statute or ROC page.

The no-statewide-GC-license model: which trades Texas licenses at the state level (electrical, air conditioning, plumbing), owner and trade exemptions, state fees, renewal/CE, the honest state-vs-local boundary and the official lookups — each claim sourced and dated.

The qualifying-agent model: a license issued to an individual qualifying agent and their affiliated business, the $2,500 residential threshold, Chapter 14 trade licensing, statutory exemption lists, GOALS fees and the state-vs-local boundary — each claim sourced and dated.

The no-threshold model: NRS 624.700 license required for any price with bids/contracts void ab initio, the twelve NRS 624.031 exemptions incl. the $1,000 repair carve-outs, classification scopes from NAC 624.140–624.585, the Board-set monetary ceiling, the $1,000–$500,000 bond, NAC 624.130 fees and the official license search — each claim sourced and dated.

The two-layer model: no statewide GC license (verified absence), only plumbing and electrical as state trades with statute-verbatim scopes, WC/UC-only registration conditions, the odd-year-February renewal cycle with the 2027 transition, the state/local permit map, six researched local regimes with verbatim quotes, SB25-165 PV registration and two open conflicts shown beside every answer — each claim sourced and dated.

The registration-plus-trade-credential model: L&I contractor registration under ch. 18.27 RCW (no exam, $30k/$15k bond by class, 500/2,000/6,000-dollar exemption bands, disclosure and right-to-sue rules) layered over electrical (ch. 19.28) and plumbing (ch. 18.106) credentials with their own bonds, fees and continuing education, plus a researched local permit layer and three open conflicts shown beside every answer — each claim sourced and dated.

The four-class statewide license model: a Secretary of State contractor license (A/B/C/D by single-contract value) required above a $4,000 per-job threshold, a sworn application with liability insurance and WSI but NO exam and NO state bond, the March 1 renewal with the $50 late penalty, license-number-on-permit and prerequisite-to-sue duties, the construction-fraud felony ladder, and the SEPARATE electrical (NDSEB, ch. 43-09) and plumbing (State Plumbing Board, ch. 43-18) trade credentials with an open owner-occupant question shown beside every answer — each claim sourced and dated.

The no-statewide-GC model with four credential families: the verified absence of any general/residential contractor license (OPOR's professions list + LD 1226's death), electrician classes (ch. 17), plumber classes (ch. 49), fuel-technician categories (ch. 139) and the ch. 128 door-to-door home-repair registration, layered over the MUNICIPAL permit layer (MUBEC's 4,000-resident rule; 30-A §4215 plumbing permits), the board MOUs that split HVAC work, board-published fees and renewal, the verified absences (no bond, no general-liability minimum, no HVAC license, no solar license), CONFLICT-ME-001 and the official OPOR lookup — each claim sourced and dated.

The home-improvement licence model: the MHIC contractor licence (Business Regulation Art. Title 8) for residential alteration/remodel/repair on 1–3 unit buildings with its $500,000 general-liability rule, Guaranty Fund and contract-content requirements, the Home Builder Registration for new-home construction, the separate electrician (BOP Title 6), plumber/gas-fitter (Title 12) and HVACR (BR Title 9A) trade licences with the §8-301(c)(4) trade exemption, the Baltimore-County/WSSC plumbing carve-out, the verified absence of a project-value GC licence and the two recorded conflicts — each claim sourced and dated.

The volume-threshold model: an individual Construction Supervisors License (OPSI/BBRS, 780 CMR) keyed to building type and the 35,000-cubic-foot test with registered-design-professional control above it, the HIC business registration for existing owner-occupied 1–4 unit property ($150 + $100–500 Guaranty Fund, c. 142A §7 caps of $25,000/$150,000), the separate plumber/gas-fitter (248 CMR) and electrician/systems (237 CMR) boards, the official HIC/CSL/permit chart, no out-of-state recognition, no surety bond, no dollar-value threshold and three recorded conflicts — each claim sourced and dated.

The five-board/two-threshold model: the ALBGC general contractor licence at $100,000 non-residential (swimming pools $5,000; raised from $50,000 by Act 2024-277), the HBLB residential home builder licence at $10,000 and residential roofer tier at $2,500 with §34-14A-19 liability insurance and the Homeowners' Recovery Fund, the separate electrical (ch. 36), plumber/gas fitter (ch. 37) and HVAC/R (ch. 31) boards with the $20,000 performance bond, the §34-8-7 exemptions and the municipal permit layer, the four documented conflicts and the official lookups — each claim sourced and dated.

The commercial-only specialty license model: the OCILB (Dept. of Commerce) ch. 4740 contractor license in five trades with a PSI examination, five-year experience, $500,000 liability insurance, a state/federal background check and individual-to-company assignment; the commercial-only scope excluding residential buildings (4740.01(F)); the $25/$25/$60 fees and annual renewal with a double late fee; the disputed 10-vs-8/24 CE hours (CONFLICT-OH-001); the misdemeanor penalty and the <50V low-voltage carve-out; the verified absence of any statewide GC/residential license and of any state bond; the ch. 4722 residential contract rule over $25,000; the separate State Fire Marshal fire-protection family; ODOT prequalification; and the 4740.12 local-registration preemption — each claim sourced and dated.

The trade-license/no-general-contractor model: the Construction Industries Board's four industries (electrical OAC 158:40, mechanical OAC 158:50, plumbing OAC 158:30 and the roofing REGISTRATION OAC 158:85 with its examination-based commercial endorsement); the official statement that general contractors need no state license while trade licenses are required to perform or offer licensed trade work; the published contractor categories (electrical Unlimited/Residential/Limited; mechanical HVAC/R Unlimited/Limited with the 25-ton and 500,000 Btu/h ceilings); the $5,000 corporate surety bond payable to the CIB and $50,000 CGL that must be on file before the license is ACTIVE; the $500,000/$1,000,000 roofing insurance and workers' compensation; the birth-month annual renewal, the 12/6/4-hour CE split and the one-year retest limit; the shared $30/$300/$200 fee schedule; the misdemeanor penalties; the documented mechanical commercial-boundary conflict (CONFLICT-OK-001) and the unverified $10,000 roofing threshold (CONFLICT-OK-002); and the verified absence of a solar credential — each claim sourced and dated.

The single-board, endorsement-tier model: the CCB license (ORS ch. 701) every compensated contractor must hold, with an ENDORSEMENT chosen by STRUCTURE class (residential / small commercial / large commercial) — residential general/specialty/limited and commercial general/specialty level 1 and 2, each with its statutory bond and general-liability ladder ($25,000/$500,000 RGC up to $80,000/$2,000,000 CG1); the Responsible Managing Individual; the 16-hour training + 80-question Oregon exam ($60, 70% to pass); the $400 fee and two-year term with 8-hour residential CE; the separate BCD electrical (ORS ch. 479) and plumbing (ORS ch. 447) contractor licenses; the Class A misdemeanor and $5,000 civil penalty; the verified absence of a standalone solar license; and the local business-license layer — each claim sourced and dated.

The no-statewide-licence / Attorney-General-registration model: L&I's verbatim statement that the Commonwealth has no licensure or certification requirements for most construction contractors; the HICPA home improvement contractor registration (73 P.S. §§ 517.1–517.19) with the $5,000 contractor and $500 job thresholds, the $50,000 personal-injury plus $50,000 property-damage insurance, the written-contract, three-business-day rescission and voidable-clause rules and the home improvement fraud grading; the crane operator licence (Act 100 of 2008; $100/$130 fees); the asbestos and lead certifications (Act 44 of 1995; fractional fees withheld); DCED's manufactured housing installer certification (Act 158 of 2004); the 2,562-municipality trade-licensing layer and the § 517.12 preemption that preserves municipal electrician/plumber licences while barring a local home-improvement registration fee; the $50 statute vs $100 portal fee conflict (CONFLICT-PA-001); and the verified absence of any state bond — each claim sourced and dated.

The universal-registration model: § 5-65-3(a) requires every person who undertakes, offers or bids work on a structure — residential OR commercial, including ALL subcontractors — to hold a current certificate of registration from the CRLB, with no exam and no surety bond; the broad § 5-65-1(7) 'contractor' definition (wells, decks, pools, fences, driveways and parking lots) and the one-per-business-entity rule; the ONE-YEAR term (§ 5-65-8), the $500,000 combined single-limit liability/property-damage insurance plus workers' compensation (§ 5-65-7) in place of any bond, the 5-hour pre-registration course and 2.5-hour CE with a commercial-only exemption, the $150 fee and $50 late fee; the § 5-65-3(c) permit gate and § 5-65-3(g) exclusivity against cities and towns with a surviving business-licence fee; the four CRLB regulated licences (Commercial Roofing, Home Inspector, Underground Utility, Well Drilling / Pump Installer); the separate DLT trade licences (electrical, HVAC/mechanical, plumbing); the CONFLICT-RI-002 commercial-course question; the pending January-2028 Home Builder and Structural Remodeler licences; and the verified absences of a state bond and of any exam-based statewide general contractor licence — each claim sourced and dated.

The two-track, three-threshold model: S.C. Code § 40-11-30 bars general or mechanical contracting where the total cost of construction is greater than $10,000 without a CLB licence (raised from $5,000 by 2023 Act No. 69) — held by an ENTITY qualified by a party who scores 70%+ on the technical and SC-law exams (§ 40-11-230), backed by the net worth or working capital of one of five license groups (§ 40-11-260) or a surety bond in lieu for the same amount (§ 40-11-262), renewed biennially on 10/31 (GC in even years, Mechanical in odd, § 40-11-250) with a 90-day retroactive grace; the RBC residential track's § 40-59-20(6) builder licence over $5,000 (≤3 floors, ≤16 units) and § 40-59-20(7) specialty credential over $500 — a LICENCE after exam for plumbers/electricians/HVAC versus a no-exam REGISTRATION; the specialty bar on building additions without a residential builder; the four GC classifications and Mechanical subclasses with the 50-volt electrical line; penalties (§ 40-11-200 misdemeanour, § 40-59-30 lien bar); the verified absence of a standalone solar credential; and CONFLICT-SC-001's residential/commercial overlap resolved by scope — each claim sourced and dated.

The no-statewide-licence / board-licensed-trades model: the OPLC boards list contains no contractor board (verified absence) and building permits are municipal; the Electricians' Board licenses the trade at the 30-volt threshold ('An active and valid New Hampshire Electrician license is required to work with 30 volts or higher') with 15 hours of code-cycle CE through CE Broker and RSA 319-C:8 examinations with the one-year re-application rule; the Mechanical Licensing Board licenses plumbers (a journeyman works 'under the direction of a master plumber'; the master is the business) and the fuel-gas fitter family with rule-level experience hours (1,000/2,000/1,000 in 60 months with heating-oil credit); NHDES requires a licensed asbestos contractor and a certified inspector with 10-working-day notifications under Env-A 1800, with the single-family homeowner exemption; the electrician fee schedule ($33/$110/$198/$66/$198/$137); CONFLICT-NH-001 — the OPLC's two official mechanical fee schedules disagree; the verified absences of a state bond, a solar credential and any renewal cycle in months — each claim sourced and dated.

The no-statewide-GC / Article-24 model: LARA BCC issues the Individual Residential Builder and M&A Contractor licences over a 'residential structure' (detached 1-/2-family dwelling or ≤3-story townhouse) with the 60-hour prelicensure path, PSI examination, $195 application and three-year 5/31 renewal carrying 21 hours of CE on the first two cycles and 3 hours thereafter; MCL 339.2403's nine exemptions include the $600 aggregate anti-splitting rule — the statute's ONLY dollar figure, so no credential is keyed to a value (verified absence; the secondary $50,000/$7,500 claims have no official source); entities renew through a qualifying officer (MCL 339.2405 suspension cascade) and salespersons hold their own $195 licence; the skilled trades run on the Skilled Trades Regulation Act — electrical Art. 7 with a STATUTORY fee schedule (MCL 339.5707: $100 exam, master $50, journeyman $40, $300 three-year contractor licence), plumbing Art. 11 with MCL 339.6111 master-plumber representation and mechanical Art. 8 at $300 per three-year 8/31 cycle; no surety bond and no state CGL minimum (verified absences), WDCA workers' compensation thresholds, Detroit's local electrical carve-out, no electrical reciprocity, both conflicts preserved (CONFLICT-MI-001 electrical contractor examination unresolved; CONFLICT-MI-002 12/31 vs March 1 resolved with method) — each claim sourced and dated.

The registration-not-licensing model: Act 182 of 2022 created the residential contractor REGISTRATION with the Secretary of State's OPR — required before contracting with a homeowner for more than $10,000 (§ 5501(a)), a fraud-protection registry rather than a competency credential (§ 5503(a)); $75 individual / $250 business fees, $1M-per-occurrence / $2M-aggregate CGL uploaded with the initial and biennial renewal applications, the attested contract with price, dates, scope and signed-writing change orders, the down payment capped at one half of labor or materials, and the OPR exemption list (employees, DPS-licensed tradespeople, engineers and architects, appliance deliverers, commercial-only contractors, owners on their own property); OPR does not police compliance — that is the Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program; plumbers are licensed by DFS under 26 V.S.A. ch. 39 (P1/P2 and P3 specialists, journeyman, master; 2025 Vermont Plumbing Rules on the 2021 IPC; owner-occupied single-family residences off public water and sewer are outside the rules; the Act 193 lead ban) and electricians under ch. 15 (NFPA 70/73/780, ANSI C2) with the S.220 Vermont Energy Goals module required on new and renewal applications after July 1, 2021 — no surety bond and no published electrical fee schedule (verified absences) — each claim sourced and dated.

The registration-not-licensure / public-works-licence model: 'The Act requires registration, not licensure' (DOPL FAQ) — the Contractor Registration (ch. 52, title 54) attaches to construction jobs exceeding $2,000 (materials + labor) with a $300,000-single-limit general liability policy including products/completed operations plus workers' compensation or a statement why not required, $120 initial / $60 annual / $120 biennial fees (fee table effective July 1, 2026; biennial transition from October 14, 2025, phased by birth year), display of the registration number within 60 days, conclusive lien-rights denial for the unregistered (§ 54-5208) and misdemeanor (≤ $1,000 / 6 months) plus court-action-bar penalties (§ 54-5217); the § 54-5205 exemption list (state-licensed tradespeople within scope, wage employees, suppliers, <$2,000 casual/minor projects with the anti-splitting proviso, owners with the 12-month sale limitation, commercial owners' own crews); § 45-525(2)/(3) residential disclosures above $2,000 with a signed receipt and the completion disclosure listing subs > $500; the Public Works Contractor licence (ch. 19) with seven classes Unlimited…C set by net worth and working capital, a 70% exam, the 80% subcontract cap and the $100,000 single-project exemption — with CONFLICT-ID-001 registered on the PWC fee schedule (live table encoded; the Fact Sheet's halved amounts and the § 54-1904 statutory caps never encoded) and CONFLICT-ID-002 resolved by effective date — no contractor bond (verified absence) — each claim sourced and dated.

The exam-based classification model: rule §301.F's default — 'A license is required when the project cost exceeds $50,000 except where otherwise noted' — with the residential family lower (Residential Construction > $75,000 per § 2150.1(16); CONFLICT-LA-001 resolved for the statute against the Types of Licenses page's $50,000; Home Improvement > $7,500 up to $75,000 with no exam; Residential Roofing ≥ $7,500 from January 1, 2026; Electrical/Mechanical/Plumbing > $10,000; Hazardous Materials > $1) and a commercial license expressly unable to build a single residential home; licensing demands a qualifying party per classification plus the Louisiana business-and-law exam, net worth of $50,000 ($25,000 for home improvement/mold/labor only) with an irrevocable letter of credit substitute, and background investigations; the residential family evidences $100,000 general liability plus workers' compensation at every renewal (annual-only for insurance-dependent licenses) and completes 6 hours of continuing education annually; the § 2159 written contract (license number, insurance certificates, no work before all signatures) denies liens to the unlicensed; penalties run from a misdemeanor at up to $500 per day (§ 2163) to a civil penalty of up to 10% of the contract (§ 2164); fee rows are the statutory caps of § 2156.C, labeled as caps because the board resets actual fees each July; no surety bond exists (verified absence) — each claim sourced and dated.

The multi-skill licensing plus universal registration model: no general contractor license exists in chapter 326B at all (verified absence from the table of sections read 2026-10-05), so § 326B.805 licenses only the four residential credentials — BC, CR, RR and manufactured home installer — and only where a company contracts DIRECTLY with an owner of one to four units for work in MORE THAN ONE of the eight special skills (excavation, masonry and concrete, carpentry, interior finishing, exterior finishing, drywall and plaster, roofing, general installation specialties); BC builds new structures while CR stays on existing ones, and roofers are the single-skill exception who are ALWAYS licensed, with gutters, downspouts, soffit and fascia back in BC or CR scope. Single-skill residential work and ALL commercial work instead register under § 326B.701, expiring December 31 of odd years with no published fee (NOT_VERIFIED), and the Contractor Recovery Fund (§ 326B.89) replaces bonding for BC and CR — $320, $420 or $520 by gross receipts with $100,000 per-payment and $550,000 total caps, repay twice plus interest plus a $40,000 bond to reinstate — while roofers bond $15,000 and installers $2,500 under § 326B.86, plumbers bond $25,000 and insure $50,000, $100,000 and $10,000 under § 326B.46, and mechanical contractors carry only a $25,000 bond with NO state license at all; electrical sits with the Board of Electricity (2026 NEC effective August 17, 2026, exams September 8, 2026); § 326B.809 requires written contracts, § 326B.845 voids the lien of the knowing unlicensed worker, § 326B.835 preempts local licensing in scope with the on-site sewage exception; renewals run two years to March 31 with 14 hours of CE; both conflicts are published — CONFLICT-MN-001 resolved to the statute against the stale roofer renewal page, CONFLICT-MN-002 roofer insurance open — each claim sourced and dated.

The ONE-BOARD / TWO-REGIMES model keyed to dollar thresholds with NO bond anywhere: the State Board of Contractors (§ 31-3-3 — ten members including a roofing seat) issues the commercial Certificate of Responsibility (Title 31 ch. 3 — unlawful to bid or contract on commercial jobs over $50,000 without one, fire sprinkler public >$5,000 private >$10,000, the COR number must be on the bid envelope exterior, contracts awarded without it are null and void, willful unlicensed bidding is a misdemeanor up to $1,000 and six months, and the board may add a civil penalty of up to 3% of the contract) and the annual residential family (Title 73 ch. 59 — builder $50,000 and max three floors, remodeler and roofing $10,000, construction managers and residential solar at any amount, and the four sub-trades whose threshold is CONFLICT-MS-001: the statute says 'no matter the dollar amount' while the board's own page exempts work under $10,000); Mississippi requires NO surety bond in either regime (§ 31-3-13(h) forbids the board from even setting bonding capacity) — general liability insurance replaces it at $300,000/$600,000 commercial and proof-only residential; fees run $400/$50 at application, $400/$100 annual renewal with a 180-day window and a 10% statutory penalty, plus the $200 Construction Education Fund fee on every COR (residential builders exempt); renewal is annual with ~60-day courtesy email notices (email-only from 2026); the residential qualifying party completes 2 CE credit hours per year (pre-July-2015 licensees exempt) and there is NO commercial CE; exams are PSI open book with the Law and Business Management exam universal and NASCLA accepted; discipline runs $100–$5,000 per violation residential and the Statewide Investigative Team sweeps jobsites weekly — each claim sourced and dated.