Arkansas home addition: a NEW 1–4 unit single-family residence is the residential builder licence — 4 years' verifiable experience (or the PSI exam), three references, $100 filing fee, positive net worth for Unlimited and the $10,000 bond; an ADDITION to an existing home is remodeler territory (2 years' experience, $50 filing). The commercial statute never reaches single-family work (§ 17-25-101(c) excludes it), so the $50,000 test does not apply — the Limited/Unlimited line at $50,000 does. Every claim sourced and dated.
Residential builder licence — 1–4 unit single-family construction, 4 years' experience, exam, positive net worth — § 17-25-502(2): 'residential building contractor' means one that 'attempts to or submits a bid to construct or contract or undertakes to construct or assumes charge in a supervisory capacity or otherwise manages the construction of a single family residence or the property and structures appurtenant thereto'; § 17-25-502(3): 'single family residence' means 'any project consisting of at least one (1) but no more than four (4) units of new construction for residential occupancy.' Entry: four years' verifiable experience + three references OR the exam (17 CAR 295-107(a)); the written examination (§ 17-25-509); a compiled financial statement showing 'positive net worth excluding the applicant's homestead and retirement accounts' (295-109(a)); proof of workers' compensation (§ 17-25-514); the $10,000 contractor's bond is NOT on the builder form — the financial statement carries the security role (S-AR-RB-APP checklist). Fees $100 new / $50 timely / $100 late (295-105(a),(d)). S-AR-RB-APP
Experience tiers — commercial 5 years (1 year specialty) / residential 4 years (2 years remodeler) — 17 CAR 255-208(b)(1)(A): all applications for HC, HRA, MU, B, LB, M or E 'must show a minimum of five (5) years' appropriate experience or have passed the appropriate examination'; (B) a specialty classification needs 'a minimum of one (1) year appropriate experience or have passed the appropriate examination'; (2) an equivalent out-of-state licence waives experience. 17 CAR 295-107: residential building needs 'proof of four (4) years of appropriate, verifiable experience in the building industry (commercial or residential)'; residential remodeler needs 'two (2) years'; a residential specialty needs 'appropriate verifiable experience in the specialty area' — each 'OR … Having passed the appropriate examination', each with 'three (3) verifiable references on the forms prescribed by' the committee, and (d) an equivalent out-of-jurisdiction licence waives the showing. S-AR-COMM-LAW
Financial statement by tier — reviewed/audited unrestricted, compiled restricted, positive net worth residential — § 17-25-304(a): all licensees transmit 'a financial statement … reviewed by a licensed certified public accountant or licensed public accountant'; (a)(2) if the total cost of a single commercial project is 'less than one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000)' a COMPILED statement suffices. 17 CAR 255-401(a)(1): unrestricted applications need 'an audited or reviewed financial statement … prepared on the GAAP or accrual income tax basis … an audited opinion letter or review report from an independent CPA or RPA'; (a)(2)(A): a restricted application needs a compiled statement. § 17-25-304(b): the statement 'shall not be made public information' — after licensure the board shreds or returns it. Residential: § 17-25-506(a) requires a compiled statement only when the work is 'fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) or more'; 17 CAR 295-109(a) requires 'positive net worth excluding the applicant's homestead and retirement accounts' for unlimited builder/remodeler/specialty, and (b)(1) 'No financial statement shall be required' for a limited licence. S-AR-COMM-LAW
Commercial licence required at $50,000 — expressly excluding single-family residences — Ark. Code Ann. § 17-25-101(a)(1) verbatim: 'contractor' means any person … that for a fixed price, fee, commission, or wage, attempts to or submits a bid to construct or demolish … any building, apartment, condominium, highway, sewer, utility, grading, or any other improvement or structure on public or private property for lease, rent, resale, public access, or similar purpose, 'except single-family residences, when the cost of the work to be done, or done, in the State of Arkansas by the contractor, including, but not limited to, labor and materials, is fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) or more.' § 17-25-101(b): the $50,000 exception 'shall not apply to any project of construction in which any of the construction work necessary to complete the project … is divided into separate contracts of amounts less than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), a purpose being to circumvent the provisions of this chapter.' § 17-25-101(a)(2): an owner acting on 'his or her own or its own property … shall not result in the person's or entity's being required to obtain a licensee, but the person or entity shall comply with all other provisions of this chapter.' § 17-25-101(c): 'It is the intention of this definition to include all improvements, demolition, or structures, excepting only single-family residences.' S-AR-COMM-LAW
The $10,000 contractor's bond is a condition of licensure (not a fee) and follows the licensee into every project; the roofing registration adds its own $15,000 bond. Every city/county fee is LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED and is not published here.