Arkansas minor work: residential projects at or under $2,000 need NO licence — but the anti-splitting sentence (§ 17-25-513(3)) voids the trick of splitting a bigger job, and the two licensing dates mean a builder (since 2001-07-01) or home improvement contractor (since 2012-01-01) needs the licence above that line. Commercially, work under $50,000 is outside the licence — except single-family residences are excluded from the commercial chapter ENTIRELY (§ 17-25-101(a)(1), (c)), so the two tests never collide. A subcontractor of a licensed contractor sidesteps licensing with a $100/yr registration + $10,000 bond, until a contract with the owner makes it a prime. Every claim sourced and dated.
Residential licence required above $2,000 — builder since 7/1/2001, home improvement since 1/1/2012 — § 17-25-505(a): 'A person shall not act as a residential building contractor after July 1, 2001, unless licensed by the Residential Contractors Committee or exempted from licensure under this subchapter.' (b) the same for a home improvement contractor after January 1, 2012. (c) failure to procure the licence 'shall be deemed guilty of a Class A misdemeanor with each day in violation of the requirement to constitute a separate offense.' § 17-25-513(3)(A): exempt 'when the cost of the work done or to be done does not exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000)'; (B) the exemption 'shall not apply to a project in which the construction work necessary to complete the project is divided into separate contracts of amounts less than two thousand dollars ($2,000)'. The apply page repeats the trigger for each licence type ('more than $2,000, including, but not limited to, labor and material'). S-AR-RES-LAW
Residential exemptions — own residence, owner-occupant work, ≤ $2,000, licensed subs, other Arkansas licences, roofing subch. — § 17-25-513 verbatim: exempt '(1) A person who acts as a residential building contractor in the construction of his or her residence unless he or she builds more than one (1) residence during any calendar year; (2) The owner of a single family residence acting as his or her own home improvement contractor on his or her own property; (3)(A) A person or entity … when the cost of the work done or to be done does not exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000)', with the anti-splitting sentence in (B); '(4) A subcontractor of a contractor licensed by the Residential Contractors Committee; (5) A person or entity licensed as a contractor by another licensing agency, board, or commission of the State of Arkansas if the contractor is performing work within the scope of the license held …; (6) A person or entity performing work as a roofing contractor as defined under § 17-25-601 et seq.' § 17-25-610 adds the roofing chapter's five exemptions, including the 50%-of-project-cost rule for HI/RBC licensees. S-AR-RES-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
Subcontractors of licensed contractors register instead of licensing — $100/yr + $10,000 bond — § 17-25-102(4)(A) exempts from the commercial chapter 'Subcontractors of a licensed subcontractor who are properly registered with the board under this chapter'; (B) the board may set the registration process, application fees and civil penalties. 17 CAR 255-202(a): the contractor completes the board's form, pays the fee, 'may register for any of the specialty classifications listed in 17 CAR 255-308' and 'must certify its competence and financial ability'; (b) 'The registration fee, for both original and renewal, shall be one hundred dollars ($100).' Form (Eff. 09/2026): '$100.00 Filing Fee', renew yearly, attach trade licences for gated specialties and 'Fully executed $10,000.00 Contractor's Bond … in Principal Name & EIN'. S-AR-SUB-APP
02 Which credentials this project can touch
Project
Credential
Relation
Rule
Source
minor-work
Subcontractor Registration (for subcontractors of licensed contractors)
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.