Idaho solar installation: private residential solar above $2,000 requires the DOPL Contractor Registration (no solar-specific state credential exists — verified absence this phase); for GOVERNMENT-FUNDED projects the Public Works Contractor license applies instead (ch. 19: seven classes by net worth and working capital, a 70% exam, single projects under $100,000 exempt). The scope boundary between the two credentials IS the Idaho model. Every claim sourced and dated.
Contractor registration required above $2,000 (materials + labor) — DOPL FAQ verbatim: 'Any person who engages in a construction job with a dollar amount exceeding $2000.00 (materials & labor) and is not otherwise exempt' must register. § 54-5204(1): 'On and after January 1, 2006, it shall be unlawful for any person to engage in the business of, or hold himself out as, a contractor within this state without being registered as required in this chapter.' § 54-5204(2) makes it unlawful to engage an unregistered subcontractor required to register. S-ID-54-5204
No exam-based contractor license for private work (verified absence) — DOPL FAQ verbatim: 'The Act requires registration, not licensure.' Nothing in the Idaho Contractor Registration Act (ch. 52, title 54) sets an examination, experience or continuing-education requirement for private-work contractors — the credential is a REGISTRATION with the Idaho Contractors Board. The only exam-based contractor licence Idaho issues is the PUBLIC WORKS Contractor licence (ch. 19), which attaches to government-funded contracting, not private residential work. S-ID-CON-FAQ
Public Works Contractor licence required (ch. 19) — 7 classes, exam, $100,000 exemption — § 54-1902(1) verbatim: 'unlawful for any person to engage in the business or act in the capacity of a public works contractor within this state without first obtaining and having a license issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.' § 54-1902(2): 'unlawful … to subcontract in excess of eighty percent (80%) of the work.' Exam (Fact Sheet): 'Applicants must pass the state public works contractor exam' with 'a score of 70% or higher.' § 54-1904: seven classes — Unlimited (> $5,000,000; net worth $1,000,000 + working capital $600,000), AAA (≤ $5,000,000), AA (≤ $3,000,000), A (≤ $1,250,000), B (≤ $600,000), CC (≤ $400,000), C (≤ $200,000) — with bid aggregates including subcontractor bids. § 54-1903(9): the chapter 'shall not apply to any … single project … with an estimated cost of less than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).' S-ID-54-1902
02 Which credentials this project can touch
Project
Credential
Relation
Rule
Source
solar-installation
Registered Contractor (individual or business entity)