New York License and Registration Fees
The 18 verified local fees New York's two city agencies and the exam channel publish — New York State itself charges no contractor fee of any kind (verified absence: it issues no credential to charge for). Every amount below was read from an official page this pass; every amount no official page read publishes is withheld by name, never guessed.
01 City fees vs county fees vs postings
DCWP LADDER $50–$250 + $250 RENEWAL+DOB $300 REG / $585 / $530≠COUNTY FEE (withheld — 403)≠NO STATE FEE (verified absence)
- The sliding application ladder — a new DCWP licence is $200 filed March 1–August 31 of an odd year (up to 24 months of coverage), $150 filed September odd–February even (18), $100 March–August even (12), and $50 or $250 filed September even–February odd (6 months, Option 1, or up to 30 months, Option 2); every window expires February 28 of an odd year. (Rule NY-DCWP-FEES.) S-NYC-BIZ-HIC
- Renewal $250, processing ~2 weeks — the NYC Business portal's own summary: "Fees Vary / 2 Weeks / $250 / 2 Years". (Rule NY-DCWP-FEES.) S-NYC-BIZ-HIC
- Money protection is a choice, not a fee schedule — $200 trust-fund enrolment OR a $20,000 surety bond posting (the bond is seeded as a bond row below). (Rule NY-DCWP-FEES.) S-NYC-HIC-CHECK
- DOB exam money — LIC41 written $585 spans twelve named licence types; LIC42 practical $530 covers the practical subset, due within 24 months. (Rule NY-DOB-EXAM-MONEY.) S-NYC-DOB-OIL
- The registration behind the permit gate — $300 new / $240 renewal / $50 late on a 3-year term, form LIC6. (Rule NY-DOB-GC-REGISTRATION.) S-NYC-DOB-GC
- Withheld by name — every county licence fee (Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland — county sources returned 403 this pass → LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED), the IdentoGO fingerprint processing fee, the DOB filing-representative, safety-endorsement and insurance-tracking fees, and the DCWP/DOB violation schedules. The 2% credit-card convenience fee is a percentage and stays a note, never a fee row. No state fee exists to price. S-NY-DOS-ALERT
- Two complementary fee pages, zero conflicts — the DCWP checklist carries the full five-window ladder (including the $250 / 30-month Option 2) while the NYC Business portal lists the four headline windows plus the $250 renewal: an omission, not a discrepancy. Unofficial pages quoting the superseded "$100 biennial" terms are ignored: only official sources enter the registry.
02 NYC DCWP Home Improvement Contractor — sliding ladder, renewal, money protection
| Fee | Amount | Kind | Charged by | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIC new licence — filed March 1 to August 31 of an ODD year (covers ≤24 months) | $200 | application | nyc dcwp | S-NYC-HIC-CHECK |
| HIC new licence — filed September 1 odd year to February 28/29 even (covers ≤18 months) | $150 | application | nyc dcwp | S-NYC-HIC-CHECK |
| HIC new licence — filed March 1 to August 31 of an EVEN year (covers ≤12 months) | $100 | application | nyc dcwp | S-NYC-HIC-CHECK |
| HIC new licence — filed September 1 even year to February 28 odd, Option 1 (covers ≤6 months) | $50 | application | nyc dcwp | S-NYC-HIC-CHECK |
| HIC new licence — filed September 1 even year to February 28 odd, Option 2 (covers ≤30 months) | $250 | application | nyc dcwp | S-NYC-HIC-CHECK |
| HIC licence renewal | $250 | renewal | nyc dcwp | S-NYC-BIZ-HIC |
| Home Improvement Business Trust Fund enrolment (money-protection option 1) | $200 | miscellaneous | nyc dcwp | S-NYC-HIC-CHECK |
| Home Improvement Exam — two additional attempts after failing twice | $50 | miscellaneous | nyc dcwp | S-NYC-HIC-CHECK |
03 NYC DOB General Contractor Registration — the permit-gate money
| Fee | Amount | Kind | Charged by | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOB General Contractor Registration — new (form LIC6) | $300 | application | nyc dob | S-NYC-DOB-GC |
| DOB General Contractor Registration — renewal | $240 | renewal | nyc dob | S-NYC-DOB-GC |
| DOB General Contractor Registration — late renewal | $50 | miscellaneous | nyc dob | S-NYC-DOB-GC |
04 NYC DOB exam applications — LIC41 written / LIC42 practical
| Fee | Amount | Kind | Charged by | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOB written exam application (form LIC41) | $585 | application | nyc dob | S-NYC-DOB-OIL |
| DOB practical exam application (form LIC42) | $530 | application | nyc dob | S-NYC-DOB-OIL |
05 NYC DOB Oil Burning Equipment Installer — licence and seal
| Fee | Amount | Kind | Charged by | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil Burning Equipment Installer licence (Class A or Class B) | $100 | license | nyc dob | S-NYC-DOB-OIL |
| Oil Burning Equipment Installer licence — renewal | $75 | renewal | nyc dob | S-NYC-DOB-OIL |
| Oil Burning Equipment Installer licence — late renewal | $50 | miscellaneous | nyc dob | S-NYC-DOB-OIL |
| Oil Burning Equipment Installer — seal, new | $100 | miscellaneous | nyc dob | S-NYC-DOB-OIL |
| Oil Burning Equipment Installer — seal, renewal | $75 | miscellaneous | nyc dob | S-NYC-DOB-OIL |
06 Renewal cycles and late rules
The three credentials whose term the pages read published: the DCWP licence runs a two-year cycle expiring February 28 of odd years, while both DOB instruments run three years. No continuing-education requirement appears on any page read (verified absence this pass).
Credential
ny:nyc_hic_license
24-month cycle
Late / renewal fee rule
Renewal $250 (S-NYC-BIZ-HIC); every new-licence window expires February 28 of an odd year; no trust-fund re-payment at renewal while the Fund held more than $2 million as of July of the prior year (S-NYC-HIC-CHECK).
Continuing education
NOT VERIFIED — none published on the pages read
Two-year cycle fixed by the checklist's window ladder. NO continuing-education requirement appears on any DCWP page read (verified absence this pass).
Credential
ny:dob_gc_registration
36-month cycle
Continuing education
NOT VERIFIED — none published on the pages read
3-year term on form LIC6; new applications filed online via DOB NOW since 2021-09-07. No continuing-education requirement appears on the pages read.
Credential
ny:dob_oil_burner_installer
36-month cycle
Late / renewal fee rule
$75 timely / $50 late renewal, with the seal renewed for $75 (S-NYC-DOB-OIL).
Continuing education
NOT VERIFIED — none published on the pages read
3-year term, new licence $100 + seal $100. No continuing-education requirement appears on the pages read.
07 Bond posting and insurance — not fees, but money
The DCWP surety bond is a POSTING (money-protection option 2), and the DOB general liability line is INSURANCE for permit issuance — neither is a fee, and New York has no state contractor bond to price (verified absence over the ten documents read).
| Posting | Amount | Obligee / rule | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| contractor | $20,000 | A $20,000 surety bond (or third-party bond) naming DCWP as certificate holder, with the bond receipt showing full payment — S-NYC-HIC-CHECK, money protection. | S-NYC-HIC-CHECK |
| Coverage | Kind | Applies when | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CGL | required by law | Every DOB licensee and registrant, for permit issuance and renewal — 'General Liability Insurance: Each occurrence must be a minimum of one million dollars' (verbatim, S-NYC-DOB-GL); permits run at most two years (AC §28-105.8.1) and may expire with the GL policy (AC §28-105.9 / §28-105.12.7) | S-NYC-DOB-GL |
| WC | required by law | Every DCWP HIC applicant — a certificate of workers' compensation naming DCWP (42 Broadway, New York NY 10004) as certificate holder, OR a WCB Certificate of Attestation of Exemption; 'ACORD Forms are not acceptable proof' (verbatim, S-NYC-HIC-CHECK) | S-NYC-HIC-CHECK |
08 Sources
S-NYC-BIZ-HICfee schedule
NYC Business (official city portal) — Home Improvement Contractor License (fee list incl. $250 renewal, ~2 week processing)
https://nyc-business.nyc.gov/nycbusiness/description/home-improvement-contractor-licenseS-NYC-DOB-GCfee schedule
NYC DOB — General Contractor Registration ($300 / $240 renewal / $50 late / 3-year term, LIC6)
https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/general-contractor-registration.pageS-NYC-DOB-OILfee schedule
NYC DOB — Oil Burning Equipment Installer (LIC41 $585 / LIC42 $530 exam fees across all written-test licences; Class A/B fees; 3-year term)
https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/oil-burner-equipment-installer.pageS-NYC-HIC-CHECKboard page
DCWP — Home Improvement Contractor License Application Checklist (all requirements, full sliding fee ladder, exam rules)
https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/businesses/license-checklist-home-improvement-contractor.page