New York minor work: no state credential exists at ANY price — 'NYS does not license home improvement contractors, but some counties and local municipalities do' (DOS verbatim) — but the NYC DCWP Home Improvement Contractor licence has NO dollar floor for residential work, the GBL Article 36-A contract machinery attaches above $500 (written contract, three-business-day cancellation, escrow or bond), an unregistered firm keeps the DOB tracking-number carve-out for limited work (pre-filing plus workers' compensation and disability proof), and five counties license outside the city on their own terms. Every claim sourced and dated.
No state contractor or home improvement licence exists — the verified absence (DOS verbatim) — NYS Department of State, Division of Consumer Protection verbatim (2024-03-26): 'Check your local government licensing requirements: NYS does not license home improvement contractors, but some counties and local municipalities do. Look into what is required in your area and be sure the contractor has proper licensure and has insurance.' General contractors are equally unlicensed at state level. A full read of the ten official documents in this chapter's registry found no state contractor licence, no state contractor examination, no state bond and no state continuing-education duty anywhere in New York — licensing is exclusively a local power. S-NY-DOS-ALERT
NYC DCWP Home Improvement Contractor licence — scope with NO dollar threshold (verified absence) — DCWP application checklist verbatim: 'A person or business must have a Home Improvement Contractor license to do construction, repair, remodeling, or other home improvement work to any residential land or building in New York City' — including basements, driveways, fences, garages, landscaping, patios, porches, sidewalks, swimming pools, terraces and other improvements on land next to a home or apartment building. No dollar threshold appears anywhere in the DCWP text: the licence reaches the smallest job (verified absence over the checklist, the NYC Business portal, and the DOB pages read). S-NYC-HIC-CHECK
GBL Article 36-A: written contract over $500, contents prescribed, 3-business-day cancellation — New York Attorney General verbatim: the law 'applies to most types of improvements costing more than $500 purchased by homeowners, co-ops owners and tenants.' The contract must be written, legible, plain English, delivered before work starts, and must contain the contractor's name, address and telephone number; approximate start and completion dates with their contingencies; a specific description of the work and materials (brands, model numbers) with the price; and the consumer notice verbatim: 'The customer has an unconditional right to cancel the contract until midnight of the third business day after the contract was signed. Cancellation must be done in writing.' The DOS alert repeats the right: 'You have three days to cancel after signing a contract for home improvements. All cancellations must be in writing.' S-NY-AG-FS
Tracking-number carve-out: non-registered contractors may do limited work with pre-filing + insurance proof — DOB residential page verbatim: 'Non-registered Contractors may perform limited work that is assigned a tracking number, but must pre-file with the department and provide proof of Workers' Compensation and Disability Insurance.' The carve-out is limited work under a tracking number; the New Building permit path stays closed to them. S-NYC-DOB-RES
In New York City several rows read may_require at once: the DCWP licence and the DOB registration are stacked requirements, not alternatives (DOB verbatim: "in addition to").
03 Deterministic rules applied
NY-STATE-ABSENCE
NY-DCWP-HIC
NY-GBL-36A-CONTRACT
NY-DOB-TRACKING-CARVEOUT
04 What it costs
Fee
Amount
Source
HIC new licence — filed March 1 to August 31 of an ODD year (covers ≤24 months)
New York State charges no fee for this work (verified absence). County licence fees, permit fees and the IdentoGO fingerprint fee are LOCAL_AUTHORITY_REQUIRED and are not published here.
05 What this page cannot tell you
Per-county figures — Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland license home improvement contractors (Attorney General verbatim), but every county fee, term and entry rule is withheld by name: the official county sources returned 403 this pass.
Which work skips the DOB permit — the checklist says "most home improvements need a DOB permit"; which do not is DOB's call, and the tracking-number carve-out exists precisely for the limited-work case.
Unresearched trade channels — the DOB issues more than 30 licence types; this chapter researched the plumbing, electrical and oil-burning channels by name. An unlisted trade may still apply to this project.