North Dakota Contractor License Classes and Trade Credentials
North Dakota classifies credentials by single-contract value, not trade skill: 11 rows are seeded here across the contractor license (ch. 43-07 NDCC, four classes A/B/C/D) and the two separate trade tracks — electrical (ch. 43-09, NDSEB) and plumbing (ch. 43-18, State Plumbing Board). The license has no examination; the class ceiling decides what a single project may be worth. Local permit classes are deliberately NOT state rows.
01 One license, four classes, two trades
CONTRACTOR LICENSE ch. 43-07 (A/B/C/D)+ELECTRICAL ch. 43-09+PLUMBING ch. 43-18
- The class is a value ceiling — 43-07-07(1): A no limitation, B up to $500,000, C up to $300,000, D up to $100,000. (Rule ND-CLASS-SCOPE.) S-ND-43-07-07
- No examination — the license is obtained by a sworn experience statement (43-07-04); no exam provision exists in the chapter. (Rule ND-NO-EXAM.) S-ND-43-07-TOC
- Electrical is separate — a master or power limited electrician contracts; class B is limited to farmstead/small-town residential; the business also needs a contractor license. S-ND-SEB-ELEC-CONTRACTING
- Plumbing is separate — a firm installing plumbing where a public waterworks/sewerage system exists must keep a licensed master plumber in charge. S-ND-43-18
02 Contractor license — NDCC ch. 43-07 (four classes A/B/C/D)
| Code | Credential | Classification | Official scope | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLASS-A | Contractor License (business — NDCC ch. 43-07; Secretary of State as registrar; four classes A/B/C/D by single-contract value; required when a job's cost, value or price exceeds $4,000; NO examination; liability insurance + WSI required; NO state surety bond — 43-07-11 repealed 1995) | Class A Contractor License (no value limitation) | 'The holder of a class A license is subject to no limitation as to the value of any single contract project.' | NDCC 43-07-07(1)(a) | S-ND-43-07-07 |
| CLASS-B | Contractor License (business — NDCC ch. 43-07; Secretary of State as registrar; four classes A/B/C/D by single-contract value; required when a job's cost, value or price exceeds $4,000; NO examination; liability insurance + WSI required; NO state surety bond — 43-07-11 repealed 1995) | Class B Contractor License (single contract up to $500,000) | 'The holder of a class B license is not entitled to engage in the construction of any single contract project of a value in excess of five hundred thousand dollars.' | NDCC 43-07-07(1)(b) | S-ND-43-07-07 |
| CLASS-C | Contractor License (business — NDCC ch. 43-07; Secretary of State as registrar; four classes A/B/C/D by single-contract value; required when a job's cost, value or price exceeds $4,000; NO examination; liability insurance + WSI required; NO state surety bond — 43-07-11 repealed 1995) | Class C Contractor License (single contract up to $300,000) | 'The holder of a class C license is not entitled to engage in the construction of any single contract project of a value in excess of three hundred thousand dollars.' | NDCC 43-07-07(1)(c) | S-ND-43-07-07 |
| CLASS-D | Contractor License (business — NDCC ch. 43-07; Secretary of State as registrar; four classes A/B/C/D by single-contract value; required when a job's cost, value or price exceeds $4,000; NO examination; liability insurance + WSI required; NO state surety bond — 43-07-11 repealed 1995) | Class D Contractor License (single contract up to $100,000) | 'The holder of a class D license is not entitled to engage in the construction of any single contract project of a value in excess of one hundred thousand dollars.' | NDCC 43-07-07(1)(d) | S-ND-43-07-07 |
| CLASS-B-ELECTRICIAN | Electrician Certificate (individual — NDSEB; master / class B / power limited / journeyman / apprentice; master, class B and power limited expire April 30 and journeyman March 31; 8 hours of continuing education with 4 code hours required) | Class B Electrician (limited contracting) | NDSEB verbatim: 'A class B electrician may not enter a contract, undertaking, or agreement for the installation of electrical wiring except for; farmstead electrical wiring or residential electrical wiring in one or two family dwellings located in a city with a population of two thousand five hundred or fewer.' | NDCC ch. 43-09; NDSEB Electrical Contracting Guidelines | S-ND-SEB-ELEC-CONTRACTING |
The class ceiling is not cosmetic
A public-project bid must be for a class whose ceiling covers the project value and must enclose the license copy in the bid-bond envelope (43-07-12); issuance fees are $450/$300/$225/$100 and renewals $90/$60/$45/$30 (43-07-07). S-ND-43-07-07
03 Electrical — NDCC ch. 43-09 (NDSEB)
| Code | Credential | Classification | Official scope | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL-CONTRACTING | Electrical Contracting (business — NDCC ch. 43-09; a master, class B or power limited electrician must contract; a business licensee also registers and holds a ND contractor license and files the NDSEB Application for Electrical Contracting with liability insurance of at least $500,000) | Electrical Contracting (master, class B or power limited electrician contracting) | NDSEB verbatim: 'A contract, agreement, or undertaking with another person for the installation of electrical wiring or power limited wiring … may not be entered by anyone other than a master electrician or power limited electrician. A class B electrician may not enter a contract, undertaking, or agreement for the installation of electrical wiring except for; farmstead electrical wiring or residential electrical wiring in one or two family dwellings located in a city with a population of two thousand five hundred or fewer.' | NDCC ch. 43-09; NDSEB Electrical Contracting Guidelines | S-ND-SEB-ELEC-CONTRACTING |
| MASTER-ELECTRICIAN | Electrician Certificate (individual — NDSEB; master / class B / power limited / journeyman / apprentice; master, class B and power limited expire April 30 and journeyman March 31; 8 hours of continuing education with 4 code hours required) | Master Electrician (may contract electrical work) | A master electrician is the individual who may enter a contract for the installation of electrical wiring (NDSEB verbatim: 'may not be entered by anyone other than a master electrician or power limited electrician'); a master may act for no more than one shop or business and must comply with ch. 43-07 contracting with the Secretary of State. As a contracting master or master of record, the individual is responsible for the business's adherence to the North Dakota wiring standards. | NDCC ch. 43-09; NDSEB Electrical Contracting Guidelines | S-ND-SEB-ELEC-CONTRACTING |
| CLASS-B-ELECTRICIAN | Electrician Certificate (individual — NDSEB; master / class B / power limited / journeyman / apprentice; master, class B and power limited expire April 30 and journeyman March 31; 8 hours of continuing education with 4 code hours required) | Class B Electrician (limited contracting) | NDSEB verbatim: 'A class B electrician may not enter a contract, undertaking, or agreement for the installation of electrical wiring except for; farmstead electrical wiring or residential electrical wiring in one or two family dwellings located in a city with a population of two thousand five hundred or fewer.' | NDCC ch. 43-09; NDSEB Electrical Contracting Guidelines | S-ND-SEB-ELEC-CONTRACTING |
| JOURNEYMAN-ELECTRICIAN | Electrician Certificate (individual — NDSEB; master / class B / power limited / journeyman / apprentice; master, class B and power limited expire April 30 and journeyman March 31; 8 hours of continuing education with 4 code hours required) | Journeyman Electrician (works under a contracting master) | NDSEB verbatim (renewal certification): 'if I am doing electrical work in North Dakota, I must be working under a contracting North Dakota Master electrician.' Journeyman licenses expire each year on March 31; annual renewal fee $25. | NDCC ch. 43-09; NDSEB renewal page | S-ND-SEB-ELEC-RENEWAL |
The electrical business prerequisites
A contracting electrical business must ALSO register and hold a ch. 43-07 contractor license and file the NDSEB Application for Electrical Contracting with liability insurance of at least $500,000. S-ND-SEB-ELEC-CONTRACTING
04 Plumbing — NDCC ch. 43-18 (State Plumbing Board)
| Code | Credential | Classification | Official scope | Citation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLUMBING-MASTER-IN-CHARGE | Plumbing Business / Master Plumber in charge (business — NDCC ch. 43-18; a firm installing plumbing where there is a public waterworks or sewerage system must keep a licensed master plumber in charge; in cities under 1,000 population and rural areas a licensed journeyman plumber may engage in the business) | Plumbing Business — licensed master plumber in charge required | 'No person, firm, corporation, or limited liability company shall engage in the business of installing plumbing and shall not install plumbing in connection with the dealing in and selling of plumbing materials and supplies in any location of this state having a public system of waterworks or sewerage, unless at all times a registered and licensed master plumber, who is responsible for the proper installation thereof, is in charge of such work. In cities of less than one thousand population and in all rural areas, a licensed journeyman plumber may engage in the business of installing plumbing.' | NDCC 43-18-10 | S-ND-43-18 |
| MASTER-PLUMBER | Plumber Certificate (individual — State Plumbing Board, ch. 43-18; master / journeyman / apprentice; exam fee capped by statute at $200 master / $100 journeyman; advertising must name the license number) | Master Plumber | 'Master plumber' means a person skilled in the planning, supervision, and the practical installation, alteration, and repair of plumbing, and familiar with the laws, rules, and regulations governing the same. | NDCC 43-18-01 | S-ND-43-18 |
| JOURNEYMAN-PLUMBER | Plumber Certificate (individual — State Plumbing Board, ch. 43-18; master / journeyman / apprentice; exam fee capped by statute at $200 master / $100 journeyman; advertising must name the license number) | Journeyman Plumber | 'Journeyman plumber' means any person, other than a master plumber, who, as the person's principal occupation, is engaged in the practical installation, alteration, and repair of plumbing. | NDCC 43-18-01 | S-ND-43-18 |
The small-town / rural plumbing rule
In cities of fewer than 1,000 population and in all rural areas a licensed journeyman plumber may engage in the plumbing business (43-18-10), and plumbing advertising must name the license number (43-18-11.3). S-ND-43-18
05 Deterministic scope limits
- north-dakota:class-a — any single contract project of any value (NDCC 43-07-07(1)(a)) S-ND-43-07-07Class A is chosen when single jobs may exceed $500,000.
- north-dakota:class-b — single contract projects up to 500000 (NDCC 43-07-07(1)(b)) S-ND-43-07-07The positive half of the class-B ceiling; the exclusion is SCOPE-ND-CLASS-B-LIMIT.
- north-dakota:class-b — single contract projects above 500000 (NDCC 43-07-07(1)(b)) S-ND-43-07-07The class ceiling decides public-bid eligibility too (43-07-12).
- north-dakota:class-c — single contract projects up to 300000 (NDCC 43-07-07(1)(c)) S-ND-43-07-07
- north-dakota:class-d — single contract projects up to 100000 (NDCC 43-07-07(1)(d)) S-ND-43-07-07The entry class for contractors operating just above the $4,000 threshold.
- north-dakota:electrical-contractor — electrical wiring installation under a master or power limited electrician (NDCC ch. 43-09; NDSEB Electrical Contracting Guidelines) S-ND-SEB-ELEC-CONTRACTINGElectrical contracting is its own credential family — the contractor license alone does not authorize it (rule ND-ELEC-CONTRACT).
- north-dakota:class-b-electrician — contracting electrical work outside farmstead or small town residential wiring (NDCC ch. 43-09; NDSEB Electrical Contracting Guidelines) S-ND-SEB-ELEC-CONTRACTINGThe class B electrician's own limit — a negative from the board's text, not our reading.
- north-dakota:plumbing-contractor — installing plumbing in public waterworks or sewerage locations with a master in charge (NDCC 43-18-10) S-ND-43-18Plumbing's trigger is the LOCATION, not a dollar figure (rule ND-PLUMB-MASTER).
- solar-installation — electrical contracting credential no solar specific license (NDCC ch. 43-09; NDSEB Electrical Contracting Guidelines) S-ND-SEB-ELEC-CONTRACTINGProject-scope row (no solar classification exists to attach to). 'reported' because the conclusion is assembled from the electrical scope plus the absence of a solar credential, not from a single verbatim sentence (research §N).
These limits feed the deterministic rules (ND-CLASS-SCOPE, ND-ELEC-CONTRACT, ND-PLUMB-MASTER, ND-SOLAR-CREDENTIAL) that project pages evaluate — missing facts return NOT_DETERMINED, never a forced answer.
06 Sources
S-ND-43-07-07statute
NDCC 43-07-07 — Classes of licenses — License fees — License renewal fees (FindLaw mirror)
https://codes.findlaw.com/nd/title-43-occupations-and-professions/nd-cent-code-sect-43-07-07/S-ND-43-18statute
NDCC chapter 43-18 — Plumbers (State Plumbing Board published chapter text)
https://www.ndplumbingboard.gov/licensing-plumber-licensureS-ND-SEB-ELEC-CONTRACTINGboard page
NDSEB — Electrical Contracting & Non-Contracting Guidelines & Requirements
https://www.ndseb.com/licensing/electrical-contracting-non-contracting-guidelines-requirements/S-ND-SEB-ELEC-RENEWALboard page
NDSEB — Electrician's License Renewal & Requirements
https://www.ndseb.com/licensing/electricians-license-renewal/