Oklahoma Contractor License Types and Trade Credentials

Oklahoma classifies credentials by trade, not by job size or a general scope: 9 rows are seeded here across the CIB's four industries — electrical, mechanical, plumbing and roofing. There is no statewide general or residential contractor license; general building work is regulated locally. A local registration is deliberately NOT seeded as a state row. Roofing is the only credential called a registration.

Verified 2026-10-059 classifications4 credential shapesno statewide GCIndexation gate: passed

01 Four industries, one activation gate

TRADE LICENCE (elec/mech/plumb)+$5,000 BOND + $50,000 CGL+ROOFING REGISTRATION≠NO STATEWIDE GC

Trade-specific credentials — a CIB licence or registration is required to perform or OFFER licensed trade work. (Rule OK-TRADE-LICENSE.) S-OK-CIB-HOME
Activation — a trade contractor licence is inactive until the $5,000 CIB surety bond and $50,000 CGL are on file (rule OK-BOND). S-OK-CIB-ACTIVE-CONTRACTOR
No statewide GC licence — only the four industries are state-licensed or registered. S-OK-CIB-HOME

02 Electrical — OAC 158:40 (Electrical License Act)

Code	Credential	Classification	Official scope	Citation	Source
ELEC-CONTRACTOR-UNLIMITED	Electrical License (CIB — Electrical industry, OAC 158:40 / 59 O.S. Electrical License Act eff. 11-1-2025; contractor categories UNLIMITED, RESIDENTIAL and LIMITED, plus journeyman and registered apprentice and the alarm endorsement; a contractor must be an owner, partner or officer of the electrical firm; 12 hours of continuing education every 36 months, half in code update)	Unlimited Electrical Contractor (no scope limit)	CIB verbatim: 'Unlimited Electrical Contractors are unlimited in the type of electrical contracting they can perform.' Requirements: '12,000 Verifiable Hours on the job experience in electrical construction work'; 'Proof of 4,000 hours experience as a licensed Unlimited Electrical Journeyman'; '6,000 hours must be in commercial industrial work obtained while employed by a Licensed Electrical Contractor'; '2,000 hours maximum may be satisfied by formal electrical education*' (educational hours must be actual classroom hours verified with a transcript). All electrical contractors must be an owner, partner or officer in the electrical firm.	OAC 158:40; 59 O.S. Electrical License Act (eff. 11-1-2025)	S-OK-CIB-ELEC-CONTRACTOR
ELEC-CONTRACTOR-RESIDENTIAL	Electrical License (CIB — Electrical industry, OAC 158:40 / 59 O.S. Electrical License Act eff. 11-1-2025; contractor categories UNLIMITED, RESIDENTIAL and LIMITED, plus journeyman and registered apprentice and the alarm endorsement; a contractor must be an owner, partner or officer of the electrical firm; 12 hours of continuing education every 36 months, half in code update)	Residential Electrical Contractor (one- and two-family dwellings only)	CIB verbatim: 'Residential Electrical Contractors are limited to contracting for wiring buildings as defined in the NEC for one and two family dwellings.' Requirements: '8,000 verifiable hours total'; '4,000 hours as a Residential or Unlimited Journeyman Electrician under the employment and supervision of an Electrical Contractor'; and '4,000 hours as a registered apprentice, OR 3,000 hours as a registered apprentice and 1,000 hours may be satisfied by formal electrical education*'.	OAC 158:40; 59 O.S. Electrical License Act (eff. 11-1-2025)	S-OK-CIB-ELEC-CONTRACTOR
ELEC-CONTRACTOR-LIMITED	Electrical License (CIB — Electrical industry, OAC 158:40 / 59 O.S. Electrical License Act eff. 11-1-2025; contractor categories UNLIMITED, RESIDENTIAL and LIMITED, plus journeyman and registered apprentice and the alarm endorsement; a contractor must be an owner, partner or officer of the electrical firm; 12 hours of continuing education every 36 months, half in code update)	Limited Electrical Contractor (business-only; no apprentice/journeyman work)	CIB verbatim: 'Limited Electrical Contractors must be an Owner, Partner, or Officer in an electrical firm and are prohibited from engaging in the work of an apprentice or journeyman electrician and: Has a Degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited college or university, and 8,000 hours of electrical experience in field construction, electrical estimating, electrical project management in commercial/industrial electrical work, OR has verification of 16,000 hours experience in the electrical trade performing electrical work, estimating or project management in commercial/industrial work.'	OAC 158:40; 59 O.S. Electrical License Act (eff. 11-1-2025)	S-OK-CIB-ELEC-CONTRACTOR
ELECTRICAL-JOURNEYMAN	Electrical License (CIB — Electrical industry, OAC 158:40 / 59 O.S. Electrical License Act eff. 11-1-2025; contractor categories UNLIMITED, RESIDENTIAL and LIMITED, plus journeyman and registered apprentice and the alarm endorsement; a contractor must be an owner, partner or officer of the electrical firm; 12 hours of continuing education every 36 months, half in code update)	Journeyman Electrician (works under an electrical contractor)	The journeyman certificate is the individual credential between the registered apprentice and the contractor licence: a journeyman works for a contractor and earns the verifiable experience the contractor categories require (CIB: 'Generally, one works for a Contractor as a registered Apprentice to gain verifiable experience requirements to become a Journeyman, who also works for a Contractor, to earn verifiable experience requirements to become a Contractor'). Electrical journeymen must complete twelve (12) hours of continuing education every three (3) years, and their licences expire on the last day of the birth month.	OAC 158:40; 59 O.S. Electrical License Act (eff. 11-1-2025)	S-OK-CIB-ELECTRICAL

Three electrical categories, and one cannot do the hands-on work

UNLIMITED has no scope limit; RESIDENTIAL is limited to one- and two-family dwellings; LIMITED is a business credential whose holder is expressly “prohibited from engaging in the work of an apprentice or journeyman electrician”. S-OK-CIB-ELEC-CONTRACTOR

03 Mechanical — OAC 158:50 (Mechanical Licensing Act)

Code	Credential	Classification	Official scope	Citation	Source
MECHANICAL-CONTRACTOR	Mechanical License (CIB — Mechanical industry, OAC 158:50 / 59 O.S. §1850.1 et seq. Mechanical Licensing Act; contractor categories HVAC/R UNLIMITED, HVAC/R LIMITED, REFRIGERATION, NATURAL GAS PIPING, PROCESS PIPING, SHEET METAL and GROUND SOURCE PIPING, plus journeyman and registered apprentice; a contractor must be a permanent employee, owner, partner or officer of the mechanical firm; 6 hours of continuing education every 36 months)	Mechanical Contractor (HVAC/R, refrigeration, gas/process piping, sheet metal, ground source)	CIB verbatim: 'All mechanical contractors must be a permanent employee, owner, partner or officer in the mechanical firm.' Applicants 'must meet the same requirements as a journeyman with an additional one (1) year of experience in the mechanical trade.' The published categories: HVAC/R UNLIMITED — 'any cooling product, system, or equipment, including the process piping, and/or heating equipment, including the process piping, and/or sheet metal, natural gas piping and refrigeration'; HVAC/R LIMITED — 'any cooling product, system, or equipment including the process piping, that has a cooling capacity of no more than twenty-five (25) tons; and/or all heating equipment including the process piping that have a heat input of no more than 500,000 Btu/h per appliance; and/or sheet metal, natural gas piping and refrigeration'; REFRIGERATION; NATURAL GAS PIPING (from the point of delivery to the appliance connections); PROCESS PIPING; SHEET METAL ('all ferrous and nonferrous duct and exhaust systems'); and GROUND SOURCE PIPING (piping below the earth's surface or submerged in a well, lake or pond used with a heat pump; proof of certification by a Committee-approved organization; 'No exam required').	OAC 158:50; 59 O.S. §1850.1 et seq. (Mechanical Licensing Act)	S-OK-CIB-MECH-CONTRACTOR
MECHANICAL-JOURNEYMAN	Mechanical License (CIB — Mechanical industry, OAC 158:50 / 59 O.S. §1850.1 et seq. Mechanical Licensing Act; contractor categories HVAC/R UNLIMITED, HVAC/R LIMITED, REFRIGERATION, NATURAL GAS PIPING, PROCESS PIPING, SHEET METAL and GROUND SOURCE PIPING, plus journeyman and registered apprentice; a contractor must be a permanent employee, owner, partner or officer of the mechanical firm; 6 hours of continuing education every 36 months)	Journeyman Mechanical (works under a mechanical contractor)	The journeyman mechanical certificate is the individual credential between the registered apprentice and the mechanical contractor licence; contractor applicants must 'meet the same requirements as a journeyman with an additional one (1) year of experience in the mechanical trade'. All mechanical journeymen and contractors must complete six (6) hours of continuing education within the preceding thirty-six (36) months of the licence expiration.	OAC 158:50; 59 O.S. §1850.1 et seq. (Mechanical Licensing Act)	S-OK-CIB-MECHANICAL

Seven mechanical categories — and a disputed commercial line

HVAC/R UNLIMITED has no ceiling; HVAC/R LIMITED is capped at 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu/h of heating per appliance; ground source piping is the only category with no examination. Whether the limited category is restricted to residential work is a documented conflict (CONFLICT-OK-001). S-OK-CIB-MECH-CONTRACTOR

04 Plumbing — OAC 158:30 (Plumbing License Law of 1955)

Code	Credential	Classification	Official scope	Citation	Source
PLUMBING-CONTRACTOR	Plumbing License (CIB — Plumbing industry, OAC 158:30 / The Plumbing License Law of 1955, 59 O.S. §1001 et seq.; plumbing contractor, journeyman and registered apprentice; 18+ with 3 years' experience for the journeyman examination and 1 more year for the contractor licence; 6 hours of continuing education every 36 months)	Plumbing Contractor	CIB verbatim: 'Applicants for a contractor license must meet the same requirements as a journeyman with an additional one (1) year of experience in the Plumbing trade.' The journeyman requirements are: 'eighteen (18) years of age or older' and either 'three (3) years of experience in the plumbing trade while employed by a licensed plumbing contractor', or 'equivalent verifiable three (3) years of experience in the plumbing trade while serving in the U.S. military', or 'a verifiable out-of-state plumbing license that must be current, and in good standing'. An approved associate degree or CareerTech diploma of at least 1,000 classroom hours substitutes two years of experience; a 500-hour diploma substitutes one year.	OAC 158:30; The Plumbing License Law of 1955, 59 O.S. §1001 et seq.	S-OK-CIB-PLB-CONTRACTOR
PLUMBING-JOURNEYMAN	Plumbing License (CIB — Plumbing industry, OAC 158:30 / The Plumbing License Law of 1955, 59 O.S. §1001 et seq.; plumbing contractor, journeyman and registered apprentice; 18+ with 3 years' experience for the journeyman examination and 1 more year for the contractor licence; 6 hours of continuing education every 36 months)	Journeyman Plumber	A journeyman plumber applicant must be 'eighteen (18) years of age or older' with three years' plumbing experience under a licensed plumbing contractor (or the equivalent military or out-of-state-licence routes). 59 O.S. §1012 makes it 'unlawful and a misdemeanor for any person to act as, or perform the work of, a journeyman plumber … until such person has qualified and is licensed as a journeyman plumber or plumbing contractor'.	OAC 158:30; The Plumbing License Law of 1955, 59 O.S. §1001 et seq.	S-OK-CIB-PLB-CONTRACTOR

05 Roofing — OAC 158:85 (Roofing Contractor Registration Act)

Code	Credential	Classification	Official scope	Citation	Source
ROOFING-REGISTRATION	Roofing Contractor Registration + Commercial Endorsement (CIB — Roofing industry, OAC 158:85 / Roofing Contractor Registration Act, 59 O.S. §1151 et seq.; ALL persons performing roofing contractor work must register before advertising or performing the work; COMMERCIAL roofing work additionally requires a commercial endorsement passed by examination; residential roofing general liability $500,000 and commercial $1,000,000; workers' compensation proof or exemption)	Registered Roofing Contractor (+ Commercial Endorsement for commercial work)	OAC 158:85-2-1(a)(1) verbatim: 'All persons performing roofing contractor work are required to apply and obtain from the Board a roofing registration number before advertising or engaging in the performance of roofing contractor work unless excluded under the Act. All persons performing commercial roofing contractor work … are required to apply and obtain from the Board a commercial endorsement to a roofing registration before advertising or engaging in the performance of commercial roofing contractor work … The commercial endorsement is in addition to the registration. Roofing contractors who do not perform commercial roofing contractor work and only perform residential roofing contractor work do not need to obtain a commercial endorsement.' 'Each roofing firm must have a person who is currently registered as a roofing contractor, and employed, full time, and who shall give full time to the supervision and control of operations … Such contractor shall be an officer, partner or owner of that roofing firm.'	OAC 158:85; Roofing Contractor Registration Act, 59 O.S. §1151 et seq.	S-OK-OAC-158-85-2-1

A registration, not a licence — with a commercial endorsement

Registration is required for all roofing contractor work before advertising or performing it, with a full-time registered qualifying party; commercial roofing work additionally requires an examination-based commercial endorsement. S-OK-OAC-158-85-2-1 S-OK-OAC-158-85-2-1

06 Deterministic scope limits

minor-work — trade license only if a licensed trade is performed (CIB home page (Oklahoma General Contractors Statement)) S-OK-CIB-HOME
The defining Oklahoma boundary: no state credential for general building work, but a state trade credential the moment a licensed trade is performed or offered (rule OK-NO-STATEWIDE-GC, OK-TRADE-LICENSE).
oklahoma:electrical-contractor-unlimited — electrical contracting without scope limitation (OAC 158:40; CIB Electrical Contractor page) S-OK-CIB-ELEC-CONTRACTOR
The only electrical category with no scope limit.
oklahoma:electrical-contractor-residential — electrical work outside one and two family dwellings (OAC 158:40; CIB Electrical Contractor page) S-OK-CIB-ELEC-CONTRACTOR
Work outside the one/two-family scope needs the Unlimited category (rule OK-ELECTRICAL-CATEGORIES).
oklahoma:electrical-contractor-limited — the hands on work of an apprentice or journeyman electrician (OAC 158:40; CIB Electrical Contractor page) S-OK-CIB-ELEC-CONTRACTOR
A business-only electrical category: the holder may hold the licence and run the firm but may not perform apprentice/journeyman work (rule OK-ELECTRICAL-CATEGORIES).
oklahoma:mechanical-contractor — hvacr unlimited refrigeration gas process piping sheet metal (OAC 158:50; CIB Mechanical Contractor page) S-OK-CIB-MECH-CONTRACTOR
The unlimited mechanical scope. The other six categories are listed in the classification row.
oklahoma:mechanical-contractor — cooling over 25 tons or heating over 500000 btu per appliance (OAC 158:50; CIB Mechanical Contractor page) S-OK-CIB-MECH-CONTRACTOR
The HVAC/R LIMITED ceilings. Whether these are residential-only is disputed (CONFLICT-OK-001) and the rule OK-MECHANICAL-COMMERCIAL returns NOT_DETERMINED.
oklahoma:mechanical-contractor — committee approved ground source installation certification no exam (OAC 158:50; CIB Mechanical Contractor page) S-OK-CIB-MECH-CONTRACTOR
The one mechanical category with NO examination — the exception to rule OK-EXAM.
oklahoma:plumbing-contractor — plumbing contracting under a cib plumbing contractor licence (OAC 158:30; CIB Plumbing Contractor page; 59 O.S. §1012) S-OK-CIB-PLB-CONTRACTOR
oklahoma:roofing-contractor — roofing contractor work under a registration plus commercial endorsement (OAC 158:85; Roofing Contractor Registration Act) S-OK-OAC-158-85-2-1
Roofing is the only Oklahoma credential called a REGISTRATION; the term is preserved (research §B). The Act's own exclusions could not be read (PDF unreachable) — research §P.
oklahoma:roofing-contractor — cib enforcement of workmanship and business disputes (CIB Roofing page; Roofing Contractor Registration Act) S-OK-CIB-ROOFING
An honest enforcement boundary the roof-replacement page states (rule OK-ROOFING-SCOPE).
solar-installation — electrical contractor license no solar specific credential (CIB Your Industry page; CIB Electrical industry page) S-OK-CIB-YOUR-INDUSTRY
Project-scope row (no solar classification exists). 'reported' because the conclusion is assembled from the electrical scope plus the absence of a solar credential (rule OK-SOLAR-CREDENTIAL).
oklahoma:mechanical-contractor — air duct cleaning is outside mechanical licensure (OAC 158:50; CIB Mechanical industry page) S-OK-CIB-MECHANICAL
A verified ABSENCE of licensure, not a gap; duct installation (sheet metal) remains licensed.

These limits feed the deterministic rules (OK-TRADE-LICENSE, OK-ELECTRICAL-CATEGORIES, OK-MECHANICAL-CATEGORIES, OK-ROOFING-REGISTRATION, OK-SOLAR-CREDENTIAL) that project pages evaluate — missing facts return NOT_DETERMINED, never a forced answer.

07 Sources

S-OK-CIB-ELEC-CONTRACTORboard page

Oklahoma Construction Industries Board (CIB)

CIB — Electrical Contractor (categories and experience requirements)

https://oklahoma.gov/cib/your-industry/electrical/electrical-contractor.html