State by state · 50 states

Who licenses contractors where

The fact most licensing content gets wrong: not every state licenses general contractors. Some do it statewide, some leave it entirely to cities and counties, and some split it. Every entry below was verified against the official source it links to.

State-level licensing

Alabama

Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors

Alaska

Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing (Construction Contractors Program), Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development

Arizona

Arizona Registrar of Contractors

Arkansas

Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board (Department of Labor and Licensing)

California

Contractors State License Board (CSLB), Department of Consumer Affairs

Connecticut

Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection

Florida

Construction Industry Licensing Board, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation

Georgia

State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors, Georgia Secretary of State

Hawaii

Contractors License Board, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA)

Louisiana

Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC)

Massachusetts

Office of Public Safety and Inspections (OPSI), Division of Occupational Licensure

Mississippi

Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC)

Montana

Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Construction Contractor Registration Unit

Nevada

Nevada State Contractors Board

New Jersey

NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, State Board of Home Improvement and Home Elevation Contractors

New Mexico

New Mexico Regulation & Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division

North Carolina

North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors

North Dakota

North Dakota Secretary of State

Oregon

Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB)

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board (State Building Office)

South Carolina

South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation)

Tennessee

Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce & Insurance)

Utah

Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL), Department of Commerce

Vermont

Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation

Virginia

Virginia Board for Contractors, Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR)

Washington

Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I)

West Virginia

West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board (Division of Labor)

Split systems

Delaware

Delaware has no state competency license or exam for general contractors; contractors must register with the Division of Revenue for a state business license (a tax registration, with additional bonding rules for non-resident contractors), and cities and towns impose their own separate local licensing requirements.

Idaho

Idaho requires statewide contractor registration (not a competency license, and no exam) under the Idaho Contractor Registration Act above a project-value threshold, while public works projects require a separate license from the Public Works Contractors License Board.

Iowa

Iowa requires construction contractors earning above an annual revenue threshold to register with the state (registration, not a competency license, and no exam), while trades such as plumbing, mechanical, and electrical are separately licensed statewide.

Maryland

Maryland licenses home improvement contractors statewide through the MHIC (with the exam administered by PSI), but there is no statewide general/commercial building contractor license, so commercial GC requirements are set locally.

Michigan

Michigan licenses Residential Builders and Maintenance & Alteration Contractors at the state level through LARA, while commercial general contractors have no state license and are subject only to local requirements.

Minnesota

Minnesota licenses residential building contractors, remodelers and roofers at the state level through DLI (each company designates a qualifying person who passes a state exam), while commercial general contractors are not state-licensed and other construction contractors instead register with the state.

Nebraska

Nebraska's Contractor Registration Act requires all contractors and subcontractors doing business in the state to register with the Department of Labor (a registration with no exam), while actual contractor licensing is handled by individual municipalities.

Ohio

Statewide licensing covers commercial specialty trades only (electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics, refrigeration) through OCILB with exams administered by Prov, while general contractor licensing or registration is handled by local building departments and municipalities.

Oklahoma

General contractors are not licensed at the state level, but the Construction Industries Board licenses or registers specific trades statewide (plumbing, electrical, mechanical, roofing, home inspection), leaving any general contractor requirements to municipalities.

Pennsylvania

No state general contractor license; the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires home improvement contractors above an annual work-value threshold to register with the Attorney General (a registration model with no exam), while commercial and other contractor licensing is left to local jurisdictions.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin has no general contractor license for commercial work, but DSPS issues Dwelling Contractor and Dwelling Contractor Qualifier certifications required to obtain building permits for one- and two-family dwellings, with the qualifier credential earned through approved coursework rather than a vendor exam.