Contractor License: State-by-State Guide

Contractor License applies to general contractors and specialty trades (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing). Who issues it is the first thing that changes at the state line — sometimes a state agency, often a city or county. Each state page below names the office we verified for that state, or says plainly that we could not.

Who issues this across the US

30 jurisdictions with a state issuer plus possible local rules; 20 jurisdictions where we have not verified the issuing office; 1 jurisdiction issue this locally.

What varies: whether it is a licence or a registration, whether exams or experience are required at all, bond and insurance amounts, and whether the trade is regulated by a separate board.

Choose your state

Every figure below was located on that state's own government page by machine, and the page it came from is linked on the state's page along with the date it was checked. "Not verified" means exactly that — no government page we hold has been shown to state it, so we publish nothing. It does not mean the fee is zero.

Related filings

Most businesses that need a contractor license end up needing at least one of these too.