Contractor licence requirements by state
Checked 2026-09-04 · 9 min read
§ 1Three models, not fifty
A fifty-row table is the wrong shape for this question, because states do not differ fifty ways. They differ three ways, and everything else is a detail inside one of them.
| Model | Who gates you | What they test | Worked example |
|---|---|---|---|
| State board, general licence | One state board issues a general contractor licence | Experience, exam, financials, bond | California (CSLB), North Carolina (NCLBGC) |
| State trades only | The state licenses electrical, mechanical and plumbing; nobody licenses the general | Trade hours and a trade exam | Texas (TDLR) |
| Local registration | The city or county that issues your permit | Registration, sometimes a local bond, proof of insurance | Most Texas municipalities; large parts of the Midwest |
Most states are a blend.
A state with a general licence still licenses electricians separately, and its cities still register contractors. The model tells you where the first gate is, not the only one.
§ 2The threshold question
In a board state the second question is always: at what job value does the licence become compulsory? Below the threshold, the same work is legal unlicensed. Above it, the same work is a misdemeanour in some states and a bar to enforcing your own contract in others.
North Carolina’s board states the rule plainly: a project valued at $40,000 or more needs a state-licensed general contractor. Other boards set the line lower, and a handful set none at all — the licence is required for the activity, not the amount.
The threshold is per project, not per invoice.
Every board that publishes a threshold applies it to the whole undertaking. Splitting a job into phases to stay underneath it is the single most common way contractors get caught, because the split is itself the evidence.
§ 3The four we checked
We read these four from the issuing regulator on 2026-09-04. Each has its own sheet on this site with the full fee and bond detail.
| State | Board | Model | Key figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | CSLB | State board | $25,000 bond |
| North Carolina | NCLBGC | State board | $40,000 threshold |
| Florida | CILB (DBPR) | State board, two licence types | certified vs registered |
| Texas | TDLR | Trades only | 9 programmes, no GC licence |
We are deliberately not printing a fifty-row fee table. A fee copied from a third-party summary and left to rot is worse than no fee at all — it is the thing people budget against. Every figure on this site carries the regulator page it came from and the date we read it, and the four sheets above are the four we could read in full. We could not read this figure from the issuing board on our last check, so it is not printed here. Confirm it with the board before you budget for it.
§ 4Reading your own state
Whatever state you are in, the same four questions settle it, in this order:
- § 1Is there a state board for generals? If yes, its site is the only authority that matters for the licence itself.
- § 2What triggers it — value, or activity? A value threshold means you can work under it; an activity rule means you cannot.
- § 3Which trades are licensed separately? Electrical and mechanical almost always are, even where the general is not.
- § 4What does the permit counter want? Registration, a local bond, and a certificate of insurance naming the city as additional insured are all common.
Our licence lookup directory answers the first question for every state, because a board that runs a public licence search is a board that issues licences.
Checked against
- NCLBGC — home page (licence threshold)read 2026-09-04
- CSLB — Bond Requirements (SB 607, effective 2023-01-01)read 2026-09-04
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — programme listread 2026-09-04
Not legal advice. Fees, bond amounts and deadlines are set by statute and change without notice — confirm with the board that issues your licence before you file.