Jurisdiction
Contractor license lookup directory
State boards' own license-search pages, and what each one returns.
OpenState requirements
2 tools · 5 guides · 12 state sheets
Who issues the license in each state, the dollar threshold that triggers it, how to verify a number, and which states honour each other.
No two states license contractors the same way, but three models cover most of the map. Some states issue a state license for general building work — see California and Georgia — and several of them also cap what you may build by the size of the job, as North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee do. Some license only the trades and leave general work to cities and counties, as Texas and Ohio do. Others register the business or license the supervisor instead, which is how New Jersey and Massachusetts work, and Florida splits its license into certified and registered.
Start with the requirements-by-state guide to see which model your state follows, then check a number in the lookup directory. If you hold a license already and want to work over the line, the reciprocity guide explains what a partner board will and will not waive, and working unlicensed covers what happens when the threshold is missed.
Tools
Jurisdiction
Contractor license reciprocity checker
Check a pair of states against California's published partner list, and the question to ask the other board.
OpenGuides
- Contractor license requirements by stateThe three licensing models, and the state sheets we read in full.2026-09-04
- Contractor license classifications, explainedA, B and C classes, and what each one actually lets you build.2026-10-18
- How to check a contractor licenseVerifying a number in three minutes, and what a clean record does not tell you.2026-09-04
- Working unlicensed: what it actually costsThresholds, fines, and what happens to your lien rights.2026-09-04
- Contractor license reciprocityWhat a partner board waives, and what an agreement never covers.2026-10-18
Jurisdiction sheets
- ArizonaResidential, commercial or dual licenses per trade, the SRE and trade exams, bonds by volume, fees.2026-10-30
- CaliforniaClasses, the $25,000 bond, fees and reciprocity.2026-10-18
- FloridaCertified versus registered, and what each one lets you do.2026-09-04
- GeorgiaFour licenses, the $2,500 residential line, net worth, insurance and reciprocity.2026-10-18
- MassachusettsNo GC license: the supervisor's CSL and the business's HIC registration.2026-10-18
- New JerseyNo state GC license — HIC registration, the $500,000 liability floor and the bond tiers.2026-10-18
- North CarolinaThe $40,000 threshold and the three limitation tiers.2026-10-18
- OhioNo state general-contractor license — five commercial trades, the five-year rule and $500,000 cover.2026-10-18
- TennesseeThe $25,000 line and a monetary limit set from your own balance sheet.2026-10-18
- TexasNo state general-contractor license — what is actually required instead.2026-09-04
- VirginiaClass A, B and C thresholds, net worth or a $50,000 bond, exams and fees.2026-10-18
- WashingtonNo exam: an L&I registration, a general or specialty bond, liability cover and the Verify lookup.2026-10-23
Not legal advice — verify with the board that issues your license. Every figure on the pages above carries the regulator page it was read from and the date we read it.