Do you need a general contractor license in Hawaii?

Yes, a license. In Hawaii, acting or advertising as a general building contractor (work on structures requiring more than two unrelated building trades), a general engineering contractor or a specialty contractor requires a license from the Contractors License Board. The licensing law does not apply to a project whose aggregate contract price for labor and materials is $1,500 or less, unless a building permit is required or the job is part of a larger project or split up to evade the law. Owner-builders exempted under section 444-2.5 are also outside the law. Before or when a homeowner signs a contract for home construction or improvements, a licensed contractor must explain the parties’ lien rights and the homeowner’s option to demand bonding, and must give the homeowner a signed written contract before work begins. Cities and counties can add their own licensing on top of the state’s. This is Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 444-2, 444-7, 444-9, 444-25.5.

WhatHawaii
General contractorsState contractor license (Contractors License Board)

Source

Haw. Rev. Stat. §§ 444-2, 444-7, 444-9, 444-25.5

Read the statute in the Hawaii Revised Statutes (Hawaii State Legislature): capitol.hawaii.gov.

Checked against the statute on November 13, 2026.

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

How Seayora uses this rule

A contractor on Seayora keeps each license with its issuing state, its expiry date and the last four digits of its number, and the business is warned before one lapses — on the website and both phone apps. A customer finding a pro on Seayora sees whether a license is on file.

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