Do you need a general contractor license?

It depends on the state. Seayora holds a published statute for 35 states and the District of Columbia. The table below gives the figure for each, with the statute it comes from.

General contractors, state by state

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.

Only states where Seayora holds a published statute appear above. Where no statute is recorded, no figure is shown rather than a guess.

The answer in full, for the biggest rental markets

Do you need a general contractor license in California?

Yes, a license. In California, anyone who undertakes, offers or bids to build, alter, repair or improve a building or other structure needs a contractor license from the Contractors State License Board unless the work is exempt. A job whose total price for labor and materials is under $1,000 is exempt if it is casual, minor or inconsequential and needs no building permit, but not if the person advertises as a contractor or employs someone to help. A home improvement contractor is a contractor licensed under the same law, and the license branches include general building contracting and residential remodeling contracting. Acting as a contractor without a license is a misdemeanor. Cities and counties can add their own licensing on top of the state’s. This is Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 7028, 7026, 7048, 7055, 7057, 7057.5, 7150.1, 7000.5.

More on California

Do you need a general contractor license in Florida?

Yes, a license. In Florida, anyone who for compensation builds, repairs, remodels or improves a building for others must be a certified or registered contractor, in the general, building or residential class, under the Construction Industry Licensing Board’s law. A general contractor’s work is unlimited; a building contractor is limited to commercial and residential buildings of up to three stories (and non-structural remodeling of any building); a residential contractor is limited to one-, two- and three-family homes of up to two habitable stories. Owners acting as their own contractor may build or improve a one- or two-family residence for their own use that is not offered for sale or lease. Casual, minor work with an aggregate contract price under $2,500 is exempt, but not if it is part of a larger operation or the person advertises as a contractor. Cities and counties can add their own licensing on top of the state’s. This is Fla. Stat. §§ 489.103, 489.105, 489.113.

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Do you need a general contractor license in Georgia?

Yes, a license. In Georgia, contracting for residential work (one- and two-family homes, townhouses and light commercial buildings) worth more than $2,500, or doing commercial general contracting, requires a state residential contractor or commercial general contractor license. A residential contractor license is issued as residential-basic (detached one- and two-family homes and townhouses up to three stories) or residential-light commercial. A contract for licensed work made by an unlicensed contractor is unenforceable by that contractor, and no lien or bond claim exists in its favor. A person may do repair work for an owner without a license if the person discloses that it is unlicensed and the work does not affect the structural integrity of the property, and an owner may build a structure for the sole use of the owner’s family or firm that is not offered for sale or lease. Cities and counties can add their own licensing on top of the state’s. This is O.C.G.A. §§ 43-41-2, 43-41-17.

More on Georgia

Do you need a general contractor license in North Carolina?

Yes, a license. In North Carolina, anyone who bids on, builds, or superintends or manages the construction of a building or other improvement costing $40,000 or more must hold a state general contractor license. A limited license covers a single project up to $750,000, an intermediate license up to $1,500,000, and an unlimited license has no project limit; classifications include building contractor and residential contractor. The statute exempts a person building on their own land for their own and their family’s occupancy if they comply with G.S. 87-14. Contracting or bidding without a license is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Cities and counties can add their own licensing on top of the state’s. This is N.C. Gen. Stat. §§ 87-1, 87-10, 87-13.

More on North Carolina

Do you need a general contractor license in Michigan?

Yes, a license. In Michigan, a residential builder, or a residential maintenance and alteration contractor who repairs, alters, adds to or improves a home for pay, must hold a state license under the Occupational Code. The license covers work on detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses of not more than 3 stories. It is not required of an owner working on a structure for the owner’s own use and occupancy, an owner maintaining or altering the owner’s rental property, a project whose total contract price is under $600, or a licensed electrical, plumbing or mechanical contractor doing work in that trade. Unlicensed practice is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both. Cities and counties can add their own licensing on top of the state’s. This is MCL 339.601, 339.2401, 339.2403.

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Do you need a general contractor license in New Jersey?

Yes, a registration. In New Jersey, a builder may not engage in the business of constructing new homes unless registered with the Department of Community Affairs and enrolled in the new home warranty security fund or an approved alternate program. A registration certificate is valid for 2 years and may be renewed. A corporation, partnership or other business may build new homes only if a stockholder, director, officer, partner or employee is a registered builder. This registration covers new homes only; remodeling and repair of existing homes falls under the home improvement registration. Cities and counties can add their own licensing on top of the state’s. This is N.J.S.A. 46:3B-5, 46:3B-2.

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Do you need a general contractor license in Virginia?

Yes, a license. In Virginia, anyone who contracts for construction, removal, repair or improvement of a building must hold a contractor license from the Board for Contractors once a single job is over $1,000. Class C covers a single contract or project over $1,000 but less than $30,000, or less than $250,000 of work in 12 months. Class B covers $30,000 up to $150,000 a contract, or $250,000 up to $1 million in 12 months. Class A covers $150,000 or more a contract, or $1 million or more in 12 months. Cities and counties can add their own licensing on top of the state’s. This is Va. Code §§ 54.1-1103, 54.1-1100.

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Do you need a general contractor license in Washington?

Yes, a registration. In Washington, every contractor, general or specialty, who builds, alters, repairs or improves any building or other structure attached to real estate must register with the Department of Labor and Industries. Advertising, bidding or performing work as a contractor without being registered is a gross misdemeanor. A general contractor is one whose work requires more than one building trade on a single job or under a single building permit; a specialty contractor is any other contractor. Cities and counties can add their own licensing on top of the state’s. This is RCW 18.27.020, 18.27.010.

More on Washington

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.

Guides on this rule

• Contractor License Requirements by State: Every Trade — Which states require a state license for electricians, plumbers, HVAC, general and home improvement contractors, with the statute for each.

Other rules compared across states

• How the interest works in 14 states
• Maximum deposit in 30 states
• Deadline to return the deposit in 49 states
• Notice before entry in 23 states
• Notice before a nonpayment case in 49 states
• Notice to end a tenancy in 46 states
• Notice before a rent increase in 30 states
• Maximum late fee in 17 states
• Grace period before a late fee in 14 states
• Application fee limit in 17 states
• The first step in 22 states
• Time to respond in 22 states
• The rule on lockouts in 22 states
• Cause needed to end a tenancy in 5 states
• Adverse possession period in 51 states
• Rent control in 33 states
• Housing vouchers in 30 states
• Retaliation period in 39 states
• Repair and deduct in 19 states
• Landlord’s duty to re-rent in 34 states
• Subletting in 18 states
• Electrician license in 45 states
• Home improvement contractors in 11 states
• HVAC license in 34 states
• Plumber license in 45 states
• A deed to two or more people in 47 states
• Transfer-on-death deed in 35 states
• Deadline to file the lien in 51 states
• Labor on an appliance repair in 20 states
• Capital improvement in 8 states
• Repair labor on real property in 15 states
• How the contractor is treated in 51 states

Every rule for one state

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• Washington landlord and tenant rules
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Related

• All renting rules by state
• Seayora documentation