General contractor license lookup by state
Of the 50 states we surveyed, 25 states license general contractors at the state level, 12 register them without a competency license, and 13 leave licensing to cities and counties or have no state license we could find. The table names the state board and links its official license lookup where we could load it. Treat the board's own record as final.
Look up a general contractor license by state
| State | Credential | Board | Official lookup | Job-size threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | State license | Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board | Lookup not confirmed | A residential home builder license is required when the cost of the undertaking exceeds $10,000. |
| Alaska | State registration | Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing (Construction Contractors program) | Search Alaska licenses | None recorded |
| Arizona | State license | Arizona Registrar of Contractors | Search Arizona licenses | A license is required for any job of $1,000 or more (labor and materials combined) and for any job of any size that needs a local building permit; the handyman exemption below $1,000 covers only casual or minor work. |
| Arkansas | State license | Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board (Department of Labor and Licensing) | Search Arkansas licenses | Commercial contractor license required when the cost of the work, including labor and materials, is $50,000 or more (single-family residences excepted). |
| California | State license | Contractors State License Board | Search California licenses | A CSLB license is required when labor, materials and other costs on the project total $1,000 or more, or the job needs a building permit or uses employee labor. |
| Colorado | City or county | None at state level (cities and counties license) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Connecticut | State registration | Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, License Services Division | Search Connecticut licenses | Home improvement registration does not cover contracts under $200. |
| Delaware | State registration | Delaware Division of Revenue (contractor business license) | Search Delaware licenses | None recorded |
| Florida | State license | Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation | Search Florida licenses | Work under $2,500 total (labor, materials and all other items) of a casual, minor or inconsequential nature is exempt, unless it is part of a larger job split up to evade the law or the person advertises as a contractor. |
| Georgia | State license | State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors, Georgia Secretary of State Professional Licensing Boards Division | Search Georgia licenses | A residential contractor license is required where the value of the job or the contractor's pay, whichever is higher, exceeds $2,500. |
| Hawaii | State license | Contractors License Board (DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) | Search Hawaii licenses | A contractor license is required for any project over $1,500 in labor and material, or any project that needs a building, electrical or plumbing permit. |
| Idaho | State registration | Idaho Contractors Board (Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses) | Search Idaho licenses | Registration required unless the aggregate contract price for labor and materials on one project is less than $2,000. |
| Illinois | City or county | None at state level (counties and municipalities license contractors) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Indiana | City or county | None at state level (city and county licensing) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Iowa | State registration | Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Building and Construction Division, Contractor Registration | Lookup not confirmed | Registration required for anyone earning at least $2,000 a year from construction work (an annual earnings test, not a per-job threshold). |
| Kansas | City or county | None at state level (cities and counties) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Kentucky | City or county | City or county | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Louisiana | State license | Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors | Search Louisiana licenses | Commercial license required for commercial projects of $50,000 or more including labor and materials; a residential license is required above $50,000. |
| Maine | No state license found | City or county | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Maryland | State license | Maryland Home Improvement Commission (Maryland Department of Labor) | Search Maryland licenses | None recorded |
| Massachusetts | State license | Division of Occupational Licensure, Office of Public Safety and Inspections (Construction Supervisor License); Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (Home Improvement Contractor registration) | Search Massachusetts licenses | Home improvement contractor registration is not required when the aggregate contract price for one project is less than $500. |
| Michigan | State license | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes, Licensing Section | Search Michigan licenses | A residential builder or maintenance and alteration contractor license is required for work totaling $600 or more in labor and materials. |
| Minnesota | State license | Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Construction Codes and Licensing Division | Search Minnesota licenses | A residential contractor with gross annual receipts from residential work under $15,000 may hold a Certificate of Exemption instead of a license. |
| Mississippi | State license | Mississippi State Board of Contractors | Search Mississippi licenses | A license is required for residential remodeling or additions over $10,000, new residential construction over $50,000, and commercial jobs over $50,000. |
| Missouri | City or county | None at state level (cities and counties) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Montana | State license | Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Construction Contractor License (CCL) Program | Search Montana licenses | Construction Contractor License not required for a casual, minor or inconsequential job with an aggregate contract price under $2,500, unless the work is part of a larger operation or split up to evade the law. |
| Nebraska | State registration | Nebraska Department of Labor, Labor Standards Division, Contractor Registration | Search Nebraska licenses | A person who earns less than $5,000 a year from construction services is not a contractor under the Contractor Registration Act and does not need to register (an annual earnings test, not a per-job threshold). |
| Nevada | State license | Nevada State Contractors Board | Search Nevada licenses | Repair or maintenance work under $1,000 including labor and materials is exempt, unless it needs a building permit, is trade work such as plumbing, electrical or HVAC, or is part of a larger project of $500 or more. |
| New Hampshire | No state license found | City or county | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| New Jersey | State registration | New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement Contractors | Search New Jersey licenses | None recorded |
| New Mexico | State license | New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division | Search New Mexico licenses | A handyman doing casual, minor work of no more than $7,200 a year in total, one project at a time, who files an annual declaration with CID, does not need a contractor license (does not apply to electrical, plumbing or gas fitting work). |
| New York | City or county | None at state level (local: NYC Department of Buildings, NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, county consumer affairs offices) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| North Carolina | State license | North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors | Search North Carolina licenses | A general contractor license is required when the cost of the job is $40,000 or more. |
| North Dakota | State license | North Dakota Secretary of State, Contractor Licensing | Search North Dakota licenses | A contractor license is required when a job is worth more than $4,000. |
| Ohio | City or county | None at state level (city and county building departments) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Oklahoma | City or county | Oklahoma Construction Industries Board | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Oregon | State license | Oregon Construction Contractors Board | Search Oregon licenses | Work on one structure totaling less than $1,000 that is casual, minor or inconsequential is exempt from licensing (exemption lost if the person advertises as a contractor). |
| Pennsylvania | State registration | Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection (Home Improvement Contractor Registration) | Search Pennsylvania licenses | Registration is required once a contractor does $5,000 or more of home improvements in a calendar year. |
| Rhode Island | State registration | Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board | Lookup not confirmed | Registration is not required for a single contract under $500 in labor and materials, but anyone advertising as a contractor must register. |
| South Carolina | State license | South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board (commercial); South Carolina Residential Builders Commission (residential) | Search South Carolina licenses | Residential builder license required when a residential job costs more than $5,000 (commercial jobs need a CLB license over $10,000). |
| South Dakota | State registration | South Dakota Department of Revenue (contractor's excise tax license) | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Tennessee | State license | Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors | Search Tennessee licenses | Contractor license required for projects of $25,000 or more. |
| Texas | City or county | City or county | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
| Utah | State license | Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) | Search Utah licenses | A license is required for alteration, repair, remodeling or improvement work with a contracted value of $7,000 or more, labor and materials included; smaller jobs fall under the handyman exemption, which does not cover plumbing, electrical, gas, HVAC, fire sprinkler, alarm or radon work. |
| Vermont | State registration | Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation | Search Vermont licenses | Registration required before contracting with a homeowner for residential construction worth more than $10,000, labor and materials included. |
| Virginia | State license | Virginia Board for Contractors (Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation) | Search Virginia licenses | A Class C contractor license is needed once a single contract or project is over $1,000 (Class B from $30,000, Class A from $150,000). |
| Washington | State registration | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), Contractor Registration | Search Washington licenses | None recorded |
| West Virginia | State license | West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board | Search West Virginia licenses | Contractor license needed when the job costs $5,000 or more for residential work or $25,000 or more for commercial work. |
| Wisconsin | State license | Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) | Search Wisconsin licenses | None recorded |
| Wyoming | City or county | City or county | Lookup not confirmed | None recorded |
Questions
- How do I look up a general contractor license?
- Find the state in the table and use its official lookup button. Where the table says the lookup is not confirmed, we could not load it when we checked, so go through the board site instead.
- Which states license general contractors at the state level?
- 25 of the 50 states we surveyed issue a state license to general contractors. Each row names the board that issues it.
- What if my state does not license general contractors?
- In 13 states, we found no state-level license for general contractors. Check with the city or county building department where the work is done, since local rules apply there.
- What is a state registration?
- A registration records the business with the state but is not a test of skill. 12 states register general contractors this way.
This is not a government site. The licensing board's own record governs; always confirm on the official lookup. Information as of October 6, 2026.