Contractor Licensing Requirements by State, City and Trade

This is a free reference for how to get licensed in ten construction trades, in 29 states and 37 Texas cities and counties. Each page lists the license or registration, the fee, the exam, insurance and bond rules, the experience required, the steps and the official links, with the date we checked them. We are a San Antonio foundation repair company, and we built it because the rules for our own trade change at every city line. Texas has no state license for foundation repair, for example, but San Antonio requires an ICC certification or another credential its building official approves, and Round Rock requires none.

Only facts from government offices and official exam providers are used, such as city and county sites, state licensing boards, ICC, Pearson VUE, PSI and Prometric. When an office does not publish a fact, the page says so and names who to call instead of guessing.

Find your state, city or trade

How the difficulty score works

Each trade in each place gets a score from 0 to 100 when its rules are published. The points come only from published requirements and add up like this.

Under 25 is Easy, 25 to 49 is Moderate, 50 to 74 is Hard and 75 or more is Very hard. In a Texas city the score adds the state license to the city's own rule, because a contractor needs both. On a state page it covers the state license only.

Missing data never counts as easy. A trade whose rules are not published gets no score and says why. A partly published trade, including one whose fee is not published, keeps its score only when it already rates Moderate or harder, and shows a plus sign, because the missing facts could only add points.

States that license foundation repair

A state license or registration can apply to foundation repair in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, often only above a job-size threshold, so check each state page. Everywhere else the rule, if there is one, comes from the city or county.

We have not published pages for Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming yet, because the official sources we could reach did not give enough verified facts for a useful page.

Exam guide

These are the licensing exams the pages above name, with the fee, the book rule, the number of questions, the time allowed and the passing score from each provider's own bulletin, linked from the exam name. The retake rules are on each linked page. Open book means you bring the approved references into the exam room, and those references are listed on each page.

Tap a column to sort. Each exam name opens the provider's bulletin or exam page, and each place opens its licensing page. A blank cell is a fact not confirmed from the provider, and the linked bulletin has the full rules.

Checked October 18, 2026 against PSI TDLR Electrician Candidate Information Bulletin, updated September 15, 2026; PSI TDLR Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors Candidate Information Bulletin, updated July 9, 2026; TSBPE Candidate Handbook (Pearson VUE), August 2025; TSBPE Master Plumber license page; TCEQ Landscape Irrigator license page; TCEQ occupational licensing exams; TCEQ computer-based testing; ICC exam catalog, G13-N; ICC National Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin, June 30, 2026; ICC support, how often can I test; ICC support, passing scores; PSI CSLB Law and Business examination guide; CSLB examination FAQ; CSLB Law and Business study guide; PSI CSLB General Building (B) examination guide; CSLB examination study guides; PSI Arizona Registrar of Contractors Candidate Information Bulletin; PSI Alaska Residential Contractor Endorsement Candidate Information Bulletin, updated October 15, 2026; Alaska construction contractor statutes and regulations (12 AAC 21); PSI Alaska Electrical Administrators Candidate Information Bulletin, updated October 15, 2026; PSI Alaska Mechanical Administrators Candidate Information Bulletin, updated October 15, 2026; Alabama Home Builders Licensing Board Candidate Information Bulletin (Prov), September 11, 2025; Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board master exam application and Prov bulletin; PSI Connecticut occupational licensing Candidate Information Bulletin, updated February 4, 2026; PSI Connecticut occupational licensing Candidate Information Bulletin, updated February 4, 2026; PSI Connecticut occupational licensing Candidate Information Bulletin, updated February 4, 2026; PSI Connecticut occupational licensing Candidate Information Bulletin, updated February 4, 2026; LSLBC, what happens after I apply; PSI Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors Candidate Information Bulletin; LSLBC exams and classifications; PSI Louisiana contractor exam registration (fee, retake fee and time); PSI Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors Candidate Information Bulletin; PSI Maryland Home Improvement Commission Candidate Information Bulletin, updated October 10, 2025; MHIC examination page; PSI Massachusetts Construction Supervisor Candidate Information Bulletin; PSI Massachusetts electrician Candidate Information Bulletin; PSI Michigan mechanical HVAC Equipment Candidate Information Bulletin; Minnesota DLI License Examination Guide; Minnesota DLI contractor, roofer and remodeler exams; PSI NC electrical contractor examination bulletin; NC PHFP Board exam application, 2026; NCICLB licensing; PSI New Jersey Electrical Contractor Candidate Information Bulletin; PSI New Jersey HVACR Candidate Information Bulletin; PSI New Mexico Construction Industries Candidate Information Bulletin; PSI New Mexico GB-2 and GB-98 Candidate Information Bulletin; PSI Nevada State Contractors Board Candidate Information Bulletin; NSCB license examinations; PSI Oklahoma Construction Industries Board Candidate Information Bulletin; PSI Oregon Construction Contractors Board Candidate Information Bulletin; PSI Oregon Landscape Contractors Board Candidate Information Bulletin; PSI Oregon landscape exam registration (fee and times); PSI Virginia Board for Contractors Class A and B Candidate Information Bulletin; PSI Virginia Home Improvement Contracting bulletin; PSI Virginia Residential Building Contracting bulletin; Vermont Division of Fire Safety Prov Candidate Information Bulletin, 2026; Utah DOPL contracting exam information; PSI Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board Candidate Information Bulletin, updated February 7, 2024; OCILB examination application; PSI Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board Candidate Information Bulletin; Prov Tennessee Contractor Candidate Information Bulletin, August 18, 2026; Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors exam information.

Where the facts come from

The pages draw on 695 official web pages and documents, from city fee schedules and information bulletins to state board rules and exam bulletins. Each fact on a page links to its source, and each trade lists the date its sources were checked. Each page shows the date its facts were last checked at the top.

Rules and fees change, and this is not legal advice. Confirm with the licensing board or city office before you apply or bid.