Contractor licensing by state
How to Get a Contractor License in New Jersey
New Jersey requires a state license for every trade we track except drainage and detention work. It has no state license for drainage and detention work, so cities and counties set any rules for that work. The main contractor license is the Home Improvement Contractor Business, which costs $110 to start. Of the 7 trades we could rate, drainage and detention work is the easiest to get licensed for and plumbing the hardest.
The New Jersey contractor license
| License | Home Improvement Contractor Business (HICB) registration, Division of Consumer Affairs |
|---|---|
| Covers | Foundation repair, general contracting, roofing, concrete flatwork, and demolition |
| Fee | $110 (initial registration) |
| Insurance | Commercial general liability of at least $500,000 per occurrence, plus workers' compensation unless exempt by law. Source |
| Bond | $10,000. Source |
| Renewal | Registration is renewed each year. |
How to apply
- Get the commercial general liability policy ($500,000 per occurrence) and workers' compensation.
- Post the additional security for your contract size ($10,000 for jobs under $10,000, $25,000 for $10,000 to $120,000, $50,000 above $120,000).
- File the HICB application with the $110 fee and the insurance certificates.
- Put your registration number on contracts and ads.
Home improvement means remodeling, altering, renovating, repairing, restoring, moving, demolishing or otherwise improving any part of a residential or non-commercial property and its appurtenant structures, so residential foundation repair is covered. A 2024 law created the State Board of Home Improvement and Home Elevation Contractors to move this trade to licensing with education requirements; check the board for when licensing and any exam take effect. This is based on the Division's PDFs.
State license requirements for each trade in New Jersey
| Foundation repair | Home Improvement Contractor Business registration | $110 | None listed | None listed | Easy · 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General contracting | Home Improvement Contractor Business registration | $110 | None listed | None listed | Easy · 15 |
| Roofing | Home Improvement Contractor Business registration | $110 | None listed | None listed | Easy · 15 |
| Plumbing | Master Plumber license | $100 | Master Plumber examination | 5 years | Moderate or harder · 46+ |
| Electrical | Electrical Contractor license | $100 | Electrical Contractor examination | 5 years | Moderate or harder · 42+ |
| HVAC | Master HVACR Contractor license | Master HVACR Contractor examination | None listed | Not rated | |
| Irrigation | Landscape Irrigation Contractor certification, plus a landscape irrigation contr | $345 | Certified Irrigation Contractor | 3 years | Moderate · 41 |
| Concrete flatwork | Home Improvement Contractor Business registration | $110 | None listed | None listed | Not rated |
| Drainage and detention | No state license | Easy · 0 | |||
| Demolition | Home Improvement Contractor Business registration | $110 | None listed | None listed | Not rated |
Tap a column to sort. Difficulty covers the state license only. Checked October 18, 2026.
Trades ranked from easiest to hardest in New Jersey
- Drainage and detention, easy (0)
- Foundation repair, easy (15)
- General contracting, easy (15)
- Roofing, easy (15)
- Irrigation, moderate (41)
- Electrical, moderate or harder (42+)
- Plumbing, moderate or harder (46+)
HVAC work, concrete flatwork, and demolition are not rated because their rules are not fully published.
Details for each trade
Foundation repair
| License | Home Improvement Contractor Business registration (for residential and non-commercial property) |
|---|---|
| Board | NJ Division of Consumer Affairs |
There is no separate foundation or structural license. Repairing any part of a residence falls under the HIC law. Construction permits come from the municipal construction official under the Uniform Construction Code.
The town's construction official issues the permit and decides whether the repair needs sealed engineering drawings.
- Register as a Home Improvement Contractor Business.
- Apply to the municipal construction office for the permit.
Difficulty 15, easy (fees 2, bond 8, insurance 5).
Checked October 18, 2026 against NJ Home Improvement Contractor law; NJ DCA, notice on registration changes.
General contracting (residential remodels, additions and home improvement)
| License | Home Improvement Contractor Business registration |
|---|---|
| Board | NJ Division of Consumer Affairs |
Remodelers register as HICBs. New home builders register separately under the New Home Warranty program, which was not checked here.
Remodel permits come from the municipal construction official.
- Register as an HICB with insurance and additional security.
- Pull municipal construction permits.
Difficulty 15, easy (fees 2, bond 8, insurance 5).
Checked October 18, 2026 against NJ HIC initial registration instructions.
Roofing
| License | Home Improvement Contractor Business registration (residential roofing) |
|---|---|
| Board | NJ Division of Consumer Affairs |
No separate roofing license. Residential roofing is home improvement under the HIC law.
Reroof permits come from the municipal construction official.
- Register as an HICB.
- Pull the municipal permit.
Difficulty 15, easy (fees 2, bond 8, insurance 5).
Checked October 18, 2026 against NJ Home Improvement Contractor law.
Plumbing
| License | Master Plumber license |
|---|---|
| Board | State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers |
| Fee | $100 (application fee; a separate licensing fee is charged after the exam) |
| Exam | Master Plumber examination. |
| Experience | Applicants must be 21 and complete a journeyman year of at least 1,200 hours of plumbing work after the apprenticeship or qualifying degree. |
| Bond | $3,000 surety bond. |
| Renewal | Licenses are valid for 2 years. |
This is based on the board's application overview PDF. The exam provider, exam fee and licensing fee amount were not confirmed.
Plumbing permits come from the municipal construction official and are pulled by a licensed master plumber.
- Finish a plumbing apprenticeship (or qualifying degree) and a 1,200 hour journeyman year.
- Apply to the board ($100) and pass the master plumber exam.
- Buy the $3,000 surety bond and pay the licensing fee.
Difficulty 46+, moderate or harder (exams 15, experience 25, fees 2, bond 4).
Checked October 18, 2026 against NJ State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers, application overview.
Electrical
| License | Electrical Contractor license |
|---|---|
| Board | Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors |
| Fee | $100 (nonrefundable application filing fee) |
| Exam | Electrical Contractor examination. |
| Experience | Five years of electrical experience; a bachelor's degree can cover three of the five years, and the remaining two must be hands-on. |
Exam sections, exam provider and continuing education are not confirmed here.
Electrical permits come from the municipal construction official and are pulled by a licensed electrical contractor.
- Document five years of electrical experience.
- File the application for examination ($100).
- Pass the exam and obtain the license.
Difficulty 42+, moderate or harder (exams 15, experience 25, fees 2).
Checked October 18, 2026 against NJ Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, application for examination.
HVAC
| License | Master HVACR Contractor license |
|---|---|
| Board | State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors |
| Exam | Master HVACR Contractor examination. |
State law bars anyone from working as a master HVACR contractor without this license. Fees and the education and experience pathways are not confirmed here.
Mechanical permits come from the municipal construction official.
- Complete the apprenticeship or degree pathway and journeyperson time the board requires.
- Get board approval, pass the exam and pay the license fee.
Checked October 18, 2026 against NJ HVACR board FAQ.
Irrigation
| License | Landscape Irrigation Contractor certification, plus a landscape irrigation contracting business permit |
|---|---|
| Board | Board of Landscape Irrigation Contractors (NJ Department of Community Affairs) |
| Fee | $345 (first time total ($45 application plus $300 certification); certification renews every two years for $300; the business permit is free) |
| Exam | Certified Irrigation Contractor (CIC) exam. Given by Irrigation Association. |
| Experience | Three years of landscape irrigation experience within the last 15 years, each year at least 1,100 hours (education can substitute for one year). |
| Continuing education | 16 continuing education credits per renewal, at least 8 in water conservation and 2 in NJ business law and building codes. |
| Renewal | Every two years, $300. |
Every irrigation business needs the business permit and must employ a certified contractor. Licensed plumbing contractors are exempt from individual certification but still need the business permit.
Irrigation work follows the town's permit and backflow rules under the Uniform Construction Code.
- Log three years of irrigation work.
- Pass the Irrigation Association's CIC exam.
- Apply to the board ($45) and pay the $300 certification fee.
- Get the free business permit and renew both every two years.
Difficulty 41, moderate (exams 15, experience 15, fees 7, continuing education 4).
Checked October 18, 2026 against NJ DCA, Landscape Irrigation Contractor Certification.
Concrete flatwork (driveways, sidewalks and work in the public right-of-way)
| License | Home Improvement Contractor Business registration (residential property) |
|---|---|
| Board | NJ Division of Consumer Affairs |
Residential driveways, patios and walks are home improvements. Ask the town or county about permits for work in the public right of way.
Ask the town, county or road owner what permit work at the street needs.
- Register as an HICB for residential work.
- Ask the locality about a right of way permit.
Checked October 18, 2026 against NJ Home Improvement Contractor law.
Drainage and detention (grading, drainage, stormwater and detention ponds)
No contractor license for grading or drainage, but almost any non-agricultural land disturbance over 5,000 square feet must follow a soil erosion and sediment control plan certified by the local soil conservation district, including a single house lot.
Disturbing more than 5,000 square feet needs a soil erosion and sediment control plan certified by the soil conservation district before work starts.
- Measure the area of disturbance.
- Above 5,000 square feet, get the erosion control plan certified by the district.
- Get the municipal grading or construction approval.
Difficulty 0, easy (nothing in the rubric applies).
Checked October 18, 2026 against NJ Department of Agriculture, Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Program.
Demolition
| License | Home Improvement Contractor Business registration (residential demolition) |
|---|---|
| Board | NJ Division of Consumer Affairs |
Demolishing residential property is home improvement under the HIC law. Asbestos notice and licensing rules for demolition are not covered here.
Demolition permits come from the municipal construction official.
- Register as an HICB for residential work.
- Get the municipal demolition permit and check asbestos rules.
Checked October 18, 2026 against NJ Home Improvement Contractor law.
Exams for a New Jersey license
| New Jersey Electrical Contractor | PSI, for the Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors | $84 trade, $47 business and law, $49 alarm systems | Retake only the failed exams, 6 months after the last attempt; all three must be passed within three attempts | Open book | 100 (trade), 50 (business and law), 50 (alarm systems) | 260 minutes, 130 minutes and 165 minutes | 70% on each |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey Master HVACR Contractor | PSI, for the State Board of Examiners of Master HVACR Contractors | $84 trade, $47 business and law | Unlimited retests, 6 months apart | Open book | 50 (trade) and 50 (business and law) | 130 minutes each | 70% on each |
Tap a column to sort. Each exam name opens the provider's bulletin or exam 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 New Jersey Electrical Contractor Candidate Information Bulletin; PSI New Jersey HVACR Candidate Information Bulletin.
Official sources
- NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement Contractor initial registration instructions
- NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, notice on 2023 changes to HIC registration
- NJ Home Improvement Contractor law
- NJ State Board of Home Improvement and Home Elevation Contractors
- NJ DCA, Landscape Irrigation Contractor Certification
Licensing pages for nearby states cover Pennsylvania.
Rules and fees change, and this is not legal advice. Confirm with the licensing board before you apply or bid.