Contractor License Costs,
State by State
What a contractor license really costs in 9 US states: application fees, exam charges, license fees and bond amounts, read line by line against the boards that publish them.
72 state and trade pages · 9 states · every schedule read against its board, most recently in October 2026
How Much Does a Contractor License Cost?
There is no national contractor license, so there is no national price. Each state decides whether to license general contractors at all, what to charge, and what to demand behind the money. In the six of our nine states that do license them, first-time board fees run from $204 in North Carolina to $1,170 in Arizona.
The other three, Texas, Ohio and Illinois, charge nothing at state level because the license does not exist there. Their general contractors pay cities and counties instead. The trades are licensed state by state almost everywhere, and their fees follow their own schedules.
Board fees are also only part of the bill. Most licensed contractors add a bond premium, some add fingerprinting or a recovery fund assessment, and everyone adds insurance before the first permit. The table below is the board-fee core of it, state by state, at the rates the boards publish now.
Contractor License Cost by State: General Contractor Fees
| State | Application | Exams | License | First-time total | Bond |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | No state general contractor license. Local registration applies. | ||||
| California | $450 | $102.86 | $200 | $752.86 | $25,000 |
| Florida | $245 | $295 | $200 | $540 | None |
| New York | $300 | $0 | $0 | $300 | None |
| Georgia | $200 | $166 | $0 | $376 | None |
| Ohio | No state general contractor license. Local registration applies. | ||||
| North Carolina | $125 | $79 | $0 | $204 | None |
| Illinois | No state general contractor license. Local registration applies. | ||||
| Arizona | $200 | $120 | $480 | $1,170 | $14,000 |
Totals follow each trade page's own arithmetic, including extra board charges such as Arizona's Recovery Fund assessment and Georgia's processing fee. Florida collects its initial license fee inside the application, so the Florida total counts it once. Bond figures are the bond amount the board requires, not the premium you pay for it.
What a First License Actually Costs
Six of the most searched routes, at the fees their boards currently publish. Each card adds up the same way its trade page does, and each one links to the full breakdown.
Contractor License Costs by State
Every state licenses differently. Some run one statewide system, some license only the specialty trades, and three of the nine leave general contractors to local rules entirely. The line under each state is its general contractor position.
Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR)
No state license for general contractors. Local rules apply.
Contractors State License Board (CSLB)
General contractor, first time: $752.86 in board fees
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR)
General contractor, first time: $540 in board fees
NYC Department of Buildings (general contractor registration); home improvement licensing is county/city level
General contractor, first time: $300 in board fees
State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors (Georgia Secretary of State)
General contractor, first time: $376 in board fees
Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB)
No state license for general contractors. Local rules apply.
North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors (NCLBGC)
General contractor, first time: $204 in board fees
Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR)
No state license for general contractors. Local rules apply.
Arizona Registrar of Contractors (AZ ROC)
General contractor, first time: $1,170 in board fees
How Licensing Works in Each State
The fee table tells you what each state charges. This is the part the table cannot say: how each system is built, who runs it, and the one or two rules that catch applicants out.
California: the strictest system in the nine
California licenses general contractors through the Contractors State License Board (CSLB), and its Class B license is the benchmark other states get compared with. Any project of $1,000 or more in combined labor and materials needs an active license. There is no small-job grey area beyond that line.
The route runs $752.86 in board fees: a $450 application, two PSI exams at $51.43 each, and a $200 initial license fee. Behind the fees sit four years of journeyman-level experience and a $25,000 contractor bond. Renewal is $450 for a sole owner every two years.
Open the California hubTexas: no state license for general contractors
Texas is the state that confuses newcomers most. There is no Texas general contractor license at state level, and there never has been. General contractors deal with cities instead: registration, permits and local rules in Houston, Dallas, Austin and everywhere else they work.
The state does license the trades that carry the most risk. Electricians sit under TDLR, plumbers under the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, and HVAC contractors under TDLR again. A Texas electrician's license route costs $233 in state fees, earned through apprentice hours and exams.
Open the Texas hubFlorida: two licenses, one hard exam route
Florida splits its general contractors in two. Certified General Contractors, licensed through DBPR and the Construction Industry Licensing Board, can work anywhere in the state. Registered contractors work in one county, under a local certificate of competency.
The certified route costs $540 the first time: a $245 application and $295 of examinations, with the initial license fee collected inside the application. The exams come in three parts and the reading list is long. Licensees owe 14 hours of continuing education per cycle, and applicants with a credit score under 660 must complete a 14-hour financial responsibility course.
Open the Florida hubNew York: licensing lives at city and county level
New York State does not license general contractors at all. In New York City, the Department of Buildings registers general contractors rather than examining them: $300 to register, $240 to renew every three years, with insurance and safety duties doing the work an exam does elsewhere.
The city's master trades are a different world. A New York City master plumber's route costs $1,940 in fees, behind years of supervised experience and a serious examination. Outside the city, counties such as Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester license home improvement contractors locally.
Open the New York hubArizona: one registrar, dual licenses, a recovery fund
Arizona runs everything through the Registrar of Contractors (ROC). Its most popular credential is a dual license, which combines residential and commercial work under one registration instead of two. The KB-1 General Dual is the one most applicants mean when they ask about an Arizona general contractor license.
First-time KB-1 fees total $1,170: a $200 application, a $120 exam and a $480 license fee, plus a $370 assessment into the Residential Recovery Fund, the pool that compensates homeowners when a licensed contractor walks away. The KB-1 bond is $14,000, and applicants show four years of experience.
Open the Arizona hubGeorgia: a mid-cost license with tiered scope
Georgia licenses general contractors through the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors, under the Secretary of State. Licenses come in tiers matched to the size of project you may take, so the first decision is which tier your work actually needs.
The fees are moderate by national standards: $376 all in for a first license, made of a $200 application, a $166 PSI exam and a $10 board processing fee. Renewal is $110. Four years of experience sit behind the application, verified the same way the bigger states verify it.
Open the Georgia hubOhio: trades at state level, builders at local level
Ohio draws the same line Texas draws, in a different place. There is no Ohio general contractor license. Builders and remodelers are registered by their cities and counties, each with its own forms and fees.
The state steps in for the mechanical and electrical trades. The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board licenses electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics and refrigeration contractors at state level, with exams and experience requirements of its own. If your work is in those trades, Columbus is your licensing authority. If it is general building, your city is.
Open the Ohio hubNorth Carolina: licensed by project value
North Carolina licenses general contractors through its Licensing Board for General Contractors, and the trigger is the size of the job. A license is required for projects of $40,000 or more, and the board licenses the business itself, not just an individual.
Licenses come in three limitations, Limited, Intermediate and Unlimited, set by the value of project you may take and the financial standing behind you. The Unlimited license costs $204 the first time, a $125 application and a $79 exam, and licensees owe 8 hours of continuing education a year.
Open the North Carolina hubIllinois: Chicago's system, and two state-licensed trades
Illinois has no state general contractor license. The system that matters most sits in Chicago, which licenses general contractors in classes set by the value of the contracts they take, with its own fees, insurance and bond conditions.
Two trades are licensed by the state itself. Plumbers answer to the Department of Public Health, and roofers to the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Everyone else in general construction works under city and county rules, which is why an Illinois contractor's first research stop is the place they intend to work, not the state.
Open the Illinois hubLicense Costs by Trade
Eight trades, each with its own page for every state that licenses it. Trade licenses follow a different logic from general contractor licenses: the state is buying proof that the dangerous work, wiring, gas, water, structure, is done by someone examined. That is why trades are licensed in states that never license general builders.
General Contractor
Oversees residential and commercial construction, manages subcontractors, pulls building permits, and coordinates turnkey building projects.
See California costsElectrical Contractor
Installs, maintains, and repairs electrical power, communications, lighting, and control systems in homes, businesses, and industrial factories.
See Texas costsPlumbing Contractor
Installs and repairs water supply lines, waste disposal systems, gas piping, and related appliances and fixtures.
See New York City costsHVAC / Mechanical Contractor
Installs and services heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems, adhering to EPA Section 608 refrigerant compliance.
See Texas costsRoofing Contractor
Repairs and installs commercial and residential roofs using shingles, tile, metal, and waterproofing membranes.
See Florida costsPainting Contractor
Applies paints, stains, wall coverings, and protective coatings to interior and exterior surfaces of structures.
See California costsLandscape Contractor
Designs, installs, and maintains outdoor living spaces, hardscaping, irrigation lines, and pesticide applications.
See California costsCarpentry & Framing Contractor
Constructs, erects, installs, and repairs structures and fixtures made of wood, steel studs, and composite materials.
See California costsWhat Each Trade's License Costs: One State per Trade
A trade's price changes with the state, so no single column can price them all. This table takes the state where each trade's licensing is most searched, and prices that route in full. Every trade page on the site prices the same route in the other states.
| Trade | State | Application | Exams | License | Total | Bond |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Contractor | California | $450 | $102.86 | $200 | $752.86 | $25,000 |
| Electrical Contractor | Texas | $110 | $78 | $45 | $233 | None |
| Plumbing Contractor | New York City | $0 | $1,115 | $200 | $1,940 | None |
| HVAC / Mechanical Contractor | Texas | $115 | $74 | $0 | $189 | None |
| Roofing Contractor | Florida | $245 | $295 | $200 | $540 | None |
| Painting Contractor | California | $450 | $102.86 | $200 | $752.86 | $25,000 |
| Landscape Contractor | California | $450 | $102.86 | $200 | $752.86 | $25,000 |
| Carpentry & Framing Contractor | California | $450 | $102.86 | $200 | $752.86 | $25,000 |
The New York City master plumber route is the most expensive license on this site, and the Texas electrician route is among the cheapest. The difference is mostly examination depth and the years of supervised experience each route demands before you may apply.
Where the Money Goes
A license is never one payment. It is a short sequence of them, paid to different places at different stages. California's general contractor route shows the pattern clearly, because the CSLB publishes every piece of it.
- Board fees: $450 application + $102.86 exams + $200 license = $752.86
- Fingerprinting: $49 ($32 to the DOJ and $17 to the FBI), plus the Live Scan site's own rolling fee, which varies by location
- Bond premium: the $25,000 bond is not paid in full. At an example premium of 1% you would pay $250, at 2% you would pay $500, and at 3% you would pay $750
- Worked total at the 2% example: $752.86 + $49 + $500 = $1,301.86, before the rolling fee
The premium rates above are examples to show the arithmetic, not quotes. Your surety sets your real rate after a credit check, and weaker credit usually means a higher share of the bond amount. Sites that print one flat “average total” are guessing at both of your unknowns. The full figures sit in the California general contractor breakdown.
The Costs That Come After the License
Getting licensed is the expensive year, but it is not the last bill. Two costs follow you for as long as you hold the license: the bond, where your board requires one, and the renewal, everywhere.
A bond works like this. The board sets an amount, $25,000 in California and $14,000 for Arizona's KB-1 dual license. You buy a bond for that amount from a surety company and pay an annual premium, priced on your credit. The amount protects the public, not you: it is the pool a wronged homeowner can claim against. Our bonds versus insurance guide walks through the difference in full.
| State (General Contractor) | Bond required | Renewal fee | Continuing education |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $25,000 | $450 | None |
| Florida | None | $209 | 14 hours |
| New York | None | $240 every 3 years | None |
| Georgia | None | $110 | None |
| North Carolina | None | $125 | 8 hours |
| Arizona | $14,000 | $480 | None |
Texas, Ohio and Illinois are absent because they have no state general contractor license to renew. Their trade licenses carry their own renewals, priced on each trade page. Renewal cycles differ by board and are stated on the state pages.
How to Get a Contractor License: The Five Steps
- 1. Confirm you need one.Thresholds decide this. California licenses any project of $1,000 or more; North Carolina starts at $40,000; Texas, Ohio and Illinois leave general contractors to local rules.
- 2. Prove your experience.Most licensing states ask for four years at journeyman level for a general license, and the trades count apprentice hours in the thousands. This is gathered before you apply, not after.
- 3. Apply to the board.The application carries the first fee and the experience evidence. Boards reject incomplete applications more than unqualified ones.
- 4. Pass the examinations.Usually two: law and business, then your trade. Fees go to the testing vendor, and each retake is paid again.
- 5. File the bond and activate.With exams passed, you file the bond where one is required, pay the initial license fee, and your number goes on the public register.
Four Mistakes That Cost Applicants Money
- Applying for the wrong classification.Application fees are not refunded. A classification that does not cover your work is money spent twice, once on the wrong license and once on the right one.
- Reading the bond amount as the price.A $25,000 bond does not cost $25,000. Budgeting as if it does frightens people out of licenses they can afford, and under-budgeting the premium renewals catches others later.
- Forgetting the local layer.In Texas, Ohio and Illinois the city license is the license. Contractors who research only state rules arrive at their first permit counter missing the registration that actually applies to them.
- Letting the renewal and CE lapse.A lapsed license can mean late fees, re-examination in some states, and work you cannot legally finish. The renewal table above exists so the dates never surprise you.
Contractor Licensing & Compliance Insights
How to Get a California Contractor's License: 2026 CSLB Step-by-Step Guide
The full CSLB route with the figures CSLB actually charges: the $1,000 licensing threshold AB 2622 set in 2025, four years of journey-level experience, two PSI exams at $102.86, the $25,000 bond, and the five classifications that can never claim the workers' compensation exemption. First license total for a sole owner: $752.86.
Texas TDLR Electrician License Guide: Requirements, Hours, and PSI Exam Prep
Texas prices electricians in hours, not years: 8,000 hours to journeyman, 12,000 hours and two years licensed to master, then a separate Electrical Contractor license for the business. The full first-time route costs $233, and this guide takes apart the $35 fee and the $223 total that do not exist.
Florida DBPR Certified vs. Registered Contractor: Scope, Fees & Requirements
Florida sells the same trade under two credentials: certified, issued by the CILB after state exams and good in all 67 counties for $540 the first time, and registered, built on one county's certificate of competency and void one mile past its border. The FICO 660 credit test, the bond Florida repealed in 2022, and who should choose which.
Contractor Surety Bonds vs. General Liability Insurance: What Each One Actually Protects
A surety bond protects your customers and the licensing board, and a claim paid on it comes back to you for repayment. General liability insurance protects your business, and its payouts never do. What the boards in nine states actually require, state by state, and why Arizona's Recovery Fund is a third instrument that is neither.
How to Get an Arizona Contractor License: The ROC Route from Classification to Renewal
Arizona licenses the business, not the person: an entity license standing on a qualifying party, two exams at $120, and a first-time bill of $970 for a dual specialty license once the Recovery Fund is counted. This guide walks the route in order, with the figures rule R4-9-130 actually sets.
California Contractor License Renewal Cost: The Complete CSLB Fee Table for 2026
One number misleads: $450 is only the timely active renewal for a sole owner. CSLB's real renewal schedule has eight prices, split by business form, active or inactive status, and on-time or late filing, with a $20 extra charge on C-10 electrical licenses. This guide prices every cell, plus the late penalties and the paperwork renewal actually requires.
New York Contractor License Guide: Working Legally in a State With No State License
New York has no state contractor license, no builders' board in Albany and no state exam. Licensing sits with cities and counties: a $300 DOB registration for new small homes in New York City, a $200 Home Improvement Contractor license for work on existing homes, and two master trade licenses that cost $1,940 and $1,975 to earn. Which door your work goes through decides everything.
Georgia General Contractor License Guide: Four Tiers, One $376 Bill, and No Bond
Georgia licenses general contractors in four tiers under one board, and the trades under another. The standard General Contractor license costs $376 the first time: a $200 application, a $10 processing fee and a two-part PSI exam at $166. There is no license bond. Financial responsibility is proven with $150,000 of net worth instead, and choosing the wrong tier is the expensive mistake.
Texas Contractor License Renewal Cost: TDLR's Annual Ladder, Late Fees, and the 3-Year Wall
Texas renews trade licenses every year, and the price depends on the license and on how late you are. TDLR's electrician ladder runs from a $20 apprentice renewal to a $110 contractor renewal, with late fees at one and a half and two times the standard fee, and a hard wall at three years. This guide prices every rung.
Edited by Daniel Mercer
Daniel Mercer is this site's licensing research editor. His work is the unglamorous part of contractor licensing: reading what the boards actually charge, and keeping these tables honest when the boards change them.
Every schedule here is read against the publishing board's own documents: the CSLB in California, TDLR and TSBPE in Texas, DBPR in Florida, the New York City Department of Buildings, the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, and the boards in Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina and Illinois. Where a schedule has not passed that check, its page says so instead of dressing up an estimate.
Contractor Licensing Cost FAQ
How much does a contractor license cost?
It depends on the state and the trade, and there is no honest national average. Across the nine states covered here, first-time board fees for a general contractor run from $204 in North Carolina to $1,170 in Arizona. Electricians, plumbers and the other trades follow their own schedules. Bond premiums and insurance, where they apply, come on top of the board fees.
How much does a contractor license bond cost?
The bond amount and the price are two different numbers. California requires a $25,000 bond, but you do not pay $25,000. You pay a premium to a surety company, priced on your credit and the work you do, and it renews while the license is active. Your trade page lists the bond amount your board requires. The premium itself is quoted by sureties, not set by any board.
How long does it take to get a contractor license?
Each board works to its own timeline, and complete applications move faster than incomplete ones. California's CSLB, for example, publishes the application receipt dates it is currently processing rather than promising a fixed number of weeks. Your state and trade page notes what your board says about timing, next to its fees.
Can I do handyman work without a contractor license?
In California, yes, inside a hard limit: the whole job, labor and materials together, must stay under $1,000, it must not need a permit, and it must not be part of a larger project. Other states set their own limits, or none. In states with no state general contractor license, like Texas and Illinois, the limit that matters is the one your city sets.
Is a contractor surety bond the same as liability insurance?
No. A surety bond protects the public and the licensing board. If a contractor abandons a job or breaks the licensing rules, a claim can be made against the bond. General liability insurance protects the contractor's own business against property damage and injury claims. Boards that require one do not accept the other in its place.
Which states do not license general contractors at state level?
Three of the nine states covered here: Texas, Ohio and Illinois. General contractors there register or license locally instead, and cities and counties set their own rules. Specialty trades are a different story. Texas has no state general contractor license, but it licenses electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors at state level.
What happens if you work as a contractor without a license?
Penalties vary by state and can include fines, stop-work orders and criminal charges for repeat offences. In many states an unlicensed contractor also cannot enforce a payment contract or file a mechanic's lien. California requires a license for any project of $1,000 or more in combined labor and materials. Check your state page for the rules where you work.
Ready to price your own license?Pick your state and trade in the finder at the top, or open a trade page to use the full calculator, with renewals and add-ons included.
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