North Carolina General Contractor License Cost & Requirements (2026)
North Carolina licenses general contractors through the Licensing Board for General Contractors in Raleigh, and its system differs from most states in two ways that shape everything else on this page. First, the license belongs to the business entity, not to a person: an individual called the qualifier passes the examination on the company's behalf.
Second, there is no experience requirement at all. What North Carolina examines instead is competence (a PSI examination), character (good moral character and three reference letters), and money: a ladder of working-capital requirements, or surety bonds in their place, that rises with the size of project you want to take.
A license is required for any project of $40,000 or more. This page covers the Building classification at the Unlimited limitation, with the Limited and Intermediate tiers set out alongside it, and it was rebuilt in October 2026 from G.S. 87-10 and the board's current classifications and limitations. The state charges are small, $125 at the top tier. The financial showing is the real application.
North Carolina General Contractor Fee Estimator
Regulatory fee breakdown for General Contractor, Building Classification — Unlimited limitation
Itemized Fee Schedule
North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors (NCLBGC)
All applications and exams must be registered directly with this board.
Fee figures on this page were checked against N.C. General Statutes § 87-10 (license fees, limitations) — North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors on October 30, 2026. View the official source
Regulatory & Licensing Requirements Summary
| Official License Classification | General Contractor, Building Classification — Unlimited limitation |
| Minimum Experience | 0 Years (Journeyman / Field Supervisor) |
| Mandatory State Surety Bond | Not required at state level (Local permits may apply) |
| General Liability Insurance | Not required. North Carolina sets no insurance or bonding requirement for a GC license. Financial responsibility is shown through working capital ($17,000 Limited / $75,000 Intermediate / $150,000 Unlimited) or a surety bond in lieu ($175,000 / $500,000 / $1,000,000). |
| Estimated Application Processing Time | Not published by the board |
| Renewal Cycle & CE Requirement | Every 1 year(s) with 8 hours of Continuing Education |
Warning: Unlicensed Contracting Penalties in North Carolina
Class 2 misdemeanor (§87-13). The Licensing Board can also ask a court to enjoin unlicensed practice (§87-13.1). A license is required for any project of $40,000 or more (§87-1).
Note: In many states, unlicensed contractors also lose the ability to file mechanic's liens or sue for non-payment in civil courts.
Special Statutory Notes for North Carolina
Licensed by the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors under G. S. Chapter 87. A license is required for projects of $40,000 or more. The board licenses the business entity. An individual qualifier passes the examination for it, and a replacement qualifier must be designated within 30 days if the qualifier leaves. Three limitations set the single-project ceiling: Limited, $750,000 (application and annual renewal $75).
Intermediate, $1,500,000 ($100). Unlimited, no ceiling ($125) — the fees shown are the Unlimited tier's, and the application fee is the license fee, the same amount being payable at each annual renewal. There is NO experience requirement: applicants must be 18 or older, of good moral character, and file three reference letters.
Financial responsibility is proved by working capital — $17,000 for Limited (or $80,000 net worth), $75,000 for Intermediate, $150,000 for Unlimited, the two higher tiers evidenced by an audited financial statement or a CPA agreed-upon-procedures report — or, instead, by a continuous surety bond of $175,000, $500,000 or $1,000,000 respectively from an A. M. Best A-rated surety. The PSI Building Contractor examination (90 questions, 3 hours, 70% to pass, approved tabbed references allowed) costs $79.
The NASCLA accredited examination is accepted instead, but applicants using NASCLA or an exam-waiver state (Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee) must also pass a separate North Carolina Business & Law examination. Licenses expire on January 1 each year. Late renewal costs $10 per month, a license unrenewed for 60 days becomes invalid, and after four years it is archived.
Continuing education of 8 hours a year (2 mandatory plus 6 elective) applies to Building, Residential and Unclassified qualifiers only. North Carolina sets no insurance requirement for the license itself.
North Carolina classifies contractor licenses by financial project limits: Limited ($750k), Intermediate ($1.5M), and Unlimited.
Limitations: how big a project each tier may take
Every license carries one of five classifications, Building, Residential, Highway, Public Utilities or Specialty (with an Unclassified license for those who qualify across them), and one of three limitations that cap the value of a single project. Limited allows projects up to $750,000. Intermediate allows up to $1,500,000. Unlimited has no ceiling.
The fees are set by statute and are the same at application and at each annual renewal: $75 for Limited, $100 for Intermediate, $125 for Unlimited. Older guides still quote project limits of $500,000 and $1,000,000; the General Assembly raised them, and the board's current limitations are the figures above.
Financial responsibility scales with the tier. A Limited applicant shows $17,000 of working capital (current assets minus current liabilities) or $80,000 of net worth. Intermediate requires $75,000 of working capital, and Unlimited $150,000, and at those two tiers the figures must be evidenced by an audited financial statement or a certified public accountant's agreed-upon-procedures report; a Limited applicant may work from a balance sheet.
Any tier may instead post a surety bond in place of the financial showing: $175,000 for Limited, $500,000 for Intermediate, $1,000,000 for Unlimited, written by a surety rated in A.M. Best's top bands and kept continuous for as long as the license is held. Note what is absent: North Carolina sets no insurance requirement for the license itself, however much individual owners and permit offices will ask for it.
The qualifier, and the $79 examination
Because the entity holds the license, the examination is taken by its qualifier, an owner or employee whose passing result the license rides on. If the qualifier leaves, the licensee has 30 days to designate a replacement qualifier, a deadline firms discover painfully when a qualifier resigns mid-project.
The qualifier for the Building classification sits the PSI Building Contractor examination: 90 questions in three hours, 70% to pass, taken with approved tabbed reference books permitted, at a fee of $79. The NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors is accepted in its place, which suits multi-state firms, but NASCLA-route and exam-waiver applicants must also pass a separate North Carolina Business & Law examination; the state's licensing law is examined either way.
North Carolina also holds exam-waiver agreements with Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee for specified classifications, Building among them, under which a qualifier's out-of-state examination may be recognized, subject always to the North Carolina Business & Law requirement and to the same financial showing: the money requirements do not waive. Applicants must be at least 18, of good moral character, and supply three written reference letters. There is, to repeat the point because it surprises people, no minimum years of experience for this license in any tier.
Renewal: everything expires on January 1
North Carolina keeps the simplest and least forgiving calendar in this state's licensing: every general contractor license expires on January 1 following its issuance or last renewal, whatever month it was granted in. Renewal costs the same $75, $100 or $125 as the application. A renewal received after January 1 accrues a $10-per-month late fee; a license left unrenewed for 60 days becomes invalid; and after four years of invalidity it is archived, at which point the qualifier applies again as a new applicant.
Continuing education applies to some classifications only: at least one qualifier of each licensee holding a Building, Residential or Unclassified classification must complete 8 hours a year of board-approved education, two mandatory hours on a board-set topic plus six elective hours, inside a continuing-education year that runs January 1 to November 30 with a 90-day grace period and limited carry-forward. Highway, Public Utilities and Specialty qualifiers are exempt from it.
The Homeowners Recovery Fund deserves a footnote because applicants meet its name on permits: it is funded not by licensees' fees but by a $10 charge on residential building permits issued for work by licensed general contractors, collected through local inspections departments. It is part of the landscape a North Carolina builder works in, rather than a charge in the license itself.
Mistakes that delay a North Carolina GC application
- Bidding a $40,000-plus project unlicensed: the threshold counts the whole project, labor and materials, and it is lower than in many states.
- Taking the Limited tier and then signing a $900,000 contract: limitations cap each single project, and the cap follows the license, not the firm's ability.
- Treating the bond as mandatory: it is the alternative. Working capital or net worth shown by financial statement is the primary route at every tier.
- Letting the qualifier walk out the door: a departing qualifier starts a 30-day clock to designate and qualify a replacement.
- Calendar complacency: all licenses expire January 1, late renewal accrues $10 a month, and 60 days unrenewed makes the license invalid.
- Assuming the specialty trades ride along: electrical, plumbing, heating and fire sprinkler work are licensed by their own North Carolina boards and must be subcontracted to their licensees.
North Carolina GC Licensing FAQ
What does a North Carolina general contractor license cost in total?
At the Unlimited tier, $204 in state and exam charges: the $125 license fee and the $79 PSI examination. The Limited tier totals $154 ($75 plus $79) and Intermediate $179 ($100 plus $79). Renewal each year is the license fee alone, $75, $100 or $125 by tier. The significant money sits outside the fees: the working-capital showing ($17,000 to $150,000 by tier) or the premium on the surety bond that can replace it ($175,000 to $1,000,000), and, at the higher tiers, the CPA's audited statement or agreed-upon-procedures report.
Does North Carolina require experience for a general contractor license?
No. North Carolina has no experience requirement for this license at any limitation. The gates are the qualifier's examination, good moral character with three reference letters, being at least 18, and the financial showing for the tier: working capital or net worth, or a surety bond in its place. The license is issued to the business entity, with the qualifier's examination result attached to it.
What is the difference between Limited, Intermediate and Unlimited licenses?
The size of a single project each may take: Limited up to $750,000, Intermediate up to $1,500,000, Unlimited without a ceiling. Fees rise gently with the tier ($75, $100, $125, charged at application and at each annual renewal) while the financial requirements rise steeply: working capital of $17,000 (or $80,000 net worth) for Limited, $75,000 for Intermediate and $150,000 for Unlimited, or bonds of $175,000, $500,000 and $1,000,000 in their place.
Can I use a surety bond instead of working capital?
Yes, at every tier: $175,000 for Limited, $500,000 for Intermediate and $1,000,000 for Unlimited, from a surety rated Superior (A++ or A+) or Excellent (A or A-) by A.M. Best. The bond must be continuous in form and maintained for as long as the license is held, or until the working-capital showing replaces it. You pay a premium on the bond, not its face value.
Does a North Carolina general contractor need continuing education?
Only in some classifications. A licensee holding a Building, Residential or Unclassified classification must have at least one qualifier complete 8 hours of board-approved continuing education each year, two mandatory hours plus six elective hours, between January 1 and November 30 (with a 90-day grace period). Highway, Public Utilities and Specialty qualifiers are not subject to the requirement.
When does the license expire, and what if I renew late?
Every license expires on January 1 following issuance or renewal, regardless of when it was granted. Renewal is $75, $100 or $125 by tier. Late renewal adds $10 per month; a license unrenewed for 60 days becomes invalid; after four years invalid it is archived and the qualifier must apply as a new applicant.
How much does a General Contractor license cost in North Carolina?
The filing and licensing fees on the North Carolina General Contractor schedule total approximately $204. This consists of a $125 application fee, a $79 examination fee, and a $0 initial license fee.
How long does it take to get a General Contractor license in North Carolina?
North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors (NCLBGC) does not publish a fixed end-to-end processing time for this license.
What are the penalties for working as an unlicensed GC in North Carolina?
Class 2 misdemeanor (§87-13). The Licensing Board can also ask a court to enjoin unlicensed practice (§87-13.1). A license is required for any project of $40,000 or more (§87-1).
How often do you need to renew a GC license in North Carolina?
Licenses must be renewed every 1 year(s) with a renewal fee of $125. You must also complete 8 hours of approved Continuing Education (CE).