State Contractor Guides

There is no single national contractor license in the United States — every state, and often individual counties or cities, sets its own rules for licensing, bonding, and insurance. What triggers a license requirement, how much it costs, and what bond amount you must carry can differ significantly depending on where you work.

Use the directory below as a starting point for your state, then run our calculators with your state selected to get a cost estimate specific to where you do business.

• License thresholds: Some states require a license above a small project value (e.g. $500), others only above a much higher threshold.
• Bond amounts: Required surety bond amounts range from a few thousand dollars to over $20,000 depending on the state and license class.
• Exam requirements: Many states require passing a trade and/or business law exam; a few have no statewide exam at all.
• Insurance minimums: General liability minimums and workers comp thresholds are set independently by each state.
• Reciprocity: Some states honor licenses from other states through reciprocity agreements; most do not.

Select your state above to jump straight into the License Cost Calculator pre-filtered to your state's cost factor. From there, use the Surety Bond Calculator and Insurance Cost Calculator to build a full picture of what it costs to get set up legally in your state. Always confirm final requirements with your state's contractor licensing board before applying, since rules change and this directory is for planning purposes only.