Original research · Licensing

What “licensed contractor” means, state by state

Name: US contractor licence classes for residential remodeling, five-level scheme
Creator: HyreRemodel Research Desk
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

23 states read at the licensing board or the statute: the class names, thresholds, exams and bonds behind the phrase, plus class counts from our seven-state contractor store.

Updated September 2026 · Data as of September 5, 2026 (boards and statutes; store class counts)

Written by HyreRemodel Research Desk Primary-source research and fact checking

23 states checked at the board or statute 27 more listed as unverified

0 Florida class names that say remodeling CGC, CBC, CRC (F.S. 489.105)

1,723 Arizona records in a class named for remodeling B-3, CR-61, R-61, C-61, of 4,932

2 California B-2 Residential Remodeling records of 4,820 CSLB licenses in our store

The finding

“Licensed contractor” means five different things in the US. Of the 23 states we checked at the board or statute, five issue no state credential for residential general contractors, five register without a competency exam, and two license only jobs of $25,000 or more.

Six license a building class that never says remodeling, like Florida’s CGC, CBC and CRC, and five publish a class that names it, like Arizona’s B-3. The other 27 states are unverified, not unlicensed.

Six limits to read before the table

The limits of this study sit here rather than in a footnote, because a row quoted without them misstates the finding.

The five levels are our analysis, not a statute.

No board publishes this ranking. We placed each state at the highest level its statewide remodeling credential reaches, under the rule in the next section. A different rule would sort some states differently; the board pages would not change.

This is not a 50-state count of licensed versus unlicensed.

A state gets a level only where we read the regulator’s own class list, profession list, a clear statement on its own site, or the statute. The other 27 are listed as unverified. A ranking blog is not a source.

Our store covers seven states, not the nation.

Class counts come from the HyreRemodel contractor store (Florida, California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Utah and North Carolina), measured September 5, 2026. How many firms that is belongs to the remodeling contractor census.

A class that does not say remodeling can still authorize it.

Florida’s CBC and CRC, California’s Class B, Nevada’s B-2 and Utah’s B100 all cover multi-trade residential work, remodeling included. The finding is about the printed title, not about whether the holder may bid on a kitchen.

City and county rules sit underneath every state scheme.

Local governments add registrations, bonds and insurance minimums the state does not. Texas is the extreme case: no state license, only city registers. What you can do there is in the study of states without contractor licensing.

Lookup links are listed, not graded, and this is not legal advice.

Whether each public search works is in the license lookup directory. Statutes and class lists change, so confirm the current class, threshold and lookup with the issuing board before you sign.

The five levels, and the rule that assigns them

Five levels of what “licensed contractor” means. Verified examples only. Ranking by how much the class list tells you is editorial framing, not a legal hierarchy. HyreRemodel Research Desk, assignment rule published September 5, 2026.

HyreRemodel analysis, not a legal hierarchy. Each state sits at the highest level its statewide residential remodeling credential reaches. “Highest” means how much you can tell from the published class list without a lawyer.

Three tie-breaks apply. A city or county rule never raises a state’s level. A registration never outranks a competency license. A license whose title lacks remodel, remodeling or home improvement never outranks one whose title has it.

Level 1: no statewide residential general contractor or home improvement credential. Level 2: a statewide registration with no competency exam for remodeling. Level 3: a statewide competency license that applies only at a published job value of $25,000 or more.

Level 4: a statewide competency license whose class names (CGC, CBC, CRC, Class B, B100, Residential Contractor, Home Builder) do not contain those words. Level 5: a statewide competency license with at least one class whose official title contains remodel, remodeling or home improvement.

The $25,000 line is ours, not a board’s. North Carolina’s $40,000 and Tennessee’s $25,000 triggers meet it. Alabama’s $10,000 Home Builder trigger does not, so Alabama is Level 4 with $10,000 noted. A different line would move Alabama; it would not change Ala. Code § 34-14A-2.

A small handyman exemption inside a licensed state, such as Florida’s $2,500 casual-work exemption in F.S. 489.103(9), is a carve-out, not a threshold, and does not pull the state down to Level 3.

Four terms the class lists keep apart

Class name: The title the board prints: Certified Building Contractor, B-3 General Remodeling and Repair, B-2 Residential Remodeling, B100 General Building. This page is about that title. Scope language that uses the verb “remodel” does not make the title a remodeling class.
Scope: What the holder may actually bid. Florida’s building contractor may do “remodeling, repair, or improvement of any size building if the services do not affect the structural members” (F.S. 489.105(3)(b)): a remodeling scope under a building name. Arizona’s B-3 is a remodeling name and a remodeling scope.
Certified versus registered (Florida): A certified contractor holds a statewide certificate and may work in any Florida jurisdiction (F.S. 489.105(8)). A registered contractor met a local requirement and may work only there (F.S. 489.105(10)). Both are licenses; neither name says remodeling. Our Florida records are certified CBC and CRC.
Limitation (North Carolina): NCLBGC caps each license by project size: Limited $750,000, Intermediate $1,500,000, Unlimited uncapped (21 NCAC 12A .0202 and the board’s classifications page). That is a ceiling on the license, not a remodeling class. The $40,000 trigger in G.S. 87-1 decides whether a license is needed at all.

Florida does not say remodeling. Arizona does.

Florida: CGC, CBC, CRC

Source: F.S. 489.105(3), retrieved September 5, 2026. A general contractor’s work is unlimited as to type. A building contractor builds commercial buildings and homes up to three stories, or remodels any size building if the work does not affect structural members.

A residential contractor builds, remodels, repairs or improves one-, two- or three-family homes of up to two habitable stories above one uninhabitable story. Remodeling appears in the building and residential definitions and in none of the three titles.

Our store holds 7,130 Florida records from DBPR’s Construction Industry Licensing Board, measured September 5, 2026: 4,580 Certified Building and 2,550 Certified Residential. Certified General is a real class and is not in this harvest: we queried the classes a remodeler holds.

The casual-work exemption, F.S. 489.103(9), covers casual, minor or inconsequential work under $2,500 in total, and does not apply to part of a larger job or to anyone who advertises as a contractor. It is a handyman carve-out, not a $2,500 license threshold.

Arizona: B-3, CR-61, R-61

Source: Arizona Registrar of Contractors license classifications, retrieved September 5, 2026. B-3 General Remodeling and Repair “allows the licensee to remodel and repair an existing residential structure or appurtenance,” with electrical, plumbing, mechanical, pool, spa and well work subcontracted to licensed trades.

R-61 Carpentry, Remodeling and Repairs is capped at $50,000 including labor and materials; CR-61 is its dual commercial and residential version. The same list also prints classes that do not say remodeling: B General Residential, KB-1, KB-2, R-62 Minor Home Improvements and CR-7 Carpentry.

HyreRemodel calculation: of 4,932 Arizona records, 835 are CR-61, 817 B-3, 63 R-61 and 8 C-61: 1,723 in a class whose title contains “remodel.” The next largest do not: KB-2 806, B 764, KB-1 712, R-62 637.

ROC’s experience table asks for four years plus the statutes-and-rules exam and a trade exam for B, B-3 and CR-61.

A class can name remodeling and still be one almost nobody holds

California shows it most clearly. CSLB’s classification page, retrieved September 5, 2026, lists (A) General Engineering, (B) General Building, (B-2) Residential Remodeling Contractor and (C) Specialty. B-2 was added by SB 1189 (Stats. 2020, Ch. 364) as Business and Professions Code § 7057.5, effective January 1, 2021.

A B-2 contractor improves existing wood-frame homes with work involving at least three unrelated trades. The holder may not change load-bearing structure, or install or substantially alter electrical, mechanical or plumbing systems, unless separately classified or subcontracting that work.

HyreRemodel calculation: 4,620 of 4,820 California records in our store hold B General Building, and two hold B-2, both alongside C-6 Cabinet, Millwork and Finish Carpentry. Our harvest notes still say “CSLB issues no remodeling classification.” That note is out of date: the class exists, and the trade in our store holds Class B instead.

Nevada prints the word too. NAC 624.170(7) defines B-7 Residential Remodeling as remodeling an existing detached single-family home up to three stories above ground and one below, without adding enclosed space. Approved regulation R030-25 adds a restricted B-7 for nonstructural work.

HyreRemodel calculation: 112 of 3,494 Nevada records hold a class whose title contains “remodel” (B-7, B-7 Restricted or B-6 Commercial Remodeling), and 62 hold B-7 alone. Most hold B-2 Residential and Small Commercial alone (1,778) or B General Building (553).

Utah publishes R-101, Residential and Small Commercial Non-Structural Remodeling and Repair: remodeling an existing structure with no change to bearing portions, historically capped at $50,000 in total cost (Rule R156-55a-301 and DOPL’s classification table). 33 of 703 Utah records hold R-101; 443 hold B100 General Building.

HyreRemodel analysis: Level 5 means the word is on the class list, not that remodelers hold that class. In our seven-state store, Arizona is the only state where a remodeling-named class is also among the most held. California, Nevada and Utah publish one that few records use. Florida publishes none.

Which classes our seven-state store holds

The HyreRemodel contractor store, measured September 5, 2026, holds 23,756 companies and 22,183 license records in seven states, and anything built on it is titled to those states. The bars show the classes we harvested, not the size of each state’s industry or every license a board issues.

Arizona is the one state where the trade’s name is written into the classes people hold in volume. Texas is not a state license at all: 955 city registrations from San Antonio (805) and El Paso (150). See remodeling contractors in Texas.

North Carolina is thin on purpose. The board rate-limits its public search, and G.S. 87-1 leaves work under $40,000 outside the license. Of 149 records, 59 read cleanly as Residential and 13 as Building; the rest are qualifier rows the harvest did not separate cleanly, so they are not counted as classes.

Florida CBC, Certified Building Contractor4,580

of 7,130 DBPR records. The title does not say remodeling.

Florida CRC, Certified Residential Contractor2,550

Same harvest. CGC is a real class and is not in our store.

Arizona classes whose title contains “remodel”1,723

B-3 817, CR-61 835, R-61 63, C-61 8

California B General Building4,620

of 4,820. B-2 Residential Remodeling: 2 records.

Nevada B-2 Residential and Small Commercial, alone1,778

of 3,494. Any class titled “remodel”: 112.

Utah B100 General Building443

of 703. R-101 Non-Structural Remodel/Repair: 33.

Texas: city registrations only955

San Antonio 805 (528 residential building, 277 home improvement); El Paso 150 Contractor General.

North Carolina NCLBGC149

Residential 59, Building 13. $40,000 trigger; partial harvest.

License records in the HyreRemodel store by the class held, measured September 5, 2026. Titled to Florida, California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Utah and North Carolina. Not a market size.

Disciplinary actions in this snapshot are filled in only for Utah. An empty field elsewhere means we did not retrieve it, not a clean record. See clean board records.

The 23 states checked at the primary source

State	Level	Authority	What the credential is called	Threshold or carve-out	Exam	Bond (as published)	Lookup
Alabama	4	Home Builders Licensure Board	Residential Home Builder (unlimited / limited). Scope includes construction, remodeling, repair, improvement. The title is Home Builder.	$10,000 (Ala. Code § 34-14A-2). Roofing $2,500. Below $10,000: no HBLB credential. Commercial GC is a different board at $100,000.	Unlimited: Alabama Home Builders exams (Prov). Limited: municipal contractor license in lieu of the skills exam.	Financial responsibility via credit report; surety details on the Board’s how-to-get-licensed page.	HBLB licensee search
Arizona	5	Registrar of Contractors	B-3 General Remodeling and Repair; CR-61 / R-61 / C-61 Carpentry, Remodeling and Repairs. Also B, KB-1, KB-2, R-62, which do not say remodeling.	R-61 projects $50,000 or less. No statewide “anyone may remodel below $X” line comparable to North Carolina.	Four years plus statutes-and-rules exam and trade exam for B, B-3, CR-61 (ROC experience table).	Not verified as a single statewide dollar figure.	ROC contractor search
California	5	Contractors State License Board	B General Building (the harvest). B-2 Residential Remodeling exists on the class list (B&P § 7057.5, 2021) and is held on 2 of 4,820 records in this store. Dozens of C specialty classes.	CSLB’s minor-work exemption was not re-verified and is not used as a threshold.	Trade exam and law-and-business exam for most classifications.	$25,000 contractor bond (B&P § 7071.6, operative January 1, 2023). LLC worker bond $100,000 (§ 7071.6.5).	CSLB Check a License
Colorado	1	Division of Professions and Occupations	None at state level for residential GC. DPO lists Electrical Contractor and Plumbing Contractor, not general contractor.	Municipal. What to check instead: states without contractor licensing.	n/a (no GC exam)	n/a	DPO license lookup (trades, not GC)
Connecticut	2	Department of Consumer Protection	Home Improvement Contractor registration under the Home Improvement Act. New Home Construction Contractor is a separate registration. DCP’s own page: contractors “must be registered.”	Not verified as a dollar trigger for HIC. New-home contracts under $3,500 are exempt from the new-home registration.	No competency exam on the face of the HIC application.	Not a published HIC bond figure. Guaranty Fund exists (up to $25,000). GL insurance floor $20,000.	eLicense
Florida	4	DBPR / Construction Industry Licensing Board	Certified or registered General (CGC), Building (CBC), Residential (CRC). Division II trades are separate. None of the Division I titles say remodeling.	Casual, minor or inconsequential work under $2,500 (F.S. 489.103(9), 2026 Florida Statutes). Not a $2,500 licensing threshold.	Examination for certification (F.S. 489.111). Registered path uses local competency.	Local boards may require a bond not exceeding $5,000 (F.S. 489.113). Not a single statewide GC bond figure.	DBPR Verify a Licensee
Georgia	4	State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors (Secretary of State)	Residential Contractor (Basic / Light Commercial) and Commercial General Contractor. SOS FAQ: a license is required to perform residential or commercial general contractor services for compensation. Specialty trades are excepted.	Not verified as a single dollar trigger. Net-worth floors: Residential Basic $25,000; Residential Light Commercial $25,000 (SOS FAQ).	Required. Reciprocity exists; details on the SOS FAQ, not copied here.	Not verified as a single figure. GL and workers’ compensation are required (SOS FAQ).	Georgia SOS board page
Illinois	1	IDFPR	None at state level for residential GC. IDFPR lists Roofing Contractor, not general contractor.	Municipal. What to check instead: states without contractor licensing. Written contract over $1,000: 815 ILCS 513.	n/a (no GC exam)	n/a	IDFPR professions list
Indiana	1	Professional Licensing Agency	None on the IPLA professions list for general contractor. Plumbing, Home Inspectors and Manufactured Home Installers appear.	Municipal. What to check instead: states without contractor licensing.	n/a (no GC exam)	n/a	IPLA professions
Iowa	2	Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing	Contractor registration under Iowa Code chapter 91C. DIAL: construction contractors must register if they earn at least $2,000 a year from construction. Not a competency license.	$2,000 a year of construction work, not a per-project remodel trigger.	None for general registration. Plumbing/mechanical is a separate board license.	Out-of-state contractors: $25,000 surety (91C.2). In-state with employees: workers’ compensation; $25,000 bond if employees (DIAL).	DIAL contractor registration
Maryland	5	Home Improvement Commission (Department of Labor)	Home Improvement Contractor. Business Regulation § 8-302 requires an examination testing knowledge of the home-improvement law and competency. That is a competency license whose title names the work.	Not verified as a dollar trigger.	Required before application (BR § 8-302). PSI administers.	Surety bond if the applicant cannot show net worth equal to the maximum Guaranty Fund award to one claimant; MHIC as certificate holder on GL.	MHIC license search
Massachusetts	2	Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, HIC Program	Home Improvement Contractor registration (M.G.L. c. 142A). OCABR: “A HIC registrant is not required to pass an examination.” Construction Supervisor License is the exam credential for structural work and is a different license.	Existing owner-occupied 1–4 unit residential property. Not a dollar trigger on the registration page retrieved.	None for HIC. CSL is the exam path.	None published as a HIC bond. Guaranty Fund contribution is mandatory ($100–$500 by employee count). Fund pays up to $25,000.	MA Contractor Hub
Michigan	4	LARA Bureau of Construction Codes	Residential Builder (build a complete residential structure and do maintenance and alteration work) or Maintenance & Alteration Contractor (selected trades). Article 24 of 1980 PA 299. Titles do not contain remodel or home improvement.	Not verified as a dollar trigger. Commercial builders are not licensed at state level (LARA FAQ).	60 hours prelicensure education, then exam (PSI).	Not verified as a single figure.	LARA Accela
Nevada	5	State Contractors Board	B General Building; B-2 Residential and Small Commercial; B-7 Residential Remodeling (NAC 624.170). B-6 Commercial Remodeling. C specialties. B-7’s title names the work; B and B-2 do not.	No NRS 624.031 exemption figure is given: the statute page was blocked when we retrieved it. Restricted B-7 (R030-25) is a nonstructural remodeling subclass. Not treated as Level 3.	Trade exam and Nevada business-and-law exam for standard B / B-2. Restricted B-7 is a lighter path under R030-25.	Monetary limit on the license; bond amount follows the limit. Not a single statewide dollar figure.	NSCB license search
North Carolina	3	Licensing Board for General Contractors	Building, Residential, Highway, Public Utilities, Specialty, Unclassified. Limitations: Limited / Intermediate / Unlimited. No classification names remodeling.	$40,000 (Board homepage; G.S. 87-1). Raised from $30,000 effective October 1, 2023. Below that line: no NCLBGC credential. Limited $750,000 / Intermediate $1,500,000 / Unlimited uncapped is a different ceiling.	Qualifying examination. NASCLA accepted for Building.	Optional surety in lieu of working-capital showing (Limited: $175,000 bond per the Board’s classifications page). No insurance requirement for licensing (Board FAQ).	NCLBGC public search
Oklahoma	1	Construction Industries Board	None. CIB: “General Contractors are not currently required to have a state license in Oklahoma for general contracting.” Trades remain licensed.	Municipal. What to check instead: states without contractor licensing.	n/a (no GC exam)	n/a	Oklahoma CIB
Oregon	4	Construction Contractors Board	Residential General Contractor (RGC), “includes new homebuilders, remodelers.” Residential Specialty, Limited, Developer. The endorsement name is Residential General Contractor, not remodeling.	Not a $25,000+ licensing trigger. Specialty contractors may do three or more trades on one property only at $2,500 or less (CCB endorsement chart, November 2024).	16-hour pre-license training and exam (RMI).	RGC $25,000 residential bond (endorsement chart; Business Xpress directory also lists $20,000 against an older row, we use the Board’s November 2024 chart). GL $500,000 per occurrence.	CCB search
Pennsylvania	2	Office of Attorney General	Home Improvement Contractor registration (HICPA, 73 P.S. §§ 517.1 et seq.). The AG states that registration is not an endorsement of competency.	$5,000 or more of home-improvement work in a year. Small-contractor exception below that.	None.	None as a HICPA bond. Insurance floor $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage.	PA AG home-improvement search
Tennessee	3	Board for Licensing Contractors	Contractor license at $25,000 or more (T.C.A. Title 62, Chapter 6). Home Improvement license $3,000–$24,999 in nine adopting counties only (Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Haywood, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford, Shelby).	$25,000 statewide for the contractor license. Below that, home-improvement licensing is county-optional.	Tennessee Business and Law exam; trade exam for some classifications. Prov from July 1, 2026.	Home Improvement: $10,000 surety. Contractor: financial statement or, from July 1, 2026, a surety equal to 50% of the monetary limit.	Verify.tn.gov
Texas	1	TDLR does not regulate the occupation	None. TDLR’s program list does not include general contractors. The 955 records in this store are municipal: San Antonio 805, El Paso 150.	Municipal. What to check instead: states without contractor licensing. Do not treat a TDLR “no record” on a remodeler as a licensing crime.	n/a (no GC exam)	n/a at state level. El Paso posts a city bond on its own form.	TDLR search (trades, not GC)
Utah	5	Division of Professional Licensing	B-100 General Building; R-100 Residential and Small Commercial; R-101 Non-Structural Remodel/Repair; S-220 Carpentry & Flooring and other specialties. R-101’s title names the work; B-100’s does not.	R-101 is non-structural and has been published with a $50,000 total-cost cap in R156-55a. Not treated as Level 3 for the state as a whole, because B-100 / R-100 exist without that cap.	Classification-dependent. HB 187 (2019) eliminated the trade exam for B-100, R-100 and E-100; confirm current rule with DOPL before relying on that exemption.	Not verified as a single statewide dollar figure.	Utah LLV
Virginia	4	DPOR Board for Contractors	Class A / B / C (project-value tiers) plus a classification such as Residential Building Contractor (RBC) or Commercial Building Contractor (CBC). 18VAC50-22-20. Titles are building, not remodeling.	Class C: over $1,000 and under $30,000 per project, or under $250,000 in a 12-month period (Va. Code § 54.1-1100 as published on law.lis.virginia.gov, retrieved September 5, 2026). Handyman carve-out, not Level 3.	Classification exam. Experience: 1 year Class C, 3 years Class B, 5 years Class A (board application).	Net worth: Class A $45,000; Class B $15,000. Not a consumer bond figure.	DPOR license lookup
Washington	2	Department of Labor & Industries	Contractor registration under RCW 18.27. General or specialty. L&I does not examine remodeling. Plumbing, electrical, elevators, boilers and asbestos carry additional exam requirements.	Registration is required; this is not a $25,000 licensing trigger. Bond amounts are $30,000 general / $15,000 specialty (RCW 18.27.040).	None for general/specialty registration.	$30,000 general / $15,000 specialty. Homeowner recovery program (RCW 18.27.410–.430).	L&I Verify

Checked at the statute or the licensing authority, retrieved September 5, 2026. Level is HyreRemodel analysis under the rule above. Lookup links are the board’s own; whether they work is in the lookup directory. Insurance tied to a license is in the insurance study.

Unverified is not “no license” and is not a level. 27 states were not confirmed at a primary source and are not in this table. A secondary round-up is not a source.

Thresholds, carve-outs, and the $25,000 line we drew

Licensed states carve out small jobs in different ways. Florida’s $2,500 casual exemption, Virginia’s $1,000 Class C floor, Oregon’s $2,500 multi-trade specialty cap and Alabama’s $10,000 Home Builder trigger are four different legal facts. One “no license below $X” column would blur them into a number no statute supports.

HyreRemodel analysis: we kept Level 3 for a statewide competency license that starts at $25,000 or more, because a mid-size kitchen remodel can fall entirely below that.

North Carolina’s board puts it plainly on its homepage: “If a project is valued at $40,000 or more, your general contractor must have a license issued by the state. It’s the law.” The statute is G.S. 87-1, and the threshold rose from $30,000 to $40,000 on October 1, 2023.

Tennessee is the other Level 3 state. Its Board for Licensing Contractors requires a license before bidding at $25,000 or more.

A separate Home Improvement license covers $3,000 to $24,999, but only in nine counties that adopted it, so the same kitchen is a different legal fact in Shelby County than in a county that did not.

Alabama’s $10,000 trigger (Ala. Code § 34-14A-2) sits below our line, and the class is still called Home Builder. Florida’s $2,500 exemption disappears if you advertise as a contractor. Treating either as a smaller North Carolina would turn the five levels into a dollar ranking.

Exam, experience, bond, insurance and reciprocity in ten states

State	Exam	Experience (as published)	Bond	Insurance tied to the license	Reciprocity	Source
Arizona	Statutes-and-rules plus trade exam for B, B-3, CR-61	Four years hands-on or managerial (ROC experience table)	Not verified as a single figure	Not verified as a single figure	Not verified	ROC classifications; ROC experience PDF
California	Trade exam and law-and-business exam	Four years as a journeyman, foreman, supervisor or contractor is the standard CSLB showing; not re-copied here from a secondary guide	$25,000 contractor bond (B&P § 7071.6). Qualifying-individual bond $25,000 where required (§ 7071.9). LLC worker bond $100,000 (§ 7071.6.5)	LLC: $1 million liability minimum, scaling with personnel (B&P § 7071.19). Workers’ compensation or exemption on the license record	Not verified as a NASCLA-acceptance statement	CSLB bond page; B&P 7071.6
Florida	Certification by examination (F.S. 489.111). Registered path: local competency	F.S. 489.111 experience showing, not re-fetched in full; do not invent a year count	Local boards may require a bond ≤ $5,000 (F.S. 489.113)	Workers’ compensation or exemption (F.S. 489.114). GL minima are Board rule, not a single statutory figure	Endorsement / reciprocity in F.S. 489.115; not tabulated here	F.S. 489.105, .103, .113, .114, .115
Maryland	Required (BR § 8-302). Law plus competency	Not verified as a year count	Surety if net worth is below the maximum Guaranty Fund award to one claimant	Certificate of insurance with MHIC as holder	Not verified	MHIC (Maryland Labor) pages; BR § 8-302
Nevada	Trade plus Nevada business-and-law for standard B / B-2	Classification-dependent; restricted B-7 is a lighter path under R030-25	Follows the monetary limit on the license	Not verified as a single figure	Rural Housing license path cites NRS 624.242–.243 (NSCB). NASCLA is used in some NSCB exams; not asserted as full reciprocity	NAC 624.170; NSCB; R030-25
North Carolina	Qualifying examination. NASCLA accepted for Building	Working-capital showing, or a surety in lieu (Limited: $175,000 bond)	Optional surety in lieu of working capital, not a consumer bond of a published remodel amount	None required for licensing (Board FAQ)	NASCLA exam accepted for Building. That is exam portability, not a license passport	NCLBGC classifications page and FAQ
Oregon	16-hour pre-license training and exam (Responsible Managing Individual)	Training-and-test, not a published year count on the RGC directory page	RGC $25,000 (CCB endorsement chart, Nov 2024)	RGC $500,000 per occurrence	Not verified	Oregon CCB endorsement chart; Business Xpress RGC
Utah	Classification-dependent. Trade exam dropped for B-100 / R-100 / E-100 in 2019 (HB 187); confirm current rule	Classification-dependent	Not verified as a single figure	Not verified as a single figure	Not verified	R156-55a; DOPL classification table
Virginia	Classification / specialty exam	1 / 3 / 5 years for Class C / B / A	Net worth $45,000 (A) / $15,000 (B), not a consumer bond	Not verified as a single GL figure	Not verified	Va. Code § 54.1-1100; 18VAC50-22; DPOR application
Washington	None for general/specialty registration	None	$30,000 general / $15,000 specialty (RCW 18.27.040)	Required (RCW 18.27.050)	n/a (registration)	RCW 18.27; L&I

Recorded only where the board or statute published it, retrieved September 5, 2026. An empty cell in a secondary round-up is not a “no.” Insurance as a consumer protection is its own study.

HyreRemodel recommendation: ask for the class name, the license number and any limitation, then look them up. “Licensed and insured” is a phrase that invites a yes.

The class list is not the classes people hold

A board’s class list and a store built from that board are different documents. CSLB lists B-2; our store holds two of 4,820 California records in it. NSCB lists B-7; 62 of 3,494 Nevada records hold it alone. DOPL lists R-101; 33 of 703 Utah records hold it. Florida lists CGC; we hold 0.

Arizona lists B-3 and CR-61, and those two are the most held classes in its harvest. A page that reprints class lists will tell you California has a remodeling class. Our count says California’s remodeling trade still holds Class B. Both are true; only the second describes practice.

Texas is the gap in the middle. 528 San Antonio records are City Residential Building Contractor, 277 are City Home Improvement Contractor, and 150 El Paso records are Contractor General. Those are city categories that do not apply elsewhere. The protections that stand in for a license are in the no-license-state study.

How to read a license class before you hire

Ask for the state, the number and the class.

Not just “are you licensed?” In Arizona, B, B-3 and CR-61 mean building a house, remodeling one, and remodeling under a specialty cap. In Florida, CBC versus CRC is three stories versus two. In North Carolina, Limited versus Unlimited is a $750,000 ceiling.

Look the class up on the board that issued it.

The lookup link is in the table, and the lookup directory says whether each one works. A photo of a license card is not a lookup.

Read the title, then the scope.

A Florida CBC is authorized to remodel. An Arizona B-3 is named for it. A California B-2 is named for it and rare in our store. A California B is not named for it and is what the trade holds.

Check the threshold against your job.

In North Carolina a $35,000 kitchen has no state license to check. In Tennessee a $20,000 bathroom needs a Home Improvement license only in the nine adopting counties. In Florida a $2,000 handyman job may be exempt, unless the person advertises as a contractor.

Check the trades separately.

Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work can need their own licenses even where the general class does not name remodeling, and even in Level 1 states. A valid CBC does not make the electrician licensed. Ask who will open the wall.

Do not read an empty disciplinary field as a clean record.

Our snapshot fills in disciplinary actions only for Utah (32 records). Empty fields in the other six states mean we did not retrieve them. See clean board records.

The 27 states we have not verified, and will not guess

23 states are in the table. These 27 are not: Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Secondary round-ups describe many of them one way or another. We did not retrieve a primary source that lets us place them, so they stay out of the table rather than be copied from a summary.

Where we tried and failed, the gap is specific. Nevada’s statute chapter (NRS 624) was blocked when we retrieved it, though its class names come from NAC 624.170, NSCB and R030-25. New York Department of State pages have returned errors before. Ohio’s code chapters 4740 and 4722 did not load.

Ohio’s Construction Industry Licensing Board licenses trades such as electrical, HVAC and plumbing. We do not treat that as a Level 1 finding, because we did not retrieve the board’s own profession list.

HyreRemodel analysis: a 23-row table with a named gap is more useful than a 50-row table whose last 27 rows were copied from each other. States join as each is retrieved and dated.

How we built the table

The question.

What does “licensed contractor” mean for residential remodeling in each state: which classes exist, whether the title names remodeling, and what exam, experience, bond, insurance, reciprocity and job-value threshold apply?

Primary sources only.

For each state we found the agency that would license residential general contracting or home improvement, and read its own class list, profession list or a clear statement on its site, with the statute where published. Each fact carries its retrieval date.

Three answers, not two.

A requirement is verified present, verified absent, or not verified. “No license” is recorded only from the agency’s own list or statement, never from a failed lookup, and an unchecked cell is never shown as a “no.”

A published rule for the levels.

The five levels are our judgment, assigned by the rule in “The five levels, and the rule that assigns them.” It is printed so it can be disagreed with.

Store counts from the files.

Class counts come from the classification fields on each license file in our store, measured September 5, 2026. A record counts as “title contains remodel” only when the board’s own class string does. Florida CGC was checked by license prefix and class value: zero either way.

No directory round-ups.

Published “contractor license by state” pages disagreed with each other on Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa, Idaho, Tennessee’s home improvement counties and California’s B-2. That disagreement is why unverified rows stay out.

Questions

What does a general contractor license mean?

It depends on the state. In Florida it is a CGC, CBC or CRC whose title never says remodeling. In Arizona it can be a B-3, which does. In Texas there is no state license at all, and in North Carolina the license applies only from $40,000. That is why we sort states into five levels.

Does Florida have a remodeling contractor license?

Not by that name. F.S. 489.105 defines general, building and residential contractors, and the building and residential scopes include remodeling while the titles do not. A Florida CBC may remodel a kitchen that does not affect structural members. That is a scope fact, not a class-name fact.

Does Arizona license remodeling as its own class?

Yes. The Registrar of Contractors publishes B-3 General Remodeling and Repair and CR-61, R-61 and C-61 Carpentry, Remodeling and Repairs; R-61 is capped at $50,000. In our store, 1,723 of 4,932 Arizona records hold a class whose title contains “remodel.”

Does California have a residential remodeling license?

Yes, on paper. CSLB added B-2 Residential Remodeling Contractor effective January 1, 2021 (B&P Code § 7057.5). Only two of 4,820 California records in our store hold it; 4,620 hold Class B General Building, which is what the trade uses.

Which states require a contractor license?

There is no single list, because “license” covers five different things. Of 23 states we checked, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma and Texas issue no statewide residential GC credential, and Arizona, California, Maryland, Nevada and Utah publish a class that names remodeling or home improvement. The full split is in the table.

What is the difference between a contractor license and a registration?

A license means the state tested competence, by exam and in some states by experience. A registration records that the business exists, sometimes with a bond or insurance. Massachusetts says a home improvement registrant “is not required to pass an examination,” and Pennsylvania’s Attorney General says registration is not an endorsement of competency.

Does North Carolina require a license for a kitchen remodel?

Only if the project is valued at $40,000 or more, under G.S. 87-1. The board’s classes (Building, Residential and others) do not name remodeling and carry Limited, Intermediate and Unlimited project-size ceilings. What you can check below $40,000 is covered in our no-license-state study.

How do I look up a contractor license?

Use the issuing board’s own lookup, linked in the table for every verified state. Our lookup directory notes which searches work. A search on TDLR will never return a Texas general contractor, because Texas does not license that occupation.

Is a California Class B the same as an Arizona B-3?

No. California Class B covers structures needing at least two unrelated building trades (B&P § 7057). Arizona B-3 covers remodeling and repair of existing homes, with electrical, plumbing and mechanical work subcontracted. The names look alike; the scopes do not.

Does HyreRemodel do remodeling work?

No. HyreRemodel publishes research and guides. It does not design, build, manage or inspect remodeling work, pull permits, or rank companies for a fee. Matching homeowners with remodelers is still being built, and no contractor is signed up. Nothing here is a license check for your job or legal advice.

Written and audited by

HyreRemodel Research Desk

Primary-source research, data analysis and fact checking

We are a research desk, not a remodeling contractor and not a sales floor.

We read the statute, the licensing register or the municipal fee schedule ourselves, and we publish the figure with the document it came from and the date we retrieved it.

Where a number cannot be traced to a primary source, we publish the shorter page and say what we could not verify.

This program is new, and the counts below are small: they are what we have actually published, not what we intend to.

7: studies published
7: states in the contractor store we measure against
264: source documents linked from these pages, 101 of them on .gov domains
22,183: license records measured September 5, 2026

How this desk works

Primary sources only. Licensing facts come from the issuing board or the statute that creates the credential. Permit-fee facts come from the municipality that publishes the schedule. We do not cite an article that cites a source; we open the source and record the date.
Our own store is titled to the states it covers. We hold verified contractor records for seven states. An asset that rests on those records is titled to those states. National claims rest on federal or state-agency data (Census, BLS, EPA), never on our counts.
Absence of a record is not a finding about the company. A board that does not publish disciplinary history in a form we retrieved is excluded from any “clean record” claim. Unable to verify is not unlicensed. Not required is not not carried.
Fact, calculation, analysis and recommendation stay labelled. A statute is a source fact. A count we derived from our store is a HyreRemodel calculation. What that count means is analysis. What a homeowner should do next is a recommendation.
We do not remodel homes, and we take no payment for placement, ranking or a favorable mention. Nobody buys a position on this site.

Data as of September 5, 2026 (boards and statutes; store class counts). Authorship on this site is organizational: the analysis belongs to the desk rather than to a named individual, and we do not publish credentials we do not hold. Our editorial policy sets out how we source, date and correct what we publish.

Sources & retrieval dates

Florida Statute 489.105, Definitions, Division I: general contractor (a), building contractor (b), residential contractor (c). Building and residential scopes include remodeling; titles do not. Certified vs registered defined in (8) and (10). Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Florida Statute 489.103, Exemptions, Subsection (9): casual, minor or inconsequential work with aggregate contract price less than $2,500, as published in the 2026 Florida Statutes. Does not apply if part of a larger operation or if the person advertises as a contractor. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Arizona Registrar of Contractors, License Classifications, B-3 General Remodeling and Repair Contractor; R-61 / CR-61 Carpentry, Remodeling and Repairs (R-61 capped at $50,000); B General Residential; KB-1; KB-2; R-62 Minor Home Improvements. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Arizona Registrar of Contractors, License Classification Requirements (experience / exam table), B, B-3 and CR-61: four years experience plus SRE and trade exams. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

California CSLB, Licensing Classifications, A General Engineering; B General Building; B-2 Residential Remodeling; C specialties including C-6, C-9, C-15, C-33, C-54. Business & Professions Code Division 3, Chapter 9, Article 4. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

California CSLB, B-2 Residential Remodeling Contractor (B&P § 7057.5), Added by Stats. 2020, Ch. 364 (SB 1189), effective January 1, 2021. Existing residential wood-frame structure; at least three unrelated trades; no structural changes to load-bearing portions; electrical/mechanical/plumbing systems restricted. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

California CSLB, B General Building Contractor (B&P § 7057), Structure for support, shelter and enclosure requiring at least two unrelated building trades. Framing/carpentry exception. Fire-protection and well-drilling restrictions. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

California Business & Professions Code § 7071.6, Contractor bond, Contractor’s bond in the sum of $25,000 as a condition of issuance, reinstatement, reactivation, renewal or continued maintenance. Operative January 1, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

California CSLB, Bond Requirements, Board restatement of the $25,000 contractor license bond, increased January 1, 2023 by SB 607. Bond is not per job. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Nevada Administrative Code 624.170, Classification B subclassifications, B-2 Residential and Small Commercial; B-6 Commercial Remodeling; B-7 Residential Remodeling (existing detached single-family; no increase of enclosed space). Official NAC host was blocked; text retrieved from the published NAC as carried on Justia and corroborated by NSCB’s own B-7 materials and R030-25. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Nevada State Contractors Board, Agency homepage; contractor license search; residential recovery fund. Classification bulletin July 6, 2026: General Building projects must include more than two unrelated trades (NRS 624.215(3)). Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Nevada approved regulation R030-25, restricted B-7, Authorizes a restricted residential remodeling license in subclassification B-7 for nonstructural remodeling of existing detached single-family residences not more than three stories. Cites NRS 624.031. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Utah DOPL, contractor classifications, B100 General Building; R100 Residential/Small Commercial; R101 Residential/Small Commercial Non-Structural Remodel/Repair; S220 Carpentry & Flooring and other specialties. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Utah Rule R156-55a-301, License Classifications, Scope of Practice, R101: remodeling and repairing any existing structure with no change to bearing portions. Historical $50,000 total-cost cap in prior bulletins. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors, Homepage: “If a project is valued at $40,000 or more, your general contractor must have a license issued by the state. It’s the law.” Public search at portal.nclbgc.org. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

NCLBGC, Classifications and limitations, Building, Residential, Highway, Public Utilities, Specialty. Limited $750,000; Intermediate $1,500,000; Unlimited uncapped. Limited may post a $175,000 surety in lieu of working capital. No insurance requirement for licensing (FAQ). NASCLA accepted for Building. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Georgia Secretary of State, Residential and Commercial General Contractors FAQ, License required to perform residential or commercial general contractor services for compensation. Specialty trades excepted. Exam required. Residential Basic and Light Commercial net worth $25,000. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Oregon CCB, endorsement chart (November 2024), Residential General Contractor: unlimited unrelated trades on residential or small commercial; $25,000 residential bond; $500,000 insurance. Residential Specialty: one or two trades, or three-plus at $2,500 or less; $20,000 bond; $300,000 insurance. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Oregon Business Xpress, Contractor, Residential General (CCB), RGC may supervise, arrange and/or perform an unlimited amount of unrelated building trades on any residential or small commercial property. “This category includes new homebuilders, remodelers.” 16-hour RMI training and exam. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Virginia Code § 54.1-1100, Definitions, Class A $150,000+ per project or $1 million+ in 12 months; Class B $30,000–$150,000 or $250,000–$1 million in 12 months; Class C over $1,000 and under $30,000, or under $250,000 in 12 months. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Virginia 18VAC50-22-20, Definitions of license classifications, Residential Building Contractor (RBC) and Commercial Building Contractor (CBC) among other classifications. Remodeling appears in commercial-building scope language; the classification abbreviation is CBC/RBC, not remodeling. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board, § 34-14A-2 Definitions, Residential home builder includes construction, or the repair, improvement or reimprovement, of a residence not over three floors and not more than four units, when the cost exceeds $10,000. Residential roofer at $2,500. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board, How to get licensed, Unlimited: pass Alabama Home Builders exams (Prov; Business & Law 70, Skills 66). Limited or roofers: municipal contractor license in lieu of the skills exam. Credit report for financial responsibility. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, Contractor license required prior to contracting at $25,000 or more. Home Improvement license $3,000–$24,999 in nine adopting counties. Verify.tn.gov. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Tennessee, Home Improvement Contractor, Required for residential remodeling $3,000–$24,999 in Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Haywood, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford and Shelby. $10,000 surety; GL and workers’ compensation. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Maryland Home Improvement Commission, Licenses home-improvement contractors; Guaranty Fund; exam via PSI. Original-contractor checklist: GL certificate with MHIC as holder; surety if not financially solvent by $30,000. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Maryland Business Regulation § 8-302, Examination, Applicant must pass the examination the Commission requires, testing knowledge of the home-improvement law and competency to engage in the licensed occupation. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Connecticut DCP, Home Improvement, All Home Improvement Contractors, New Home Construction Contractors and Home Improvement Salespeople must be registered with DCP. Verify at elicense.ct.gov. Guaranty Fund up to $25,000. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Connecticut DCP, Home Improvement Contractor applications, Registration under the Home Improvement Act. GL insurance of no less than $20,000. Application fee $220. All applications online. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Massachusetts OCABR, Home Improvement Contractor registration, Contractors on existing owner-occupied 1–4 unit residential property must register as HIC. HIC is not interchangeable with Construction Supervisor License. $150 fee plus Guaranty Fund payment by employee count. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Massachusetts OCABR, HIC homeowner resources, Explicit: “A HIC registrant is not required to pass an examination.” CSL requires an exam demonstrating knowledge of the state building code and is generally required for structural work. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Michigan LARA, Residential Builders, Article 24 of 1980 PA 299. Residential Builder or Maintenance & Alteration Contractor. 60 hours prelicensure education; exam. Accela lookup. Commercial builders are not licensed at state level (LARA FAQ). Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Iowa DIAL, Contractor registration, Iowa Code chapter 91C. Construction contractors must register if they earn at least $2,000 a year from construction. $50 fee. Out-of-state bond $25,000. Not a competency exam. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Iowa Code § 91C.2, Registration required, Workers’ compensation compliance; unemployment-insurance account; out-of-state surety $25,000 or DOT prequalification. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

NASCLA, State Licensing Information, Directory of state regulatory agencies, exam providers and license-verification links. Used to locate official board URLs; not used as a source for class names, thresholds or requirements. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, TDLR at a Glance, 41 programs. General contractor is not on the list. Cited for the Level 1 Texas row. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Home Improvement Contractor Registration, HICPA registration at $5,000 or more per year. No exam. Insurance floor $50,000 / $50,000. AG: registration is not an endorsement of competency. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

Washington RCW 18.27, Registration of contractors, Registration required. Bond $30,000 general / $15,000 specialty. Insurance required. Homeowner recovery program. Chapter exclusive; city authority not limited. Retrieved September 5, 2026.

HyreRemodel contractor verification store, 23,756 companies and 22,183 license records across seven states (FL 7,130, AZ 4,932, CA 4,820, NV 3,494, TX 955, UT 703, NC 149). Class counts computed from the classification / classifications field on each license file. Texas records are municipal (San Antonio 805, El Paso 150). Measured 2026-09-05 from data/remodeling-data/licenses/. Retrieved 2026-09-05.

Planning a remodel of your own?

A Florida CBC, an Arizona B-3 and a California B are three different credentials, and in Texas none of them exists. Check the class on every bid, and tell us about the project when you are ready.

Plan Your Remodel Bid comparison worksheet

HyreRemodel does not do remodeling work and has no commercial tie to any board or contractor named here. Nothing on this page is a license check for your job or legal advice. If a state’s entry is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it in place and say so.