North Carolina Residential Building Contractor

License Requirements

• Pre-approval from the state is required to sit for the examination.
• Please note a separate North Carolina Business and Law exam is not needed, that information is incorporated into the Residential Building exam.
• A license is required for projects that are $30,000 or more.
• Applicants must submit 3 names as references.  

  All licenses covered by the commercial licensing board are divided into 3 financial categories:

• Limited: Applicants must have a minimum working capital of $17,000. This level allows bids up to $500,000 per single project.
• Intermediate: Applicants must have a minimum working capital of $75,000. This level allows bids up to $1,000,000 per single project.
• Unlimited: Applicants must have a minimum working capital of $150,000. This level has no restrictions as to the value of any single project.

  Applicants for the Intermediate and Unlimited license must submit audited financial statements with classified balance sheets prepared by a CPA or independent accountant engaged in the public practice of accounting.

• Surety bonds are required for applicants with insufficient working capital. The board may request that a surety bond and payment bond be obtained for jobs above a certain monetary level.