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Quick answer
Nevada requires a contractor's license, issued by the Nevada State Contractors Board, to engage in the business of a contractor or to bid on a job in the state, unless an exemption applies. The Board names Class A (General Engineering Contractor) and Class B (General Building Contractor). As of October 4, 2026, the application fee is $300 per application.
Nevada · Contractor licenseVerified 2026-10-04
State license
Contractor's license (residential and commercial)
Nevada law makes it unlawful to engage in the business or act in the capacity of a contractor in Nevada, or to submit a bid on a job in Nevada, without an active license, unless exempted from licensure. The Nevada State Contractors Board names Class A (General Engineering Contractor) and Class B (General Building Contractor) licenses.
The qualifying individual passes the written Business and Law examination and a trade exam for the specific trade unless he or she meets the requirements for a waiver; not all classifications require a trade exam
Contractor's license (residential and commercial). Nevada law makes it unlawful to engage in the business or act in the capacity of a contractor in Nevada, or to submit a bid on a job in Nevada, without an active license, unless exempted from licensure. The Nevada State Contractors Board names Class A (General Engineering Contractor) and Class B (General Building Contractor) licenses.
Threshold. The statute exempts from licensure any work to repair or maintain property valued at less than $1,000, including labor and materials, unless a building permit is required for the work or another listed condition applies.
It is unlawful for any person or combination of persons to: (a) Engage in the business or act in the capacity of a contractor within this State; or (b) Submit a bid on a job situated within this State,
without having an active license therefor as provided in this chapter, unless that person or combination of persons is exempted from licensure pursuant to NRS 624.031.
Class “A”—General Engineering Contractor. The principal business is in connection with fixed works requiring specialized engineering knowledge and skill.
Class “B”—General Building Contractor. The principal business is in connection with the construction or remodeling of buildings or structures for the support, shelter and enclosure of persons, animals, chattels or movable property of any kind, requiring in their construction the use of more than two unrelated building trades or crafts,
Any work to repair or maintain property the value of which is less than $1,000, including labor and materials, unless: (a) A building permit is required to perform the work;
Principal business in connection with the construction or remodeling of buildings or structures, requiring the use of more than two unrelated building trades or crafts
Exam. The qualifying individual passes the written Business and Law examination and a trade exam for the specific trade unless he or she meets the requirements for a waiver; not all classifications require a trade exam. Source: NSCB, FAQ for General Requirements
Experience. At least 4 years of experience as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the specific classification within the 15 years before the application. Source: NSCB, FAQ for General Requirements
Bond. A surety bond, or in lieu of it a cash deposit, filed with the Board before a license issues; the Board fixes the amount at not less than $1,000 or more than $500,000, with reference to the contractor's financial and professional responsibility and the magnitude of its operations. License bond in Nevada. Source: NRS 624.270(1); NRS 624.270(4)
Workers' compensation. Proof of compliance with industrial insurance coverage (workers' compensation) as a condition of licensure and of renewal, unless exempt from this requirement with a signed exemption affidavit. Source: NSCB, FAQ for General Requirements
The qualifying individual for a contractor’s license is required to pass the written Business and Law (Construction Management Survey exam) and trade examinations unless he or she meets the requirements for a waiver.
all qualifying individuals must pass the standard Business and Law examination; in addition, qualifying individuals must pass a trade exam covering the specific trade for which they are applying. note: Not all classifications require a trade exam.
The trade qualified individual must have, within the 15 years immediately preceding the filing of this application, at least 4 years of experience as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the specific classification requested.
1. Before issuing a contractor’s license to any applicant, the Board shall require that the applicant: (a) File with the Board a surety bond in a form acceptable to the Board executed by the contractor as principal with a corporation authorized to transact surety business in the State of Nevada as surety; or (b) In lieu of such a bond, establish with the Board a cash deposit as provided in this section.
4. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 6, the amount of each bond or cash deposit required by this section must be fixed by the Board with reference to the contractor’s financial and professional responsibility and the magnitude of the contractor’s operations, but must be not less than $1,000 or more than $500,000.
All contractors are required to provide proof of compliance with Industrial insurance coverage (workers’ compensation) as a condition of licensure, to maintain a license, to activate an inactive license, or to renew a license, unless they are exempt from this requirement and have signed an exemption affidavit.
Term and renewal. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 624.242 and 624.243, a license expires 2 years after the date on which it is issued; the Board may by regulation prescribe shorter or longer periods to establish a system of staggered biennial renewals.
1. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 624.242 and 624.243, each license issued under the provisions of this chapter expires 2 years after the date on which it is issued, except that the Board may by regulation prescribe shorter or longer periods and prorated fees to establish a system of staggered biennial renewals.
Engaging in the business or acting in the capacity of a contractor, or submitting a bid, without an active license is unlawful. The penalty statute sets, for a first offense, a misdemeanor with a fine of $1,000 to $4,000 and possible imprisonment in the county jail for up to 6 months; for a second offense, a gross misdemeanor with a fine of $4,000 to $10,000 and possible imprisonment in the county jail for up to 364 days; for a third or later offense, a category E felony with a fine of $10,000 to $20,000 and possible imprisonment in the state prison for 1 to 4 years. If the person commenced any work or received any money relating to a contract entered into without the license, the maximum fines may be exceeded by a fine enhancement of not more than 10 percent of the value of the contract.
2. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3 and unless a greater penalty is otherwise provided by a specific statute, any person who violates subsection 1, NRS 624.305, subsection 1 of NRS 624.700 or NRS 624.720 or 624.740:
(a) For a first offense, is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than $1,000 nor more than $4,000, and may be further punished by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 6 months.
(b) For the second offense, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than $4,000 nor more than $10,000, and may be further punished by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 364 days.
(c) For the third or subsequent offense, is guilty of a category E felony and shall be punished by a fine of not less than $10,000 nor more than $20,000, and may be further punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than 1 year and not more than 4 years.
3. If a person is guilty of a violation of subsection 1 of NRS 624.700, the maximum fines set forth in subsection 2 may be exceeded by adding thereto a fine enhancement of not more than 10 percent of the value of any contract that the person entered into in violation of subsection 1 of NRS 624.700, if that person commenced any work or received any money relating to the contract.
Nevada treats the credential as a contractor's license, and the Nevada State Contractors Board is the agency that issues it. The license covers both residential and commercial work. It makes it unlawful to engage in the business of a contractor, or to act in that capacity, anywhere in the state without an active license. The same rule applies to submitting a bid on a Nevada job, so a bid falls under the statute just as the work that follows it does.
The statute also lists exemptions. One of them covers work to repair or maintain property valued at less than $1,000 [1], counting labor and materials together. That exemption does not hold when the work needs a building permit, and the statute sets out other conditions that can take a job outside it as well.
Classes and qualifications
The Board describes two general categories. Class A, the General Engineering Contractor, centers on fixed works that call for specialized engineering knowledge and skill. Class B, the General Building Contractor, centers on building or remodeling structures where the construction draws on more than two unrelated building trades or crafts. The split, then, runs between engineering works on one side and multi-trade building jobs on the other.
Each license has a qualifying individual, and the exam and experience requirements attach to that person. The Board's examination requirement has two parts: a written Business and Law examination that every qualifying individual takes, and a trade exam tied to the specific trade being applied for. A waiver is available to someone who meets its requirements, and the Board notes that some classifications carry no trade exam at all.
Experience is measured inside a fixed window. The qualifying individual needs at least 4 years [2] of experience as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the requested classification, earned within the 15 years [2] before the application is filed.
Two further conditions apply to the business itself. Before a license issues, the applicant files a surety bond with the Board or, in place of the bond, sets up a cash deposit. The Board fixes the amount for each contractor by looking at its financial and professional responsibility and the size of its operations, within a statutory range of not less than $1,000 [1] and not more than $500,000 [1]. Contractors also show proof of industrial insurance coverage, which is workers' compensation, both to get a license and to renew one, unless they are exempt and have signed an exemption affidavit.
Cost and renewal
As of 2026-10-04, the application fee is $300 per application [3].
A Nevada license runs for 2 years [1] from the date it is issued, subject to exceptions the statute names in other sections. The statute lets the Board set shorter or longer periods by regulation so that renewals can be staggered across license holders on a biennial cycle. Proof of workers' compensation coverage, or a signed exemption affidavit, is part of each renewal.
Working without the credential
Nevada's penalty statute steps up with each offense. A first offense is a misdemeanor, with a fine from $1,000 to $4,000 [1] and possible imprisonment in the county jail for up to 6 months [1]. A second offense is a gross misdemeanor, carrying a fine from $4,000 to $10,000 [1] and possible imprisonment in the county jail for up to 364 days [1]. A third or later offense becomes a category E felony, with a fine from $10,000 to $20,000 [1] and possible imprisonment in the state prison for 1 to 4 years [1].
Those fine ceilings are not the end of it when a contract was involved. If the person started work or received money under a contract entered into without the license, the statute allows a fine enhancement of up to 10 percent [1] of that contract's value on top of the maximum fines.
