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North Carolina issues a general contractor license through the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors for work where the cost of the undertaking is $40,000 or more. Licenses are limited, intermediate or unlimited, and the applicant names a qualifier who has passed an examination approved by the Board. As of September 1, 2020, the application fee for a limited license is $75 per application.
North Carolina · Contractor licenseVerified 2026-10-04
State license
General contractor license (residential and commercial)
The North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors licenses general contractors; anyone seeking to be licensed as a general contractor in the state submits an application. The classifications include building contractor, covering private, public, commercial, industrial and residential buildings of all types, and residential contractor.
General contractor license (residential and commercial). The North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors licenses general contractors; anyone seeking to be licensed as a general contractor in the state submits an application. The classifications include building contractor, covering private, public, commercial, industrial and residential buildings of all types, and residential contractor.
Threshold. A person or firm that, for a fixed price, commission, fee or wage, bids on or constructs, or superintends or manages the construction of, any building, highway, public utilities, grading or any improvement or structure where the cost of the undertaking is $40,000 or more is a general contractor under the statute.
(a) Anyone seeking to be licensed as a general contractor in this State shall submit an application.
(1) Building contractor, which shall include private, public, commercial, industrial and residential buildings of all types. (1a) Residential contractor, which shall include any general contractor constructing only residences which are required to conform to the North Carolina Residential Code
(a) For the purpose of this Article any person or firm or corporation who for a fixed price, commission, fee, or wage, undertakes to bid upon or to construct or who undertakes to superintend or manage, on his own behalf or for any person, firm, or corporation that is not licensed as a general contractor pursuant to this Article, the construction of any building, highway, public utilities, grading or any improvement or structure where the cost of the undertaking is forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or more, or undertakes to erect a North Carolina labeled manufactured modular building meeting the North Carolina State Building Code, shall be deemed to be a "general contractor" engaged in the business of general contracting in the State of North Carolina.
Limited: any single project with a value of up to $750,000; intermediate: up to $1,500,000 (both excluding the cost of land and any ancillary costs to improve the land); unlimited: no restriction as to the value of any single project
the holder of a limited license shall be entitled to act as general contractor for any single project with a value of up to seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($750,000), excluding the cost of land and any ancillary costs to improve the land.
the holder of an intermediate license shall be entitled to act as general contractor for any single project with a value of up to one million five hundred thousand dollars ($1,500,000), excluding the cost of land and any ancillary costs to improve the land;
Exam. The applicant identifies a qualifier who has passed an examination approved by the Board. Source: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 87-10(b)
Financial. Evidence of financial responsibility as determined by the Board: for a limited license, current assets exceeding current liabilities by at least $17,000 or a total net worth of at least $80,000; for an intermediate license, current assets exceeding current liabilities by at least $75,000, and for an unlimited license by at least $150,000, shown in an agreed-upon procedures report or an audited financial statement. Source: N.C. Gen. Stat. § 87-10(a)(3); 21 NCAC 12A .0204(b)(2); 21 NCAC 12A .0204(c)(2); 21 NCAC 12A .0204(d)(2)
Bond. In lieu of the working capital or net worth requirement, an applicant may obtain a surety bond of $175,000 for a limited license, $500,000 for an intermediate license or $1,000,000 for an unlimited license. License bond in North Carolina. Source: 21 NCAC 12A .0204(e)
An applicant shall identify an individual who has successfully passed an examination approved by the Board who, for purposes of this section, shall be known as the "qualifier" or the "qualifying party" of the applicant.
(2) have current assets that exceed the total current liabilities by at least seventeen thousand dollars ($17,000) or have a total net worth of at least eighty thousand dollars ($80,000);
21 NCAC 12A .0204(b)(2) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
(2) have current assets that exceed the total current liabilities by at least seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000), as reflected in an agreed-upon procedures report on a form provided by the Board or an audited financial statement prepared by a certified public accountant or an independent accountant who is engaged in the public practice of accountancy;
21 NCAC 12A .0204(c)(2) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
(2) have current assets that exceed the total current liabilities by at least one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000), as reflected in an agreed-upon procedures report on a form provided by the Board or an audited financial statement prepared by a certified public accountant or an independent accountant who is engaged in the public practice of accountancy;
21 NCAC 12A .0204(d)(2) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
(e) Surety Bonds. In lieu of demonstrating the level of working capital as required in Subparagraphs (c)(2) and (d)(2) of this Rule or net worth under Subparagraph (b)(2) of this Rule, an applicant may obtain a surety bond from a surety authorized to transact surety business in North Carolina pursuant to G.S. 58 Articles 7, 16, 21, or 22.
21 NCAC 12A .0204(e) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
The applicant shall maintain the bond in the amount of one hundred seventy-five thousand dollars ($175,000) for a limited license, five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) for an intermediate license, and one million dollars ($1,000,000) for an unlimited license.
21 NCAC 12A .0204(e) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
21 NCAC 12A .0304(a)(1) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
Recodified from 21 NCAC 12 .0304 Eff. January 2, 2020; Temporary Amendment Eff. January 7, 2020; Amended Eff. September 1, 2020.
21 NCAC 12A .0304 history note · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
(2) Application for intermediate license: $100.00;
21 NCAC 12A .0304(a)(2) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
(3) Application for unlimited license: $125.00;
21 NCAC 12A .0304(a)(3) · Official text · retrieved 2026-10-04
The Board shall require an applicant to pay the Board or a provider contracted by the Board an examination fee not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100.00).
Renewal applications shall be submitted with a fee not to exceed one hundred twenty-five dollars ($125.00) for an unlimited license, one hundred dollars ($100.00) for an intermediate license, and seventy-five dollars ($75.00) for a limited license.
Term and renewal. A license expires on the first day of January following its issuance or renewal and becomes invalid 60 days from that date unless renewed, subject to the approval of the Board.
Continuing education. As a condition of license renewal, at least one qualifier of a licensee holding a building contractor, residential contractor or unclassified contractor license classification completes eight hours of approved continuing education each year.
A license shall expire on the first day of January following its issuance or renewal and shall become invalid 60 days from that date unless renewed, subject to the approval of the Board.
As a condition of license renewal, at least one qualifier or qualifying party of a licensee holding a building contractor, residential contractor, or unclassified contractor license classification shall complete, on an annual basis, eight hours of continuing education approved in accordance with this section.
A person or firm not duly authorized who contracts for or bids on the construction of any project or work within the general contractor definition without first complying with the licensing article is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.
Any person, firm, or corporation not being duly authorized who shall contract for or bid upon the construction of any of the projects or works enumerated in G.S. 87-1, without having first complied with the provisions hereof,
North Carolina's credential is the general contractor license, issued by the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. Anyone seeking it submits an application [1]. The license reaches residential and commercial work alike.
The statute ties the definition of a general contractor to the size of the job. A person or firm that, for a fixed price, commission, fee or wage, bids on or builds, or superintends or manages the construction of, a building, highway, public utilities, grading or any other improvement or structure falls within it when the cost of the undertaking is $40,000 or more [1]. The Board's home page states the same $40,000 figure [2].
Classifications, limitations and qualifications
Two separate ideas shape a North Carolina license. The first is the classification, which describes the kind of building. The building contractor classification spans private, public, commercial, industrial and residential buildings of all types, while the residential contractor classification is confined to residences that must conform to the North Carolina Residential Code [1].
The second is the limitation, which ties the license to the value of a single project. A limited license reaches projects worth up to $750,000 and an intermediate license projects worth up to $1,500,000, both figures leaving out the cost of land and any ancillary costs to improve it [1]. An unlimited license places no cap on the value of a single project [1].
On the qualification side, the applicant identifies an individual, known as the qualifier, who has passed an examination approved by the Board [1]. The applicant also gives evidence of financial responsibility as the Board determines it [1], and here the limitation matters again. Board rule sets the measure for each tier: for a limited license, current assets exceeding current liabilities by at least $17,000 or a total net worth of at least $80,000 [3]; for an intermediate license, a margin of at least $75,000 [3]; for an unlimited license, at least $150,000 [3]. The intermediate and unlimited margins are shown in an agreed-upon procedures report or an audited financial statement [3].
A bond offers a second route. In place of the working capital or net worth showing, an applicant may obtain a surety bond of $175,000 for a limited license, $500,000 for an intermediate license or $1,000,000 for an unlimited license [3].
Cost and annual renewal
Application fees follow the same three tiers [3]. As of September 1, 2020, the application fee for a limited license is $75 per application [3]. The statute also provides for an examination fee, paid to the Board or a provider it contracts with, and a renewal fee that varies by tier; it writes both as ceilings rather than set amounts [1].
Licenses run on the calendar. A license expires on the first day of January following its issuance or renewal, and it becomes invalid 60 days after that date unless renewed, subject to the approval of the Board [1]. Renewal carries an education condition too: each year, at least one qualifier of a licensee holding a building contractor, residential contractor or unclassified contractor classification completes eight hours of approved continuing education [1].
Working without the license
The statute treats unauthorized contracting as a criminal matter. A person or firm that is not duly authorized and contracts for or bids on a project within the general contractor definition, without first complying with the licensing article, is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor [1].
