North Carolina General Contractor License Requirements

Official classification: North Carolina General Contractor License (Limited / Intermediate / Unlimited limitation, by classification) · Issued by the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors (NCLBGC).

🏗️ General ContractorNC ✔ Verified 2026-06-17

License types

Limited — Any single project up to $750,000 (excluding land and ancillary costs)
Intermediate — Any single project up to $1,500,000 (excluding land and ancillary costs)
Unlimited — Any single project of unlimited value

Requirements at a glance

Experience required	No fixed experience requirement to sit for the exam, but the qualifying party must pass the classification exam; a license is required for any project valued at $40,000 or more (NCGS 87-1, effective Oct 1, 2023).
Application fee	$75 (Limited) / $100 (Intermediate) / $125 (Unlimited)
License fee	Included in application fee
Renewal fee	$75 per classification, up to $450 max; $10 late fee after Dec 31
Renewal period	Annual (expires Dec 31)
Continuing education	8 hours per year for Building, Residential and Unclassified licensees (2-hour mandatory board course + 6 elective hours); CE year Jan 1 to Nov 30.
Bond required	No bond mandated. Financial qualification is by limitation tier: Limited = $17,000 working capital OR $80,000 net worth OR $175,000 surety bond; Intermediate = $75,000 working capital (CPA/audited) OR $500,000 surety bond; Unlimited = $150,000 working capital (CPA/audited) OR $1,000,000 surety bond.
Liability insurance	Not mandated by the Board
Property damage	Not mandated by the Board
Workers' comp	Not enforced by the Board; required under NC labor law if you have 3+ employees
Background check	Required since Jan 1, 2023 for all new applicants and all persons named on the application (including the qualifier); submitted online to the Board's third-party vendor.
Credit requirement	Financial standing demonstrated via a financial statement (working capital / net worth) per the limitation tier above; a surety bond may be filed in lieu of working capital.
Reciprocity	South Carolina; Tennessee; Louisiana; Georgia; Mississippi; Alabama; Florida
Processing time	Roughly 1-2 months overall (about 2-3 weeks for the license to process plus exam scheduling); reciprocity fee is $0.

Exams

Business, Law & classification-specific trade exam (Building, Residential, Highway, Public Utilities, etc.)

Provider: PSI
Passing: Not publicly disclosed
Fee: $79 per exam (paid to PSI)

Local / municipal notes

Reciprocity is a trade-portion exam waiver only; the Business/Law portion and full application still apply.

Fees and rules change frequently (often annually). This page was last verified on 2026-06-17 — always confirm current requirements directly with the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors (NCLBGC) before applying. This is not legal advice.