Texas General Contractor License Requirements
Official classification: No statewide license — set by municipality · Issued by the None at state level (Texas has no general-contractor licensing board).
🏗️ General ContractorTX ✔ Verified 2026-06-16
License types
- Dallas — Contractor Registration — Contractors pulling permits register with the city ($120/year) and show proof of general liability insurance plus a workers' compensation election. Bonds are work-specific (e.g. ~$10,000 for right-of-way/paving work; performance & payment bonds for large private projects) rather than a single flat GC bond.
- Houston — Permit-based (most deregulated) — No professional GC license; contractors register through the Houston Permitting Center (~$33 admin fee) to pull permits. Bonds only for specific work: $2,000 right-of-way; $3,500 building mover.
- Austin — One-time registration — Free one-time registration via Austin Build + Connect. A contractor bond is required by class, generally $5,000–$25,000; insurance may apply by project.
- San Antonio — Registration by work type — Home Improvement Contractor $150 (2 years); Residential Building Contractor $170 (2 years). Certificate of liability insurance required; bonding for some projects.
Requirements at a glance
| Experience required | None at the state level — no statewide GC exam or experience requirement. Requirements are municipal and registration/insurance-based rather than competency-exam-based. |
|---|---|
| Application fee | By city — Dallas $120/yr; Houston ~$33 admin; Austin free; San Antonio $150–$170 per 2 years |
| License fee | N/A statewide |
| Renewal fee | By city — Dallas annual; Austin one-time; San Antonio every 2 years |
| Renewal period | Set per municipality (Dallas annual; San Antonio biennial; Austin one-time) |
| Continuing education | None at state level; not generally required by cities for GC registration. |
| Bond required | No statewide bond. City bonds are work-specific where required: Dallas ~$10,000 for right-of-way work plus project performance/payment bonds (no flat GC bond); Austin $5,000–$25,000 by class; Houston $2,000 (right-of-way) / $3,500 (building mover) only; San Antonio bonding for some projects. |
| Liability insurance | Set by city. Dallas and San Antonio require proof of general liability insurance; Austin and Houston may require it by project (Dallas commonly sets $500,000–$1,000,000 minimums by project type). |
| Property damage | Per city / per policy |
| Workers' comp | Dallas registration requires a workers' compensation election; Texas does not otherwise mandate workers' comp generally. |
| Background check | Not a statewide requirement; varies by city. |
| Credit requirement | None |
| Reciprocity | N/A — no statewide license to reciprocate |
| Processing time | Varies by city permitting office. |
Exams
| No statewide GC exam | Provider: — Passing: — Fee: — |
Local / municipal notes
Texas has NO statewide general-contractor license. To pull building permits you register with the city where you work, and the big metros differ sharply: Dallas charges $120/yr with insurance, a workers' comp election and work-specific bonds; Austin registers GCs free (one-time) but requires a class-based bond; Houston is the most deregulated (permit registration plus project-specific bonds only); San Antonio charges $150–$170 per two years with liability insurance. Always confirm the current figure with the specific city before bidding.
Official sources
https://www.houstonpermittingcenter.org/media/1881/download
https://www.nextinsurance.com/blog/texas-general-contractor-license-and-insurance-requirements/