Where a Rhode Island general contractor license transfers

Rhode Island's commercial tier is the same credential as its residential tier. The Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board registers rather than licenses general and commercial contractors under R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 5-65, and a single certificate of registration covers work on any 'structure', which the statute defines as any commercial building or any building containing one or more residences and its appurtenances. There is no unlimited or general classification to apply for, no class letter, no monetary limit and no trade or business-and-law examination, and the board's FAQ answers the question directly: 'Do those working exclusively on commercial structures have to register? Contractors who work on commercial structures must be registered.' A registration is a permit-gate and a liability screen, not a finding of competence: what the board asks for is identity, a Secretary of State business identification number where the applicant is an incorporated entity, $500,000 of general liability cover naming the board as certificate holder, workers' compensation cover if there are employees, a clean record of satisfied judgments, and $150. Purely commercial contractors get a lighter version of the residential file. A contractor who does not regularly work on residential structures is exempt by rule and on the board's own application page from the five-hour pre-registration course and the 2.5-hour renewal course, and R.I. Gen. Laws 5-65-24 also puts that contractor outside the board's homeowner complaint and claim process, the mechanics' lien notice and several contractor duties, while leaving registration, the fee, insurance and the board's disciplinary jurisdiction fully in force. Above the registration, Rhode Island licenses a handful of specialties, and one of them matters to commercial builders: a Commercial Roofing License under R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 5-73 is required to roof a nonresidential building, excluding residential buildings of four or fewer dwelling units. That license is a genuine license with a PSI examination, $2,000,000 of general liability insurance and a $400 fee for two years, and it is separate from and additional to the contractor registration. The board also licenses underground utility contractors, well drillers, pump installers, water filtration contractors and home inspectors; electrical, plumbing, HVAC and mechanical work is licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training. Registration is statewide and exclusive: no city or town may issue its own contractor registration or license, and none may issue a building permit to an unregistered contractor.