LicensebyState

Missouri to Utah: general contractor license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 17, 2026· 15 sources

Missouri does not issue a statewide general contractor license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Utah's standard path for out-of-state applicants.

Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.

Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.

Applicants from jurisdictions DOPL has not determined equivalent, including the NASCLA examination route (all other states)

Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.

An applicant whose home jurisdiction is not shown in green on DOPL’s Endorsement to Utah: Contractor map takes the ordinary route, which for B100 involves no trade examination at all. The qualifier completes an approved 25-hour pre-licensure course plus the five-hour Business and Law course, passes the Utah Contractor Business and Law examination through Prov, and shows two years, meaning 4,000 hours, of paid work experience in the construction industry. That experience travels freely: it counts wherever it was earned, whether the qualifier was paid as a W-2 employee or as an owner and whether the work was licensed or exempt, and it is self-certified on the application rather than verified by an employer, so out-of-state years are not lost. A qualifier who has passed the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors does not have to document the two years at all: Utah Admin. Code R156-55a-302b(2)(b)(i) accepts a passing NASCLA score in place of the experience requirement for every general classification, B100 included, and the application has a box for it. A Construction Management degree or an active Utah professional engineer license does the same. NASCLA does not remove the Business and Law examination or the pre-licensure courses. Where the origin jurisdiction issues no equivalent state-wide license, DOPL will still look at a city or county license, or a non-equivalent state license, as evidence towards Utah’s qualifications if the applicant files a verification showing the hours, examinations and other qualifications behind it.

Two things on DOPL’s published materials do not line up, and both are worth a phone call to the Division on (801) 530-6628 before paying any fee. First, the Apply for a General Contractor License page lists, as an alternative to the Business and Law examination, "One (1) year of licensed experience working in another State, District or Territory of the U.S. in the similar scope of practice sought in Utah if the license is currently active and in good standing", with no mention of an equivalency list, while Utah Admin. Code R156-55a-302a(3) waives that examination only "for an applicant for licensure by endorsement under Section 58-1-302" and the application checklist limits endorsement to "a jurisdiction determined equivalent to Utah" on a map last updated 21 September 2020. Second, the current rule and both apply pages set general liability cover at $1,000,000 each incident and $2,000,000 in total, while the March 2026 application form prints a $3,000,000 aggregate. On the map itself, the jurisdictions shaded yellow as "Limited to Specific Classifications" (Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the District of Columbia) are ones DOPL says do not license contractors generally but may license a specific specialty such as electrical, plumbing, HVAC or elevator work, which is not an equivalent to a B100 license; the jurisdictions shaded grey as having no equivalent license are Kansas, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands. Utah Code 58-1-302(2) is written state-neutrally and turns on scope of practice rather than on any named partner, and the map ends by inviting applicants to contact the Division if licensure laws have changed, so an applicant from a yellow or grey jurisdiction holding a license of genuinely similar scope can ask DOPL to look again.

At a glance

Trade exam
Waived
Law / code exam
Required
Out-of-state hours
Count toward eligibility

What you must already have

  • You must document at least 4,000 hours of qualifying work experience.Utah Admin. Code R156-55a-302b(1) reads the requirement broadly: experience counts whether the qualifier was paid as a W-2 employee or as an owner and whether the work was licensed or exempt, and it includes construction work done in the military or for a railroad corporation and work done under a construction trades instructor as part of an educational program. It need not be supervisory and need not match the classification sought. An applicant who is a building inspector may substitute two years as a building inspector including one year as a licensed combination inspector, and an E100 applicant needs four years instead.
  • You must have passed a licensing exam in Missouri that the destination considers comparable.Utah Admin. Code R156-55a-302b(2)(b)(i) states that a passing NASCLA score satisfies the experience requirement in Utah Code 58-55-302(1)(e)(ii)(A), and DOPL’s contracting FAQ repeats it in the same words. The rule is written for the general classifications as a group rather than for B100 alone, and both the apply page and the qualifier affidavit offer the NASCLA box to every general classification applicant, so it is available at this general level too. NASCLA is an examination credential, not a license and not an interstate agreement, so any applicant may use it whatever state they come from. It waives nothing else: the pre-licensure courses, the Utah Contractor Business and Law examination, insurance, financial responsibility, registration, background checks and fees all still apply.
  • The qualifier must be either an owner of at least 20 per cent of the licensee or a W-2 employee in a management position, and must be paid for at least 12 hours of work a week for the licensee. A qualifier may not qualify more than three licensees at one time without the written approval of the Commission and the Division.

What you'll do to get licensed in Utah

  1. 1Other. Approved pre-licensure education completed by the qualifier before applying: a 25-hour pre-licensure course plus the five-hour Business and Law course, 30 hours in total for a general classification. DOPL accepts the course only from Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), the Utah Home Builders Association (UHBA) or the Associated General Contractors of Utah (AGC); a qualifier who completed the 25-hour course before 1 October 2019 does not need the extra five hours. The Division does not publish the providers’ course prices, so ask the provider..
  2. 2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Utah Contractor Business and Law examination, taken by the qualifier through Prov either at one of 21 Utah test centers or remotely through Prov’s Examroom service. It is 60 questions in two hours, open reference, and the cut score is 70 per cent; the subject areas are business organization, licensing, estimating and bidding, contract management, project management, labor laws, lien laws, financial management, risk management, tax laws and safety. No DOPL pre-approval is needed to sit it, and a failed attempt may be retaken after 30 days for each of the first three failures and after six months for any failure after that. Pass before submitting the application..
  3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($85). Prov examination fee for the Utah Contractor Business and Law exam, paid to Prov and charged again for each retake..
  4. 4Application fee. Pay the application fee ($175). Non-refundable DOPL application processing fee of $175 for each classification requested (application version v20260327). A contractor asking for more than one classification pays it more than once..
  5. 5Application fee. Pay the application fee ($50). Non-refundable DOPL application processing fee of $50 for each qualifier named on the application..
  6. 6Application fee. Pay the application fee ($1). Electronic Reference Library surcharge of $1, collected on every application to fund licensee access to national, state and local building codes and standards. An unincorporated applicant also pays $20 for each owner holding less than 8 per cent, filed with the Appendix F Owner-Worker Status Report..
  7. 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($1,000,000). General liability insurance certificate naming DOPL as certificate holder, covering the whole scope of work on the license and in force for the entire duration of active licensure. Utah Admin. Code R156-55a-302d and both DOPL apply pages set the minimum at $1,000,000 for each incident and $2,000,000 in total; the March 2026 application form prints $3,000,000 as the aggregate, so confirm the figure with the Division on (801) 530-6628 before binding cover. The cover must be kept up even while the contractor is not working, unless the license is placed on inactive status..
  8. 8Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Workers’ compensation insurance naming DOPL as certificate holder if the applicant has employees or owner-workers holding less than 8 per cent, together with a Utah State Tax Commission withholding account number and a Department of Workforce Services unemployment registration number, or a signed contract with an approved Professional Employer Organization. An applicant with no employees files a Workers’ Compensation Coverage Waiver from the Utah Labor Commission instead and must tell DOPL in writing before any employee starts work..
  9. 9Financial responsibility. Show financial responsibility. Satisfactory evidence of financial responsibility. Utah Code 58-55-306 lets this be shown by completing and signing the Division’s financial responsibility questionnaire, which asks about judgments, liens, tax liens and child support delinquencies in the past eight years and bankruptcy in the past seven, or by posting a bond. DOPL publishes no minimum net worth, working capital or credit score, and it may audit at random or on reasonable need, weighing judgments, restitution orders, collection actions, bankruptcy schedules, late payment history, financial statements, tax returns and a current credit report. For an unincorporated applicant the Division considers each owner’s personal finances..
  10. 10Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($50,000) (if applicable). License bond, required only where the Division is not satisfied that financial responsibility has been demonstrated. Under Utah Admin. Code R156-55a-602 the minimum is then the greater of 30 per cent of the cumulative outstanding debts, judgments, liens and obligations of the entity, its owners and qualifiers, or $50,000 for any general contractor classification other than R100. A bankruptcy filed, pending or discharged within three years instead sets it at 30 per cent of the total liabilities scheduled with the bankruptcy court. The surety must appear in Treasury Circular 570, the bond runs until DOPL gives written permission to drop it, and the Commission may set a higher or, on clear and convincing evidence, a lower amount..
  11. 11Business license. Obtain a business license. Registration with the Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code for any corporation, LLC, LLP or partnership, including an out-of-state entity, plus a federal Employer Identification Number; a sole proprietor may use a Social Security number and is licensed in their own given name. The license is issued in the registered legal name, business must be done in that name unless a DBA owned by the licensee is separately filed with DOPL, and if the corporate registration lapses the contractor license expires with it by statute..
  12. 12Background check. Complete a background check. Criminal background check under Utah Code 58-1-301.5 consented to and completed by the qualifier and by every individual holding at least a 10 per cent voting interest in the applicant, with disclosure of any criminal history the Division asks for. A yes answer on the qualifying questionnaire about discipline, pending criminal action, a misdemeanour in the past ten years or a felony at any time brings a requirement to file a personal account, police reports, court records and probation or parole reports for each incident..
  13. 13Continuing education. Complete continuing education. Six hours of approved continuing education in each two-year license term, of which at least three must be core education and at least three must be live in-class attendance, with no more than three hours online, and at least one hour in energy conservation. It is a condition of renewal rather than of getting the license. Licenses expire on 30 November of each odd-numbered year..

Published fees on this path total $311, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

What you'll need to buy or arrange

Exam preparation

Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.

  • Other
  • Law / code exam
  • Exam fee · $85

Liability insurance

Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.

  • Insurance · $1,000,000
  • Insurance

Surety bond

A license or contractor bond is bought from a surety, not the state. Price is a small percentage of the bond amount and depends on your credit.

  • Surety bond · $50,000 · if applicable

Business registration

If you plan to contract in your own name, budget for a business license or entity registration on top of the trade license.

  • Business license

Continuing education

Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.

  • Continuing education

How Utah licenses general contractors

Utah general contractor · “B100 General Building Contractor”

Statewide license

Verified September 17, 2026· 10 sources

Issued by Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL)

Utah licenses contractors statewide through the Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) under the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act, Utah Code 58-55, and Rule R156-55a, and it licenses by classification rather than by tier. The unlimited building classification is B100 General Building Contractor, which Utah Code 58-55-102(26)(a) defines as the construction of structures for the support, shelter and enclosure of persons, animals, chattels or movable property, and any component of that construction except plumbing, electrical, mechanical, elevator and manufactured housing work, for which a B100 must employ a contractor licensed in the specialty; a B100 building single-family or multifamily residences up to four units may do the mechanical work itself and employ a licensed plumber or electrician. A B100 license already carries every S-series specialty scope, so a general builder does not add S220 Carpentry and Flooring, S260 Asphalt and Concrete, S270 Drywall, Paint and Plastering, S280 Roofing, S310 Foundation, Excavation and Demolition, S330 Landscape and Recreation, S440 Sign Installation and the rest separately; it does not reach R200 Factory Built Housing, S700 Limited Scope, S510 Elevator or the E200, E201, P200, P201 and H100 trade classifications. Alongside B100 sit E100 General Engineering Contractor, for fixed works such as roads, bridges, dams and pipelines that need specialized engineering knowledge, and R100 Residential and Small Commercial Contractor, the homes-and-small-buildings classification. The license is issued to the business rather than to the person: the entity applies and names a qualifier, an owner of at least 20 per cent or a W-2 employee in a management position who is paid for at least 12 hours a week, and it is that qualifier who meets the course, experience and examination requirements and who may qualify no more than three licensees at once. There is no Utah trade examination for B100: the only DOPL examination is the Utah Contractor Business and Law exam. Licenses expire on 30 November of each odd-numbered year and renewal takes six hours of continuing education.

Moving to UtahLeaving Utah

Why Missouri has nothing to transfer

Missouri general contractor · “Class A or B general contractor / construction business license (city-issued)”

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 17, 2026· 18 sources

Issued by No state authority; cities and counties license or register commercial building contractors

Missouri has no statewide general, commercial or unlimited building contractor license, so there is nothing at state level for an out-of-state general contractor's license to transfer into and no NASCLA route to take, because Missouri is not a NASCLA participating state. Title XXII of the Revised Statutes, which contains every occupational licensing chapter, has no contractor or builder chapter, and the Division of Professional Registration regulates only one construction trade, electrical contractors. That voluntary statewide electrical contractor license under RSMo 324.900 to 324.945 is often mistaken for a general contractor credential; it is not. Its statutory definitions reach electrical contracting alone, and RSMo 324.925, which forces every city and county to honor it and bars them from testing a holder's proficiency, applies to electrical work only and expressly leaves local building regulation untouched. Commercial building is therefore governed city by city, and only one of Missouri's larger jurisdictions examines commercial builders: Independence issues Class A and Class B general contractor licenses to individuals on an ICC or Prometric score, a reciprocal license or a construction-related degree. Kansas City runs seventeen contractor license categories and none of them is a commercial building contractor - its own bulletin says a business license for construction "is the only city license required" for commercial building permits - and St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Springfield, Columbia and Jefferson City likewise license the trades and ask a commercial builder for nothing more than a business license.

How local licensing works in Missouri

How it works in Missouri. No Missouri agency licenses general, commercial or unlimited building contractors, and there is no state qualifying party, no state business-and-law exam and no NASCLA acceptance to rely on. Cities and counties control commercial construction through the building permit, and almost all of them regulate the electrical, mechanical, plumbing and fire trades rather than the builder. The one statewide rule worth knowing is RSMo 324.925: a political subdivision must recognize the state's voluntary electrical contractor license in place of its own and may not test that holder's electrical proficiency, on pain of having its local sales tax distributions withheld. The statute is limited to electrical contracting - it creates no equivalent obligation for builders, and it expressly preserves each subdivision's power to implement codes, require business licenses, issue permits and inspect work. So a general contractor arriving in Missouri qualifies separately in each jurisdiction, and the only genuinely portable credential is a passing score on a national contractor examination, which matters in exactly one of the places below.

Independence. The clearest commercial program in the state, and the only one of the seven that examines a commercial builder. The city licenses the individual rather than the business - "contractor licenses belong to the licensed individual, NOT a company" - and the general contractor license "covers framing, footings, and general construction" in three classes: Class A, residential and commercial; Class B, residential and commercial up to three stories; Class C, residential only. Qualification is ICC or Prometric test scores from within the last five years at 75 percent or better, or "a current, active license with a jurisdiction that we reciprocate with," which the city defines as "any jurisdiction that issues licenses in a similar fashion," or a bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture or construction science from an accredited college or university. Only a master license holder may apply for or be named on a building permit; journeymen may not. Licenses expire December 31 annually with no proration, and a business license is required in addition. [email protected], (816) 325-7401.

Kansas City. City Planning & Development enforces Article XII of the Kansas City Building and Rehabilitation Code through seventeen categories of contractor license - demolition, electrical, elevator, fire protection, gas-fired appliance, mechanical, pipe fitting, plumbing, residential building and sign - and there is no commercial or general building category among them. The city says so directly in its residential licensing bulletin: "a Business License for Construction is the only city license required for a contractor performing swimming pool construction, uncovered deck construction, retaining walls, non-structural remodeling, installation of roof mounted solar panels with no or limited structural work, and commercial building permits." A commercial builder therefore buys the business license from the Finance Department, keeps a current Missouri Secretary of State registration, and makes sure each licensed trade on the job holds its own Kansas City contractor license and employs a certificate-of-qualification supervisor. Where the general contractor self-performs a regulated trade, the full route applies: a $60.00 certificate application with notarized reference letters and a recognized exam score, applicant at least 21 with a high school diploma or GED and documented experience, then a $60.00 application and $181.00 issuance fee for the company license, renewed quadrennially at $181.00. [email protected], (816) 513-1500.

St. Louis City. The Building Division runs four boards of examiners - the Committee of Electrical Examiners, the Mechanical Contractors Board of Examiners, the Plumbers and Drainlayers Board of Examiners and the Sprinkler System Contractors Board of Examiners - and none of them covers building contractors. A commercial general contractor takes out a construction or contracting business license from the License Collector: state tax number, application, clearance from the Collector of Revenue, an occupancy permit from the Building Division, and proof of workers' compensation coverage or a signed statement that it is not legally required. "All general contractors are required to furnish a list of the sub-contractors on any job to the License Collector." There is no exam, bond or experience review. Building Division, City Hall Room 425, 1200 Market St., (314) 622-3313.

St. Louis County. "The County does not license general contractors." It "does verify that out-of-state contractors are registered with the state," and it "does register all repair contractors that obtain permits for repairs from a natural disaster such as a flood or severe storm." Its licensing effort goes into the trades: electrical, mechanical (four contractor categories under the county Mechanical Code, chapter 1108 SLCRO) and plumbing, each with a licensing board, and "the County only issues trade permits to licensed contractors." Commercial permits for unincorporated county land come from Transportation and Public Works at 41 South Central Ave., 6th Floor, Clayton, 314-615-5184; inside the county's many municipalities, check the city's own building department too.

Springfield. A permit will not issue until "a City-licensed General Contractor (GC) or Trade Master (TM)" is named on it, so the general contractor credential is compulsory - but it is a business license from the License Division rather than a tested qualification. The city's examining program covers electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and mechanical craftsmen only, who must be "tested and certified to afford competence and knowledge of the codes" and who may present an identical Prometric, Experior, Block or ICC examination passed at 75 percent or better in another jurisdiction. Contractors file proof of workers' compensation or sign a notarized exemption statement. Permit desk 417-864-1585; License Division 417-864-1617.

Columbia. Building and Site Development certifies trades only - Trade Apprentice, Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing - with tests "administered by a private testing firm according to a regular schedule," and the city maintains boards of electrical, plumbing and mechanical examiners but none for builders. A commercial contractor holds a city business license at $0.25 per $1,000 of gross receipts, minimum $75 and maximum $10,000 a year, plus a $45 application fee, and files a certificate of workers' compensation insurance if it has one or more employees. Business License Division 573-874-7378.

Jefferson City. "All contractors performing work in Jefferson City must have a local license," but only "electrical and plumbing contractors and their employees are required to obtain specific trade licenses directly from the Building Regulations Division"; "all other contractors are directed to the Business License Division to obtain their business license." A commercial builder files for the business license and sits no examination. Building Regulations (573) 634-6410, Business License Division (573) 634-6322.

Everywhere else. Other Missouri cities and counties write their own ordinances, and outside city limits many rural counties have no building permit program at all. Before bidding, ask each jurisdiction whether it licenses builders or only the trades, whether it will accept an ICC or Prometric score in place of its own test, and what business license, workers' compensation proof and insurance it requires. Expect to hold a separate credential in every jurisdiction where you pull permits.

Moving to MissouriLeaving Missouri

Common questions

Do I have to take the Utah general contractor exam if I'm licensed in Missouri?
The trade exam is waived, but Utah requires a law or code exam.
What does it cost to get a Utah general contractor license from Missouri?
Published fees on this path total $311, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Missouri work hours count in Utah?
Yes. Documented out-of-state experience counts toward Utah's eligibility requirements.
Does it work the other way, from Utah to Missouri?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Utah to Missouri, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

  1. NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors · National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies · Other · verified September 17, 2026
  2. Utah Code 58-1-302 - License by endorsement · Utah Code 58-1-302(2) · Utah State Legislature · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
  3. Utah Code 58-55-102 - Definitions (Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act) · Utah Code 58-55-102(20), (26), (42) · Utah State Legislature · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
  4. Utah Code 58-55-302 - Qualifications for licensure · Utah Code 58-55-302(1)(c)(ii), (1)(e)(ii), (1)(e)(iii), (1)(e)(iv), (1)(e)(vii), (2)(b) · Utah State Legislature · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
  5. Utah Code 58-55-306 - Financial responsibility · Utah Code 58-55-306 · Utah State Legislature · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
  6. Utah Contractor Application - All Classifications (with qualifier affidavit, checklist and fee table) · Utah Code 58-55-306; Utah Admin. Code R156-1-301, R156-55a-602 · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Form · verified September 17, 2026
  7. Endorsement to Utah: Contractor (state-by-state equivalency map) · Utah Code 58-55; 58-1-302 · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Other · verified September 17, 2026
  8. Utah DOPL - Contracting licensing home page · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  9. Utah DOPL - Contracting Continuing Education · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  10. Utah DOPL - Contracting Exam Information · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  11. Contracting Frequently Asked Questions (DOPL) · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Faq · verified September 17, 2026
  12. Apply for a General Contractor License (DOPL) · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  13. Apply for a Specialty Contractor License (DOPL) · Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  14. State of Utah Contracting Exam - Examination Handbook (Prov, for DOPL) · Prov, Inc., examination administrator for the Utah Division of Professional Licensing · Other · verified September 17, 2026
  15. Utah Admin. Code R156-55a - Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act Rule · Utah Admin. Code R156-55a-301c, -301h, -302a, -302b, -302d, -302f, -303a, -303b, -304, -306, -602 · Utah Office of Administrative Rules · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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