Missouri to Washington: general contractor license reciprocity

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.