New Jersey to Alaska: general contractor license reciprocity

1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). $100 nonrefundable application fee filed with the General Contractor Registration Application (#08-4815), online through MyAlaska or on paper. It is not refunded if the application is denied or abandoned..
2. 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($250). $250 registration fee, making $350 due with the application. Registrations run two years and expire on September 30 of even-numbered years whatever date they were issued, except one issued within 90 days of an expiration date, which runs to the next cycle. Renewal is filed online through MY LICENSE and requires current bond and insurance..
3. 3Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($25,000). $25,000 surety bond running to the State on the division's Surety Bond form (#08-4971) with the surety's power of attorney attached, signed by both the contractor and the surety. It answers for state and local taxes, for labor, material and equipment suppliers, and for judgments arising from negligent or improper work, breach of contract or damage to public facilities. It must stay in force for three years until canceled by the surety, the principal or the department. A cashier's check cash deposit, or a time certificate of deposit or savings passbook made out to the State of Alaska in trust for the contractor, may be filed instead. A specialty contractor posts $10,000 and a handyman contractor $5,000..
4. 4Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Public liability and property damage insurance covering Alaska contracting operations, with limits of at least $20,000 for damage to property, $50,000 for injury including death to any one person and $100,000 for injury including death to more than one person. The division's own Certificate of Insurance Coverage form (#08-4977) or a certificate from the carrier is accepted. Workers' compensation from an Alaska-admitted carrier, or a self-insurance certificate, is required if the business uses employee labor or is a corporation or LLC. Bond and insurance documents must reach the division within 30 days of issuance and must show the business name exactly as it appears on the application, including the entity name and any DBA..
5. 5Business license. Obtain a business license. A corporation, LLC or other registered entity must already be on file with the division's Corporations Section, with its Alaska entity number given on the application, before the contractor application is processed. A State of Alaska business license under AS 43.70 is then obtained after the professional registration is issued. Advertising, contracts, signs and documents must carry the registered contractor name, the registration number, the mailing address and the principal place of business, or send customers to a website that carries all of them..
6. 6Contractor license. Hold or obtain a contractor license (if applicable). Choosing the right category matters more in Alaska than qualifying for it. A business whose work uses not more than three trades registers as a Specialty Contractor instead, and one whose projects each have an aggregate contract price of $10,000 or less, counting all labor and materials, may register as a Handyman Contractor. Splitting a larger job into contracts under $10,000 to reach the lower bond is expressly treated as evasion. Mechanical and electrical contractor registrations additionally require a licensed Mechanical Administrator or Electrical Administrator under AS 08.40..
7. 7Other. A signed application naming the DBA and every owner and principal officer or member, and a United States Social Security number on file with the division or a signed exemption request in its place. A business that believes it falls outside the chapter may file the division's Request for Exemption from Construction Contractors Regulation (#08-4809) rather than guessing..

Published fees on this path total $350, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.