Oklahoma to Minnesota: general contractor license reciprocity

Minnesota's ban on local contractor licensing is narrower than it first looks. Minn. Stat. 326B.835 stops a city, county or township from licensing a contractor who holds a state residential license, but only for the work that license covers. DLI's own FAQ spells out the rest: cities and counties "can require a local license for Certificate of Exemption holders and specialty contractors, and state licensed contractors performing work outside the scope of the state license (for example: Work on city-owned property, such as curb cut-ins or sidewalks, HVAC installation or maintenance, or commercial work)." A commercial builder should therefore ask the building department in each city it will work in whether a local contractor license or registration applies on top of the state construction contractor registration, and should expect the permit desk to ask for the registration number. Local governments may also add a permit surcharge of up to $5 for license verification.

How local licensing works. No Oklahoma agency licenses general or commercial building contractors, so there is no state application to file, no state qualifying party and no state examination. The Construction Industries Board's own FAQ puts it plainly - "General Contractors are not currently required to have a state license in Oklahoma" - and directs contractors to check "the jurisdiction in which you are interested in performing construction related work", noting that other agencies such as the Corporation Commission, the Oklahoma Department of Labor and the Oklahoma Liquefied Petroleum Gas Board license other construction-related areas. Statewide commercial and residential building codes come from the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission and are enforced locally.

Roofing, and only roofing, is a statewide registration. A commercial builder self-performing roofing needs a CIB roofing contractor registration plus a commercial endorsement. The registration is $75 initially and annually, needs at least $500,000 of general liability insurance naming the board as certificate holder, workers' compensation coverage or exemption, Secretary of State business-name registration, entity documents and an affidavit of lawful presence, and runs through a qualifying party who is an owner, officer, member or general partner actively engaged in the work. The commercial endorsement costs $230 initially and $100 to renew, requires a roofing registration in good standing first, raises the liability minimum to $1,000,000, and requires a PSI examination once the application is approved. Commercial roofers also complete four hours of approved continuing education every 36 months. Registration is non-transferable and applies to non-resident contractors as much as to Oklahoma firms.

Oklahoma City. There is no general or commercial building registration. The city's contractor registration categories are Boiler, Building Contractor (Residential Only), Electrical, Fence, House Moving, Insulation, Mechanical, Plumbing, Prequalified Contractor and Sidewalk Contractor (both through Public Works), and Sign. A commercial builder pulls permits without a city contractor credential, while the electrical, mechanical and plumbing scope goes to contractors registered on current CIB state licenses and boiler work to a contractor licensed by the Oklahoma Department of Labor. Prequalification through Public Works is a procurement matter for city contracts rather than a building credential. Development Services, 420 W. Main St., (405) 297-2525.

Tulsa. The Permit Center "registers the licenses of trade contractors" and issues trade permits; the city's guide to doing business states that "in Oklahoma there is no general license required to start or own a business or to operate as a general contractor" and that the state-licensed trades - electrical, fire, mechanical and plumbing - "must then register with the City of Tulsa." Registration is an account filing on the Account Information and Contractor Registration form, whose trade checkboxes include Building alongside the state-licensed trades, demolition, house moving, fire protection systems, and sidewalk, driveway and paving cut work; the last of those "requires an Annual Contractor's Contract with City of Tulsa." The state control number is requested only "if applicable", and the substantive undertaking is to carry general liability insurance naming the City of Tulsa as an additional insured with 30 days' written notice of cancellation. Stationary engineers are the one credential Tulsa tests itself, on a certificate of competency. Pre-development meetings cost $350 for the Infrastructure Development Process route and $350 for the Code Compliance route, each credited against later fees. Permit Center, 175 E. 2nd Street, 4th Floor, (918) 596-9456; fee ordinance Title 49.

Norman. Norman licenses trade contractors, sign contractors and structure movers and nothing else. A Trade Contractor license for electrical, mechanical or plumbing work requires a current active CIB state license, shown active on the CIB website, plus photo ID, renewed annually by 31 March. A Sign Contractor license requires a $2,000 surety bond or certificate of deposit on the city's bond form. A Structure Moving license requires casualty insurance of at least $100,000 and proof of unified carrier registration or an intrastate license. There is no general or commercial building contractor license, so a commercial builder works through the online permitting portal and the licensed trades. Development Services, (405) 366-5339.

Broken Arrow. The Community Permitting and Licensing Division issues residential and commercial building permits and registers contractors through the Citizen Self Service portal. The General Contractor Registration form requires only a current general liability insurance certificate with the business name and address, the City of Broken Arrow named as certificate holder and minimum $50,000 coverage; a current workers' compensation certificate or an Affidavit of Exemption from the Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission; the city named as certificate holder on every certificate; and a copy of the contractor's driver's license. No exam, bond, experience or state license is required, and no fee is printed on the form, so confirm the amount with the division. 220 S. First Street, 918-259-2400 ext. 2359.

Edmond. Building & Fire Code Services states that "a general building contractor's license is required for permit submittal" and opens a new one on an email giving the company name, mailing address, contact phone number and portal email. Residential building contractors hold a separate license and "must maintain current general liability and workman's compensation for permit submittal." Trade contractors "are required to hold active city and state licenses" and file their CIB license and driver's license; trade licenses expire 31 July, renew through the portal from July through August, and lapse on 1 September if unpaid. No exam, bond, experience requirement or fee is published for the general building license, so confirm what is payable before submitting. 22 E. Main Street, Edmond, (405) 359-4780, permits.edmondok.gov.

What does and does not travel. An out-of-state general contractor license, a NASCLA Accredited Examination and out-of-state project experience carry no weight anywhere in Oklahoma, because no Oklahoma authority tests or qualifies commercial builders and Oklahoma is not a NASCLA participating state. What does travel is the CIB credential set: the roofing contractor registration, which the Roofing Contractor Registration Act applies to non-resident contractors by name, and the plumbing, electrical and mechanical licenses that several of the cities above demand before they will register a trade contractor. Those routes, including the board's published arrangements with other states, belong on this site's plumbing, electrical and HVAC pages rather than here.