LicensebyState

Moving to Alaska as a general contractor: every state's rule

Alaska has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: no credit.

Alaska general contractor · “General Contractor (registration without residential endorsement)”

Statewide license

Verified September 17, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing (Construction Contractors Program)

Alaska's unlimited tier is the General Contractor certificate of registration issued by the Construction Contractors Program at the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing. It covers commercial work and operations that use three or more trades or that supervise mechanical and specialty subcontractors, and it carries no dollar limit. It is important to understand what this registration is and is not: AS 08.18 sets no examination, no experience and no qualifying individual for it, so it is a registration backed by money rather than a test of skill, and the only competency credential in the Alaska contractor scheme is the residential contractor endorsement that sits on top of it. The registration belongs to the business, which files a $25,000 surety bond or an equivalent cash deposit, public liability and property damage insurance, workers' compensation where employees are used, a $100 application fee and a $250 registration fee. Below this tier sit the Specialty Contractor registration, limited to work using not more than three trades and bonded at $10,000, and the Handyman Contractor registration, limited to projects with an aggregate contract price of $10,000 or less and bonded at $5,000. A general contractor may not build, remodel or bid residential work on a one-to-four-unit dwelling above 25 percent of the structure's value without the residential contractor endorsement.

Every origin state

No credit 50
Every state's path into Alaska
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaNo credit2026-09-17
ArizonaNo credit2026-09-17
ArkansasNo credit2026-09-17
CaliforniaNo credit2026-09-17
ColoradoNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
ConnecticutNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
DelawareNo credit2026-09-17
District of ColumbiaNo credit2026-09-17
FloridaNo credit2026-09-17
GeorgiaNo credit2026-09-17
HawaiiNo credit2026-09-17
IdahoNo credit2026-09-17
IllinoisNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
IndianaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
IowaNo credit2026-09-17
KansasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
KentuckyNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
LouisianaNo credit2026-09-17
MaineNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
MarylandNo credit2026-09-17
MassachusettsNo credit2026-09-17
MichiganNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
MinnesotaNo credit2026-09-17
MississippiNo credit2026-09-17
MissouriNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
MontanaNo credit2026-09-17
NebraskaNo credit2026-09-17
NevadaNo credit2026-09-17
New HampshireNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
New JerseyNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
New MexicoNo credit2026-09-17
New YorkNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
North CarolinaNo credit2026-09-17
North DakotaNo credit2026-09-17
OhioNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
OklahomaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
OregonNo credit2026-09-17
PennsylvaniaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
Rhode IslandNo credit2026-09-17
South CarolinaNo credit2026-09-17
South DakotaNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
TennesseeNo credit2026-09-17
TexasNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
UtahNo credit2026-09-17
VermontNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
VirginiaNo credit2026-09-17
WashingtonNo credit2026-09-17
West VirginiaNo credit2026-09-17
WisconsinNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17
WyomingNo creditno state license to transfer2026-09-17

Getting licensed in Alaska from scratch

No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Alaska issues a general contractor license to a first-time applicant.

Verified September 23, 2026· 7 sources

General Contractor registration

Alaska's General Contractor registration is held by the business and is issued on a completed application, a $25,000 bond, insurance and fees. There is no exam, no experience or age minimum and no qualifying individual, and no lower Alaska license has to be held first. The owner, partners or officers are named on the application, and a corporation or LLC must already be registered with the division's Corporations Section. The registration must be in place before the business submits any bid. To build or remodel one-to-four-unit homes beyond 25 percent of a structure's value, the business also needs a residential contractor endorsement holder assigned to it (see the residential level).

Smaller categories exist below this one: Specialty Contractor (work using no more than three trades, $10,000 bond) and Handyman Contractor (projects of $10,000 or less, $5,000 bond), each with the same $350 in fees. Mechanical and electrical contractors additionally need a licensed Mechanical Administrator or Electrical Administrator. The division publishes no processing time; its forms say a complete application can take several weeks.

Trade exam
Not required
Law / code exam
Not required
Renewal
Every 2 years
Continuing education
None required

Who can apply

  • No minimum experience, education, age or examination is required. The application gives the type of contracting, the names and addresses of the owner, partners or corporate officers and statutory agent, and a Social Security number.AS 08.18.021.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($100). Nonrefundable application fee, filed with the General Contractor Registration Application (Form 08-4815) online through MyAlaska or on paper..
  2. 2License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($250). Registration fee for the initial two-year registration ($350 in total with the application fee)..
  3. 3Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($25,000). $25,000 surety bond on Form 08-4971 with the surety's power of attorney, or a matching cashier's check deposit, certificate of deposit or savings passbook held by the State. It must stay in force for three years until canceled..
  4. 4Insurance. Carry the required insurance. General liability insurance of at least $20,000 property damage, $50,000 injury or death to one person and $100,000 injury or death to more than one person, plus workers' compensation if the business has employees or is a corporation or LLC. Bond and insurance documents must be dated within 30 days of receipt and show the business name exactly as on the application..
  5. 5Business license. Obtain a business license. A corporation or LLC must be registered with the division's Corporations Section, with its Alaska entity number on the application, before the application is processed. A State of Alaska business license, if required, is obtained after the registration is issued..
  6. 6Other. Signed application naming the business name (DBA) and all owners and principal officers or members, with a U.S. Social Security number on file or a signed exemption request..

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

Keeping it active

Every 2 years with no continuing education required and a $250 renewal fee.

Registrations expire on September 30 of even-numbered years. Renewal requires current bond and insurance; continuing education applies only to residential endorsement holders.

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 · $25,000

Liability insurance

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

  • Insurance

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

Sources for this section

  1. 12 AAC 02.180 - Construction contractors (fees) · 12 AAC 02.180(a) · Alaska Legislature (Alaska Administrative Code) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Construction Contractor Professional Licensing - Bond and Insurance Quick Facts · Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (CBPL) · Other · verified September 23, 2026
  3. Construction Contractors - Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing · Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (CBPL) · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  4. Construction Contractors FAQs - Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing · Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (CBPL) · Faq · verified September 17, 2026
  5. Statutes and Regulations - Construction Contractors (AS 08.18 and 12 AAC 21), September 2023 · AS 08.18.011, .013, .021, .024, .025, .031, .041, .051, .071, .101; 12 AAC 21.650, .660, .680, .690, .695, .700 · Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (CBPL) · Admin Rule · verified September 23, 2026
  6. Form 08-4815 - General Contractor Registration Application (rev. 09/03/2025) · Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (CBPL) · Form · verified September 23, 2026
  7. License Expiration Dates - Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing · Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (CBPL) · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026

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