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

Arkansas licenses commercial contractors statewide through the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board under the Arkansas State Licensing Law for Commercial Contractors, Act 150 of 1965 as amended (Ark. Code Ann. § 17-25-101 et seq.). A commercial license is required for any project other than a single-family residence once the cost, including labor and materials, reaches $50,000, and it comes in two tiers: a Restricted Commercial license, limited to projects under $750,000, and an Unrestricted Commercial license with no project cap. Within either tier the Board grants classifications, of which Building is the general building tier; the others are Heavy, Highway/Railroad/Airport, Municipal and Utility, Light Building, Mechanical, Electrical and a long list of specialties. The license is held by the business and supported by a qualifying party, an owner, officer, actively engaged LLC member or full-time employee who personally passes the examination, so an inbound contractor applies as or for the entity that will sign contracts. Eligibility rests on five years of appropriate experience or a passed examination, evidenced by three references, plus the Arkansas Business and Law examination, a $10,000 contractor's surety bond, a CPA-prepared financial statement meeting a net worth minimum set by classification, and workers' compensation cover if the business has employees. Holding a commercial license automatically authorizes residential work in the same classification.