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

How it works in New York. No New York agency issues a general, commercial, building or unlimited contractor license. There is no state qualifying party, no business-and-law exam, no financial statement filed with a state board and no NASCLA route, because there is no board to file with. That means an out-of-state general contractor's license, its classification and any NASCLA Accredited Examination score carry no weight at state level. What decides whether you can work is the jurisdiction: a registration in New York City, a graded license in Buffalo, a county home improvement license where the job is a renovation rather than a new building, and the correct local trade licenses for the subcontracted scopes everywhere.

New York City — General Contractor Registration. The Department of Buildings requires that "all contractors who build one-, two-, and three-family homes must register with the Department to obtain New Building permits." Registration is $300, renewal $240, late renewal $50, and the term is three years. The applicant must "be at least eighteen (18) years old", "be able to read and write the English language", show good moral character, pass a background investigation and prove financial solvency — the last of which means a company bank account with "a minimum end balance of at least $25,000 for the past three (3) months", evidenced by three consecutive statements. Insurance is general liability with a $1 million minimum, plus workers' compensation and disability certificates. The filing is a notarized LIC6 form with EIN documentation, government photo ID, a Child Support Certification Form and proof of business address, submitted through DOB NOW; paper applications have not been accepted since September 7, 2021. There is no exam and no published experience minimum.

New York City — larger and commercial work. For buildings above the one-to-three-family tier, New York City does not license the general contractor at all; it regulates the site. "A registered Construction Superintendent is required at new buildings and buildings under demolition nine stories and below" — registration $100, renewal $50, term three years, applied for in DOB NOW after a DOB-approved training course. Bigger jobs are governed by site safety requirements and by DOB's other licenses and registrations: electricians, master and journeyman plumbers and fire suppression piping contractors, riggers, sign hangers, hoisting machine operators, welders, concrete safety managers and concrete testing laboratories, site safety professionals and special inspection agencies. Qualifications for all of them are in Chapter 4 of the 2022 NYC Administrative Code. Separately, any work on residential property in the five boroughs still needs the DCWP Home Improvement Contractor license — see the residential level, because in practice most contractors working in New York City need that one first.

Buffalo. Buffalo is the New York city that most closely resembles a classic graded contractor license. Under Chapter 144 of the City Ordinances, anyone "doing construction work in the City of Buffalo" needs a city Contractor License, which "does not allow for plumbing, heating, cooling or electrical work", and working without one is an unclassified misdemeanor carrying up to $1,000 or 60 days. At this tier the categories are General Contractor — "Companies with extensive experience in major construction work will qualify. To perform construction of new residential and commercial structures without limitations", including infrastructure — New Housing Contractor (new residential and commercial structures up to three stories plus remodeling, excluding infrastructure), Light Commercial Contractor (repairs, remodeling, alterations, conversions and modernization of commercial property, plus additions and new accessory structures up to three stories), Construction Manager (oversight and scheduling only, cannot perform construction work) and Demolition Grades 1 through 4. Minimum general liability aggregates are $2,000,000 for General Contractor and every demolition grade, $500,000 for Light Commercial, Specialty, Subcontractor and New Housing, and $50,000 for Handyman and Construction Manager, with the Office of Licenses at 301 City Hall as certificate holder and no PO Box addresses accepted. Demolition Grades 2 and 3 need reference letters from two townships where demolition work was performed, waivable with a resume showing ten years of demolition experience; Grade 4 needs a New York State explosives license held by a major corporate officer. New Housing applicants file copies of the warranties given to new home buyers. Asbestos abatement requires the firm's New York State Department of Labor Asbestos License, lead abatement requires EPA firm certification, and fire suppression system installation requires approval from the Chief of Fire Prevention. Applications must arrive at least seven days before the monthly Construction & Home Improvement Advisory Board meeting, and "attendance at the meeting is mandatory for the applicant" unless a notarized letter authorizes a representative. The fee is not printed on the application packet; ask the Office of Licenses on (716) 851-6583.

The counties stop below this tier. Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland and Putnam license home improvement, not building. Suffolk's Chapter 563 definition expressly excludes "the construction of a new home", and the Westchester law states that it "shall not apply to ... the construction of a new home building", along with plumbing work, electrical work and architectural services. A builder putting up new houses in those counties may therefore need no county license at all, while the same builder's remodeling arm does — and both still answer to the town or village building department. Check the scope with the county before assuming either way.

Yonkers and Rochester. Yonkers licenses home improvement contractors who "renovate existing dwellings of 1 to 3 families" and does not issue a commercial builder license; new and commercial construction is handled through the Department of Housing and Buildings permit process. Rochester licenses only electricians, plumbers and stationary engineers / refrigeration operators, and holds the permit applicant responsible for making sure "all required contractors are licensed, proof of insurance is filed and the project complies with the permit".

Everywhere else. Outside the jurisdictions above, commercial construction in New York is governed by the Uniform Code and the local building department, and in most towns and villages a general contractor needs no license — only permits, insurance and licensed trades. Confirm with the building department for the job site, and where the project involves residential property anywhere in the state, General Business Law Article 36-A's written-contract and deposit-escrow rules still apply.