LicensebyState

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

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

North Dakota general contractor · “Contractor License, class A (no limit on project value) through class D”

Statewide license

Verified September 17, 2026· 3 sources

Issued by North Dakota Secretary of State (Registrar of Contractors)

North Dakota has one contractor license for every kind of building work, issued by the Secretary of State as registrar of contractors, and it is the same license a homebuilder holds: the difference between a commercial general contractor and a residential builder here is the class letter they choose, not a different credential. A license is required of anyone whose job exceeds $4,000 in cost, value or price, including subcontractors, public contractors and nonresident contractors, and an unlicensed contractor cannot maintain a claim or lawsuit in a North Dakota court over the contracting business. The class letter caps the value of a single contract project: class A carries no limit, class B stops at $500,000, class C at $300,000 and class D at $100,000, so an unlimited or commercial builder applies for class A, and on a public contract the license must be in the class the project's value falls within and must have been held at least ten days before the bid date. There is no examination, no experience or work history review, no bond, no financial statement, no net worth or working capital test and no qualifying party or responsible managing individual: the license is issued to the individual or business that contracts, on proof of liability insurance and Workforce Safety and Insurance coverage. Electrical and plumbing work are licensed separately by the North Dakota State Electrical Board and the North Dakota State Plumbing Board, so any of that scope must be performed under the right board license.

Every origin state

No credit 50
Every state's path into North Dakota
StateMechanismNoteVerified
AlabamaNo credit2026-09-17
AlaskaNo 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
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 North Dakota from scratch

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

Verified September 23, 2026· 2 sources

Class A contractor license by application (no examination)

North Dakota's unlimited contractor license is the class A contractor license, and it is earned by application to the Secretary of State, as registrar of contractors, with no examination, no experience requirement and no qualifying party. No residential or lower-class license is needed first: a new contractor applies for class A directly, and the only difference from a smaller class is the fee and the absence of a cap on the value of a single contract project. The license is issued to the person or business that signs the contracts; the applicant must be at least 18 and signs a sworn statement of their experience and qualifications, with no minimum set. The application is filed in the FirstStop portal with a certificate of liability insurance, a Workforce Safety and Insurance certificate or letter, and the $450 fee.

There is no trade exam, no business and law exam, no surety bond, no net worth or working capital test and no continuing education, and North Dakota does not use the NASCLA Accredited Examination. The capped classes are B (up to $500,000 per job, $300), C (up to $300,000, $225) and D (up to $100,000, $100). On public work, a contract may be awarded only to a contractor licensed in the class the project's value falls within, held at least ten days before the bid date, and the public owner may add its own conditions such as bonding. The registrar may investigate an applicant's eligibility within fifteen days of the application, and no license issues until every document and the fee are in. Electrical and plumbing work need separate licenses from the North Dakota State Electrical Board and the North Dakota State Plumbing Board. Secretary of State: 701-328-2900 or 800-352-0867.

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

Who can apply

  • Be at least 18 years old.NDCC 43-07-04(1). The application is signed under oath and includes a statement of the applicant's experience and qualifications as a contractor; no minimum is set for that experience, but a license may be denied if the application contains false or misleading information.
  • No examination, work experience, apprenticeship, education or qualifying individual is required at class A, and no bond, financial statement, net worth or working capital figure. No residential or lower-class North Dakota license has to be held first.NDCC 43-07-04(1) lists everything an applicant must submit, and 43-07-07(1) sets the class limits. The contractor's bond section, 43-07-11, was repealed in 1995.
  • The registrar may deny a license where the application contains false or misleading information, where the applicant has a conviction with a direct bearing on their ability to serve the public as a contractor, or where they have acted dishonestly or fraudulently as a contractor in a way injurious to the public.NDCC 43-07-04.1. A conviction disqualifies only if the person is not sufficiently rehabilitated under NDCC 12.1-33-02.1, and a denial may be appealed to the district court of the applicant's county of residence or Burleigh County.

Steps to get licensed

  1. 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($450). Class A license fee, for a license with no limit on the value of any single contract project. A nonprofit building or rehabilitating a single-family home to be given or sold below appraised value to a low-income person pays no fee..
  2. 2Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Certificate of liability insurance filed with the application, in the same name the license is requested in, listing the North Dakota Secretary of State, 600 E Boulevard Ave, Dept 108, Bismarck, ND 58505, as certificate holder. Neither the statute nor the Secretary of State publishes a minimum policy limit; ask the Secretary of State on 701-328-2900 or 800-352-0867 what it accepts. The coverage must be kept in force: a lapse puts the license out of good standing, and the license is revoked if the lapse is not cured within thirty days of the registrar's notice..
  3. 3Insurance. Carry the required insurance. A statement from North Dakota Workforce Safety and Insurance (WSI) that coverage satisfactory to WSI has been secured. With employees residing in North Dakota, file a current WSI certificate of payment; with no North Dakota resident employees and no significant contact, file a WSI letter of good standing. Instructions for obtaining either are in the FirstStop portal..
  4. 4Business license. Obtain a business license. Business registration with the Secretary of State before applying, because the name on the license application must match it. A corporation, limited liability company or other entity must register (an out-of-state company as a foreign entity); a sole proprietor may need a trade name and a general partnership a fictitious partnership name. Letting that registration lapse puts the contractor license out of good standing..
  5. 5Background check. Complete a background check (if applicable). Not part of the standard filing, but the registrar may require criminal history record information about the applicant, or the officers, members or partners of a business applicant, from the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation or a similar agency in another state, at the applicant's expense. Refusing to authorize or pay for it is a ground to refuse the license..

Published fees on this path total $450, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

Keeping it active

Every year with no continuing education required and a $90 renewal fee.

None. The renewal filing lists no education requirement.

Class A renewal fee. Renewal is due on or before March 1 each year, filed in FirstStop with a list of every project, contract or subcontract over $50,000 completed in North Dakota in the preceding calendar year, a certificate of liability insurance and a certification that payroll taxes, WSI premiums and unemployment insurance premiums are paid. A contractor who misses March 1 is treated as unlicensed and may renew until June 1 by paying a $50 penalty plus the renewal fee; after June 1 the license is expired.

Liability insurance

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

  • Insurance
  • 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. North Dakota Century Code Chapter 43-07 - Contractors · NDCC 43-07-01, 43-07-02, 43-07-04, 43-07-04.1, 43-07-07, 43-07-08, 43-07-09, 43-07-10, 43-07-11, 43-07-12, 43-07-19, 43-07-22, 43-07-24 · North Dakota Legislative Branch · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
  2. Contractors - North Dakota Secretary of State · North Dakota Secretary of State · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026

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