Colorado to North Dakota: residential contractor license reciprocity
Colorado does not issue a statewide residential contractor license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is North Dakota's standard path for out-of-state applicants.
Your origin state does not issue a statewide license at this level, so there is no license to transfer. The destination's standard out-of-state path is shown; expect to meet it in full.
Reference only, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the licensing board before you apply. Full disclaimer.
Contractor license for every applicant, wherever they come from (all states)
Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.
A contractor license from another state counts for nothing in North Dakota, and it is not needed, because North Dakota asks nothing of a homebuilder that another state's license could stand in for. The application is a sworn form naming the class of license sought, a signed statement of the applicant's own experience and qualifications, a certificate of liability insurance with the Secretary of State named as certificate holder, a Workforce Safety and Insurance certificate of payment or letter of good standing, and the class fee. There is no trade examination, no business and law examination, no experience minimum, no bond and no net worth test, so there is nothing an arriving builder can have waived and nothing that documented out-of-state years can shorten. A contractor based outside North Dakota applies on exactly the same terms as a resident and does not have to move here, but by signing the application a nonresident appoints the registrar as their agent for service of process unless they are a foreign corporation, limited liability company or partnership already registered in the state with a registered agent on file. The Secretary of State publishes no reciprocity agreement and no endorsement route for the contractor license.
Two things that look like routes are not. First, the only appearance of the word reciprocal in the contractor chapter, NDCC 43-07-22, lets the labor commissioner make reciprocal arrangements with another state over the North Dakota resident hiring preference on public construction contracts; it is about who a contractor employs, it is administered by the labor commissioner rather than the registrar, and it has no bearing on who gets a license. Second, North Dakota does not accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors and is not among the agencies listed as participating in it, which is unsurprising because there is no North Dakota contractor examination for it to replace. Out-of-state experience does matter in one narrow sense: the sworn statement of experience and qualifications is part of the application, and the registrar may deny a license if the application contains false or misleading information, so describe real work honestly whichever state it was performed in. The registrar may also require criminal history record information, at the applicant's expense, from the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation or a similar agency in another state. Picking a class is a business decision rather than a skill grading: the class letter caps the value of any single contract project, it can be changed at renewal by paying the new class's issue fee, and on public work a contract may not be awarded unless the contractor holds a license in the class the project's value falls within, held at least ten days before the bid date, with a copy of the license enclosed in the bid bond envelope.
At a glance
- Trade exam
- Waived
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Out-of-state hours
- Do not count
What you must already have
- No examination, minimum experience, apprenticeship, education, continuing education or qualifying party is required of anyone. A builder with thirty years and an unlimited license in another state and a builder with no credential at all face identical requirements; the only difference either can make is the class of license applied for, which is set by contract value and not by qualification.NDCC 43-07-04(1) is the complete list of what an applicant must submit and none of it is a competency test. NDCC 43-07-05, the old classes-of-licenses section, was repealed in 2015 and the class limits now sit in 43-07-07(1). The Secretary of State's contractor page prints no examination, no experience figure and no qualifying-party nomination.
- The applicant must be eighteen years of age or older and must sign the application under oath, including a statement of their own experience and qualifications as a contractor. North Dakota sets no minimum for that experience and does not verify it against another state's license.NDCC 43-07-04(1). The Secretary of State's page states that 'the application will require you to sign a statement of your experience and qualifications as a contractor'; neither the statute nor the page attaches any threshold to it.
- You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.NDCC 43-07-04.1. A conviction is not an automatic bar: it 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 of Burleigh County. A contractor whose license has been revoked may not be relicensed for up to five years, and a civil penalty or restitution ordered by the registrar must be paid before any new license issues.
What you'll do to get licensed in North Dakota
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($300). License fee, set by the class applied for rather than by the work performed: class A $450 with no limit on the value of a single contract project, class B $300 up to $500,000 per job, class C $225 up to $300,000 per job, and class D $100 up to $100,000 per job. The $300 shown here is the class B fee, the class most single-family builders and remodelers file under; pick the class that covers the largest contract you expect to sign and pay that fee instead if it differs. Renewal is $90, $60, $45 or $30 for the same classes. A nonprofit that builds or rehabilitates a single-family dwelling to be given away or sold below appraised value to a low-income person pays no license or renewal fee. A name change costs $10 and must be reported within ten days..
- 2Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Certificate of liability insurance filed with the application, issued in the same name the contractor license is requested in, and listing the North Dakota Secretary of State, 600 E Boulevard Ave, Dept 108, Bismarck, ND 58505, as the certificate holder. Neither the statute nor the Secretary of State's page sets a minimum policy limit, so the state does not publish one; ask the Secretary of State on 701-328-2900 or 800-352-0867 what its reviewers accept before buying a policy, and expect owners, lenders and general contractors to require higher limits by contract in any case. The coverage has to stay in place: a contractor who does not maintain it is classified as not in good standing and, if the lapse is not cured within thirty days, the license is revoked..
- 3Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Workforce Safety and Insurance coverage, evidenced by a statement from WSI that coverage satisfactory to WSI has been secured. A contractor with employees residing in North Dakota files a current WSI certificate of payment; a contractor with no North Dakota resident employees who does not meet the tests of significant contact files a letter of good standing from WSI instead. Instructions for obtaining either document are in the FirstStop portal. At renewal the contractor certifies that all payroll taxes, WSI premiums and unemployment insurance premiums due have been paid..
- 4Business license. Obtain a business license. Business registration with the Secretary of State, taken care of before the license application because the name on the license application must match it. A sole proprietor may need to register a trade name and a general partnership a fictitious partnership name; a corporation, limited liability company or any other business structure must register, and an out-of-state entity registers as a foreign corporation, LLC, LLP or limited partnership. Keeping that registration active is a condition of the contractor license staying in good standing: letting a trade name, fictitious name, corporate, LLC or partnership registration lapse is a listed ground for the registrar to classify the license as not in good standing and then revoke it..
- 5Background check. Complete a background check (if applicable). Not part of the standard filing. The registrar may require any other information needed to decide whether an applicant is eligible to act as a contractor, and that expressly includes criminal history record information about the applicant or the officers, members or partners of a business applicant, held by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation or a similar agency in another state, obtained at the applicant's expense. Refusing to authorize or pay for criminal history information the registrar has asked for is a ground to refuse the license..
- 6Surety bond. Post a surety bond (if applicable). North Dakota requires no surety bond for a contractor license. The contractor's bond section of the statute was repealed in 1995 and nothing replaced it. Bonds still appear on public work, where a bid for a public contract project must enclose a copy of the license in the bid bond envelope and the awarding body may impose its own conditions, and lenders or owners may require performance and payment bonds by contract on private work..
- 7Other. Ongoing obligations once licensed. The license number must be given to the permit-issuing official whenever a building permit is applied for, and an owner building on their own property must supply the license number of each subcontractor engaged on the permitted work. The license runs to the end of the contractor year on March 1 and must be renewed on or before that date by filing a list of every project, contract or subcontract over $50,000 completed in North Dakota during the preceding calendar year, a current certificate of liability insurance and the payroll tax certification, with the renewal fee. A contractor who misses the deadline is treated as unlicensed and has until June 1 to renew by paying a $50 penalty on top of the renewal fee; after June 1 the license is expired. A license first issued in January or February runs through March 1 of the following year..
Published fees on this path total $300, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
What you'll need to buy or arrange
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
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 · if applicable
How North Dakota licenses residential contractors
North Dakota residential contractor · “Contractor License, class A, B, C or D by single-project value”
Statewide license
Issued by North Dakota Secretary of State (Registrar of Contractors)
North Dakota licenses contractors through the Secretary of State, who is the registrar of contractors, and one license covers house building and commercial building alike: there is no separate residential builder or remodeler credential. Anyone whose job exceeds $4,000 in cost, value or price must hold the license before doing the work, and an unlicensed contractor cannot maintain a claim, action or lawsuit in a North Dakota court arising from the contracting business. The license is graded into four classes by the value of a single contract project and by nothing else: class D up to $100,000, class C up to $300,000, class B up to $500,000, and class A with no limit at all. A homebuilder picks the class that covers the largest contract they expect to sign, pays that class's fee, and may move to a different class at renewal by paying the new class's issue fee. It is a filing keyed to insurance rather than a test of skill: there is no examination, no minimum experience, no continuing education, no surety bond, no financial statement and no qualifying party, and the license is issued in the name of the person or business that signs the contracts, which must match the name registered with the Secretary of State. Skilled trades are licensed separately, so a builder who self-performs electrical or plumbing work also needs a license from the North Dakota State Electrical Board or the North Dakota State Plumbing Board.
Why Colorado has nothing to transfer
Colorado residential contractor · “Residential / Home Builder contractor license (Class C in most jurisdictions)”
Licensed by cities and counties
Colorado issues no statewide residential or home builder contractor license. DORA's consumer page says plainly that general contractors are not licensed at the state level and tells consumers to check with their city, and the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department's exam notice states that "Colorado does NOT have a state license for the building or mechanical trades." Homebuilding is licensed instead by each city, county or regional building department, most of which use a Class C tier for one- and two-family dwellings; Denver calls it Residential Contractor Class C, Colorado Springs calls it Building Contractor C (Home Builder), Fort Collins splits it into Classes D1 and D2, and Aurora calls it Residential Building Contractor. The license is normally issued to the contracting business and is qualified by a named individual who holds the supervisor certificate, so an arriving builder usually applies for the personal certificate first and the company license second. Almost every licensing jurisdiction accepts the same underlying credential - the ICC National Standard Residential Building Contractor (C) examination - which makes the exam, rather than an out-of-state license, the thing that actually travels. A license must be obtained in each jurisdiction where the builder will pull permits, and a few places, such as unincorporated Douglas County, require only registration and no exam at all.
How local licensing works in Colorado
How local licensing works. There is no state contractor board, so each city, county or regional building department writes its own contractor ordinance under its building code. Class letters mean different things in different places, and holding a license in one Colorado jurisdiction does not let you pull permits in the next one. Most jurisdictions build the residential tier around the ICC National Standard Residential Building Contractor (C) examination, which is open book, multiple choice and delivered by Pearson VUE; the same exam appears under different ICC exam IDs (W13, F13, G13) because each jurisdiction adopts a different edition of the building code and requires a current one. Passing an ICC exam is not itself a license - it is a credential you then present to each building department, which also verifies your experience.
Denver. Licensing is two steps. The individual first earns a Residential Contractor Class C supervisor certificate, which covers erecting, adding to, altering or repairing one- and two-family dwellings, U occupancy buildings and attached single-unit dwellings (IRC townhouses). It requires two years of field work as a journeyman carpenter or construction foreman with foundation, framing and roofing experience, documented with notarized letters, plus ICC exam #F13 National Standard Residential Building Contractor C. The certificate costs $60 and renews every three years. The business then applies for the Residential Contractor Class C license, $250 for three years. Denver states that it "does not accept or reciprocate contractor licenses and/or certificates from other counties or states."
Colorado Springs, El Paso County and nearby towns (Pikes Peak Regional Building Department). PPRBD licenses for unincorporated El Paso County, Colorado Springs, Fountain, Manitou Springs, Green Mountain Falls, Monument, Palmer Lake, Calhan and Woodland Park. Building Contractor C (Home Builder) covers one- and two-family dwellings up to three stories plus accessory structures, and R-2 buildings of up to eight units and two stories; the license fee is $150 with a $50 non-refundable application fee. Building Contractor E covers residential accessory structures and interior nonstructural remodeling, $75. Applicants file three reference forms documenting experience, a liability insurance certificate naming PPRBD, a workers' compensation certificate or rejection of coverage, a Colorado certificate of good standing and a name-based judicial record check; the Licensing Committee and Board of Review act on each file. PPRBD accepts ICC National Standardized or ICC Colorado Standard exams passed on or after January 1, 2016 and states that "no out-of-state exams will be accepted."
Aurora. Residential Building Contractor "Requires ICC Residential Building Contractor 'C' Certification"; the supervisor license fee is $131 and the license fee is $235, and registration plus three job references are also required. Remodeling contractors register with three years of documented experience instead of taking an exam.
Fort Collins. The residential-only classes are D1 (single-family attached and detached, no more than two dwelling units, townhouses), D2 (detached garages and Group U Division 1 occupancies up to 1,000 sq ft), E(R) nonstructural residential alterations and MM. All of them require ICC exam G13, plus three project verifications, each with the permit and the final inspection or certificate of occupancy, signed by someone unconnected to the applicant's company. General liability of $1,000,000 per person and $2,000,000 per accident and aggregate is required. A new license with supervisor certificate is $300 for two years, including a $75 non-refundable application fee.
Boulder. Class C covers construction, alteration, wrecking or repair of any detached one- and two-family dwelling or townhome and requires the ICC C Contractors certificate. Boulder states that it "does not accept reciprocal licenses from other jurisdictions," and its license covers work inside city limits only. Fee amounts are published in Boulder's contractor license application and schedule of fees.
Jefferson County. For unincorporated Jefferson County, a Class C license (labeled 2018 G13) covers one- and two-family dwellings and accessory buildings. The county accepts "proof that you have passed an appropriate ICC exam within the last 3 years or ... a copy of a valid license issued from an ICC participating jurisdiction." The fee is $50 and the license renews annually.
Arapahoe County. Building Contractor Class C (residential) costs $180 and requires an ICC Class "C" certification or an equivalent certification from a recognized state or national certification entity. General liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate must name the county.
Lakewood. Contractors register with Public Works; class A-3 Residential covers new construction and remodeling. The registration page does not impose an exam on general contractors but asks A-1 and A-2 applicants to attach any ICC certifications held. The fee is $150 for the first probationary year and $400 for each subsequent three-year renewal.
Douglas County. Unincorporated Douglas County requires registration rather than a license and states that it "has no testing requirements." Registrants file the application, workers' compensation proof or an exemption statement and business liability insurance naming the Building Division; registration fees are currently waived and applications are processed in about two business days.
Out-of-state holders. No Colorado jurisdiction reviewed grants a residential contractor license on the strength of another state's license. Denver and Boulder say so expressly, and PPRBD will not accept out-of-state exam results. The practical route is to pass the ICC National Standard Residential Building Contractor (C) exam on a code edition the jurisdiction currently accepts, gather documented project experience and references, and then apply separately in each city or county where you intend to build. Jefferson County is the clearest exception: it will take a current license from another ICC participating jurisdiction in place of the exam. Confirm the class, exam code year and fee with the building department before applying, because these change independently in every jurisdiction.
- Denver (Community Planning and Development)
- Colorado Springs / El Paso County (Pikes Peak Regional Building Department)
- Aurora (Building Division)
- Fort Collins (Planning and Development Services)
- Lakewood (Public Works)
- Boulder
- Jefferson County (Division of Building Safety)
- Arapahoe County (Building Division)
- Douglas County (Building Division)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the North Dakota residential contractor exam if I'm licensed in Colorado?
- No. The trade exam is waived on this path.
- What does it cost to get a North Dakota residential contractor license from Colorado?
- Published fees on this path total $300, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Colorado work hours count in North Dakota?
- No. North Dakota does not credit out-of-state hours on this path.
- Does it work the other way, from North Dakota to Colorado?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from North Dakota to Colorado, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors · National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies · Other · verified September 17, 2026
- 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 17, 2026
- North Dakota State Electrical Board - Home (license types and reciprocal license agreements) · North Dakota State Electrical Board · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- North Dakota Secretary of State - Contractors (licensing, classes, fees and renewal) · NDCC ch. 43-07 · North Dakota Secretary of State · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.