LicensebyState

Colorado to West Virginia: residential contractor license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 17, 2026· 9 sources

Colorado does not issue a statewide residential contractor license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is West Virginia'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.

Residential trade examination reviewed and waived on an accepted out-of-state or national exam score (every state)

Your out-of-state credentials give no advantage. You meet the destination's requirements from scratch.

West Virginia has a route open to applicants from every state, quite apart from its named-state agreements. The Board reviews examination score reports from other states and from accredited national testing organizations, including their business and law examinations, for a full-time employee or a member of responsible management, and the Commissioner decides whether they meet or exceed West Virginia's requirements for the classification you need; the decision comes back in writing by email. Score reports go to [email protected] before you apply. Separately, the Universal Professional and Occupational Licensing Act lets a person who establishes residence in West Virginia, or who is married to an active-duty service member stationed here, be licensed without the classification examination if they already hold a good-standing license at the same practice level in another state that had genuine education and experience standards, and the Board's rule says such an applicant passes only the West Virginia business and law examination. On every route that examination, the Contractor Licensing Act exam, still has to be passed, and the license fee, the business registrations and the wage bond affidavit are unchanged. Without an accepted score you simply sit the Residential Contractor examination.

The Board publishes no list of the states or testing organizations whose score reports it will accept and no turnaround time for the review, so send your score reports to [email protected] and get the written decision before you pay Prov for anything. The Board also names the NASCLA examination among the scores it accepts, without saying which classifications it covers; the NASCLA examination is written for commercial general building contractors and is authored on the general level of this page, so ask the Board directly whether a NASCLA transcript reaches the Residential classification. West Virginia sets no experience requirement, so documented out-of-state years neither shorten nor replace any step. Exam scores do not expire but may be used a maximum of three times. An out-of-state contractor who only needs to bid may take a conditional license on the business and law examination alone, then upgrade to the full classification before work begins.

At a glance

Trade exam
Waived
Law / code exam
Required
Out-of-state hours
Do not count
Typical processing
About 1 days

What you must already have

  • You must have passed a licensing exam in Colorado that the destination considers comparable.The Board's step-by-step guide sets out the policy: score reports from other Commonwealths, states and accredited national testing organizations, including their business and law examinations, are reviewed for a current full-time employee or a person who is part of responsible management, and a written decision with further instructions follows by email. The Board's reciprocity document names ICC, Prov and PSI as examples of accredited national testing organizations and says it will review and may accept their scores. Acceptance is discretionary and turns on the scope of work you describe, so the classification you are granted may not be the one you asked for.
  • Alternatively, under the Universal Professional and Occupational Licensing Act: the applicant establishes residence in West Virginia, or is married to an active-duty service member permanently stationed here, and already holds a license in the same discipline at the same practice level in at least one other state, in good standing everywhere it is held, obtained under real education and, where applicable, work experience standards, having passed whatever examinations that state required.W. Va. Code § 30-1-27(a) and (b). The Act also requires that the applicant has never had a license revoked or surrendered while under investigation for unprofessional conduct, has no unresolved discipline from any other regulating entity, has no disqualifying criminal history and pays all West Virginia fees. Subsection (d) preserves a state-law examination, and 28 CSR 2 § 5.3.2 applies it: an applicant licensed this way passes only the West Virginia business and law examination. 28 CSR 2 § 5.2 requires the applicant to provide satisfactory proof of compliance to the Board.
  • Your Colorado license must be active and in good standing.

What you'll do to get licensed in West Virginia

  1. 1Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. West Virginia Contractor Licensing Act examination, the Board's business and law examination: 90 questions, 3 hours, 70% to pass, administered by Prov, Inc. It covers W. Va. Code Chapter 30 Article 42, the Board's legislative rule at 28 CSR 2, the procedural rule on written contracts at 28 CSR 4, and the construction-defect notice law at W. Va. Code Chapter 21 Article 11A. Every applicant takes it, and it is not waived by any agreement, score review or universal-licensing route..
  2. 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam (if applicable). Residential Contractor examination: 60 questions, 3 hours, 70% to pass, open book, administered by Prov, Inc. at its Charleston, Martinsburg, Morgantown and Wheeling centers, at any Prov center in the country, or at home through Examroom. Subject areas include plan reading, sitework, concrete, masonry, carpentry and interior finish. It is required unless the Board accepts an out-of-state or national examination score in its place, or the applicant is licensed under the Universal Licensing Act. Only the reference books listed in the Board's candidate bulletin may be used..
  3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($59.95). $59.95 for each examination, first attempt or retake, paid directly to Prov, Inc. by the individual taking it. Scheduling is at provexam.com or on (866) 720-7768. Rescheduling is free if Prov is told at least three business days ahead; missing the appointment forfeits the fee..
  4. 4License fee. Pay the license or certificate fee ($90). $90 annual license fee, paid with the application/affidavit by check, certified check, cashier's check or money order payable to the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board, or by credit card at the Charleston office. A license expires twelve months from the date it is issued; renewal notices go out about 45 days ahead and a renewal more than fifteen days late costs a further $25. A duplicate license costs $10. Adding another classification later costs nothing beyond the examination fee..
  5. 5Business license. Obtain a business license. West Virginia Business Registration Tax number from the State Tax Department, which the application will not be processed without, and a Certificate of Authority from the West Virginia Secretary of State for a corporation, LLC, LLP, LP or PLLC. Registration is at business4wv.com or through the One Stop Business Center in Charleston, with hubs in Clarksburg and Martinsburg. The Board checks that you are in good standing with the Tax Department and the Secretary of State before it issues or renews a license..
  6. 6Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Proof of workers' compensation and unemployment compensation coverage for employees working in West Virginia, filed with the application: a copy of the workers' compensation certificate and the most recent quarterly unemployment report. An out-of-state business with no West Virginia-resident employees supplies its own state's certificate of insurance and its latest quarterly unemployment contribution page instead. The Board's application guide also lists general liability insurance among the items to have in place. Mark the relevant boxes "No Employees" if you have none..
  7. 7Surety bond. Post a surety bond (if applicable). Wage bond, required of a contractor with employees that has not been actively engaged in construction work in West Virginia for at least one year before the application. It equals four weeks of gross payroll at full capacity plus fifteen percent for benefits, and may be a surety bond, a cash bond, a certificate of deposit or a letter of credit. An employer is exempt if it has been in business in another state for at least five years, holds at least $100,000 in assets, or is a subsidiary of a parent in business for at least five years, and no wage bond is required of a contractor doing only single-family dwelling residential work. Every applicant files the notarized Wage Bond Status Affidavit whether or not a bond is posted..
  8. 8Other. Qualifier paperwork: a notarized Qualifier Exam Score Acknowledgement allowing the entity to use the qualifier's examination scores, and payroll records proving full-time employment if the qualifier is not an owner, partner, member or corporate officer. A new entity with no payroll history supplies hiring or employment documents. If a qualifier leaves, the entity has 45 days to name a replacement..
  9. 9Other. Disclosure and compliance items on the notarized application/affidavit: every jurisdiction where the business has ever been licensed, any suspension or revocation anywhere, and any court judgment for damages arising out of contracting work in West Virginia or elsewhere. Once licensed, the license number must appear in all advertising and in every executed contract, a copy of the license must be posted at every job site, and work of $10,000 or more in aggregate value needs a written contract on the Board's standard form..
  10. 10Other. Informational list of basic universal design features, which a licensed contractor of proposed residential housing must give the buyer. It covers a nonstep entrance, 36-inch doors on the entry-level floor, an accessible bathroom with maneuvering space, and kitchen, living space and a convertible room on the entry-level floor. If a buyer asks about a feature, the builder says whether it is standard, limited, optional or unavailable and, if available, what it costs. The Board publishes the standard form (W. Va. Code § 30-42-11)..

Published fees on this path total $149.95, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.

What you'll need to buy or arrange

Exam preparation

Most boards contract PSI, Prov, or ICC for exams. Check which code edition the exam is written to before buying a prep course.

  • Law / code exam
  • Trade exam · if applicable
  • Exam fee · $59.95

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.

  • License fee · $90
  • Business license

Liability insurance

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

  • Insurance

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 West Virginia licenses residential contractors

West Virginia residential contractor · “West Virginia Contractor License, Residential Contractor classification”

Statewide license

Verified September 17, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board (administered and enforced by the West Virginia Division of Labor)

West Virginia licenses residential contractors statewide through the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board, with administrative and enforcement support from the Division of Labor. A license is needed once the whole project, labor and materials together, reaches $5,000 for residential work, and the threshold is judged on the entire project rather than on your own contract. A Residential Contractor is a contractor whose principal business is the construction, repair or improvement of property used or intended for residential occupancy, and the classification covers every craft needed on a residential structure of not more than three above-grade floors, except crafts that carry their own license, such as the electrician's license from the State Fire Marshal. The license is held by the business and qualified by a named person: the qualifier must be a member of responsible management, meaning an owner, partner, member or corporate officer, or a full-time employee working at least 30 hours a week, and that person personally passes the examinations. An entity may name several qualifiers. There is no experience, apprenticeship or net worth requirement anywhere in the Act or the Board's rule; competence is tested only by examination. A state license is also the only occupational license you need, because no municipality or county may require another as a condition of working there.

Moving to West VirginiaLeaving West Virginia

Why Colorado has nothing to transfer

Colorado residential contractor · “Residential / Home Builder contractor license (Class C in most jurisdictions)”

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 17, 2026· 18 sources

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.

Moving to ColoradoLeaving Colorado

Common questions

Do I have to take the West Virginia residential contractor exam if I'm licensed in Colorado?
The trade exam is waived, but West Virginia requires a law or code exam.
What does it cost to get a West Virginia residential contractor license from Colorado?
Published fees on this path total $149.95, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Colorado work hours count in West Virginia?
No. West Virginia does not credit out-of-state hours on this path.
How long does the application take?
The board's published or typical processing time is about 1 days.
Does it work the other way, from West Virginia to Colorado?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from West Virginia to Colorado, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

  1. W. Va. Code § 30-1-27 - Universal Professional and Occupational Licensing Act of 2025 · W. Va. Code § 30-1-27 · West Virginia Legislature · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
  2. W. Va. Code Chapter 30, Article 42 - West Virginia Contractor Licensing Act · W. Va. Code §§ 30-42-3, 30-42-6, 30-42-7, 30-42-8, 30-42-10, 30-42-11, 30-42-18, 30-42-20 · West Virginia Legislature · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
  3. W. Va. C.S.R. Title 28, Series 2 - West Virginia Contractor Licensing Act (legislative rule, effective 5/4/2026) · W. Va. C.S.R. §§ 28-2-3, 28-2-4, 28-2-5, 28-2-6 · West Virginia Secretary of State, Administrative Law Division · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
  4. West Virginia Contractor License Application/Affidavit (Revised 8.11.2026) · West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board · Form · verified September 17, 2026
  5. A Step By Step Guide For Obtaining A Contractor License - WV Contractor Licensing Board · West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  6. West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board Candidate Information Bulletin (WVCLB CIB 2026.05.07) · Prov, Inc. for the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board · Other · verified September 17, 2026
  7. WV Contractor Licensing Board notice - tested classifications · West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  8. Contractor Licensing Board FAQ'S · West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board · Faq · verified September 17, 2026
  9. Reciprocity Agreements & Other Accepted Exams - WV Contractor Licensing Board · West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board · Agreement Document · verified September 17, 2026

Verified dates are when a person last opened each source and confirmed the facts above. Cite the board, not us.

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