Kansas to Pennsylvania: residential contractor license reciprocity

Why this level is Hybrid. Section 517.12 of the Act preempts most local licensing of home improvement contractors: "Registration under this act shall preclude any requirement of payment of a fee or registration or licensing of any home improvement contractor by any political subdivision. Political subdivisions shall be permitted to require building permits and local enforcement of the building code for that political subdivision, for which a reasonable fee may be charged." The preemption is not total. It leaves untouched a municipality's authority under the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, workers' compensation requirements, licensing standards in effect on July 1, 2009 for electricians, plumbers and other trades that test or certify, and liability-insurance standards adopted before January 1, 2006. More importantly, the state registration only covers home improvement - so building a new house, or working on a residential building of three or more units, falls outside it and back into whatever the city requires.

Philadelphia. The Department of Licenses and Inspections draws the line in so many words: "You don't need this license if your business only does work on existing one-or-two-family dwellings and does not do work that requires a special trade license. Instead, the company must submit as a Home Improvement Contractor after registering with the State." A remodeler therefore registers with the Attorney General, then registers that PA number with L&I through eCLIPSE to pull permits; there is no additional city fee for it, but the company still needs a Business Income and Receipts Tax ID, a Commercial Activity License, current City taxes, and a Certificate of Insurance showing general liability of $500,000 per occurrence, automobile liability of $300,000 and workers' compensation of $100,000 per accident, $100,000 per employee and a $500,000 policy limit. Excavation under permits submitted on or after January 1, 2023 also needs an Excavation Contractor License. Build a new house, work on a larger residential building, or take on complete demolition, electrical, plumbing or fire suppression, and the state registration is no longer enough: that is the Philadelphia Contractor License at $126 a year, described at the general level.

Pittsburgh. The Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections requires a General Contractor License for the construction of new one- or two-family dwellings and for renovations and additions to rental or investment residential properties, as well as for commercial work and demolition. The application takes a valid photo ID, a general liability certificate of at least $1,000,000 each occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate, a workers' compensation certificate, a Tax Compliance Letter from the City's Department of Finance, and an EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) certification in lead-safe construction practices, which is good for five years. The license is $90 to obtain and $90 to renew each year under the 2026 fee schedule, expires 365 days from the date of issuance, and carries a 60-day grace period with a $50 late fee from day 31. There is no exam and no experience requirement. Applications run through OneStopPGH; PLI is at 412 Boulevard of the Allies, 412-255-2175.

Scranton. Code Enforcement issues a city Home Improvement Contractor License for residential work. The application takes the standard identification, indemnification, disclosure and affidavit items, a copy of the contractor's Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor registration certificate, and a reference letter from an employer or client. It costs $150 initially and $125 to renew, with a $50 late fee; renewals are due before your first permit of the calendar year or by March 31, whichever comes first. Work on a residential building of three or more units needs Scranton's General Contractor License instead.

Allegheny County. The county issues road and bridge, food facility, lead and asbestos, plumbing and pool permits, but no contractor license of any kind, so a residential contractor outside Pittsburgh city limits deals with the local municipality's code office.

Everywhere else. Most Pennsylvania municipalities license nothing and simply enforce the Uniform Construction Code through permits and inspections, which they may charge a reasonable fee for. Ask the local code office before you contract, and expect the state registration to be the only credential you are asked for.

Arriving from another state. There is no state examination to sit, nothing that a license from your last state can be exchanged for, and no shorter route for an experienced contractor. Register with the Office of Attorney General, carry the insurance, put your PA number on every advertisement, contract, estimate and proposal, and use written contracts that meet the Act's terms. Then add the city credential wherever you plan to build new homes or work beyond simple home improvement.

How local licensing works. Every Kansas contractor license is issued by a city or a county, and the license belongs to the company rather than to the person; the company names a qualifying individual or qualifying party who supplies the examination result or degree, and losing that person usually inactivates the license. Two state statutes shape what the jurisdictions may ask. K.S.A. 12-1557 caps the examination at the designated standard test, sets the passing score at 75 percent, and makes the certificate of competency from that test valid for licensure 'without additional examination' in any other Kansas county or city that licenses contractors. K.S.A. 12-1558 lets a jurisdiction use a different examination instead, but a license granted on a non-standard examination does not authorize work outside that jurisdiction 'except when authorized by reciprocal agreement between the political subdivisions involved' - so the only contractor reciprocity Kansas law contemplates is between Kansas cities and counties, never with another state. None of the jurisdictions below gives any credit for a contractor license issued outside Kansas.

Johnson County (Overland Park, Olathe, Lenexa, Leawood, Shawnee and the rest of the county). Johnson County Contractor Licensing, a division of Planning, Housing and Community Development, issues and tracks eleven license types for the whole county. Building permits are issued by Johnson County Building Codes in the unincorporated county and by each city elsewhere, and the county's own application states the rule plainly: 'When a building permit is issued in the company/firm's name, the company/firm must comply with Johnson County Contractor Licensing Regulations (Resolution 076-24) and be subject to the jurisdiction of the Johnson County Contractor Licensing Review Board.' The residential class is Class C, which 'shall entitle the holder thereof to construct, remodel, repair, and demolish single-family or duplex residences and buildings accessory thereto', including framing, roofing, swimming pool construction, non-structural remodeling and repairs, but not HVAC, plumbing, electrical or fire protection work, which need the separate DM, DP, DE and DF or DFA licenses. Qualification is ICC exam 552 or KGC, Standard Residential Building Contractor, at 75 percent or better, or a Bachelor of Science or higher in architecture, relevant engineering, construction science or construction management from an ABET or ACCE accredited program. The company must designate a qualifying individual who works at least 30 hours a week for it, and every qualifying individual needs eight hours of approved continuing education a year for the company to renew. Insurance is $1,000,000 combined single limit per occurrence plus $1,000,000 completed operations, with the county named as certificate holder and 30 days' notice of any reduction, plus workers' compensation with $100,000 employer's liability or a notarized waiver if there are no employees. A Certificate of Good Standing is needed from the Secretary of State where the company is registered. Fees are a $100 application fee plus $225 per license type, so a single new license is $325; renewal is $225 per type with a $75 late fee from February 1. New applications cannot be filed online. Licenses are valid for one year. 111 S. Cherry Street, Suite 1000, Olathe; 913-715-2233 option 1.

Wichita and Sedgwick County. The Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department licenses contractors for unincorporated Sedgwick County, the City of Wichita and the small cities it serves, and its position on outside credentials is explicit: 'MABCD does not reciprocate with other jurisdictions.' The residential general class is Class C - Residential, and there is also a Class D Residential Maintenance license; general contractor licenses run two years and expire on December 31 of each even year, with a grace period to January 31. The qualified person must produce 'a copy of Kansas Standard ICC exam' with a score of 75 percent or better, and must file an ICC test release form if the examination was taken outside Kansas. Two-year license fees are $1,000 for Class A, $600 for Class B, $450 for Class C Residential and $360 for Class D Residential Maintenance, roofing, siding, roofing and siding, swimming pool, wrecking, cell tower, fire sprinkler and 'not otherwise classified'; a new application costs an extra $50, and late renewal adds 25 percent in February and 50 percent after that. The filing also needs liability insurance of at least $300,000 naming MABCD as certificate holder in the exact company name, a workers' compensation certificate or a notarized waiver, an auto certificate or a notarized waiver, a Certificate of Good Standing from the Kansas Secretary of State unless the applicant is a sole proprietor, a qualified person declaration page, a company officers signature page and a letter authorizing the qualified person to bind the company in contracts. Roofing applicants must show their Kansas Attorney General roofer registration number. Review takes up to two weeks. 271 W. 3rd, Suite 101, Wichita; 316-660-1840, by appointment.

Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County. The Unified Government works differently from the rest of the state: it does not run a competency license for builders. 'General contractors and subcontractors are required to obtain a city occupational tax license (Business License) if working within Wyandotte County', which is handled by Business Licensing on (913) 573-8780, while 'trade masters are required to carry a master's license with Building Inspections', earned on a Prometric or equivalent standard examination and administered through the Neighborhood Resource Center. A remodeler or homebuilder working in Kansas City, Kansas therefore registers and pays the occupational tax rather than qualifying a person, and makes sure the electrical, mechanical and plumbing scope is performed by licensed masters. Building Inspection and the License Department are both at 4601 State Avenue, Indian Springs Marketplace; Building Inspection (913) 573-8620.

Topeka. The Development Services Division 'is responsible for issuing all contractor and trade licenses in the City of Topeka', and 'all trades are required to be licensed and pull permits to work in City of Topeka.' The residential class is Class C, qualified by ICC exam 552, the Kansas Standard Residential Building Contractor examination, at 75 percent or better; Class B uses exam 551 and Class A exam 550. Topeka will also accept results from Prometric, Thomson-Prometric, Experior, NAI-Block and Block at 75 percent or better, subject to review, or an official transcript for at least 30 hours of coursework from an accredited school in construction science, engineering or architecture, in which case the degree holder becomes the qualifying party and must work for the company full time. The application is filed with the exam or educational certification, a qualifying party verification form, the Renovate Right form, a general liability certificate and a workers' compensation certificate or notarized affidavit, all naming City of Topeka Development Services, 620 SE Madison Unit 6, as certificate holder; processing takes up to ten days. Class A, B and C holders need eight hours of continuing education a year, licenses renew by December 14 each year, fees are not prorated, a lapse in the insurance certificate costs $30 to reinstate after a 30-day grace period, and an unreported address change costs $10. Roofers must supply their Kansas Attorney General roofer registration certificate number before Topeka will license them. The city does not publish its general contractor license fee online - ask Development Services on 785-368-3905 for the current amount before applying.

Lawrence. Chapter 5, Article 15 of the City Code requires a Lawrence contractor license before anyone may 'undertake or perform any action in the City for which a Building Permit is required.' The residential class is Class C, Residential Contractor, covering any permitted work 'on any detached dwelling or duplex'; Class B covers structures up to three stories and Class A everything. Class C needs two years of qualifying experience performing Class C work, or a valid Class D license plus four years as a licensed Class D contractor, and experience claims must be verified by a licensed contractor, building official, architect or engineer. Competency is shown by a certificate of competency from a nationally recognized testing institution of the kind contemplated by K.S.A. 12-1556, by a bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture or construction science, or 'an equivalent Contractor License from another jurisdiction with whom the City has an existing and valid reciprocity agreement' - the ordinance provides for such agreements but names none, so ask Building Inspections whether one covers your jurisdiction before relying on it. Fees are a $75 application fee for each applicant and each qualifying party plus a $75 annual license fee. Insurance is commercial general liability of not less than $1,000,000 per occurrence including completed operations, written by a Kansas-licensed insurer, plus workers' compensation. The Building Official decides within 30 days. The license is company-held, each qualifying party must be a principal or an employee working more than 30 hours a week, and any change of company name, ownership or qualifying party voids the license and requires a new one. Renewal needs eight hours of construction-related continuing education a year for every qualifying party, all delinquent fees paid and all inactive open permits closed or extended. Separate Class E licenses cover mechanical, plumbing, electrical and fireplace work, and those trades also need certified master or journeyman tradespeople. (785) 832-7700.

Everywhere else. Kansas has hundreds of other cities and counties, each free to license builders, to license only the trades, or to require nothing beyond a permit and proof of insurance. Find the building department with jurisdiction over the address and ask before you bid. Two obligations follow you across the whole state whatever the local answer: register with the Kansas Attorney General before providing roofing services for a fee unless you qualify as an exempt general contractor, and hold or employ the right trade credentials for any electrical, plumbing or mechanical work.