LicensebyState

Kentucky to Oregon: residential contractor license reciprocity

No credit· Start overVerified September 17, 2026· 13 sources

Kentucky does not issue a statewide residential contractor license, so there is nothing to transfer. Here is Oregon'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.

CCB application with the NASCLA examination in place of the pre-license training (every state)

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

Oregon runs no contractor reciprocity at all. OAR 812-006-0300(6) says in terms that there are no reciprocal agreements with other states or with organizations that test contractors, and nothing in ORS chapter 701 recognizes a license issued elsewhere, so a residential contractor license held in another state does not by itself waive or shorten any step here. What the Board does accept is the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors: under OAR 812-006-0310 an RMI who has passed it satisfies the 16-hour pre-license training requirement outright, whenever the exam was taken, and only has to sit the Oregon contractor test, with the pass proved by the RMI's entry in the NASCLA National Examination Database. That rule sits in the division governing every RMI and is not limited to a commercial endorsement, so it is available to an applicant taking the Residential General Contractor endorsement. An RMI without the NASCLA credential simply takes 16 hours of training from a CCB-approved provider first and then the same Oregon test. There is no trade or classification examination in Oregon at all: the only test is the Oregon contractor test on laws, rules and business practices, 80 scored questions in 180 minutes with 70 percent to pass, open book against the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management for Oregon, and it is never waived. Everything after that is the same for an applicant from any state: registration with the Oregon Secretary of State, a $25,000 residential bond and at least $500,000 per occurrence of liability insurance filed on the Board's own forms, workers' compensation cover if the business has employees, and the $400 application fee.

Oregon requires no trade experience for a residential endorsement, so documented out-of-state years neither shorten nor replace any step at this level. Two other routes to RMI status exist but rarely help an inbound contractor: continuous association with an Oregon-licensed business from before 1 July 2000 with no lapse over 24 months, and a sole proprietor exemption under Oregon Laws 2018 chapter 46. Separately, OAR 812-003-0265 gives the spouse of an active-duty servicemember stationed in Oregon a temporary authorization of up to two years on a current out-of-state general, commercial or residential contractor license in good standing, proving competency by the NASCLA examination, the Oregon examination, or eight years of licensed contracting in another state, plus three hours of Board education and the usual fee, bond and insurance. The Board publishes no fee for the 16-hour pre-license training because each approved provider sets its own price; the provider list and the licensing call center on 503-378-4621 are where to ask. The license must be applied for within two years of passing the Oregon test.

At a glance

Trade exam
Waived
Law / code exam
Required
Out-of-state hours
Do not count
Typical processing
About 42 days

What you must already have

  • You must have passed a licensing exam in Kentucky that the destination considers comparable.OAR 812-006-0310 accepts the pass whenever it was earned and proves it by the RMI's name appearing in the NASCLA National Examination Database, so no transcript is sent by the candidate. The NASCLA examination is an exam credential rather than a license or an interstate agreement, so it is open to a candidate from any state and gives no advantage tied to where the applicant is licensed now. It does not waive the Oregon contractor test, the bond, the insurance, the fee or any other requirement. An applicant without it takes 16 hours of approved training instead.
  • The business must designate at least one Responsible Managing Individual: an owner or an employee who exercises management or supervisory authority over the construction activities of the business. An RMI who is not an owner may serve only one licensee at a time, and a business that loses its RMI must appoint a replacement immediately or a temporary RMI for no more than 14 days, or the license is suspended.
  • You must have no disciplinary action or unresolved complaints on your record.ORS 701.098(1)(d). The application also requires five years of construction-related court judgments, administrative orders, pending complaints, convictions and indictments from any state, and unpaid construction debt blocks a new license for the business owners and for the RMI until it is satisfied.

What you'll do to get licensed in Oregon

  1. 1Other. At least 16 hours of pre-license training on business practices and law from a CCB-approved education provider, taken by the RMI. It is required of every applicant except an RMI who has passed the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors, and except the two narrow RMI routes based on pre-2000 Oregon licensure or the sole proprietor exemption. Providers set their own prices, so the Board publishes no figure; the approved provider list is on the CCB site and the education team can be reached on 503-934-2227. (if applicable).
  2. 2Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. The Oregon contractor test, administered by PSI at test centers in Oregon and other states or by remote proctor: 80 scored questions in 180 minutes, plus 8 unscored questions and 20 minutes, with 70 percent needed to pass. It is open book against the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management for Oregon Construction Contractors, 2nd edition, which may be highlighted, tabbed and annotated beforehand. The subjects are Oregon contractor laws and regulations, business structure, employees, subcontractors, contracts, lien law, bidding and estimating, project management, building codes, jobsite safety, environmental factors, exterior shell, financial management and tax basics. A failed test may be retaken without limit, though not the same version on consecutive attempts, and the license application must follow within two years of the pass..
  3. 3Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($60). PSI examination fee, payable when the test is scheduled. It covers first-time and repeat takers and stays valid for one year from the date of payment..
  4. 4Application fee. Pay the application fee ($400). CCB license application fee for a new license, set at $400 for applications received from 1 July 2025. It covers the two-year license; renewal is a further $400 every two years, and changing or adding an endorsement later costs $20. Application fees are not refunded. A licensee who is a sole proprietor or general partner on active duty in the armed forces does not pay a renewal fee falling due during that service..
  5. 5Surety bond. Post a surety bond ($25,000). A $25,000 residential surety bond for the Residential General Contractor endorsement, filed with the application. The Board accepts only its own CCB Residential Surety Bond form signed by an authorized agent of the surety or an attorney-in-fact, bearing a bond number, and filed within 60 days of the date the surety executed it. A residential bond answers only for residential and small commercial work, so a contractor also taking a commercial endorsement posts a second, commercial bond. Other residential endorsements carry different figures: $20,000 for Residential Specialty and $15,000 for Residential Limited and the restricted residential endorsements..
  6. 6Insurance. Carry the required insurance ($500,000). General liability insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence for the Residential General Contractor endorsement, covering products and completed operations, with the certificate naming Construction Contractors Board, PO Box 14140, Salem, OR 97309 as certificate holder. Proof is filed with the application and again at every renewal. Residential Specialty needs $300,000 and Residential Limited $100,000. A contractor holding both a residential and a commercial endorsement carries a single policy at the higher of the two amounts..
  7. 7Insurance. Carry the required insurance (if applicable). Workers' compensation coverage, required of any business that is non-exempt, meaning it has employees. A sole proprietor with no employees, and a business in which every owner, officer or member is a family member, may file as exempt; the Board defines family as parents, spouses, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, daughters-in-law, sons-in-law and grandchildren. A non-exempt applicant supplies its carrier, policy number, Workers' Compensation Division compliance number and employer tax identification numbers, and any change between exempt and non-exempt status must be reported to the Board within 10 days..
  8. 8Business license. Obtain a business license. A business entity that is required to register with the Oregon Secretary of State's Corporation Division must be registered, active and in good standing before the license issues, and every assumed business name used by the applicant must be registered as that entity's assumed business name. An out-of-state entity registers in Oregon in the same way..
  9. 9Background check. Complete a background check. The RMI clears a background check after the application is filed. The application itself asks the business and its owners and officers to disclose, for the five years before the application and from any state, unsatisfied construction-related court judgments and administrative orders, pending complaints alleging money owed, and judgments of conviction or indictments for the crimes listed in ORS 701.098, along with unpaid workers' compensation penalties and unpaid employee wages. Unsatisfied construction debt keeps both the owners and the RMI from obtaining a new CCB license until it is paid..
  10. 10Continuing education. Complete continuing education (if applicable). Not required to obtain the license. Each two-year license period a residential contractor must have an owner, officer, RMI or employee complete at least eight hours of continuing education, being three hours on CCB laws, regulations and business practices plus five hours of other approved courses. A contractor who has not held an Oregon residential license at any point in the six years before the renewal date completes an additional eight hours, so a newly licensed arrival owes 16 hours before the first renewal. Contractors who also hold certain Oregon licenses, including architect, engineer, electrician and plumber, are exempt..
  11. 11Other. A contractor whose Oregon work will include boiler, electrical, elevator or plumbing installation also needs the matching Building Codes Division contractor license, and OAR 918-030-0015 requires an active CCB license before the division will issue or renew one. The CCB license comes first, and it does not replace the division license..

Published fees on this path total $460, 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.

  • Other · if applicable
  • Law / code exam
  • Exam fee · $60

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 · $25,000

Liability insurance

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

  • Insurance · $500,000
  • Insurance · if applicable

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

Continuing education

Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.

  • Continuing education · if applicable

How Oregon licenses residential contractors

Oregon residential contractor · “Construction contractor license with the Residential General Contractor (RGC) endorsement”

Statewide license

Verified September 17, 2026· 6 sources

Issued by Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB)

Oregon licenses contractors statewide through the Construction Contractors Board, and under ORS 701.021 anyone who undertakes, offers to undertake or bids work as a contractor must hold a current CCB license and the endorsement that matches the work. The unusual part of Oregon's structure is that there is only one construction contractor license: what the applicant chooses is an endorsement, and the endorsement sets the bond and the insurance. The homes tier is the Residential General Contractor (RGC) endorsement, which allows an unlimited number of unrelated building trades on residential or small commercial structures and carries a $25,000 residential bond and general liability insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence. Its narrower siblings are Residential Specialty ($20,000 bond, $300,000 insurance, one or two trades), Residential Limited ($15,000 and $100,000, for a business under $40,000 of gross sales a year and $5,000 a contract) and Residential Developer, and a license may carry one residential endorsement, one commercial endorsement, or one of each, in which case the contractor posts two bonds and carries one liability policy at the higher amount. The license is held by the business rather than by the person: a sole proprietor, partnership, LLC, corporation or trust applies, and it must at all times have at least one Responsible Managing Individual (RMI), an owner or employee who exercises management or supervisory authority over the construction activities and who has completed 16 hours of CCB-approved pre-license training and passed the Oregon contractor test. Oregon sets no net worth, working capital or financial statement test and no minimum trade experience for a residential endorsement, so a builder moving to Oregon applies as or for the business that will sign the contracts and names themselves as its RMI.

Moving to OregonLeaving Oregon

Why Kentucky has nothing to transfer

Kentucky residential contractor · “Building or residential contractor license or registration (city- or county-issued)”

Licensed by cities and counties

Verified September 17, 2026· 14 sources

Issued by No state authority; cities and counties license or register residential building contractors

Kentucky issues no statewide residential building, home builder or home improvement contractor license, so an out-of-state residential builder has nothing at state level to transfer and no state reciprocity to apply for. What Kentucky does license is the trades: the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (HBC) says on its own home page that it "licenses/certifies plumbers, electricians, boiler contractors, sprinkler and/or fire alarm contractors and building inspectors", and its administrative regulations in Title 815 add heating, ventilation and air conditioning licensing, elevator safety, boilers and pressure vessels, manufactured homes and home inspectors. Anyone self-performing plumbing, electrical, HVAC, boiler or fire-protection work in Kentucky needs the matching HBC license whatever the local building rules say, and that is where the state-level reciprocity conversation belongs. Housing work itself is licensed jurisdiction by jurisdiction and the rules differ sharply: Louisville Metro issues a Building Type A - Residential contractor license with six hours of continuing education before each renewal, Lexington-Fayette registers a "general contractor, residential only" class under its Contractors Registration Ordinance, and the joint Bowling Green - Warren County Contractors Licensing Board issues a General Contractors License for remodeling and building. Owensboro and Covington sit at the other end: neither publishes a contractor competency license at all, and a builder there files an occupational business license and carries insurance instead. None of these credentials involves a trade or business-law exam, and none of them gives any weight to a license held in another state, so the practical work is registering in each place where permits will be pulled and carrying the insurance each one demands.

How local licensing works in Kentucky

How local licensing works. No Kentucky agency licenses residential builders or remodelers, and there is no state qualifying party, no state exam and no state reciprocity for this work. Each city and county decides for itself, so identify the building department with jurisdiction over the address before applying anywhere. A credential issued by one Kentucky jurisdiction does not carry into the next one, and none of the jurisdictions below grants anything for a license held in another state. Two statewide obligations apply wherever the project is: the HBC license for any self-performed plumbing, electrical, HVAC, boiler or fire-protection work, and compliance with the Kentucky Building Code adopted in 815 KAR Chapter 007.

Louisville Metro (Jefferson County). The Office of Construction Review issues the contractor licenses for the merged city-county. A builder chooses a term and then a scope. License A "lets you work on one or more permitted projects during a calendar year, which runs from January 1st to December 31st"; License B "allows you to work on only one permitted project during a calendar year." The scopes are Building A-Residential, Building A-Residential/Commercial, Building A-Commercial and Building B. Building Type A costs $125 a year and Building Type B $50 per permit, and "only one Building Type B license will be granted per person/company per renewal year." Six continuing education credit hours from a pre-approved list are required before renewal for Building A-R, Building A-RC and Building B, which is to say for everyone whose scope touches houses. The filing is a certificate of liability insurance naming the Office of Construction Review as certificate holder, workers' compensation and unemployment insurance or a signed and notarized affidavit that neither applies, an Occupational License Number from the Revenue Commission of Jefferson County on (502) 574-4860, and the application itself through the Metro business portal. Annual renewals must arrive with current liability insurance, the continuing education records for residential contractors, a workers' compensation form and a subcontractor list, and "any missing items will result in ALL items being returned." There is no exam, no experience requirement and no bond on the building categories; only the wrecking classes carry a written exam, a surety bond and a year of supervisory experience. Office of Construction Review, 444 S. 5th St., Suite 100, (502) 574-3321.

Lexington-Fayette Urban County. The Division of Building Inspection runs a Contractors Registration Ordinance: "this ordinance requires all contractors to register with the Building Inspection" and "unregistered contractors cannot obtain building permits." There are three classes under Ordinance 5-90(a). A general contractor, residential only "constructs up to 4-family homes (4-Plex), performs home remodeling, and may supervise, arrange, and/or perform more than two unrelated building trades or crafts." A general contractor covers everything larger. A specialty contractor "performs commercial, industrial, public works and residential construction and specializes in two or fewer unrelated building trades or crafts." Registration takes four steps: a $10 Home Office Certificate or a $25 Certificate of Occupancy if the business address is in Fayette County; an occupational business license from Revenue at 218 E. Main St., 2nd floor, (859) 258-3340; general liability insurance and workers' compensation with LFUCG as certificate holder, or the "Workers Comp Exempt" declaration on the application if neither applies; and the online Contractor Registration Application through the city's permitting portal with the occupational license and certificate of insurance uploaded. No exam, experience or bond is required for any of the three classes. The division's published fee schedule prices permits rather than registrations and lists no contractor registration fee, so ask Building Inspection for the current amount before filing. 101 E. Vine St., (859) 258-3770, [email protected].

Bowling Green and Warren County. A single joint Contractors Licensing Board licenses for both the city and the county under Ordinance 91-58 WC and Ordinance 91-25 BG. A General Contractors License is needed by anyone "doing any type of general contract work in Bowling Green / Warren County including pulling permits for building or remodeling, construction management, or if you would have two or more subcontractors per job", and costs $250. A Specialty Contractors License covers subcontract work or a job with at most one subcontractor, and costs $100. Both fees are non-refundable and renewals are annual, pro-rated for a mid-year filing. The filing is the application plus a certificate of insurance naming the board as certificate holder, with "a minimum requirement for General Liability Insurance [of] $100,000 per occurrence", workers' compensation coverage shown on the certificate or a notarized Affidavit of Exemption, and a notarized Partnership Agreement for a partnership. Licenses are non-transferable and "any change in ownership nullifies previous licenses." There is no exam and no experience review, and the board says so directly: "the Contractors Licensing Board does not warrant that you are otherwise qualified to perform your trade or specialty by the issuance of its license." A Bowling Green occupational license is also needed for work inside the city limits and a Warren County occupational license for work outside them. Contractors Licensing Board, 1141 State Street, Suite 200, 270-781-3530.

Owensboro and Daviess County. There is no Owensboro contractor license. The Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission's Building & Electrical Division "issues all building and electrical permits required by the Kentucky Building Code and National Electrical Code" for Owensboro-Daviess County, along with HVAC, sign and parking lot permits and certificates of occupancy, and it issues no contractor credential of any kind. What a builder needs instead is the city's business registration: "any person, partnership, corporation, or other legal entity must register with the Occupational License Division prior to conducting business inside the city limits", with "a minimum license fee of seventy-five ($75.00) dollars due with registration." New construction draws at least three field inspections - footer and foundation, framing and final - before a certificate of occupancy issues. Occupational License Division, 101 East 4th Street, 270-687-5600.

Covington and Kenton County (Northern Kentucky). Planning and Development Services of Kenton County is the building department for Covington and the surrounding communities, and its rule is short: "when completing work within Kenton County, all contractors must obtain and maintain a Kenton County occupational license and provide proof of Kentucky workers' compensation insurance coverage. In addition, the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings, and Construction requires a license for electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and fire suppression work. Contractors must provide copies of all these items before any permits can be issued." There is no residential builder license, exam or bond. In Covington itself a zoning permit from the city, and a certificate of appropriateness where a historic preservation overlay applies, must come before PDS will issue the building permit. PDS, 1840 Simon Kenton Way, Suite 3400, Covington, 859-331-8980; building permits 859-957-2408.

Storm-damaged communities. The Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection runs joint emergency contractor registration programs with the City of Mayfield and Graves County, the City of Princeton and Caldwell County, the City of Dawson Springs and Hopkins County, and the City of Bremen and Muhlenberg County, "to register contractors looking to assist storm victims." The program "requires contractors to register prior to doing business", and registrants are issued placards that must be displayed on the job site and in the vehicle. It is a consumer-protection registration aimed at transient storm-chasers rather than a skill license, and it applies only in those communities. Details on (502) 871-2424.

Everywhere else. The remaining Kentucky cities and counties each set their own rules, from a full licensing board like Bowling Green's to nothing beyond an occupational license and proof of insurance. Ask the local building department what it requires before bidding, and expect to repeat the filing in each jurisdiction.

Moving to KentuckyLeaving Kentucky

Common questions

Do I have to take the Oregon residential contractor exam if I'm licensed in Kentucky?
The trade exam is waived, but Oregon requires a law or code exam.
What does it cost to get a Oregon residential contractor license from Kentucky?
Published fees on this path total $460, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
Do my Kentucky work hours count in Oregon?
No. Oregon 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 42 days.
Does it work the other way, from Oregon to Kentucky?
Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from Oregon to Kentucky, the mechanism is not applicable.

Sources

  1. NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors · National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies · Other · verified September 17, 2026
  2. CCB Frequently Asked Questions (application), updated 3/2026 · Oregon Construction Contractors Board · Faq · verified September 17, 2026
  3. Construction Contractors Board - Continuing education · Oregon Construction Contractors Board · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  4. CCB License Endorsements chart (11/2024) · Oregon Construction Contractors Board · Other · verified September 17, 2026
  5. Oregon Construction Contractors Board Examination Candidate Information Bulletin (PSI) · Oregon Construction Contractors Board / PSI Services LLC · Other · verified September 17, 2026
  6. Construction Contractors Board - How to get a CCB license (9 steps) · Oregon Construction Contractors Board · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  7. CCB Sole Proprietorship License Application · Oregon Construction Contractors Board · Form · verified September 17, 2026
  8. Construction Contractors Board - Licensing (bonds, insurance, public works bond) · Oregon Construction Contractors Board · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
  9. OAR chapter 812, division 3 - Construction Contractors Board licensing · OAR 812-003-0131, 812-003-0142, 812-003-0152, 812-003-0153, 812-003-0260, 812-003-0265, 812-003-0270 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
  10. OAR chapter 812, division 6 - Responsible Managing Individual, pre-licensure training, and testing · OAR 812-006-0100, 812-006-0110, 812-006-0150, 812-006-0160, 812-006-0300, 812-006-0310, 812-006-0450 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
  11. OAR chapter 812, division 22 - Continuing education for residential contractors · OAR 812-022-0010, 812-022-0020 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
  12. OAR 918-030-0015 - Contractor licenses (Building Codes Division requires a CCB license) · OAR 918-030-0015 · Oregon Secretary of State · Admin Rule · verified September 17, 2026
  13. ORS chapter 701 - Construction Contractors and Contracts (2025 edition) · ORS 701.005(16)-(17), 701.021, 701.042, 701.046, 701.050, 701.056, 701.063, 701.068, 701.073, 701.081, 701.084, 701.091, 701.098, 701.122 · Oregon Legislature · Statute · 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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