Kentucky to West Virginia: residential contractor license reciprocity
Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky license must be active and in good standing.
What you'll do to get licensed in West Virginia
- 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..
- 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..
- 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..
- 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..
- 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..
- 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..
- 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..
- 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..
- 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..
- 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
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.
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
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.
- Louisville Metro / Jefferson County (Office of Construction Review - Building Type A and B contractor licenses)
- Lexington-Fayette Urban County (Division of Building Inspection - general contractor, residential only registration)
- Bowling Green and Warren County (joint Contractors Licensing Board - General and Specialty Contractors License)
- Owensboro and Daviess County (Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission - permits only; city occupational license)
- Covington and Kenton County (Planning and Development Services of Kenton County - occupational license and insurance only)
Common questions
- Do I have to take the West Virginia residential contractor exam if I'm licensed in Kentucky?
- 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 Kentucky?
- Published fees on this path total $149.95, not counting exam vendor fees or bonds.
- Do my Kentucky 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 Kentucky?
- Not necessarily. Reciprocity is directed. Going from West Virginia to Kentucky, the mechanism is not applicable.
Sources
- 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
- 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
- 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
- West Virginia Contractor License Application/Affidavit (Revised 8.11.2026) · West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- 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
- 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
- WV Contractor Licensing Board notice - tested classifications · West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026
- Contractor Licensing Board FAQ'S · West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board · Faq · verified September 17, 2026
- 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.