Missouri 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 it works in Missouri. There is no state contractor board, no state application and no state exam. Each city or county writes its own ordinance, so a builder holds whatever the local jurisdiction requires everywhere it works, and a credential from one Missouri city does not carry into the next of its own force. The single statewide preemption in Missouri construction law is the electrical one: RSMo 324.925 forces every political subdivision to recognize a statewide electrical contractor license and bars it from testing that holder's electrical proficiency. Nothing equivalent exists for builders, and the statute expressly leaves cities free to license and examine in other trades. What that produces is two very different kinds of place. In Kansas City and Independence a residential builder is examined and personally qualified. In St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Springfield, Columbia and Jefferson City the trades are examined and the builder is not - the builder simply buys a business license.

Kansas City. City Planning & Development runs a two-part system under Article XII of the Kansas City Building and Rehabilitation Code, and it is the only place in Missouri with a purpose-built residential builder credential. An individual first earns the Residential Building Supervisor certificate of qualification, which covers "constructing, structurally altering or enlarging any one- or two-family detached dwelling or townhouse including detached accessory buildings in excess of 400 square feet." The applicant files an application with a $60.00 nonrefundable fee and "shall earn a passing score on one of the two recognized exams administered for Kansas City, Missouri: the residential construction (10344) examination administered by Prometric or the standard residential building contractor (W13) examination administered by ICC." The exam is waived where the applicant holds "a passing score on a standard Prometric or ICC examination or other department-approved national testing agency examination comparable in content," documented to the Building Official's satisfaction - and the city states outright that it built the program to match Independence and Johnson County, so "if you have passed a residential builder exam in either of these jurisdictions, you will not be required to retest," and continuing education hours earned there count toward renewal. Being a Missouri-registered engineer or architect does not substitute for the exam. The company then applies for the Residential Building Contractor license, which needs a full-time managerial employee holding the supervisor certificate (the owner may be that person), a business license from the Finance Department, a current Missouri Secretary of State registration and a certificate of insurance carrying at least a $1,000,000 aggregate limit per occurrence and naming the City of Kansas City as additional insured. Fees are $60.00 to apply and $181.00 to issue, with $181.00 quadrennial renewals on both the license and the certificate; the certificate itself is free for its first four years. Applications go through CompassKC; [email protected], (816) 513-1500.

Independence. The city licenses the individual, not the company: "contractor licenses belong to the licensed individual, NOT a company," and "anyone hired to complete permittable work within the City of Independence" needs one. The residential tier is the Class C general contractor license, described as residential only, and the license "covers framing, footings, and general construction." Qualification is one of three things: ICC or Prometric test scores from within the last five years at 75 percent or better; "a current, active license with a jurisdiction that we reciprocate with," which the city defines broadly as "any jurisdiction that issues licenses in a similar fashion"; or, for a general contractor license, a bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture or construction science from an accredited college or university. Licenses expire on December 31 every year with no proration. A business license shows you may trade in the city; the contractor license shows you are qualified to do the work, and you need both. Authorized users may be added to a license, but the holder answers for their work. [email protected], (816) 325-7401.

St. Louis City. The Building Division operates four boards of examiners - electrical, mechanical contractors and pipefitters, plumbers and drainlayers, and sprinkler system contractors - and none of them touches building contractors. A residential builder needs a construction or contracting business license from the License Collector: a state tax number, the application form, clearance from the Collector of Revenue, an occupancy permit from the Building Division, and proof of workers' compensation coverage or a signed statement that the law does not require it. The city also requires that "all general contractors ... furnish a list of the sub-contractors on any job to the License Collector." No exam, experience or bond applies. Building Division, City Hall Room 425, 1200 Market St., (314) 622-3313.

St. Louis County. The county is explicit: "the County does not license general contractors," though it "does verify that out-of-state contractors are registered with the state," and it "does register all repair contractors that obtain permits for repairs from a natural disaster such as a flood or severe storm." What it does license is the trades, through Transportation and Public Works: electrical licensing, mechanical licensing (four contractor categories under the county Mechanical Code) and plumbing licensing, each with its own board, and "the County only issues trade permits to licensed contractors." A homebuilder in unincorporated St. Louis County therefore pulls permits without a county builder credential but must use licensed trade contractors. 41 South Central Ave., 6th Floor, Clayton, 314-615-5184. Note that most of the county's ninety-odd municipalities run their own building departments, so check the city as well.

Springfield. Building Development Services will not issue a permit until "a City-licensed General Contractor (GC) or Trade Master (TM) ... is listed on the permit," so the credential is mandatory - but it is a business license, obtained from the License Division, not a tested qualification. Springfield's testing program covers the crafts only: "electricians, plumbers, gas fitters, and mechanical craftsmen must be tested and certified to afford competence and knowledge of the codes," and those trades may substitute an out-of-jurisdiction exam score of 75 percent or better from Prometric, Experior, Block or ICC where the examination is identical to Springfield's. Contractors who carry workers' compensation file proof of it; those who are not required to carry it sign a notarized exemption statement. Permit desk 417-864-1585, License Division 417-864-1617.

Columbia. Community Development's Building and Site Development division licenses trades only - Trade Apprentice, Electrical Certification, Mechanical Certification and Plumbing Certification - because "electricians, plumbers, gas fitters and mechanical craftsman must be tested and certified," with the tests "administered by a private testing firm according to a regular schedule." There is no builder certification and no board of building examiners. A residential contractor takes out a city business license instead: $0.25 per $1,000 of gross receipts with a $75 annual minimum, a $10,000 annual maximum and a $45 application fee, plus a certificate of workers' compensation insurance for any construction business with one or more employees. Business License Division 573-874-7378.

Jefferson City. "All contractors performing work in Jefferson City must have a local license," but the split is the same as elsewhere: "electrical and plumbing contractors and their employees are required to obtain specific trade licenses directly from the Building Regulations Division," while "all other contractors are directed to the Business License Division to obtain their business license." A residential builder therefore files for the business license and takes no examination. Building Regulations (573) 634-6410, Business License Division (573) 634-6322.

Everywhere else. Missouri's other cities and counties set their own rules, and many require nothing but a permit and proof of insurance. Ask each building department what it licenses before you contract there. If you plan to sit an examination anywhere in Missouri, the practical move is the ICC standard residential building contractor (W13) or the Prometric residential construction (10344) paper, because those are the two Kansas City names outright and the same scores satisfy Independence, and a passing result documented from an approved agency is the nearest thing Missouri has to a transferable builder credential.