Moving to District of Columbia as a residential contractor: every state's rule

The District of Columbia licenses residential remodelers District-wide through DLCP, which issues a Basic Business License in the Contractor and Construction Services category with a Home Improvement Contractor endorsement. Home improvement work means the addition to, alteration, conversion, improvement, modernization, remodeling, repair or replacement of a single-family or two-family dwelling, a condominium or cooperative unit, or an adjacent structure such as a driveway, fence, garage, porch, deck or swimming pool; a written contract for $300 or more brings the job inside the rules, and building a new house is general contracting rather than home improvement. The license belongs to the business, not to an individual tradesperson, and no named qualifier sits behind it, because DLCP sets no examination, no experience requirement and no apprenticeship for this endorsement. What it does test is consumer protection: a $25,000 surety bond, public liability and property damage insurance, a police criminal history report, pre-printed contract forms filed with the application, and a sworn showing that the applicant is trustworthy and intends to act as a bona fide home improvement contractor. Every Home Improvement Contractor must also designate and maintain a Basic Business License for at least one Home Improvement Salesperson. A business that already holds the General Contractor/Construction Manager license does not need this endorsement as well to do home improvement work, provided it follows the home improvement contract, receipt and form-approval rules.