Moving to Michigan as a residential contractor: every state's rule
Michigan has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: no credit.
Michigan residential contractor · “Residential Builder, or Maintenance & Alteration Contractor (by trade)”
Statewide license
Michigan licenses home building statewide through LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes under Article 24 of the Occupational Code (1980 PA 299). There are two credentials and an applicant holds one or the other, never both. The Residential Builder license "allows you to build a complete residential structure and to do maintenance and alteration (remodeling) work." The Maintenance & Alteration Contractor license covers only the trades printed on it, chosen from carpentry, concrete, excavation, insulation work, masonry, siding, roofing, screens and storm sash, gutters, tile and marble, house wrecking, swimming pools and basement waterproofing. A "residential structure" is a detached one- or two-family dwelling or a townhouse of not more than three stories, so neither license reaches apartment buildings or commercial work, and an owner building for their own use and occupancy, or a job whose total contract price is under $600, needs no license at all. The license is person-held: an individual applies in their own legal name, sits the exam and holds the license, and a company may not be named on that application. A corporation, LLC or partnership takes a separate company license and must designate one of its officers, partners, members or its managing agent as the qualifying officer; that person must hold the individual license as well, is responsible for supervising the company's construction operations, and the company license is suspended if they leave or let their own license lapse. Entry is by 60 hours of approved prelicensure education and one closed-book PSI examination that combines the trade and business-and-law parts. Michigan sets no experience, apprenticeship, bond, insurance or net-worth requirement, but every licensee must maintain a physical place of business in Michigan, and licenses run three years.
Every origin state
| State | Mechanism | Note | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Alaska | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Arizona | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Arkansas | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| California | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Colorado | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Connecticut | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Delaware | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| District of Columbia | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Florida | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Georgia | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Hawaii | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Idaho | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Illinois | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Indiana | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Iowa | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Kansas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Kentucky | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Louisiana | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Maine | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Maryland | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Massachusetts | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Minnesota | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Mississippi | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Missouri | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Montana | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Nebraska | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Nevada | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| New Hampshire | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| New Jersey | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| New Mexico | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| New York | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| North Carolina | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| North Dakota | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Ohio | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Oklahoma | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Oregon | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Pennsylvania | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Rhode Island | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| South Carolina | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| South Dakota | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Tennessee | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Texas | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
| Utah | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Vermont | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Virginia | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Washington | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| West Virginia | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Wisconsin | No credit | 2026-09-17 | |
| Wyoming | No credit | no state license to transfer | 2026-09-17 |
Getting licensed in Michigan from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how Michigan issues a residential contractor license to a first-time applicant.
Individual Residential Builder license by prelicensure education and examination
LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes issues the Individual Residential Builder license to a person in their own legal name, never to a company. You must be at least 18, complete 60 hours of LARA-approved prelicensure education before you apply, and then file the application with the course certificate, a copy of your state-issued photo ID, a physical Michigan business address and the $195 fee. Once LARA approves the application, PSI contacts you to pay for and schedule one closed-book examination that combines the residential building practice and trade questions with a 50-question business and law section. Michigan sets no experience, apprenticeship, bond, insurance or net-worth requirement. To contract through a corporation, LLC or partnership, you first get your individual license, and the company then applies for its own Residential Builder Company license naming you as its qualifying officer; you must keep your individual license current for the company license to stay active.
The Residential Builder examination has 160 multiple-choice questions, 50 of them business and law and 110 practice and trade, with a 240-minute time limit and a passing raw score of 116; candidates who pass see only PASS on the score report. It is offered in English and Spanish at PSI test centers in Dearborn, Holt-Lansing, Southfield, Grand Rapids, Gaylord and Marquette, and PSI should contact you within 10 business days of LARA's approval. Everything, including passing the exam, must be completed within one year of the date LARA received the application, or the state fees are forfeited and the application is void. LARA says its application review may take three to five weeks, in order of receipt; it publishes no overall application-to-license time. The Maintenance & Alteration (M&A) Contractor license, for specific trades such as carpentry, concrete, roofing, siding or basement waterproofing, uses the same 60-hour course, application and $195 fee, but you sit a combined trade and business-and-law exam for each trade instead (75 to 105 questions, 135 minutes each; $70 for one trade, $99 for two, $114 for three). You may hold a Residential Builder license or an M&A license, not both, and an M&A licensee who later wants the builder license must pass the Residential Builder exam. Michigan does not accept the NASCLA exam. A building permit application for residential work asks for your license number and your workers' compensation carrier or the reason you are exempt.
- Trade exam
- Required
- Law / code exam
- Required
- Exam given by
- PSI
- Exam format
- Closed book
- Renewal
- Every 3 years
- Continuing education
- 21 hours per cycle
Who can apply
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Complete at least 60 hours of classroom or related instruction.At least 6 hours in each of seven subjects; the remaining 18 hours come from other topics on LARA's approved course list.
- Good moral character, declared and signed on the application: that you will serve the public in a fair, honest and open manner, and that any judgment of guilt in a criminal proceeding or civil action against you has been followed by rehabilitation or is not reasonably related to the occupation.LARA may ask for evidence of good moral character from the applicant and, for a company, from each partner, director, officer, member or shareholder (MCL 339.2404(1)). There is no fingerprint or separate background check step.
- A physical place of business in Michigan. The application will not accept a post office box, and each additional Michigan place of business needs a $195 branch office license.
Other ways to qualify
Each of these replaces the requirements above. You only need one.
Veteran with military construction experience (prelicensure course waived)
A veteran who did construction work while serving can file an affidavit from a commanding officer, supervisor or military superior in place of the 60-hour course. The affidavit must attest to entry-level experience in or basic knowledge of each of the seven course subjects; if it covers only some of them, LARA may give partial credit toward the 60 hours. The examination is still required, and if you fail it the first time you must complete the full 60 hours before retaking it. A veteran who files a DD-214 showing an honorable discharge also pays no application fee.
- Served in the US Armed Forces and, while serving, worked in the erection, construction, replacement, repair, alteration or demolition of buildings or other structures.Separation must be honorable or under honorable conditions (general), shown on a DD-214, DD-215 or another form LARA accepts.
- An affidavit signed by a commanding officer, supervisor or military superior with direct knowledge of your service, attesting to entry-level experience in or basic knowledge of all seven prelicensure subject areas.
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Good moral character, declared and signed on the application: that you will serve the public in a fair, honest and open manner, and that any judgment of guilt in a criminal proceeding or civil action against you has been followed by rehabilitation or is not reasonably related to the occupation.LARA may ask for evidence of good moral character from the applicant and, for a company, from each partner, director, officer, member or shareholder (MCL 339.2404(1)). There is no fingerprint or separate background check step.
- A physical place of business in Michigan. The application will not accept a post office box, and each additional Michigan place of business needs a $195 branch office license.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Pre-license course. Complete the required pre-license course. 60 hours of prelicensure education from a course on LARA's Approved Prelicensure Education Course List, with at least 6 hours each in business management, estimating and job costing; design and building science; contracts, liability and risk management; marketing and sales; project management and scheduling; the current Michigan Residential Code; and MIOSHA construction safety standards. A copy of the completion certificate goes in with the application..
- 2Trade exam. Pass the destination's trade exam. Michigan Residential Builder examination (PSI), practice and trade portion: 110 closed-book multiple-choice questions, taken in the same sitting as the business and law section. Questions are written by the Bureau of Construction Codes; PSI schedules and proctors..
- 3Law / code exam. Pass a law, rules, or code exam. Business and law section, 50 closed-book multiple-choice questions on licensing law and regulation, business organization, contracts, project management, finance, insurance, bonds and liens, and personnel. It cannot be taken on its own; it is part of every Residential Builder and M&A examination..
- 4Exam fee. Pay the exam fee ($117). PSI fee for the combined Residential Builder examination, the same for a first attempt or a retest, paid to PSI by credit card when scheduling. Non-refundable and non-transferable; canceling less than two days ahead or missing the appointment forfeits it..
- 5Application fee. Pay the application fee ($195). Non-refundable application fee for the Individual Residential Builder license, paid to the State of Michigan by check or money order with a paper application or through LARA's Accela portal. There is no separate license issuance fee. Waived for a veteran who submits a DD-214 showing an honorable discharge..
- 6Other. A copy of your state-issued photo ID. If your photo ID is from a state other than Michigan, also file a notarized Consent to Service of Process appointing the Director of the Bureau of Construction Codes to receive legal papers for you..
- 7Business license. Obtain a business license ($195) (if applicable). Residential Builder Company license, $195 non-refundable, only if the business will contract as a corporation, LLC, partnership, LLP or LP. File it after your individual license is issued, naming you as qualifying officer; an application without a qualifying officer is denied and the fee forfeited. Every partner, officer or member must be at least 18..
Published fees on this path total $312, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every 3 years with 21 hours of continuing education per cycle and a $150 renewal fee.
21 hours in each of your first two three-year license cycles, including at least 3 hours in each calendar year of your first six years and at least 3 hours on state building codes and laws, safety, and changes in construction and business-management law. From the third cycle on the requirement drops to 3 hours per cycle: 1 hour each of codes, safety and legal issues. Keep your certificates; proof is sent only if LARA audits you.
Licenses expire on 31 May of the renewal year and can be renewed from 90 days before. Renewing after expiry adds a $20 late fee, rising to $35 after 60 days. A qualifying officer must renew both the individual license and the company license; the company license carries no continuing education of its own.
Pre-license education
Where a board mandates a course before the exam, it publishes a list of approved schools. Confirm a provider is on that list before enrolling.
- Pre-license course
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.
- Trade exam
- Law / code exam
- Exam fee · $117
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 · $195 · if applicable
Continuing education
Renewals usually need approved CE hours, often on the latest NEC. Reciprocal licensees are rarely exempt.
- Continuing education
Sources for this section
- Michigan LARA BCC - Armed Forces Applicants, Residential Builders and M&A Contractors (prelicensure course exemption) · MCL 339.2404b · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan LARA Form BCC-2000 - Residential Builder or Maintenance & Alteration Contractor License or Relicense Application (Rev. 07/2026) · 1980 PA 299; MCL 338.3434a · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes, Licensing Section · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan LARA Form BCC-2030 - Residential Builder Company or Maintenance & Alteration Contractor Company License or Relicense Application · 1980 PA 299; MCL 338.3434a · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes, Licensing Division · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan LARA BCC - Residential Builder and M&A Contractor License Fees · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan LARA BCC - Obtaining a Residential Builders License or Maintenance and Alteration Contractor License in the State of Michigan (licensure pathway map) · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan LARA BCC - Consent to Service of Process (for non-residents only) · MCL 339.2406 · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Form · verified September 17, 2026
- Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes - Licensing Section (scope of state licensing, processing times) · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan LARA BCC - Prelicensure Education Requirements for Residential Builder and Maintenance & Alteration Contractor Applicants · MCL 339.2404b(1) · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan LARA Bureau of Construction Codes - PSI Examinations · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan LARA BCC - License/Registration Renewals (Residential Builders section) · Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Construction Codes · Agency Page · verified September 23, 2026
- Michigan Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act, 1972 PA 230 - building permit applications and unlicensed residential work (MCL 125.1521, 125.1523a) · MCL 125.1521(3), 125.1523a · Michigan Legislature · Statute · verified September 17, 2026
- Michigan Occupational Code, 1980 PA 299, Article 24 - Residential Builders and Residential Maintenance and Alteration Contractors (MCL 339.2401 to 339.2412) · MCL 339.2401, 339.2402, 339.2403, 339.2404, 339.2404b, 339.2405, 339.2406, 339.2410 · Michigan Legislature · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- PSI - Michigan Residential Builder, Maintenance and Alteration (M&A) Contractor and Salesperson Candidate Information Bulletin, updated 3 August 2026 · PSI Services LLC for Michigan LARA · Form · verified September 23, 2026
- NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors · National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies · Other · verified September 17, 2026