Moving to North Dakota as a residential contractor: every state's rule
North Dakota has reciprocity agreements with 0 states. Everyone else follows its standard out-of-state path: no credit.
North Dakota residential contractor · “Contractor License, class A, B, C or D by single-project value”
Statewide license
Issued by North Dakota Secretary of State (Registrar of Contractors)
North Dakota licenses contractors through the Secretary of State, who is the registrar of contractors, and one license covers house building and commercial building alike: there is no separate residential builder or remodeler credential. Anyone whose job exceeds $4,000 in cost, value or price must hold the license before doing the work, and an unlicensed contractor cannot maintain a claim, action or lawsuit in a North Dakota court arising from the contracting business. The license is graded into four classes by the value of a single contract project and by nothing else: class D up to $100,000, class C up to $300,000, class B up to $500,000, and class A with no limit at all. A homebuilder picks the class that covers the largest contract they expect to sign, pays that class's fee, and may move to a different class at renewal by paying the new class's issue fee. It is a filing keyed to insurance rather than a test of skill: there is no examination, no minimum experience, no continuing education, no surety bond, no financial statement and no qualifying party, and the license is issued in the name of the person or business that signs the contracts, which must match the name registered with the Secretary of State. Skilled trades are licensed separately, so a builder who self-performs electrical or plumbing work also needs a license from the North Dakota State Electrical Board or the North Dakota State Plumbing Board.
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 | |
| Michigan | 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 | |
| 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 North Dakota from scratch
No license yet, or nothing that transfers? This is how North Dakota issues a residential contractor license to a first-time applicant.
Contractor license by application (no examination)
North Dakota has no residential builder exam or experience requirement: a new homebuilder or remodeler applies to the Secretary of State, as registrar of contractors, for the same contractor license every builder holds. The license is issued to the person or business that signs the contracts, and there is no qualifying party; the applicant must be at least 18 and signs a sworn statement of their experience and qualifications, with no minimum set. The application is filed in the FirstStop portal with a certificate of liability insurance, a Workforce Safety and Insurance certificate or letter, and the fee for the class chosen. The class letter caps the value of a single contract project (class D up to $100,000, C up to $300,000, B up to $500,000, A unlimited), and a license is needed once a job exceeds $4,000.
There is no trade exam, no business and law exam, no surety bond, no financial statement and no continuing education. The registrar may investigate an applicant's eligibility within fifteen days of the application, and no license issues until every document and the fee are in. A first license runs to the end of the contractor year on March 1, except that one issued in January or February runs to March 1 of the following year. Electrical and plumbing work need separate licenses from the North Dakota State Electrical Board and the North Dakota State Plumbing Board. Secretary of State: 701-328-2900 or 800-352-0867.
- Trade exam
- Not required
- Law / code exam
- Not required
- Renewal
- Every year
- Continuing education
- None required
Who can apply
- Be at least 18 years old.NDCC 43-07-04(1). The application is signed under oath and includes a statement of the applicant's experience and qualifications as a contractor; no minimum is set for that experience, but a license may be denied if the application contains false or misleading information.
- No examination, work experience, apprenticeship, education or qualifying individual is required, and no bond or financial statement. The applicant chooses the class of license on the application by the largest single contract they expect to take on.NDCC 43-07-04(1) lists everything an applicant must submit, and 43-07-07(1) sets the class limits. The contractor's bond section, 43-07-11, was repealed in 1995.
- The registrar may deny a license where the application contains false or misleading information, where the applicant has a conviction with a direct bearing on their ability to serve the public as a contractor, or where they have acted dishonestly or fraudulently as a contractor in a way injurious to the public.NDCC 43-07-04.1. A conviction disqualifies only if the person is not sufficiently rehabilitated under NDCC 12.1-33-02.1, and a denial may be appealed to the district court of the applicant's county of residence or Burleigh County.
Steps to get licensed
- 1Application fee. Pay the application fee ($300). License fee set by the class chosen: class B $300 (up to $500,000 per job) is shown here as the class most homebuilders and remodelers file under; class A is $450 (no limit), class C $225 (up to $300,000) and class D $100 (up to $100,000). A nonprofit building or rehabilitating a single-family home to be given or sold below appraised value to a low-income person pays no fee..
- 2Insurance. Carry the required insurance. Certificate of liability insurance filed with the application, in the same name the license is requested in, listing the North Dakota Secretary of State, 600 E Boulevard Ave, Dept 108, Bismarck, ND 58505, as certificate holder. Neither the statute nor the Secretary of State publishes a minimum policy limit; ask the Secretary of State on 701-328-2900 or 800-352-0867 what it accepts. The coverage must be kept in force: a lapse puts the license out of good standing, and the license is revoked if the lapse is not cured within thirty days of the registrar's notice..
- 3Insurance. Carry the required insurance. A statement from North Dakota Workforce Safety and Insurance (WSI) that coverage satisfactory to WSI has been secured. With employees residing in North Dakota, file a current WSI certificate of payment; with no North Dakota resident employees and no significant contact, file a WSI letter of good standing. Instructions for obtaining either are in the FirstStop portal..
- 4Business license. Obtain a business license. Business registration with the Secretary of State before applying, because the name on the license application must match it. A corporation, limited liability company or other entity must register (an out-of-state company as a foreign entity); a sole proprietor may need a trade name and a general partnership a fictitious partnership name. Letting that registration lapse puts the contractor license out of good standing..
- 5Background check. Complete a background check (if applicable). Not part of the standard filing, but the registrar may require criminal history record information about the applicant, or the officers, members or partners of a business applicant, from the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation or a similar agency in another state, at the applicant's expense. Refusing to authorize or pay for it is a ground to refuse the license..
Published fees on this path total $300, excluding exam-vendor fees, bonds, and insurance.
Keeping it active
Every year with no continuing education required and a $60 renewal fee.
None. The renewal filing lists no education requirement.
The $60 shown is the class B renewal fee; class A is $90, class C $45 and class D $30. A contractor may renew under a different class by paying that class's issue fee. Renewal is due on or before March 1 each year, filed in FirstStop with a list of every project, contract or subcontract over $50,000 completed in North Dakota in the preceding calendar year, a certificate of liability insurance and a certification that payroll taxes, WSI premiums and unemployment insurance premiums are paid. A contractor who misses March 1 is treated as unlicensed and may renew until June 1 by paying a $50 penalty plus the renewal fee; after June 1 the license is expired.
Liability insurance
Some states require proof of general liability or workers' compensation coverage at licensing time.
- Insurance
- Insurance
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
Sources for this section
- North Dakota Century Code Chapter 43-07 - Contractors · NDCC 43-07-01, 43-07-02, 43-07-04, 43-07-04.1, 43-07-07, 43-07-08, 43-07-09, 43-07-10, 43-07-11, 43-07-12, 43-07-19, 43-07-22, 43-07-24 · North Dakota Legislative Branch · Statute · verified September 23, 2026
- Contractors - North Dakota Secretary of State · North Dakota Secretary of State · Agency Page · verified September 17, 2026