Moving to Rhode Island as a residential contractor: every state's rule

Rhode Island does not license residential contractors for competency. The Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board (CRLB), a unit of the State Building Office within the Department of Business Regulation, registers them under R.I. Gen. Laws chapter 5-65, and that registration is the only credential a homebuilder or remodeler needs. One registration covers everything the board calls a structure - a commercial building, or any building containing one or more residences and its appurtenances - so there are no residential and general classes, no class letters and no dollar limits. There is no trade examination, no business-and-law examination, no apprenticeship, no years-of-experience test, no financial statement and no surety bond. The one qualification-like step is education rather than assessment: a first-time applicant files proof of a state-approved five-hour pre-registration course taken within the previous twenty-four months, and a renewing residential contractor files proof of a 2.5-hour continuing education course. The registration is held by whoever signs the contracts, and R.I. Gen. Laws 5-65-1(7)(iii) makes the point plainly: 'A certificate of registration is necessary for each business entity regardless of the fact that each entity may be owned by the same individual.' A sole proprietor registers as an individual; a partnership, corporation, LLC or joint venture registers in its own name and must designate an individual responsible for its work, and that designee and the entity are jointly and severally liable for the fee and for every violation of the chapter. The designee is an accountability contact rather than a qualifying party, because no competency test attaches to the designation. Registration reaches further down than in most states: every subcontractor must hold a registration in its own name, including carpenters, framers, siding installers, roofers, foundation and concrete installers, drywall installers, plasterers, insulation installers, tile and floor covering installers, pool installers, masons, hardscape installers, power washers and painters, and a general contractor may not hire an unregistered sub. Licensed tradespeople are carved out: electricians, plumbers, HVAC and mechanical trades are licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training and need no CRLB registration for work within that license.