North Carolina Building Contractor License

Requirements to Obtaining your License

• A "General Contractor" license is required in North Carolina when the project exceeds $30,000.
• Anyone seeking to be licensed as a general contractor in North Carolina shall file an application for an examination on a form provided by the Board, at least 30 days before any regular or special meeting of the Board.
• Applicants must submit a completed application to get pre-approval from the State Licensing Board to take the exam.

Work that can be Done Under this License

A Building Contractor (General Contractor) classification covers all building construction activity including, but not limited to: commercial, industrial, institutional, and all residential building construction. Also included are parking decks, site work, sidewalks, curbs, and gutters.

This license is divided into three types: Limited, Intermediate, and Unlimited.

• The Limited License has a financial limit per project of up to $500,000. In order to qualify, the applicant must be financially stable and show that they exceed their total liabilities by $17,000.
• The Intermediate License has a financial limit of up to $1,000,000 per project. In order to qualify, the applicant must be financially stable and show that they exceed their total liabilities by $75,000.
• The Unlimited License is not restricted to the value of the project. In order to qualify the applicant must be financially stable and show that they exceed their total liabilities by $150,000.

Applying to get your License

You may contact North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors at (919) 571-4183.

Click Here to download an application.

Reciprocity Agreements

Examination waiver with South Carolina and Tennessee.

Continuing Education

Not required at this time.

Exam Details

• Exam fee of $70.
• The exam has 90 questions and a time limit of 180 minutes.
• 70% is required to pass.
• The examination is open book.
• Pre-approval from the Board is required before taking the exam.
• To schedule your exam, contact PSI at 1-800-733-9267.

Books and References for the Exam

These references are available to be purchased from our online bookstore. However, you can take take 6 into the examination. They are:

• 2009 North Carolina Building Code
• North Carolina OSHA
• North Carolina Business and Project Management for General Contractors
• 2009 North Carolina State Administration and Enforcements Code
• ACI 530-08 - Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures
• ACI 318-08 - Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary

The examination also pulls questions from the following references. However, these references are NOT permitted to be taken into the exam. Please note that these references are also available from our online bookstore or by contacting our office toll free at 1-800-952-0910.

• Carpentry and Building Construction
• Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures
• Handling and Erection of Steel Joists and Joists Girders
• Manual of Construction with Steel Deck
• Modern Masonry
• Pipe and Excavation Contracting
• Roofing Construction and Estimating
• Training Manual for Un-Bonded Post Tensioning
• North Carolina One Call
• North Carolina Administrative Code, Title 15A, Chapter 4
• North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 113A, Article 4
• Laws and Regulations Applicable to General Contracting in North Carolina

Exam Review, Training, Education

We offer review for the North Carolina Building Contractor exam in a home study/online course format. The fee for the online class is $149. The program takes you through each one of the reference books that the exam is based on showing you exactly what to highlight. After your highlighting is completed with each book, you have the option take an online practice test to reinforce concepts presented. Also, there is an extensive math and plans analysis portion. For more information, or to order, contact our office at 1-800-952-0910.

Online Course: $149