Contractor licensing — North Carolina

North Carolina splits contractor licensing across four separate state boards, one for general construction and three for the regulated trades. A project-value threshold decides when the general-contractor license is required, and the trade boards license their people on occupational grounds regardless of project size. NC Licensing Board for General Contractors (NCLBGC). Under G.S. 87-1, anyone who bids on or builds a project costing $40,000 or more must hold a general contractor license. Below that threshold a GC license is not required, but trade licenses and local permits still apply. Classifications. NCLBGC issues five primary classifications: Building, Residential, Highway, Public Utilities, and Specialty. Specialty contractors work in narrower scopes such as concrete, insulation, roofing, or swimming pools. Residential covers work that must conform to the NC Residential Code. License limitations by project value. Each classification is issued at one of three limits, with financial-responsibility minimums set in NCLBGC rules and published on the Classifications and Limitations page. - Limited. Single project up to $750,000 (excluding land). Applicant must show current assets exceeding current liabilities by at least $17,000, or net worth of at least $80,000, or post a $175,000 surety bond. - Intermediate. Single project up to $1,500,000. Applicant must show current assets exceeding current liabilities by at least $75,000 on an agreed-upon-procedures report or audited statement, or post a $500,000 surety bond. - Unlimited. No project-value cap. Applicant must show current assets exceeding current liabilities by at least $150,000 on an agreed-upon-procedures report or audited statement, or post a $1,000,000 surety bond. Exams are administered for each classification. A qualifier (an officer, member, or employee who sat for the exam) must be associated with every licensed entity; losing the qualifier without replacement invalidates the license. Trade boards: licensed separately from the GC. - Electrical. NC Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (NCBEEC), under G.S. 87 Article 4, licenses electrical contractors at Limited, Intermediate, and Unlimited classifications with separate scope caps. A qualified individual must pass the NCBEEC exam. - Plumbing, heating, and fire sprinkler. NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors, under G.S. 87 Article 2, licenses plumbing, heating group 1/2/3, and fire sprinkler contractors, plus Plumbing, Heating and Fuel Piping technicians, Restricted Limited Plumbing Contractors, and several fire-sprinkler technician categories. - Refrigeration. NC State Board of Refrigeration Examiners, under G.S. 87 Article 5, licenses commercial and transport refrigeration contractors. Residential HVAC is handled under the heating portion of G.S. 87 Article 2, not this board. Practical pattern. A residential HVAC company in Charlotte running jobs over $40,000 needs the GC license (Building or Residential, Limited at minimum), the H-3 heating contractor license under G.S. 87 Article 2, and, if it touches refrigerants or transport equipment, the refrigeration contractor license under G.S. 87 Article 5. Each board runs its own exam, renewal cycle, and continuing-education schedule. Check all four boards before planning a launch timeline. Local permits. All work still pulls permits through the local building-inspection department. City and county inspectors verify license class on the permit application and will reject work by anyone licensed below the project value.