North Carolina

North Carolina has two different types of licenses: Building Contractor and Residential Contractor.

Both licenses can do residential work, but only the Building Contractor license allows for commercial construction. If going for the Building Contractor license, it is highly recommended to take the NASCLA exam instead of the state Building Contractor exam.

In North Carolina, a license is required for any job over $40,000.

North Carolina Builder

The North Carolina Building Contractor license allows the builder to bid on, build, or modify any type or size of commercial or residential property.

To obtain a North Carolina Builder license, you will have to pass a trades exam and a business law exam (business law is only required if taking NASCLA). For more information, watch the video at the top of this page. For the trades exam, you have a choice:

Multi-State

NASCLA

NASCLA is a standardized, multi-state accreditation. NASCLA is the better option if you're wanting to be licensed in multiple states.
For a full list of states that accept NASCLA Click Here

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North Carolina Builder

The North Carolina Builder exam is a harder exam, is only good for the North Carolina Builder license, and does not help with getting licensed in other states.
For a full list of states that accept NASCLA Click Here

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North Carolina Residential Contractor

The North Carolina Residential Contractor license allows for residential construction from the ground up, as well as remodeling existing residential properties.

There is only one required exam: the North Carolina Residential Contractor exam.

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North Carolina Business & Law

This exam is required only if taking the NASCLA exam for the Building Contractor license. The North Carolina Business & Law exam is a short 90 minute exam covering information in only 2 books.

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