Michigan Builders License
Exam and Licensing Process
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Here's what you do once you complete your 60-hours of State approved prelicensure education:
Send your licensing application that we provided in our course to the State of Michigan Licensing Division Builders Unit along with all Certificates of Completion. If you want your business licensed at the same time, send in the Corporate application, too. There will be a feel for each license that must also be included.
The State of Michigan will spend anywhere between two and ten weeks reviewing your application and documents. Once approved, the Department will send an 'Authorization to Test' form. If you do not receive your approval after six weeks, you may want to contact the Department:
MI
Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA)
Bureau of Commercial Services - Builders Unit
P.O. Box 30245
Lansing, MI 48909
(517) 373-8376
Fax: (517) 373-2162
www.michigan.gov/builders
The last step is passing both parts of the State license exam with PSI Examination Services. You can register for the Michigan Residential Builders Exam three ways:
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FAX - Complete the Examination Registration Form in the Candidate Information Bulletin and fax it to (702) 932-2666. Please allow 4 business days to process your registration.
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Standard Mail - Complete the Examination Registration Form and send in the original form to PSI with the appropriate examination fee.
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Internet - For retakes only, log onto www.psiexams.com and complete the online test registration form. Once you complete the form you will be given a list of available dates to schedule your contractors license exam.
To schedule your Michigan Builders testing date, call PSI at (800) 733-9267, 24 hours a day and schedule using the Automated Registration System or speak with a representative between 8am to 8:00pm (This is 11am to 11pm Michigan time).
Builders license exams are given weekly at the following locations: Southfield, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Marquette and Gaylord.
After completing our 60-hour Michigan Pre-License Course and spending time on our FREE online preparation course, you are ready to take both parts of the contractors license exam. You can arrive with confidence knowing that you are thoroughly prepared for this exam. It is recommended that you arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled testing time. You must present two (2) valid forms of identification when you arrive at the testing center. One of the ID's must have a photograph and your signature. A driver's license will satisfy this requirement. The name on the application must exactly match the name on the photo ID used to check in for the builders test. You should also bring a non-programmable calculator. We recommend you bring two, just in case the batteries go dead on one of them. Our Michigan Builder Prelicense Course will prepare you for the following 2 exams:
Part 1 Business/Law Exam - There are 50 questions on the exam and you must answer at least 36 questions correctly in order to pass (72%). You are allowed 75 minutes to complete the exam.
Part 2 Practices/Trades Exam - There are 100 questions on the Residential Builder practices/trades exam and you must answer at least 73 questions correctly in order to pass (73%). You are allowed two and a half hours to complete the exam.
You'll be notified immediately after testing if you passed the exam. PSI will notify the State of Michigan Licensing Division and they will send your official builders license and identification card to you via the USPS.
License Cycle and Fees
License Term: Effective June 1, 2008, the license cycle for a Residential Builder or Maintenance & Alteration Contractor license will be 3 years, expiring May 31, 2011 and every three years thereafter.
One of the most important steps in obtaining your Michigan Contractor License is preparing to take the contractors test. Our 60 hour pre-license builders course provides you with the most relaxing and efficient way to complete the education and prepare for the Michigan State exam at the same time. Our course comes with the following:
1. Complete Course materials, including all forms and applications required.
2. Complete preparation for both parts of the State exam, presented in a low-stress,
entertaining format so you will retain the information.
3. Marketing PowerPak filled with great ideas on how to market your construction
business.
4. Online Study Course for the State exam that allows you to practice the exam from
any computer at any time of day.
5. Free tuition to a 3-hour Continued Competency course at any location.
5. Certificates of Completion
6. Toll-free "Ask the Instructor" hotline available during all business hours.
9. Cheerful and helpful office staff at 1-800-727-7104 that is available to help you
with anything you may need during and after you complete the program.
10. The best reputation in the business. All of our instructors receive the highest marks
by their students. Take a look at our instructors and biographies to see that we
are for real. We do not just float false testimonies on the internet. Our instructors
are all in the industry and have true construction education backgrounds, with over
50 years of combined experience building and teaching builders to reach their
dreams in an industry that offers tremendous versatility and rewards.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Who Must Be
Licensed?
Anyone contracting for $600 or more
in any of the following trades: basement waterproofing, carpentry,
concrete, excavation, gutters, house wrecking, insulation, masonry,
painting, roofing, siding, swimming pools, tile/marble and building
or
remodeling homes. This includes time and materials.
How Many Hours of Continued
Competency Do You Need in order to renew your license in May
of 2011?
If you were licensed before 1/1/09..............You only
need 3 Hours and it has to be a State of Michigan Approved Code/Law/Safety course
NOTE: If
you were licensed after 1/1/09, you will need to complete 21
hours before the third anniversary of the date you were
licensed, with a minimum of 3 hours per year. To find
out exactly when you were licensed, click on
CHECK A LICENSE
in the right column of this page.
If you were licensed between 1/1/09 and 5/31/09.........6 Hours
If you were licensed between 6/1/09 and 5/31/11........3 Hours
What happens if I
get caught building without a license?
Effective December 21, 2007, penalties were
increased for a person practicing as a Residential Builder or M&A
Contractor without a license.
First Offense: Misdemeanor. Fine of
$5,000 to $25,000, or prison for not more than 1 year, or both.
Second/Subsequent Offense: Misdemeanor.
Fine of $5000 to $25,000, or prison
for not more than 2 years, or both.
What happens if I
don't get my continuing competency finished by my renewal date of
May 31st?
The State of Michigan has allowed a 60-day
grace period (July 31st, 2011) for the first time renewal under the
new law.
After July 31st,
2011, the states requires the following:
1. Resubmit
application to the State of MI. This application is different
from the initial
form when they
complete the 60 hour course.
These new applications can be found at the Michigan
State Web-site
Form #9
Individual Application ($185 each)
Form #7 Corporation application ($185 each)
The state will do another screening, checking background and looking for "good moral character". Application could be denied!
2. You still need to complete the 3 Hour CE.
3. You are still subject to be audited.
