Applicants seeking a Residential Builder or Maintenance & Alteration (M&A) Contractor license must complete 60 hours of approved prelicensure courses before taking the exams or submitting an application.
Builders License Training Institute offers multiple course packages that fulfill this requirement.
Our state-approved 60-hour courses are taught by licensed experts and fulfill the state's prerequisite requirements.
Each online course is available anytime, and users can pause and resume them as often as they like. In-person classroom sessions are also held throughout the state.
Applicants must be at least 18 and have no active criminal record to apply online using the state's Accela platform or through the mail.
Applications must include a copy of the prelicensure certificate of completion, which we provide with all our courses.
The closed-book exams are proctored by PSI and taken in person at approved locations.
The MI Residential Builder Examination includes 160 questions, with 50 covering Business and Law and 110 being trade-related.
The M&A Contractor exam also includes 50 Business and Law questions, along with 25 to 50 questions related to each desired trade category.
Course material is based on the current 2015 Michigan Residential Code. The 2021 Building Code adoption does not affect these courses.
This bundle includes the 60-Hour Pre-license Course, Exam Prep Program and Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Licensed.
This course meets requirements for pre licensure in Michigan and contains the required code book.
This package meets your state requirements for pre-licensure and includes the required code book and the Carpentry and Construction book.
For those who prefer in-person learning, we offer a six-day fast-track classroom curriculum. All courses are LARA-approved and are taught by an expert instructor. View our upcoming class schedule to learn more.
"I took your Michigan 60-Hour Prelicensure program and wanted to tell you that I passed both portions of the exam on my first try! Your instructors were phenomenal and the course was laid out just right! I would definitely recommend your courses to anyone who wants to be licensed."
- Mike, Michigan
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) requires a residential or M&A license for anyone who is paid by a property owner to complete a construction or remodeling project worth $600 or more.
Residential builders can participate in the entire home construction process from start to finish. All plumbing, electrical, and mechanical (HVAC) work still requires subcontractors, however.
Maintenance and Alteration (M&A) Contractors are only licensed to perform specific services designated by letter codes:
Technically, yes, but doing so is redundant. The prelicense requirements are the same, but a Residential Builder license allows a person to perform every trade service (see the previous question) that is available to an M&A Contractor.
The Residential Builder Examination requires answering 116 out of 160 questions correctly.
M&A Contractor trade exams require answering the following number of questions correctly:
You may retake the required exam(s) as many times as needed within the one-year licensure eligibility window. This deadline starts once the Bureau of Construction Codes approves your application.
