Nevada Contractor FAQs

All businesses or individuals who construct or alter any building, highway, road, parking facility, railroad, excavation, or other structure in Nevada must be licensed by the Nevada State Contractors Board. Contractors, including subcontractors and specialty contractors, must be licensed before submitting bids.

Nevada has three license classifications:

  • Class A – General Engineering Contractor.  The principal business is in connection with fixed works requiring specialized engineering knowledge and skill.
  • Class B – General Building Contractor.  The principal business is in connection with the construction or remodeling of buildings or structures for the support, shelter, and enclosure of persons, animals, chattels or movable property of any kind, requiring in their construction the use of more than two unrelated building trades or crafts.
  • Class C – Specialty Contractor.  There are 36 separate primary “C” license classifications for contractors whose construction work requires special skill and whose principal contracting business involves the use of specialized building trades or crafts.  A description of each classification can be found on the Nevada State Contractors Board Web site.

You must complete the following steps:

Obtain an Application for a Contractor’s License from any office of the Nevada State Contractors
Board or via the website at www.nscb.nv.gov.  Submit the following with the completed application:

1.   A minimum of four notarized Reference Certificates for each trade qualifier.
2.  The Resume of Experience form
3.  Financial Statement and background disclosures
4.  Application processing fee of $300

Submit to:  Southern Nevada
2310 Corporate Circle, Suite 200
Henderson, NV  89074

Or:  Northern Nevada
9670 Gateway Drive, Suite 100
Reno, NV  89521

After approval of your application, you will be required to:

1.  Submit a biennial license fee of $600 for each application
2.  Submit the required license bond in the amount indicated on your approval letter
3.  Submit proof of compliance with Industrial Insurance (Workers’ Compensation Insurance) or an exemption affidavit if you are not required to obtain it.
4.  Prior to issuance of a license, each applicant must either register with the Residential Recovery Fund and pay the assessed Residential Recovery Fund Fee or complete a certificate of exemption.
5.  Pass the written Business and Law (Construction Management Survey exam) and trade examinations.

Also, contact your county or local municipality for additional requirements

No. You do not have to meet any education requirements in order to qualify for a contractor’s license.

Yes. All qualifying individuals for a contractor’s license are required to pass the written Business and Law examination. In addition, qualifying individuals must pass a trade exam covering the specific trade for which they are applying (Not all classifications require a trade exam). After your experience has been verified, an Examination Eligibility Letter will be mailed to you. A link for the Candidate Information Bulletin, which includes information about the exams is available on the Boards website. The Nevada State Contractors Board has contracted with PSI Licensure to administer the exams.

Yes. You must have a least four years of experience to qualify. Credit for experience is given only for experience at a journeyman level or as a foreman, supervising employee or contractor. The Reference certificates are on pages 22-25 of the application. The Resume of Experience form where you describe in detail the work performed, type of construction projects, trades, crafts, tasks, and duties performed can be found on page 26 of the application. Training received in a program offered at an accredited college or university or an equivalent program accepted by the board may be used to satisfy not more than 3 years of experience. You must provide written documentation of any training or education claimed in place of experience.

No Continued Education is required at this time.

A contractor’s license is initially issued for a two-year period. It will expire two years from the last day of the month in which it was issued. Licenses are renewed every two years.

Check with county and local municipalities for additional regulations.

YES

When you pass the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors, you will be listed in the NASCLA National Examination Database. You will then have this information available for the following states which accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination: AL, AR, GA, LA, MS, NV, NC, OR, SC, TN, UT, US Virgin Islands, VA, and WV. You may also need to take each states’ specific business/law/project management exam in addition to the NASCLA exam.

Yes

Check with county and local municipalities for additional regulations

No. However, Nevada has reciprocal agreements with the states of Arizona, California, and Utah which pertain to the trade examination only. All other information and application requirements must be completed. The following requirements must be met:

1. The licensee/qualifier must have been actively licensed and in good standing in the participating state for five of the last seven years.
2. The licensee/qualifier must have taken and passed an equivalent trade examination in that state.
3. The licensee/qualifier must show proof of licensure in that state by providing the completed out-of-state verification form included in the application package.
4. The licensee/qualifier will be required to successfully pass the management examination for the State of Nevada.

  • Information Last Updated: 04/2020
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