North Dakota contractor license requirements: what the state licenses and what the cities do

North Dakota is unusual because its main contractor license has no trade list and no exam in the statute. It works on dollar size. If a single job is priced over $4,000, you need a license from the Secretary of State, whether you hang drywall, roof a garage or pour a driveway. Trades that can burn or flood a building sit under separate boards. This page walks through each one, with the agency and the statute. It is general information as of October 2026, not legal advice. Our North Dakota startup page covers the LLC, workers' compensation and sales tax side.

The Secretary of State license starts at $4,000 per job

Under N.D.C.C. 43-07-02, a person may not act as a contractor when the cost, value or price per job exceeds $4,000 without a license. The definition in 43-07-01 is broad: building, repair, alteration, dismantling or demolition of buildings, roads, sewers, pipelines and "every other type of structure, project, development, or improvement" counts, including property held for sale or rent. The definition expressly includes subcontractors, public contractors and nonresident contractors.

The license comes in four classes, set by the largest single project you may take on.

Those fees are set in 43-07-07 and match the Secretary of State's contractor page as read in October 2026. A small crew doing kitchens, decks and siding will usually fit Class D or C. Pick the class by your biggest realistic job, because a Class D holder is not entitled to take a single project above $100,000.

What the application needs, and what it does not

North Dakota's statute asks for an application under oath with a statement of your experience and qualifications, the applicant must be 18 or older, and the Secretary of State may require criminal history information at your expense. I found no exam requirement in chapter 43-07 or on the Secretary of State's page. Three things must go in with the application:

• A certificate of liability insurance in the same name as the license, with the Secretary of State listed as certificate holder.
• If you have North Dakota employees, a statement from Workforce Safety and Insurance (WSI) that your coverage is in place. Without employees in the state, WSI issues a letter of good standing instead, as the Secretary of State's page describes it.
• A business name that matches your registration. The page says sole proprietors may need a trade name, and LLCs and corporations must be registered.

The application is filed through the FirstStop portal. Nonresident applicants appoint the Secretary of State as their agent for service of process under 43-07-19, unless a registered foreign entity already has an agent on file.

Renewal runs on a March 1 contractor year

The "contractor year" runs March 2 through March 1 (43-07-01). Renewal is due before March 2. Miss it and the license is not in good standing and you are treated as unlicensed. Until June 1 you can still renew by paying a $50 penalty fee plus the renewal fee and filing the application. After June 1 the license is expired (43-07-10).

Renewal also asks for a list of each project over $50,000 you finished in the state last year, and a certification that you have paid payroll taxes, WSI premiums and unemployment insurance premiums.

Good standing depends on your paperwork elsewhere. Under 43-07-04, the Secretary of State classifies a license as not in good standing, after 20 days' written notice, if you fail to keep your liability insurance, your LLC or corporation status, your trade name or your partnership filings current. You must stop soliciting and signing new projects, and if you do not fix the problem within 30 days the license goes through revocation. For an LLC owner, that makes the annual report a license issue, not only a filing issue.

What happens if you work without it

Acting as a contractor without a license is a class A misdemeanor, and the Secretary of State can add a civil penalty of up to three times the fee amounts in 43-07-07 before it will issue you a license (43-07-02). The same section bars an unlicensed contractor from bringing any court claim related to the contracting business. That can leave an unpaid job uncollectable.

The statute also sets payment offenses for contractors. Taking payment by deception, not paying a supplier for materials you were paid for, or abandoning a project after payment is covered. Abandonment arises when work does not start within 60 days of an agreed written start date (90 days of the contract date if none), or is not done within 90 days of an agreed completion date (180 days if none). Penalties scale with the amount taken, from a class C felony under $10,000 to a class A felony over $50,000. A license complaint can end in restitution up to $5,000 and a suspension of up to 60 months (43-07-15).

Two paperwork duties are easy to miss. When you pull a building permit, you give the permit office your license number (43-07-24). And on a one- or two-family home, or an improvement over $2,000 to a dwelling, you give the owner written notice of the warranty-repair process when the job is complete (43-07-26).

Electrical and plumbing: separate boards, separate rules

Electrical. The North Dakota State Electrical Board licenses individuals under chapter 43-09. A license is required to plan, lay out, supervise, install or repair wiring for light, heat, power or power limited systems (43-09-09). Classes are master, journeyman, Class B (farmstead and residential wiring) and power limited. A journeyman needs 8,000 hours of experience over at least three years, and a Class B needs 18 months of farmstead or residential wiring plus an exam. A master needs one year as a licensed journeyman. The statute leaves fees to the board. See how to become a licensed electrician for the general path.

Advertising is limited. You cannot advertise to contract electrical work unless you are licensed, or associated with a Class B, master or power limited electrician (43-09-09.2). A first offense is a class B misdemeanor. Installations worth $500 or more go to a state inspector (43-09-05). The board may license people from other states where those states offer the same (43-09-25). Appliance dealers' installers connecting to an existing receptacle are exempt (43-09-16).

Plumbing. The State Plumbing Board licenses master and journeyman plumbers and apprentices under chapter 43-18, but only in places with a public water or sewer system (43-18-11). A homeowner may do plumbing in the home they live in, unless a local rule forbids it. In towns of 1,000 or more people, a licensed master plumber must be in charge of a plumbing business (43-18-10), while in smaller towns and rural areas a journeyman may run the business. Your advertising must carry your license number (43-18-11.3). Exam fees are capped at $200 for masters and $100 for journeymen (43-18-13). The board can register plumbers from states it finds substantially equivalent (43-18-13.1). The national plumbing license guide covers the usual path.

HVAC has no state license, so the city decides

The Secretary of State's contractor page lists electrical and plumbing as the separate state licenses and does not list HVAC, and I found no state mechanical board. Your $4,000 contractor license applies to HVAC jobs over the line. The trade license is local.

• Fargo proctors the state reciprocity exams for master and journeyman HVAC. A journeyman applicant shows 6,000 hours of practical experience, a master shows 10,000 total. Exam fees are $40 and $125 per appointment. From January 1, 2026 the exams use the 2024 International Mechanical Code and 2024 International Fuel Gas Code. A passing score counts across participating cities, but the city page says you must obtain a license in each jurisdiction where you work.
• Bismarck licenses mechanical installers through Building Inspections, with monthly exam sittings. Its page says the current exam allows reciprocity with Grand Forks, Fargo and Minot. People who tested before July 1, 2017 hold a legacy license that works inside Bismarck only.

Refrigerant handling also falls under the federal EPA certification rules, which apply in every state.

Pesticides, lawn work and trades with no state license

A commercial applicator may not purchase, use or supervise pesticide use without certification (N.D.C.C. 4.1-33-07). The exam is given through NDSU Extension, and the board may classify certificates by work such as pest control operators or ornamental applicators (4.1-33-06). Commercial applicators must prove financial responsibility of $100,000 by a notarized letter from a financial institution officer or CPA showing net assets of that amount, a performance bond or a general liability policy (4.1-33-10). Cities cannot add their own pesticide ordinances (4.1-33-04), so the state certification is the one that governs applicators. If you spray weed control for a lawn client, read our pest control license guide.

The sources I read list no state license for mowing, house cleaning, pressure washing or junk removal. Those jobs still fall under the contractor license if a single job passes $4,000 and counts as construction, repair or alteration, so ask the Secretary of State about a washing contract for a large building. I did not find state licenses for home inspection, septic or locksmith work in the sources above. Treat that as a gap to confirm, not as permission.

If you run a temporary or traveling business in the state, the Attorney General issues a transient merchant license. The fee is $200 for one year and a bond is required, and the page adds that the city or county may have more rules. See the national contractor license guide for the common steps, and confirm each point with the agency.

Before you bid

Put your license number on your website footer, estimates and invoices. It answers the first question a North Dakota homeowner asks, and the electrical and plumbing rules above require it in advertising. If your website lists services you are not licensed for, remove them. A business website you own is where that proof lives. This page is general information, not legal advice, and the agencies can change fees and rules, so confirm with each one before you act.

Frequently asked questions