Which trades need a license, by state
Each cell is the licence to ask for. "No state licence" means the state does not license that trade; cities may still license it. Facts are from the state boards and statutes under Sources.
| State | General contractor or handyman line | Electrical | Plumbing | HVAC | Roofing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | Licence from $1,000 incl. materials, or any permit job | CSLB C-10 | CSLB C-36 | CSLB C-20 | CSLB C-39 (or B general) |
| Texas | No state licence | TDLR electrical contractor | TSBPE, under a Responsible Master Plumber | TDLR A/C and Refrigeration | No state licence |
| Florida | Exempt only under $2,500 and "casual, minor, or inconsequential" | Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board | DBPR plumbing contractor | DBPR air-conditioning or mechanical | DBPR roofing contractor |
| Washington | L&I registration from $500 per project | L&I electrical contractor | L&I registration plus L&I plumbing licensing | L&I registration | L&I registration |
| Minnesota | Residential licence; exemption up to $15,000 a year with a certificate | DLI electrical contractor | DLI plumbing contractor | No state licence; $25,000 mechanical bond with DLI | DLI residential roofer |
| North Carolina | General contractor licence from $40,000 | NCBEEC electrical contractor | Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler board | Same board ("heating, includes air conditioning") | No trade licence; general contractor licence on jobs of $40,000 or more |
| Arizona | ROC licence from $1,000 incl. materials | ROC class covering electrical | ROC class covering plumbing | ROC class covering HVAC | ROC licence |
| Illinois | No state licence | No state licence; Chicago and Naperville license locally | Illinois Department of Public Health | No state licence | IDFPR roofing licence |
| Colorado | No state licence | DORA electrical contractor registration | DORA State Plumbing Board | No state licence; city or county (Boulder, Denver, PPRBD) | No state licence; city or county |
| Ohio | No state licence for house work | OCILB | OCILB | OCILB | No state licence; city registration |
Two patterns are worth knowing. Electrical and plumbing are licensed almost everywhere because the risk is fire and water; roofing and general work are the trades states leave open. And a trade licence is narrow: a California C-39 roofer cannot take on your addition, and a Florida "registered" contractor is licensed only in its own county or city (DBPR). For the licence lookups and how to read each one, open the state guide linked in the first column.
Where the line for small jobs sits
The general contractor or handyman line decides whether a small job needs a licensed contractor at all. California's is $1,000 "for labor, materials, and all other items", and only when "no building permits are needed" and no workers are hired (CSLB). Arizona's is also $1,000 (A.R.S. 32-1121), Florida's $2,500 (F.S. 489.103), Washington's $500 (RCW 18.27.090), and Minnesota measures yearly receipts, $15,000, instead of the job (Minn. Stat. 326B.805). North Carolina's general contractor line is $40,000 (G.S. 87-1), but its plumbing and heating board still requires a licence at any price except for "minor repairs and service work". Our general contractor vs handyman guide has 16 states, and plumber vs handyman the plumbing rules.
What the permit file shows
Where a state licence exists, we match the firm on each permit to the licence record by name. Most match an active licence:
| City | Electrical | Plumbing | HVAC | Roofing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami, FL | 91.3% | 92.5% | 97.0% | 97.4% |
| Cape Coral, FL | 96.5% | 84.4% | 97.8% | 99.4% |
| Sacramento County, CA | 85.1% | 87.4% | 81.8% | 78.9% |
| Seattle, WA | 82.6% | — | 78.5% | 86.9% |
| Minneapolis, MN | — | 74.0% | 67.4% | 75.9% |
| San Diego, CA | 72.9% | 66.1% | 61.6% | — |
| Bend, OR | 76.8% | 72.3% | 69.2% | — |
| Austin, TX | 65.9% | 55.2% | 63.7% | no state licence |
The rest are not all unlicensed. Some have a licence under a different name, which our name match misses; in Austin 40.6% of plumbing firms had no match at all. Others matched a licence that is no longer active: 11.5% of Minneapolis roofing firms and 12.7% of Seattle HVAC firms matched an expired, suspended or otherwise inactive one. That is the group to check before you sign. Our licensed vs unlicensed guide explains what an unlicensed hire costs you in each state.
Check a license in two minutes
- Take the licence number from the quote, not the website.
- Look it up on the state board's search (linked from each state guide above). Confirm the status is active and the classification matches your job: an electrical class for a panel, a roofing class for a roof.
- Confirm the name on the licence matches the name on the contract.
- Open the firm on our compare page for your city and trade to see its permits and finished share.
See every Miami roofer with its licence status →
What this does not tell you
Licence rules change; we quote what each board or statute said on the date under Sources, and the state guides carry the detail. Cities add their own registrations (Austin, Cincinnati, Naperville and others), which are not in the state table. Our licence match is by name, so a dash or a low share can mean the state has no public file we could match, not that firms are unlicensed. A licence also says nothing about insurance: see bonded vs insured.
How we know this
State rules are quoted from the boards and statutes under Sources (read 20–21 October 2026; the California $1,000 line and the Texas programme list re-read on 21 October). The licence shares are the share of firms on each city's permits for the trade, over its three-year window ending September 2026, whose name matched an active state licence record; "problem" means the matched licence was expired, suspended, revoked or otherwise inactive.
Numbers come from City of Miami building permits (since 2014); City of Cape Coral building permits (the city's open permit table starts January 2025); Sacramento County building permits on single-family, duplex and townhouse homes in the unincorporated county (the County's Accela permit layer); City of Seattle (SDCI) building, trade and electrical permits on single-family and duplex homes (the city's open-data exports); City of Minneapolis construction permits (CCS); City of Austin issued construction permits; City of San Diego Development Services approvals; City of Bend building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing permits on homes, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Does an electrician need a license?
Yes, in every state we cover, though not always from the state: Illinois leaves it to cities such as Chicago and Naperville. In California it is the CSLB C-10 classification, in Texas a TDLR electrical contractor licence, in Washington an L&I electrical contractor licence. In Miami, 91.3% of electrical firms on permits matched an active licence.
- Does a plumber need a license?
Yes, in all 10 states here. Texas licenses plumbers through the State Board of Plumbing Examiners, with a Responsible Master Plumber behind each company; North Carolina's plumbing board exempts only "minor repairs and service work". In Sacramento County, 87.4% of plumbing firms on permits matched an active CSLB licence.
- Does a roofer need a license?
It depends on the state. California (C-39), Florida (DBPR roofing contractor), Illinois (IDFPR) and Minnesota (DLI residential roofer) license roofers; Texas has no state roofing licence, and Colorado leaves it to cities. Where there is a licence, check it: 99.4% of Cape Coral roofing firms matched an active Florida licence.
- Does a general contractor need a license?
In some states. California requires one for any job of $1,000 or more, labour and materials included, or any job that needs a permit. North Carolina's general contractor licence starts at $40,000. Texas has no state general contractor licence at all; the trades inside the job are still licensed.
- Does a handyman need a license?
Only above the state's line. That line is $1,000 in California and Arizona, $2,500 in Florida and $500 in Washington, per project and counting materials. Minnesota measures the handyman's yearly receipts instead: $15,000 with a certificate of exemption. Our general contractor vs handyman guide lists 16 states.
- What is a contractor license, and why does it matter?
It is a state's permission to contract for a kind of work above a set size, usually after an exam, a bond or proof of insurance. Below the line no licence is needed: $1,000 for a California handyperson, and Texas licenses no general contractors at all. Above it, working unlicensed is an offence: in California a misdemeanor with up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine (CSLB). A firm we cannot match to a licence is not necessarily unlicensed: in Austin 40.6% of plumbing firms had no match, often because names differ.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- What does a suspended contractor license mean? The rules, and how often it shows up in permits
- Licensed vs unlicensed: what the permit file shows in your state
- How to check a contractor's license in Florida
- How to check a contractor's license in Minnesota
- Sprinkler system permit in Waco: fees, licenses and what the permits show
- What can a homeowner do without a permit? Exempt work in 7 cities, and when you can pull your own
For one city
- Handyperson exemption to increase to $1,000 in 2025 (AB 2622) — CSLB (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Consequences of Contracting Without a License — CSLB (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Licensing Classifications — CSLB (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Programs Licensed and Regulated by TDLR (accessed 2026-10-21)
- Free Licensee List and Public License Search — Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Florida Statutes 489.103 Exemptions (2026) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Construction Industry FAQs — Florida DBPR (accessed 2026-10-20)
- RCW 18.27.090 Exemptions (Washington) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Electrical Contractor — Washington L&I (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Minnesota Statutes 326B.805 (2024) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Plumbing contractor licensing basics — Minnesota DLI (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Mechanical contractor bond — Minnesota DLI (accessed 2026-10-20)
- NC General Statutes Chapter 87, Article 1 (G.S. 87-1) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Consumer Awareness — NC State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating & Fire Sprinkler Contractors (accessed 2026-10-20)
- A.R.S. 32-1121 Persons not required to be licensed (Arizona) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Roofing contractor consumer brochure — IDFPR (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Verify a License — Colorado DORA (accessed 2026-10-20)