As of January 1, 2020 -The Business Law exam is required only for those who wish to become licensed in North Carolina as a Residential or General Contractor by reciprocity or having passed the NASCLA Accredited Exam.
Approval from the state is required to sit for this exam.
A license is required for projects that are $30,000 or more.
All applicants must submit 3 references.
The Business Law exam is required only for those who wish to become licensed in North Carolina as a Residential or General Contractor by reciprocity or having passed the NASCLA Accredited Exam.
To apply, contact State of North Carolina Licensing Board 1-919-571-4183.
Licensing fees are: Limited $75, Intermediate $100, and Unlimited $125.
Applications are reviewed and approved as soon as they are received. Once exams are passed, applications are submitted to the board for review.
Applications must be submitted the 1st week of the month prior to the next board meeting .The board meets every month except December. Processing time would be 1 to 2 months depending on the date submitted to the board.
All general contractors' licenses expire December 31 each year and normally are not issued during December.
Important Contacts
The North Carolina Business Law exam is ONLY required for those seeking licensure by reciprocity or NASCLA scores.
North Carolina has limited reciprocity with South Carolina and Tennessee (Tennessee BC-B and BC-A,B).
NASCLA Accredited license is accepted in the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia & the Virgin Islands.
West Virginia will accept the NASCLA exam scores for the West Virginia General Contractor, provided the NASCLA exam was passed after 11/1/2013.
Nevada is also accepting the NASCLA exam scores if the exam was passed after 12/1/2013. This is for the same classification. As of 8/1/2017, Arizona began accepting this examination in lieu trade examinations for the B-1 and B-2 General Commercial Contracting Classifications. As of 11/21/2017 Arizona also began administering the NASCLA exam.
As of 3/1/2019, Florida is accepting the NASCLA exam. Scores from the NASCLA exam are now acceptable for the Residential, Building, or General Contractor classifications. Applicants using the NASCLA exam will still be required to pass the Florida Business and Finance exams and meet all other application requirements.
As of this time, North Carolina does not require continuing education for this license.
Once approved you will rececive an eligibility letter to schedule your exam. Eligibility is valid for 120 days from that date of the letter and good for one exam.
The Business & Law exam is administered by PSI. It is 40 multiple-choice questions, open-book with 90 minutes to complete. 70% is required to pass.
Subjects include Erosion and Sedimentation Control, Licensing, Subcontractor's Pay Requirements, Leins and Bonds, and North Carolina One-Call.
American Contractors offers a 2 hour seminar to prepare for the North Carolina Business & Law exam required for reciprocity. Please contact us for additional information, 1-800-992-1910.
