The State of North Carolina holds reciprocal license agreements for General Contractors in the following states:

• South Carolina
• Tennessee

Contractors holding a valid license in one of these two states may easily obtain a license to work on construction projects in North Carolina, without examination.

General Contractor Licenses in North Carolina are issued by the NC Board for Licensing Contractors.

Reciprocal License Classifications in North Carolina

North Carolina has reciprocity with South Carolina and Tennessee due to the similarities in the licensing process, as well as the classifications offered.  Out-of-state contractors have the option of choosing one of the following classifications in North Carolina:

• Limited License- restricts contractors to working on projects of $500,000 or less
• Intermediate License- restricts contractors to working on projects of $1 million or less
• Unlimited License- does not have restrictions for project value or size

Reciprocal Licensing Requirements in North Carolina

Contractors who want to receive a reciprocal General Contractor license in North Carolina must complete an application booklet and submit it to the Board, along with all the required documents and fees.

For a free copy of the application and instruction booklet, please visit:

http://www.nclbgc.org/books/AppInstWeb.pdf

All contractors must complete the following steps and submit the following documents along with their application:

• Register with the North Carolina Secretary of State- if the contractor’s business type is a partnership, LLC or corporation
• Submit a Certificate of Assumed Name- from the Registrar of Deeds in the county where the contractor plans to conduct business
• Provide 3 Letters of Reference- from someone with first-hand knowledge of the contractor’s work within the past 12 months
• Submit a Financial Statement- showing working capital in the following amounts:
  • Limited License Applicants- $17,000
  • Intermediate License Applicants- $75,000
  • Unlimited License Applicants- $150,000
• All contractors must submit a valid copy of their South Carolina or Tennessee General Contractor license

Reciprocity Exam in North Carolina

Contractors who hold a valid license in the State of South Carolina or Tennessee are not required to take and pass an examination.  Contractors from one of these two states applying a reciprocal license do not have to take the NASCLA Accredited Building Exam.

Further Information

For more information about obtaining a reciprocal contractor license in the State of North Carolina, please contact the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors at:

919-571-4183

OR

Visit: http://www.nclbgc.org/index.html

*North Carolina Contractors who hold a license from the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors and want to obtain a reciprocal license from another state must contact the state’s licensing agency to determine if they hold a reciprocity agreement with North Carolina.