North Carolina contractor license lookup
How to check a North Carolina contractor license: the $40,000 general contractor threshold, limited to unlimited licenses, and the separate trade boards.
Updated
North Carolina licenses general contractors through the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors (NCLBGC). To look up a license, use the board's license search by license number, company name, qualifier, or classification. Electrical, plumbing, heating, and fire sprinkler contractors are licensed by separate boards with their own searches.
When a general contractor license is required
Under N.C.G.S. 87-1, anyone who bids on, builds, or manages the construction of a building, highway, public utility, grading, or other improvement costing $40,000 or more is a general contractor and needs a license from the board. Older guides may show a lower threshold, so use the current statute. Whether a subcontractor working under a licensed general contractor also needs its own license depends on the work and the contract structure, so confirm edge cases with the board. For your files, ask every sub on a $40,000 or larger scope for its license number.
Limitations: limited, intermediate, unlimited
Every license carries a limitation that caps the value of any single project, excluding land:
| Limitation | Single project value |
|---|---|
| Limited | Up to $750,000 |
| Intermediate | Up to $1,500,000 |
| Unlimited | No limit |
Applicants must also show financial responsibility as determined by the board. Compare the limitation on the record with the value of your subcontract.
Classifications
The license is also classified by the type of work:
- Building: commercial, industrial, and residential buildings of all types
- Residential: only residences built under the North Carolina Residential Code
- Highway
- Public utilities: water and sewer lines, treatment facilities, electrical work ahead of the point of delivery, communications, and fuel distribution
- Specialty: trades such as roofing, concrete, masonry, metal erection, insulation, interior construction, and swimming pools
A residential classification does not cover a commercial building, and a specialty classification covers its own trade.
How to check a license
- Search by license number or company name. Results marked "License Not Active" are not current.
- Open the record and confirm the business name and address.
- Read the status, the first issued date, and the expiration date.
- Check the license limitation against your subcontract value.
- Check the active classifications against the scope of work.
- Review the qualifiers attached to the license.
Licenses expire on January 1 after issuance or renewal and become invalid 60 days later if not renewed. After four years invalid, a license is archived and the holder must apply again as a new applicant. A record showing Archived or "License Not Valid" does not authorize work.
The separate trade boards
The $40,000 threshold is in the general contractor law. These trades have their own boards:
- Electrical: the NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors. State law requires an electrical contracting license with no dollar threshold.
- Plumbing, HVAC, fuel piping, and fire sprinkler: the State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors.
A general contractor search returns nothing for an electrician, and that proves nothing. Use the right board.
Workers' comp and insurance
None of these license records shows a certificate of insurance. North Carolina generally requires workers' compensation for employers with three or more employees, but N.C.G.S. 97-19 matters more to a GC. If you sublet work without first getting a certificate of workers' compensation coverage from the subcontractor, you can be liable for that subcontractor's injured employees, even if the sub has fewer than three employees. Collect the certificate before the sub starts, and keep it. See workers comp exemptions for sole proprietors.
What to ask a subcontractor for
- The license number from the correct board, with the classification and limitation
- The exact business name on the license
- A certificate of insurance, including workers' compensation, in the same legal name
Common traps
- Over the limitation. A limited license on a $900,000 subcontract is out of bounds.
- Residential on a commercial job. Check the classification, not just the status.
- Wrong board. Electrical and plumbing licenses are not on the general contractor search.
- Renewal window. Licenses expire January 1, so recheck status every January.
- No workers' comp certificate. Under 97-19, skipping it can shift the sub's injury claims to you.
Cities and counties issue permits and may have their own requirements. Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the boards. This is not legal advice.
For related reading, see subcontractor prequalification and certificate of insurance red flags.
Track it with ComplySub
ComplySub checks contractor license status for California, Colorado, Texas, and Florida. North Carolina license tracking is not built in yet, so keep the board record in the vendor file. For the insurance side, ComplySub checks a North Carolina sub's certificates against the requirements you set once and flags gaps and expirations. Vendors upload through a link without an account, and reminders go out before dates lapse.
This guide is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Insurance and licensing rules vary by state, carrier, and contract; confirm what applies to you with your insurance professional, attorney, or licensing board.