How to Get a Contractor License in Nevada

NAC 624 organizes licenses into Classification A General Engineering, Classification B General Building, the combined AB, and a long run of C specialty classifications from C-1 Plumbing and Heating through C-41 Fire Protection. Many carry subclassifications. Within B, for example, B-2 Residential and Small Commercial covers houses and other structures no more than three stories above ground and one below, while B-1 covers premanufactured housing and B-6 commercial interior remodeling.

PSI's bulletin summarizes the full B license as work on buildings needing more than two unrelated trades where the B contractor is the prime and construction or remodeling is the main purpose. A B contractor may not self-perform plumbing, electrical, refrigeration and air-conditioning, or fire protection work without holding that specialty license.

Each license needs a trade qualified individual who oversees day-to-day business and the work itself. That person must have at least four full years of experience as a journeyman, supervising employee or contractor in the exact classification requested, all within the fifteen years before filing. The application counts it in days: all certificates combined must reach 1,460.

Experience is shown on Certification of Work Experience forms, signed by people who know the work; relatives can sign only if they were your employer. You also file a Resume of Experience, plus a customer list with contact details if any of the time was self-employment. Accredited college, university or equivalent training can count for up to three of the four years, and NSCB also accepts a current master's certification from a government agency in a similar discipline, or transferable military experience.

You request a monetary limit on the application, meaning the largest contract, or group of contracts on one site for one client, the license may take on. The board weighs your finances under NRS 624.260 through 624.265 to decide it, and a financial statement is required no matter how small the limit. The bigger the limit, the more CPA involvement NSCB wants:

The application fee is $300, nonrefundable, and the packet asks for fingerprint waivers, background disclosure statements and copies of ID for everyone listed. Once the application is filed and staff verify your experience, you receive an Examination Eligibility form with a candidate ID for booking at PSI. The qualifier must pass two tests: the general business and law exam, known as the CMS, and a trade exam for the classification. Under NAC 624.600 the exams must be passed within six months of filing, and a third failure voids the application.

The trade exam can be waived in some cases: for a qualifier who recently served on another Nevada license in the same classification with scores still on file (the application form says within ten years, while the NSCB website mentions shorter windows, so ask), through licensure by endorsement from a state on NSCB's equivalency chart after four years of discipline-free licensure there, or, for B and B-2, by a passed NASCLA Accredited General Building exam.

It is independent study material; the NSCB itself says it does not recommend or endorse any licensing school.

After approval, NSCB tells you the bond amount, which the board sets between $1,000 and $500,000 based on license type, monetary limit, financial responsibility, experience and character. A surety bond must come from a company authorized in Nevada with long-term obligations rated A or better; a cash deposit by cashier's check is also allowed but carries a $200 biennial administrative fee and is held two years after the license ends. Residential pool and spa contractors also post a consumer protection bond of $10,000 to $400,000.

Contractors doing work on owner-occupied single-family homes must register with the Residential Recovery Fund, with assessments based on the license's monetary limit. Under NAC 624.130 the fee to issue or renew a license is $600, a request to raise the monetary limit for a single project is $75, and a permanent limit change is $250.

NRS 624.283 has a license expire two years after issue. Renewal takes an application, the renewal fee, any Residential Recovery Fund assessment, and whatever other information the board asks for, which may include a new financial statement. NAC 624.130 adds a $150 late fee for an active license renewed late.

A license not renewed on time is suspended automatically. You have six months to reinstate it by filing the renewal and paying a reinstatement fee on top of the renewal fee, after which the board may cancel it and you must apply as a new applicant. A licensee can also place a license on inactive status, which is valid for up to eight years.

NRS 624.031 exempts repair or maintenance under $1,000 in labor and materials, but not if a permit is needed, if the work is plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, heating or air-conditioning, or if it is part of a larger project of $500 or more. Unlicensed contracting is a misdemeanor on a first offense under NRS 624.750, with a fine of $1,000 to $4,000 and up to six months in jail; a second offense is a gross misdemeanor and a third is a category E felony. The board may also impose administrative fines of $1,000 to $50,000 per violation.