To bid or work on construction jobs in Nevada a contractor must have a license. This includes businesses or individuals who construct, alter, repair, improve, move, wreck or
demolishes any building or other structure, or performs excavation. Licenses may be issued to individuals, corporations, partnerships, joint ventures or limited liability companies.

The state of Nevada has limited reciprocal agreements with Arizona, California and Utah for recognizing the qualifications for specific trades and the State Contractor Board may eliminate the requirement for a trade exam. Otherwise, every tradesperson from outside the state must apply for a Nevada state license in their specialty. Plumbing, fire protection and electrical contractors are not recognized by the reciprocal agreements.

Classifications

The State Contractors Board has these primary classifications:

Classification A: General engineering

Classification B: General building

Classification AB: General building and general engineering

Classification C-1: Plumbing and heating contracting

Classification C-2: Electrical contracting

Classification C-3: Carpentry, maintenance and minor repairs

Qualifying for a Contractor’s License

The candidate for a contractor’s license must provide evidence of at least four (4) years
experience as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the field
of work for which a license is being sought. Other conditions apply:

• Four (4) years of the experience must have occurred within the ten (10) years
immediately preceding filing of an application.
• Four (4) reference certificates that must be completed by qualified supervisor or superior who knows of your experience. Training received in a program offered at an accredited college or university may be used to satisfy a portion of the required experience.

The trades exams are on:

• Reading and understanding construction codes and regulations
• All Nevada Health Department regulations
• All Nevada state building codes
• Familiarization with trade materials, tools, equipment, and methods
• Nevada Occupational Safety and Health rules

The State Contractors Board requires that every applicant provide a financial statement to acknowledge that he or she, or the company, is financially fit to do business. This would based upon the money ceiling requested for the license. For example, if the proposed monetary limit of the license is less than $1,000,000 then the Board would accept

• Financial statements prepared by a either a certified public accountant
• Self-prepared forms on a form prescribed by the Board
• Self-prepared using accounting software accompanied by an affidavit.

Contractors requesting a monetary limit of more than $1,000,000 have to provide
a financial statement prepared by a certified public accountant.

The State Contractor Board may waive the trade exam if the applicant can prove to have been actively licensed in the particular trade in Arizona, California, or Utah for five (5) of the last seven (7) years. Plumbing or electrical trades must take the exam.

Consumers are advised to also check for municipal license requirements as contractor laws can differ from county to county. It is also advisable to double check with the state’s requirements before hiring a contractor.