Article Index
North Carolina Contractor Licenses
State Licenses
Select a license to view its requirements, definition, exams, books, and classes.
North Carolina general contractors can have one of five license classifications: Building, Residential, Highway, Public Utilities, and Specialty. Specialties include asbestos, boring and tunneling, concrete construction, insulation, interior construction, marine construction, masonry construction, railroad construction, roofing, metal erection, swimming pools, and wind turbines, while Public Utilities include communications, electrical – ahead of point of delivery, fuel distribution, water and sewer lines, or water purification and sewage disposal.
North Carolina electrical contractors can have one of ten license classifications: limited electrical, intermediate electrical, unlimited electrical, single family detached, fire alarm low voltage, plumbing, heating, and air conditioning electrical, elevator electrical, ground water pump electrical, electric sign, or swimming pool electrical. The State of North Carolina has electrical endorsements agreements with: California, Colorodo, Georgia, NASCLA®, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas.
North Carolina plumbing, heating, and fire sprinkler contractors can have one of the following license classifications: plumbing class I or II; plumbing restricted limited; plumbing tech; fuel piping; fuel piping tech; heating group 1 class I, II or tech; heating group 2 contractor or tech; heating group 3 class I, II, or tech; fire sprinkler installation, inspection technician; fire sprinkler installation residential or limited maintenance technician; and state/local government tech for heating groups 1, 2, or 3 or plumbing.
North Carolina refrigeration contractors can have one of five license classifications: commercial, industrial, service, or transport refrigeration.
NASCLA© exams are accepted in North Carolina. All NASCLA© exams accepted by NC are listed below.
Asbestos
Renovation or demolition of Regulated Asbestos Containing Materials (RACM)
Boring and Tunneling
Digging or Boring for underground or underwater passageways
Building
Commercial and residential building construction
Commercial Refrigeration
Install, service, and maintain commercial refrigeration equipment
Communications
Distribution cable and pole lines for telephone systems, aerial and underground cable for cable TV, fiber optic cable, microwave systems, and cellular telephone towers
Concrete
Foundations, pre-case silos, concrete tanks, pre-stressed components, gunite (does not include bridges, streets, side-walks, curbs, gutters, driveways, parking lots, and highways)
Electrical (NASCLA)
Passing the Electrical NASCLA© exam qualifies a NC contractor to apply for the Unlimited Electrical License
Electric Sign
Electric sign wiring (isolated from the building wiring system)
Electrical- Ahead of Point Delivery
Electrical wiring systems, including sub-stations, to be operated by electric power supplier for the purpose of providing electrical services to one or more customers
Elevator Electrical
Electrical wiring incidental to the operation of elevators, dumbwaiters, escalators, moving walks, or personnel hoists
Fire Alarm/Low Voltage
Low voltage wiring only
Fire Sprinkler Installation
Installation of water-based automatic fire sprinkler system. Must have a current certification by NICET for "Fire Protection Engineering, Level III, Automatic Sprinkler System Layout"
Fire Sprinkler Inspection
Inspection and testing of water-based automatic fire sprinkler system. Must have a current certification by NICET for "Fire Protection Engineering, Level III, Automatic Sprinkler System Layout"
Fire Sprinkler Inspection Technician
Inspection and testing of water-based automatic fire sprinkler systems. This is not a contractor’s license. To obtain the license without examination, an applicant must hold a current certification by NICET for "Inspection and Testing of Water-Based Systems, Level II"
Fire Sprinkler Installation Residential
Residential water-based automatic fire sprinkler systems only
Fire Sprinkler Limited Maintenance Technician
Inspection and maintenance of water-based automatic sprinkler systems on the premises of the employer. This is not a contracting license
Fuel Distribution
Distribution pipelines for petroleum fuels, natural gas, chemicals and slurries. Includes all related excavating, trenching, and backfilling, as well as replacement of fuel storage tanks
Fuel Piping
Fuel gas piping source to any point within premises
Fuel Piping Technician
Fuel gas piping source to any point within premises while employed by a Contractors
General (NASCLA)
Passing the General NASCLA© exam will qualify you for the Building License in North Carolina
Grading and Excavating
Dig, move, place, excavate, grade, trench, and backfill
Groundwater Pump Electrical
Electric water incidental to groundwater pumps (cannot exceed 600 volts, phase-to-phase)
Heating Group 1 Class I
"Wet" or "water-based" comfort heating systems in any building (residential, commercial, industrial)
Heating Group 1 Class II
"Wet" or "water-based" comfort heating systems in single-family detached dwellings only
Heating Group 1 Technician
"Wet" or "water-based" comfort heating systems. Must be a sub-licensee of a H1-I or H1-II Contractor. This is not a contracting license
Heating Group 1 State/Local Gov. Technician
"Wet" or "water-based" comfort heating systems. Must be an employee of a state or local government. This is not a contracting license
Heating Group 2
Forced air heating / cooling system with cooling capacity in excess of fifteen (15) tons in any building (residential, commercial, industrial)
Heating Group 2 Technician
Forced air heating / cooling system with cooling capacity in excess of fifteen (15) tons. Must be a sub-licensee of a H2 Contractor
Heating Group 2 State/Local Gov. Technician
Forced air heating / cooling system with cooling capacity in excess of fifteen (15) tons. Must be an employee of a state or local government. This is not a contracting license
Heating Group 3 Class I
Forced air heating / cooling system with cooling capacity of fifteen (15) tons or less in any building (residential, commercial, industrial)
Heating Group 3 Class II
Forced air heating / cooling system with cooling capacity of fifteen (15) tons or less in single-family detached dwellings only
Heating Group 3 Technician
Forced air heating / cooling system with cooling capacity of fifteen (15) tons or less in any building. Must be a sub-licensee of a H3-I or H3-II Contractor. This is not a contracting license
Heating Group 3 State/Local Gov. Technician
Forced air heating / cooling system with cooling capacity of fifteen (15) tons or less. Must be an employee of a state or local government. This is not a contracting license
Highway
Everything involved in highway construction, including grading, all types of paving (including athletic surfaces), and ancillary relocation of public and private utility lines, bridge construction and repair, culvert construction and repair, parking decks, sidewalks, curbs, gutters and storm drainage. It also includes installation and erection of guard rails, fencing, signage and ancillary highway hardware; covers paving and grading of airport and air-field runways, taxiways, and aprons
Industrial Refrigeration
Commercial refrigeration using ammonia as a refrigerant gas
Insulation
Residential and commercial building insulation. It does not include mechanical insulation
Interior Construction
Acoustical ceilings, drywall walls (load bearing and non load-bearing), lathing, plastering, finishing, flooring, interior surfaces (countertops), windows, doors, fixtures, cabinets, and millwork
Intermediate Electrical
Can engage in a single electrical contracting project of no more than $130,000 USD in value
Limited Electrical
Can engage in a single electrical contracting project of no more than $50,000 USD in value where the installed equipment is rated at no more than 600 volts
Marine Construction
Pilings, piers, decks, slips, docks, and bulkheads in deep-water installations and in harbors, inlets, sounds, bays, and channels. It does not include other structures required on docks, slips and piers
Masonry
Brick, concrete block, gypsum partition tile, pumice block, other lightweight and facsimile units, fire clay, refractory units, rough cut and dressed stone, marble panels, slate units, structural glazed tile or block, glass brick or block, and solar screen tile or block
Metal Erection
Architectural and structural shapes like tubing, pipe and bars, not limited to steel or aluminum, including curtain walls, tanks of all types, hoppers, structural members for buildings, towers, stairs, conveyor frames, cranes and crane runways, canopies, carports, guard rails, signs, steel scaffolding as a permanent structure, rigging, flagpoles, fences, steel and aluminum siding, bleachers, fire escapes, and seating for stadiums, arenas, and auditoriums
Plumbing Class I
Potable water and drain/waste/vent piping systems in any building (residential, commercial, industrial)
Plumbing Class II
Potable water and drain/waste/vent piping systems in single-family detached dwellings only
Plumbing Restricted Limited
Exterior building sewer piping, exterior water service piping 2 inches or less, exterior backflow preventers on 2 inches or less piping, water filtration systems
Plumbing State/Local Gov. Technician
Potable water and drain / waste / vent piping systems. Must be an employee of a state or local government. This is not a contracting license
Plumbing Technician
Potable water and drain / waste / vent piping systems. Must be a sublicensee of a P-I, P-II or RLP Contractor. This is not a contracting license
Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning Electrical
Electrical wiring related to plumbing, heating, and ac equipment where voltage does not exceed 120 volts to ground
Public Utilities
Specialty classifications of S(Boring and Tunneling), PU(Communications), PU(Fuel Distribution), PU(Electrical—Ahead of Point of Delivery), PU (Water Lines and Sewer Lines), PU(Water Purification and Sewage Disposal), and S(Swimming Pools).
Railroad Construction
Includes the clearing and filling of rights-of-way, setting of road beds, setting ties, tie plates, rails, connectors, frogs, switch plates, switches, signal markers, retaining walls, dikes, fences, and gates. Also includes the construction and repair of tool sheds and platforms
Residential
Construction of residential units, including sitework, driveways, sidewalks, and water/waste water systems, insulation, interiors, masonry, roofing and swimming pools
Residential Dwelling (Single Family Detached) Electrical
Electrical work on single-family detached residential dwellings
Roofing
Installation and repair of roofs and decks on residential and commercial buildings. It covers cedar, cement, asbestos, clay tile and composition shingles, all types of metal coverings, wood shakes, single ply and built-up roofing, protective and reflective roof and deck coatings, sheet metal valleys, flashings, gravel stops, gutters and downspouts, and bituminous waterproofing
Service Refrigeration
Service of refrigeration equipment
Swimming Pools
Construction, service and repair of swimming pools. Includes concrete, gunite, plastic-type pools, pool decks, walkways, tiling and coping, and installation of pumps, filters and chemical feeders
Swimming Pool Electrical
Swimming pool electrical bonding work, including a common bonding grid, as well as forming shells for lighting fixtures and underwater audio equipment, and junction boxes
Transport Refrigeration
Installation, maintenance, and repair of transport refrigeration
Unlimited Electrical
Can engage in any electrical contracting project regardless of value
Water Lines and Sewer Lines
Water and sewer mains, water service lines, house and building sewer lines, water storage tanks, lift stations, pumping stations, and appurtenances to water storage tanks, lift stations and pumping stations. Includes incidental patching and backfill
Water Purification and Sewage Disposal
Water and wastewater systems, including treatment facilities. Includes incidental grading, paving, sidewalk, curb and gutter work, as well as work specific to waste water treatment facilities like concrete, insulation, interior construction, masonry, roofing, and metal erection
Wind Turbine
Wind turbines, generators, and power units. It also includes ancillary foundation work, field fabrication of metal equipment, and structural support components
- Details
- Written by Z. D.
