• Pre-approval from the state is required to sit for the examination.
• Please note a separate North Carolina Business and Law exam is not needed, that information is incorporated into the Residential Building exam.
• A license is required for projects that are $30,000 or more.
• There is no minimum experience requirement, however applicants must submit 3 names as references.

  All licenses covered by the commercial licensing board are divided into 3 financial categories:

• Limited: Applicants must have a minimum working capital of $17,000. This level allows bids up to $500,000 per single project.
• Intermediate: Applicants must have a minimum working capital of $75,000. This level allows bids up to $1,000,000 per single project.
• Unlimited: Applicants must have a minimum working capital of $150,000. This level has no restrictions as to the value of any single project.

  Applicants for the Intermediate and Unlimited license must submit audited financial statements with classified balance sheets prepared by a CPA or independent accountant engaged in the public practice of accounting.

• Surety bonds are required for applicants with insufficient working capital. The board may request that a surety bond and payment bond be obtained for jobs above a certain monetary level.

The Residential classification covers all types of construction activity pertaining to the construction of residential units that are required to conform to the residential code adopted by the Building Code Council. It covers all site-work, driveways and sidewalks ancillary to the residential structure and the work done as part of such residential units under the specialty classifications of Insulation, Masonry, and Swimming Pools.

To apply, contact State of North Carolina Licensing Board 1-919-571-4183.

The licensing fees are: Limited $75, Intermediate $100, and Unlimited $125.

Applications are cleared for approval to take the exam as soon as they are received. However, once exams are passed, applications are submitted to the board for review.

Applications must be submitted the 1st week of the month prior to the next board meeting (ex. 1st week of June for July approval).

The board meets once per month in every month except December. Therefore, processing time would be 1 to 2 months depending on the date submitted to the board.

All general contractors licenses expire December 31 each calendar year and normally are not issued during the month of December.

North Carolina has LIMITED reciprocity with South Carolina and Tennessee (Tennessee BC-B and BC-A,B).

As of this time, there is no continuing education for this license.

• The fee for the exam is $60 and a score of at least 70% is required to pass the exam.
• The exam is open book, multiple-choice, and timed.
• There are 90 questions on the exam with a 3.5 hour time limit. Not all reference books are allowed into the exam.

  Topics covered on the exam are site-work, footings and foundations, concrete and concrete reinforcement, masonry, carpentry, roofing, associated trades and drywall, business and law, OSHA safety, plan reading and estimating, general residential code requirements, special construction zones (wind and coastal), erosion and sedimentation control, licensing, and liens.

• Once you are approved you will receive an eligibility letter to schedule your testing. The eligibility letter is valid for 120 days from the date on the letter and allows the candidate to take 1 exam within that time frame.
• To schedule your exam you must contact PSI at 1-800-733--9267.
• Failing candidates may not retake an exam until at least 30 days after the failed exam.

Some of the references listed in the Right-Hand column are permitted to be taken into the examination. These references may be tabbed (with permanent index tabs) and highlighted. Please contact us for a detailed listing. They are available for purchase from our online contractor’s bookstore or by calling our office at 1-800-992-1910.

*There are additional downloadable documents for the North Carolina Residential Building exam*

Laws and Regulations Applicable to General Contracting in the State of North Carolina.

North Carolina Administrative Code, Title 15A, Chapter 4 Sedimentation Control, as amended July 1, 2000.

North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 113A, Article 4 Sedimentation Pollution Control Act of 1973, as amended through October 2002.

North Carolina One Call.

American Contractors offers North Carolina Residential exam preparation in an online format! 

This online presentation will prepare you for taking the North Carolina Residential Contractors exam. We will begin this course with a review of the reference materials that are allowed for your examination, review what to expect on exam day and finish with a highlighting session. The highlighting session will be the main focus of this review. We will look at each book that you are allowed to take into the examination and highlight key areas that you will be tested on.

You will then be quizzed over what you highlighted and will need to answer at least 70 percent of the questions correctly before you move to the next highlighting session.  Your class manual will follow along with the highlighting session and will serve as your method of taking notes that will become your study guide after you complete this course.  This is a great way to prepare for the North Carolina Residential Contractor’s Exam in the comfort of your home. Course access is 31 days