What license do you need, in which state?
Requirements for 12 licensed occupations, state by state: 1,555 credentials in 50 states and DC, each with the training, exam, fees, renewal and transfer rules quoted from the official licensing board.
Requirements checker
Choose an occupation
Choose a state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Why you can rely on these pages
- The board's own words behind every number. Select any footnote to read the exact sentence or table row on the official page, with the date it carries and the date we checked it.
- Every credential level. Apprentice, journeyman, master and contractor; salesperson and broker. Each level has its own requirements, fees and renewal rules, shown separately so they never get mixed up.
- Fees as the board lists them. Application, exam, license and fingerprint fees are shown one by one, with who you pay. We never add them into a total the board does not publish.
- Checked twice. A second, independent check re-opens each official page and confirms every quote and value before a page goes live. Anything that cannot be confirmed is left out.
Moving to another state?
A license is issued by one state. To work in another, you apply to that state's board, which may accept your license by reciprocity, endorsement, a universal recognition law or an interstate compact. The moving planner shows what the new state's board publishes for your license, and the transfer guide explains each route.