How to get a B100 General Building Contractor license in Utah

Utah general contractor licenses

Utah issues 4 general contractor credentials. Each has its own section below; the table shows what each one covers and its headline requirements.

Applies to every license level

These rules are the same for several of the Utah general contractor licenses on this page, so they are shown once here, with the licenses they apply to. Each license's own section lists only what differs.

1. Every license level (all 4)

Requirements

Education or training

25 classroom hours²
25-hour pre-licensure course from an approved provider, completed by the qualifier: 15 hours financial responsibility, 6 hours construction business practices, 2 hours regulatory requirements, 2 hours mechanic lien fundamentals. Live (or two-way live broadcast) only; no internet or home study.²
Who may teach it: Approved pre-licensure course provider³
Alternative: Not required for: a Construction Management bachelor's/associate degree holder; an active Utah PE; someone who has been a qualifier on an active Utah contractor license within 5 years; endorsement applicants under 58-1-302.²

Background check

Background check required³
The applicant, or for a business the qualifier and every person with at least a 10% voting interest, completes a criminal background check and discloses criminal history on a division form.³

Insurance

General liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per incident and $2,000,000 total, naming DOPL as certificate holder, in force for the whole license period.²

Insurance

Workers' compensation insurance naming DOPL as certificate holder, or a Utah Labor Commission Workers' Compensation Coverage Waiver if there are no employees.²

Business requirements

Show financial responsibility, by a signed division questionnaire or a bond.⁸

Business requirements

A business entity license needs an individual qualifier who is an owner, officer or manager with material authority over the contracting business.⁹

Business requirements

Proof of registration with the Department of Commerce, Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, Department of Workforce Services Unemployment Insurance Division, State Tax Commission and IRS, as applicable.³

Business requirements

Unincorporated entities list each owner (name, address, birth date, SSN or other ID) and whether that owner will work in a construction trade.³

Also required

The license number must appear on all permit applications, contracts, agreements and bids.⁹

Fees

How to apply

1. Register the business with the state (Division of Corporations), Workforce Services, the State Tax Commission and the IRS as applicable, and get liability and workers' comp insurance (or a Labor Commission waiver).²

Renewal

How often

Every 2 years⁴

When it expires

All contractor licenses expire November 30 of odd-numbered years (next: November 30, 2027).¹¹

Continuing education

At least 6 hours each renewal period⁵

Required topics

At least 3 hours core education; the other 3 may be core or professional.²
At least 3 hours must be live in-class (or two-way live broadcast); up to 3 may be distance learning.²

Approved courses

Courses must come from the providers named in statute (e.g. AGC of Utah, ABC Utah, Utah Home Builders Association), a state executive agency, the workers' comp carrier, or an accredited college with a Utah campus.⁵

Exemptions

The division may defer or waive CE under R156-1-308d.²

If it expires

Up to 30 days after expiry: renewal form plus renewal fee and late fee.¹¹
More than 2 years after expiry: a full new application under current requirements, unless continuously active under license elsewhere or federal employment.¹¹
At renewal, show continuing financial responsibility and the 6 CE hours.⁴
Renewals must be filed online.²

From another state

2. Every license level except R101 Residential and Small Commercial Non Structural Remodeling and Repair

Requirements

Education or training

5 classroom hours²
Five-hour business and law course from an approved provider (not required if the 25-hour course was completed before July 1, 2019).²
Who may teach it: Approved pre-licensure course provider³

Experience

At least 4,000 hours of on-the-job training²
Two years of full-time paid employment in the construction industry, in any contracting classification; supervisory experience is not required. W-2, owner, military, railroad and supervised school experience count.³
Supervision: Not required³
Substitute: Passing score on the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors²
Substitute: Bachelor's or associate degree in Construction Management from a program or institution recognized by the US Department of Education²
Substitute: Utah professional engineer license²
Substitute: Building inspectors: two years full-time as a building inspector, including at least one year as a licensed combination inspector³

Exam

Utah Contractor Business and Law Examination²
Covers the 25-hour course and, if that course was completed on or after July 1, 2019, the five-hour business and law course³
Retakes: Wait 30 days after each of the first three failures; after that, wait six months after each failure.²
Exam waived: Not required for licensure by endorsement under Utah Code 58-1-302.²

Fees

The board's pages we cite do not list the exam fee.

How to apply

1. Complete the 25-hour pre-licensure course and the five-hour business and law course with a DOPL-approved provider (the qualifier takes them).²
2. Pass the Utah Contractor Business and Law Examination.²
3. Submit the DOPL application with the fee, experience proof, the financial responsibility questionnaire, and the criminal background check.⁸

Who needs a B100 General Building Contractor license

Builds or supervises construction of structures for shelter of people, animals or property, except plumbing, electrical, mechanical, elevator and manufactured-housing work, which must go to licensed specialty contractors; on homes of up to four units it may do the mechanical work and employ a licensed plumber or electrician. Includes the specialty contractor scopes and pools/spas.⁷

Exemptions and dollar thresholds:

• Exemption: work altering, repairing, remodeling or adding to a building with a contracted value under $7,000 (labor and materials, including change orders) needs no contractor license, but plumbing, electrical, HVAC, alarm and radon work on such jobs still needs licensed trades, and above $3,000 the person must file a one-time liability/workers' comp affirmation with DOPL.¹²
• Some activities need no contractor license at all (e.g. sandblasting, tree trimming, interior decorating, carpet/vinyl flooring, awnings, window coverings), listed in R156-55a-301an.²

Other rules on who may do this work:

• A separate application and fee is required for each classification.¹

Renewal and continuing education

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 and group 2 under Applies to every license level.

R101 Residential and Small Commercial Non Structural Remodeling and Repair

A specialty license to remodel or repair existing buildings, without touching load-bearing parts (footings, foundation, bearing walls), on projects totalling no more than $50,000 including materials and labor. Holders may not hold any other specialty license.²

Requirements

Exam

Not required³

How to apply

1. Complete the 25-hour pre-licensure course with a DOPL-approved provider (the qualifier takes them).²
2. Submit the DOPL application with the fee, experience proof (not needed for specialty licenses), the financial responsibility questionnaire, and the criminal background check.⁸

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 under Applies to every license level.

E100 General Engineering Contractor

Builds or supervises fixed works needing specialized engineering knowledge (for example highways, bridges, pipelines, sewers, water supply, power plants, airports, railroads); may not build structures for shelter or do plumbing, mechanical, or most electrical work.⁷

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 and group 2 under Applies to every license level.

R100 Residential and Small Commercial Contractor

Builds or supervises single-family homes, multifamily buildings up to four units, and commercial buildings of no more than three stories above ground and 20,000 square feet, except plumbing, electrical, mechanical and manufactured-housing work (mechanical work allowed on homes up to four units).⁷

More rules for this license are shared with other levels: group 1 and group 2 under Applies to every license level.

City and county rules

B100 General Building ContractorUtah law makes the state contractor license plus the business license of the city/county where the contractor has its principal place of business the only licenses needed; local governments may not require extra contractor licenses or registrations (they can still charge permit fees and run prequalification for public contracts).¹

Laws and rules

The requirements above come from these laws and board rules.

• Utah Code Title 58, Chapter 55 (Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act)
• Utah Code 58-55-302 (qualifications, version effective May 7, 2025, superseded January 1, 2027)
• Utah Code 58-55-203 (qualifications, effective January 1, 2027)
• Utah Code 58-1-302 (license by endorsement)
• Utah Admin. Code R156-55a
• Utah Admin. Code R156-1

Common questions

General contractor licenses in other states

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin