• 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 General 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 General Building classification covers all types of construction activity including but not limited to commercial, industrial, institutional, and all types of residential building construction. This covers parking decks, all site-work, grading and paving of parking lots, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters which are ancillary to this type of construction. It also covers work done under the specialty classifications of Concrete construction, Insulation, Interior construction, Masonry construction, Roofing, Metal Erection, 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 hour time limit. Not all reference books are allowed into the exam.

  Topics covered on the exam are site-work, concrete and concrete, masonry, metals, carpentry, roofing, associated trades, business and law, safety, plan reading and estimating, general building code requirements, One Call, 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.

Only a portion of the references listed in the Right-Hand column are permitted to be taken into the examination. The following are allowed into the exam:

North Carolina OSHA 1926, 2005;

North Carolina Building Code, 2009

NC Business and Project Management for Builders, 5th edition;

ACI 530-05 or ACI 530-08: Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures;

ACI 318-05 or ACI 318-08: Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete & Commentary;

North Carolina Administrative and Enforcement Requirements Code, 2006;

NC Accessibility Code, Volume 1C, 2002 

These references may be tabbed (with permanent index tabs) and highlighted. 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 General 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.