Stacked folders and a desk lamp on an executive desk, How to Get a Nevada Contractor License: NSCB Guide

How to Get a Nevada Contractor License

Last verified: November 5, 2026

Nevada does not license a contractor on a form and a fee alone. The Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) licenses the business, but only after one named person in it proves 4 years of trade experience, passes two exams, and the company shows a financial statement that sets how large a contract it may take. Bidding a job before the license is active is itself a crime (NRS 624.700). If you are an electrician, the electrician guide covers the C-2 path and the electrician card in detail.

This guide covers the licensing process for every classification: general engineering, general building and the specialty trades. It also covers the business setup around the license, from forming the entity and local licenses to insurance, bonds and taxes, so you can follow it from the first filing to your first bid.

Do You Need a License at All?

A contractor in Nevada is anyone who builds, alters, repairs, improves, moves or demolishes a structure, or who only submits a bid to do so. Subcontractors and construction managers who charge a fee count. A supplier who just sells materials does not. Pulling a building permit or putting employees on a construction project is treated as prima facie evidence that you are acting as a contractor (NRS 624.020). The exemptions are in NRS 624.031, and three of them come up most:

  • Owner-builders: you may build or improve your own home for your own use without a license, but you must apply to the Board for the exemption, and selling or leasing the house within 1 year of finishing it creates a presumption that you built it to sell (NRS 624.031 and NAC 624.015).
  • Jobs under $1,000: repair or maintenance work worth less than $1,000 in labor and materials is exempt, unless it needs a building permit, is plumbing, electrical, refrigeration or air-conditioning type work, or is part of a larger project (NRS 624.031).
  • Government crews: work done exclusively by employees of the United States, the State of Nevada, a city, a county or a similar public body (NRS 624.031).

Outside those exemptions, bidding or working without an active license is unlawful, and the bid or contract is void from the start (NRS 624.700). A first offense is a misdemeanor with a fine of $1,000 to $4,000 and up to 6 months in county jail, a second offense is a gross misdemeanor, and a third is a category E felony (NRS 624.750). The Board can add an administrative fine of $1,000 to $50,000 per violation (NRS 624.710). The Board's own FAQ page quotes lower fine ranges than the statute does, so rely on the statute text and not the FAQ summary.

Advertising has its own rules. If you are unlicensed and advertise construction work, the ad must say you are not licensed. If you are licensed, every ad must carry your company name and license number (NRS 624.720), and each commercial vehicle registered to you must display your name and license number in letters about 1.5 inches high (NRS 624.288).

Choose Your Classification

Nevada licenses contractors in three branches: general engineering, general building and specialty (NRS 624.215). The Nevada State Contractors Board license classifications page lists Class A (general engineering, subclassifications A-1 to A-25), Class B (general building, B-1 to B-7), a combined AB class for applicants qualified in both, and Class C (specialty, 42 subclassifications). Each classification needs its own application (NAC 624.590), so a company that wants to bid both framing and concrete applies twice. An added classification on an existing license costs $300 to consider (NAC 624.130).

Work You SellWhere It Usually FallsRead Next
Prime contractor on houses and small commercial buildingsClass B (B-2 residential and small commercial, B-7 residential remodeling)Class B subclassifications, below
Electrical workClass C-2How to Start an Electrician Business in Nevada
Plumbing and heatingClass C-1How to Start a Plumbing Business in Nevada
Refrigeration and air-conditioningClass C-21How to Start an HVAC Business in Nevada
Roofing and sidingClass C-15How to Start a Roofing Business in Nevada
Carpentry, maintenance and minor repairsClass C-3, or the under-$1,000 exemption for the smallest jobsHow to Start a Handyman Business in Nevada
Grading, paving, highways, pipelinesClass A (for example A-7, A-16, A-2, A-19)Classification list on the Board's site

Source for the class letters: NAC 624.140 to 624.570. The license also limits what you may do. A licensed contractor may not do plumbing, electrical, refrigeration or air-conditioning work outside a license for that trade, and a general building contractor needs the matching specialty license for plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, air-conditioning and fire protection (NRS 624.215 and 624.220). If you cannot tell which classification covers your work, the Board takes requests on its license classification request form. Its staff answer is guidance, not a legal opinion.

Class B Subclassifications for General Contractors

A general building contractor is one whose principal business is building or remodeling structures that need more than two unrelated trades, and who is the prime contractor on the job (NRS 624.215). The Board splits Class B into subclassifications:

SubclassificationWhat It CoversNotes
B-2 Residential and Small CommercialBuilding and remodeling houses and other structures up to three stories above ground and one story belowThe usual starting point for house builders and remodelers
B-7 Residential RemodelingRemodeling an existing detached single-family homeCannot increase the existing enclosed space
B-6 Commercial RemodelingInterior remodeling and improvement of commercial spaces, including tall buildingsExcludes structural, mechanical, fire protection and other life safety systems
B-3 Speculative BuildingBuilding structures for sale or speculation on land you ownFor builders who sell what they build
B-1, B-4, B-5Premanufactured housing, service stations, prefabricated steel structuresNarrow scopes

Source: NAC 624.160 and 624.170. Heavy civil work such as highways, pipelines and grading is Class A, and a single trade is Class C. If you only wire buildings, the Nevada electrician business guide covers the C-2 route in detail.

Step-by-Step: Getting Licensed

Step 1: Name Your Qualifying Individuals

The license belongs to the business, but the Board grants it because of the people named on it. The Board's contractor's license application page splits the job in two. The management qualifier passes the business and law exam. The trade qualifier proves the experience. One person can do both, or you can split them between two people.

  • Experience: at least 4 full years as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee or contractor in the specific classification, gained within the 15 years before you file (NRS 624.260). Training at an accredited college or an equivalent program accepted by the Board can replace up to 3 of the 4 years. Nevada sets no education requirement (NSCB license requirements).
  • Proof: four completed Certification of Work Experience forms plus a resume. The certificates must come from employers other than the applying company, or from customers if you were self-employed, and relatives cannot sign unless they were your employer. A certificate that is vague about the work actually done is rejected, and a false one can be treated as misrepresentation and cost you the application.
  • Substitutes for the certificates: a current master certification from a government agency in a similar discipline, transferable military experience, or licensure by endorsement if you held a license for the past 4 years in a state the Board treats as substantially equivalent. Having recently been the qualifier on a Nevada license in the same classification can also excuse the certificates, but the Board's pages give different look-back periods (5 years on the requirements page, 10 years on the application page), so ask the licensing staff which applies to you.
  • Who qualifies: a bona fide owner, officer, member, manager or employee who makes the technical and administrative decisions, hires and directs staff, and does not hold other employment that conflicts with the job. One person generally cannot qualify more than one active license unless they own at least 25% of each company involved (NRS 624.260).

Step 2: Form the Business and Get Your Nevada Business ID

The online application asks for a Nevada Business ID from the Secretary of State, and the license is issued to the entity as registered there. Form the company first through the Nevada ORION business portal. For most new contractors an LLC is the practical choice. Our Nevada LLC guide has the filing steps, and you can compare LLC formation services in Nevada if you would rather pay someone to file.

  • LLC filing: $75 for the articles of organization (NRS 86.561), plus a $150 initial list of managers or members (NRS 86.263).
  • State business license: $200 a year for an LLC and $500 for a corporation, paid with the initial and annual lists (NRS 76.100). The first-year state cost for an LLC is therefore $425 ($75 + $150 + $200).
  • Expedited filing: the Secretary of State may charge extra for faster service, up to $1,000 within 1 hour, $500 within 2 hours and $125 for other special service such as within 24 hours (NRS 225.140). Those are ceilings, so confirm the amount actually charged in the portal.
  • Registered agent: the filing must list an actual Nevada street address (NRS 77.300).
  • Trade name: if you will trade under a name other than the company's registered name, the Board asks for a filed copy of the fictitious name certificate from the county clerk (see our DBA guide). The Clark County Clerk charges $25 for it (Clark County Clerk fee schedule); other counties set their own fees, so ask the clerk.

Decide the structure before you apply and stick with it. A change of licensee name costs $250 to consider and a conversion to another entity type costs $300 (NAC 624.130), and either one is paperwork you can avoid.

Step 3: Build the Financial Statement and Set Your Monetary Limit

This is where most first-time applicants lose time. Every license carries a monetary limit: the largest contract you may take on one or more contracts at a single construction site or subdivision for a single client (NRS 624.220). The Board sets it after looking at net worth, liquid assets, working capital, the ratio of current assets to current liabilities, payment history, lawsuits, liens, judgments and any bankruptcy (NRS 624.263). A financial statement is required whatever limit you ask for, and the type depends on the limit (NAC 624.593):

Limit You RequestStatement the Board Accepts
$25,000 or lessCPA-prepared, a Board form with an affidavit, or an accounting-software balance sheet with an affidavit
Over $25,000 and under $500,000CPA-compiled within 6 months, or CPA-reviewed or audited within 1 year
$500,000 to under $1,000,000CPA-compiled with full disclosures within 6 months, or CPA-reviewed or audited within 1 year
$1,000,000 or moreCPA-reviewed or audited within 1 year

A bank verification form completed by your bank goes with the statement. Business statements need a classified balance sheet, and a sole proprietor or general partner submits a personal statement (NSCB license requirements). One detail shapes your strategy: the company's financial responsibility has to be established independently of its owners' assets (NRS 624.263). If the business is thin, the Board offers an indemnification agreement that lets it also weigh the finances of a person or entity that backs you. It is optional.

Our reasoning, not the Board's: ask for the limit your books can support today and raise it when a bigger bid appears. A permanent increase costs $250 and a single-project increase costs $75 (NAC 624.130), and the single-project request must reach the Board at least 5 working days before you bid and be approved first (NRS 624.220). If you plan to build homes and neither you nor your qualifier held a Nevada contractor license in the past 2 years, expect more scrutiny: the Board must require a financial statement and can add an aggregate limit across all open contracts or require a construction control for buyers' deposits (NRS 624.264). The process is on the Board's raise your license limit page.

Step 4: File the Application

Apply online through the Board's contractor's license application. Have these ready to upload: the Nevada Business ID, the fictitious name certificate if you use one, the financial statement and bank verification, a background disclosure statement and fingerprint authorization for every person listed on the application (including the qualifiers), and the experience documents from Step 1. Fingerprints go to the Nevada Central Repository and the FBI for a background check (NRS 624.265).

  • Fee: the Board's licensing FAQ lists a $300 application fee, and the statute caps it at $550 (NRS 624.280). Fees are subject to change, so confirm the amount when you file.
  • Do not send the bond yet: the Board's FAQ says not to submit a bond or the initial license fee with the application. You send them after approval.
  • Completeness: the Board does not consider an incomplete application (NAC 624.590), and processing does not start until the application is complete and paid. The Board's pre-submittal application review lets a license analyst look it over first.
  • Veterans: the Board runs a veterans assistance program for military members, spouses and veterans.
  • Timing: the Board publishes no guaranteed turnaround that we could verify. Ask the licensing office for current times: (775) 688-1141 in the north, (702) 486-1100 in the south.

Step 5: Pass the Business and Law Exam and the Trade Exam

Once the application is in and your experience is accepted, the qualifier receives an exam eligibility form with a candidate ID. You cannot book before that. The Board contracts with PSI Licensure for testing, and the NSCB license examinations page links the exam outlines for Classes A, B and C.

  • Two exams: the business and law (CMS) exam, which is open book with the Construction Business and Law Manual for Nevada, and a trade exam for your classification, which is closed book except for certain code references.
  • Retakes: three attempts per exam, with a two-week wait after a failure. The qualifier must pass within 6 months after the application is filed (NAC 624.600). Fail the third attempt and the application is void; you can reapply with a new application and fee after 30 days.
  • Where: PSI sites in Las Vegas, Reno and Elko, and PSI-owned sites in other states. Scores are given immediately.
  • Preparation: Nevada offers no practice exams, and the Board does not endorse any licensing school. Use the content outline for your exam, which lists the subject areas and reference books.
  • Fee: exam fees are set by PSI, and the statute caps an exam fee at $300 (NRS 624.280).
  • Waivers: the Board waives the trade exam, in some cases, for applicants licensed in a state it treats as equivalent, and it can waive an exam when the applicant's experience justifies it (NAC 624.600). The business and law exam still applies to endorsement applicants.

Passing the Board's technical exam can matter beyond the state license: under NRS 624.240, a person who passes it may qualify for a master's license issued by a city or county in the same classification, where the local government requires one. Ask your local licensing office how it treats the Board's exam.

Step 6: Post the Bond and Insurance Proof, Then Pay the License Fee

After approval the Board sends a letter with the bond amount and the remaining requirements, so you will not know the bond amount until this point.

  • Bond or cash deposit: a bond of $1,000 to $500,000, fixed by the Board from your license type, monetary limit, finances, experience and character (NRS 624.270; NSCB bond requirements). It must come from a surety authorized in Nevada and rated A or better, in continuous form, and a surety may cancel it with 60 days' notice to the Board. You may post a cashier's check for the full amount instead, with a $200 administrative fee every two years. After 5 consecutive years of licensed work in Nevada you can ask the Board to relieve the bond requirement.
  • Swimming pool and spa work: a separate consumer protection bond of $10,000 to $400,000 may also apply (NSCB bond requirements).
  • Workers' compensation: proof of industrial insurance for your employees, a self-insured certificate, or an affidavit that you have no employees and do not work for or bid to another contractor (NRS 624.256). See our Nevada workers' compensation guide.
  • General liability insurance: the Board's requirements above do not list it. It is usually a term of the contract you sign, so read the insurance clause of each contract, and get quotes from a Nevada insurance broker because the state sets no price.
  • License fee: $600 per two-year term (NAC 624.130), paid before the license is issued.
  • Residential Recovery Fund: residential contractors pay a biennial assessment on top of the license fee, or file an exemption (NRS 624.470).

Step 7: Check Local Licenses and Permits

The state license does not replace the city or county business license. Counties and incorporated cities may require an additional contractor's license with their own standards (NRS 624.035), and permits for each project come from the local building department. Start with our Nevada business license guide, and read the home-based business guide if the office will be in your house. Where you license depends on where your office is and where you work:

For any other city or county, ask the licensing office where the job is. Local fees are set by each jurisdiction and are not stated here.

Step 8: Register for Taxes and Payroll

Costs

ItemAmountSource
LLC articles of organization$75NRS 86.561
Initial list of managers or members$150NRS 86.263
State business license (LLC)$200 a year ($500 for a corporation)NRS 76.100
Application fee$300 per the Board's FAQ; statutory ceiling $550NSCB licensing FAQ; NRS 624.280
License, issue or renew$600 per two-year term (statutory ceiling $900)NAC 624.130; NRS 624.280
Exam feesSet by PSI; statutory ceiling $300 per examNRS 624.280; confirm with PSI
License bondBond amount $1,000 to $500,000; the premium is set by the suretyNRS 624.270
Cash deposit instead of a bond$200 administrative fee every two yearsNSCB license requirements
Residential Recovery FundUp to $200 per two-year term (limit up to $1,000,000); up to $500 (above that, but limited); up to $1,000 (unlimited); the Board reduces it when the fund balance is highNRS 624.470; confirm the current assessment with the Board
Added classification$300 to consider the applicationNAC 624.130
Raise the monetary limit$250 permanent; $75 for a single projectNAC 624.130
Late renewal$150 on top of the renewal feeNAC 624.130
Sales and use tax permit$15 per locationNevada Department of Taxation
CPA financial statementPriced by the CPANo state set price

The fixed Board fees for a first license with one classification therefore come to $900 if the $300 application fee holds ($300 plus $600). Add the $425 first-year state cost of forming an LLC ($75 plus $150 plus $200) and the fixed fees reach $1,325, before exams, the bond premium, insurance, the CPA statement, any recovery fund assessment and local license fees.

Keeping the License Active

  • Term: a license expires 2 years after it is issued, unless the Board sets a staggered date, and one that is not renewed on time is automatically suspended (NRS 624.283). The Board's FAQ says the term ends on the last day of the month of issue two years later. Renew through the NSCB license renewals portal, which needs your license number and Nevada Business ID.
  • Late renewals: you can reinstate by renewing within 6 months and paying the reinstatement fee. After 6 months the Board may cancel the license, and you start over with an original application (NRS 624.283).
  • Inactive status: a good-standing license can go inactive for up to 8 years, with no bid or contract allowed, and no bond or qualifier required while inactive (NRS 624.282).
  • Changes: report a change of address or personnel that affects your application to the Board in writing within 30 days, and keep a qualified person on staff for as long as the license depends on one (NAC 624.640).
  • Bond and insurance: a lapse in either is cause for the Board to deny, suspend, revoke or refuse to renew the license (NRS 624.256 and 624.270).
  • Check any contractor: the Board's license search shows classifications, monetary limits and status, which is useful before you hire a subcontractor.

Mistakes That Cost Applicants Months

  • Weak certificates: a certificate signed by a relative who was not your employer, or one that does not say what work you actually did, is sent back, and the clock on your application stops.
  • A statement that does not match the limit: asking for a large limit with a thin balance sheet usually ends in a smaller limit, or a request for more documents.
  • Buying the bond early: the Board names the amount after approval, and the Board's FAQ tells applicants not to send a bond with the application.
  • Picking the wrong class: a bid outside the scope of your license is void (NAC 624.640). Use the classification request form if two classes seem to fit.
  • Bidding early: offering a price counts as contracting under NRS 624.020, so a quote sent while the application is pending can already be a violation.

When This Is Not Your Route

Skip the full license process if your jobs fit the under-$1,000 exemption, and read the handyman guide before you decide, because the exemption has exclusions (NRS 624.031). If you work on one trade only, the specialty guides above are narrower. If you hold a license from another state, the endorsement route may waive the experience certificates, and for rural attainable housing projects, NRS 624.242 creates a separate limited endorsement license that expires December 31, 2029 and does not allow other work in Nevada.

Important Disclaimer

This article is general information about Nevada contractor licensing and business setup and is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Fees, forms and exam rules change, and the Board's own pages and the statutes do not always agree. Confirm the current requirements with the Nevada State Contractors Board before you file. A Nevada attorney can advise on contracts, liens and entity choice, and a Nevada CPA on your financial statement.

Sources

Keep exploring: related Nevada guides