New Hampshire Contractor License

Anyone who wants to work officially as a contractor in New Hampshire can apply for a New Hampshire Contractor License. However, as in many other states of the U.S, New Hampshire also doesn’t carry the licensing process at a state level. You need to check the requirements of your county.

For specialty contractors, in fact, the state of New Hampshire has a set of requirements. Those who want to work as an electrician, plumber, etc. must apply for a license at the state level. The process is not that easy, You will need to take an exam, provide bonds and make the payments.

You need to have bond insurance in any case, because it will ensure the clients that you will finish your work. If you have employees you will also need to get worker’s insurance.

Starting your contractor application in New Hampshire

In fact, for all the contractors’ licenses in New Hampshire, the Secretary of State issues at the local level. But there are some common requirements for all of them. Below you can find what New Hampshire requires you to have when you decide to apply for an NH Contractor License.

• Usually, when you apply for a contractor’s license in NH, you need to provide your educational background and experience.
• Whenever you are able to submit your education and experience, you need to register your business. You can do it online by visiting the State Secretary Website.
• Some counties also require you to take a licensing exam. Sometimes you can just take a test and fulfill the requirements.
• As your client needs to be sure you will take your work to the end you may be asked to have a bond. You need to provide the documents that you are financially stable as in case of problems, the clients can have their money back. If you work in the manufacturing field, you will need up to a $26ooo bond. The amount can vary based on the field you work in.
• You will also need to obtain liability insurance. The state requires you to have this so that in case of personal injury or undesired conditions your business won’t be sidelined.
• If you act as a company and hire workers, you will need to have also worker’s insurance in New Hampshire. Moreover, you will need a tax account on unemployment.
• Finally, you need to make the required payments.

Documents and Fees to get your New Hampshire Contractor License

If you apply for a contractor license in NH, you will need to provide proof of identity and your Social Security Number if you have any. Also, you must provide documents that you have registered your license and have enough money to pay in case you are not able to finish the project. In fact, these requirements are general for mainly all the states, i.e. Wisconsin, Wyoming, etc.

Fees for contractor licenses vary from county to county but it’s generally up to $200. For general contractors, besides the application and licensing fees, sometimes there is a fee to obtain a building permit. This applies mainly to outdoor workers. So, to get the permit you may be asked to pay $35 dollars for the permit and $25 dollars for the application. After, you are going to wait up to 5 working days if you are working on not so large project. Larger ones require you to wait up to 7 working days.

Submitting your application doesn’t yet mean that you have obtained your license. You need the notary to sign it.

Electrician and Plumbers Contractor License

If you want to get your contractor’s license and work as an electrician in New Hampshire you need to choose between the following types of licenses.

• Apprentice License
• High Medium Voltage License
• High Medium Voltage Trainee License
• Journeyman License or a Master’s License

As we have already mentioned, some of the licenses may require you to take an exam. But, as for the apprentice license you won’t need the licensing exam. The certificate that you have finished high school is totally enough. For such kinds of licenses, New Hampshire doesn’t offer reciprocity. But for example, journeymen and masters need to take a special exam and thus they can have one or more state licenses without any extra examination.

What concerns plumbers, they also need to decide on the license type. Generally, it is the Department of Safety that issues the plumber’s license. If you don’t have any workers in your company, you don’t need to pay any money to get your mechanical license for the business.

Contractor License Renewal in NH

Generally, you will need to renew your New Hampshire Contractor License every 1 or 3 years. The expiration date is based on the type of license. Whenever your expiration date is near, you will get a reminder and the details of how to renew it. Usually, the reminder is sent 30 days before the renewal date. You can either renew your license online or visit the Secretary of State.

If you are renewing your contractor license for the first time, you will need to provide the registration code. You need the code if you sign up for the first time or have forgotten your password.

The code is attached to your renewal notification. If you need to change something in your personal information, such as phone number, address, etc. you will need to enter the data on your profile online.