NASCLA States 2026: Every State That Accepts the Exam, and What Each Still Requires

The NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors is currently accepted by contractor licensing boards in 17 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, confirmed directly on NASCLA's own site on October 15, 2026. Passing it clears one exam requirement in each of those jurisdictions, but by itself it does not license your company anywhere, a gap covered in full on our contractor license overview.

At a glance

• Who runs it: the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA)
• The exam: the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors, a national, open book exam administered by the testing vendor PSI
• Where it counts: 17 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, confirmed directly with NASCLA on October 15, 2026
• What it clears: one requirement; a separate state Business and Law exam still stands between you and a license in nearly every participating state
• What it does not do: license your company; a company's contractor license in nearly every state must be qualified by a qualifying agent

If you build commercially in more than one state, you have probably run into the same wall over and over: every state wants you to pass its own contractor trade exam before you can pull a permit. The NASCLA exam exists to knock down that one wall. It does not knock down the rest of each state's process, which still includes its own business and law exam, application, fees, bonding, insurance, financial disclosure, and the person the license actually attaches to. Understanding that gap is the difference between a smooth multi-state expansion and a stack of half finished applications.

What the NASCLA exam actually is

NASCLA stands for the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies. The exam most contractors mean when they say "the NASCLA exam" is the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors, a national, open book exam covering commercial building code and construction practices, administered by the testing vendor PSI.

The appeal is reciprocity of the exam score, not the license. Instead of sitting for a different trade exam in every state, you take the NASCLA exam one time. Your passing transcript lives in NASCLA's National Examination Database (NED), and you can send it electronically to any participating state board as proof you have met that board's trade knowledge requirement. NASCLA also runs a separate accredited program for electrical contractors, with its own participating state list, distinct from the commercial general building list below.

Every state and territory that accepts the NASCLA commercial exam (confirmed October 15, 2026)

Checked directly against NASCLA's own Participating State Agencies directory today. The following 17 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors:

• Alabama (Home Builders Licensure Board, and the Licensing Board for General Contractors)
• Arizona (Registrar of Contractors)
• Arkansas (Contractors Licensing Board)
• California (Contractors State License Board)
• Florida (Construction Industry Licensing Board)
• Georgia (State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors)
• Louisiana (State Licensing Board for Contractors)
• Mississippi (State Board of Contractors)
• Nevada (State Contractors Board)
• New Mexico (Construction Industries Division)
• North Carolina (Licensing Board for General Contractors)
• Oregon (Construction Contractors Board)
• South Carolina (Contractors' Licensing Board, and the Residential Builders Commission)
• Tennessee (Board for Licensing Contractors)
• Utah (Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Construction Trades Bureau)
• U.S. Virgin Islands (Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs)
• Virginia (Board for Contractors, DPOR)
• West Virginia (Contractors Licensing Board)

That is 20 board listings covering 17 states and one territory on NASCLA's own site as of this retrieval. Boards marked on NASCLA's directory as administering agencies let you choose between their own state specific trade exam and the NASCLA exam. Watch the age of your score, too: NASCLA's own state pages confirm Arizona wants a passing exam from within the past two years, South Carolina accepts scores within three years, West Virginia will not accept scores or transcripts from before September 1, 2013, and New Mexico wants a letter showing you have held a license in good standing in another state for at least one year. The participating list does change as boards join or adjust their programs, so confirm your target state directly with NASCLA or that state's board before you build a plan around it.

State by state: what NASCLA covers and what you still have to pass

A passing NASCLA score is rarely the last exam you take. Every participating jurisdiction we could confirm layers its own business and law exam, course, or equivalent on top of it, and most attach a financial statement, net worth, or bond requirement to the license itself.

Notes on the table above, state by state:

• Alabama: the Licensing Board for General Contractors requires a passing score on the Alabama Business and Project Management exam alongside NASCLA. A current financial statement no more than one year old, audited, reviewed, or compiled by a CPA or board approved LPA, must show a minimum net worth and working capital of $10,000.
• Arizona: the Registrar of Contractors has accepted NASCLA in lieu of the state trade exam for the B-1 and B-2 General Commercial Contracting classifications since November 1, 2017, but only from a score within the past two years. The qualifying party still passes Arizona's own exam on state building, lien, and contracting law and ROC rules (A.R.S. 32-1122), now called the Statutes and Rules Exam. A contractor's bond is set by classification and anticipated annual volume.
• Arkansas: the Contractors Licensing Board accepts NASCLA in lieu of documenting appropriate trade experience on the commercial license application. The Arkansas Business and Law exam is still required for a new commercial license. The Building classification needs a CPA compiled financial statement less than one year old showing net worth of $50,000, half of it in cash, plus a $10,000 contractor's bond.
• California: the Contractors State License Board treats NASCLA as a trade exam waiver for an out of state applicant who has qualified an equivalent general building license in good standing for at least the previous five years. California residents still take the state trade exam. The CSLB Law and Business exam is required unless the applicant passed it within the last five years. A $25,000 contractor bond and workers compensation rules apply.
• Florida: the Construction Industry Licensing Board accepts NASCLA in lieu of the Florida trade exam for a general, building, or residential contractor license. The Florida Business and Finance exam, and a separate exam covering the Florida Building Code, are both still required. Financial responsibility is shown with a credit report of 660 FICO or higher, or completion of a board approved 14 hour financial responsibility course.
• Georgia: the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors requires the Georgia Business and Law exam alongside NASCLA. Commercial general contractors affirm a minimum net worth of $150,000 for the unlimited tier under Rule 553-4; a limited tier, capped at contracts of $1,000,000, instead requires $25,000 net worth.
• Louisiana: the State Licensing Board for Contractors gives NASCLA credit only toward the Building Construction and Residential Construction trade exams. An online Business and Law course is required of every license applicant. Net worth of $50,000 must show on a CPA financial statement no more than 12 months old.
• Mississippi: the State Board of Contractors accepts NASCLA in place of the Building Construction major classification exam. The Mississippi Law and Business Management exam is required for all applicants, along with a reviewed or audited CPA financial statement from the last 12 months. The board issues only an unlimited license in this classification.
• Nevada: the State Contractors Board treats NASCLA as a trade exam waiver for its general building classification, but the qualified individual still passes Nevada's own Business and Law exam. The board sets a bond from $1,000 up to $500,000 under NRS 624.270, based on financial responsibility and size of operations, plus supporting financial documentation.
• New Mexico: the Construction Industries Division accepts NASCLA as a GB-98 General Building trade exam waiver, but since January 13, 2023 a qualifying party must also provide a letter showing a license held in good standing in another state for at least one year. A Business and Law test, or an approved course, is still required, along with a $10,000 license bond from a corporate surety.
• North Carolina: the Licensing Board for General Contractors accepts NASCLA for the Building classification, but a qualifier using the exam waiver must still pass the North Carolina Business and Law exam. Net worth or working capital requirements scale by project limitation: Limited (projects to $750,000) needs $17,000 working capital, $80,000 net worth, or a $175,000 bond; Intermediate (to $1,500,000) needs $75,000 working capital or a $500,000 bond; Unlimited, with no project cap, needs $150,000 working capital or a $1,000,000 bond.
• Oregon: the Construction Contractors Board lets a NASCLA pass stand in for the 16 hour pre-license training, but NASCLA passers still take the Oregon exam, built on the Oregon edition of the NASCLA business and law guide. Bond amounts run $25,000 for a residential general contractor, $80,000 for commercial Level 1, and $25,000 for commercial Level 2.
• South Carolina: the Contractors' Licensing Board accepts NASCLA scores within three years. Commercial applicants pass the S.C. Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam and show two years of experience within the past five. Net worth or working capital runs $20,000 to $350,000 by license group, or a surety bond in the same amount; the unlimited Group 5 requires an audited statement.
• Tennessee: the Board for Licensing Contractors requires every new contractor applicant to take the Tennessee Business and Law exam in addition to NASCLA. A CPA reviewed financial statement covers monetary limits up to $3,000,000, audited above that; since July 1, 2026, the board's own Contractors' Surety Bond, set at no less than 50 percent of the requested limit, is an alternative to the CPA statement.
• Utah: the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing has required no separate general contractor trade exam since May 2019, so NASCLA instead meets the two year experience requirement for general classifications. General contractors still pass the Utah Business and Law exam after 25 hours and 5 hours of pre-licensure courses. No license bond applies by default; a bond (at least $50,000 for general classifications such as B100) applies only when the division's financial responsibility review flags a recent bankruptcy or unpaid debts under R156-55a-602.
• U.S. Virgin Islands: the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs has participated since February 2013. DLCA sets its own application, business, and insurance requirements, and the current exam and financial documentation requirements should be confirmed directly with DLCA at (340) 713-3522.
• Virginia: the Board for Contractors, DPOR, treats NASCLA as comparable to the Commercial Building (CBC) specialty, though the qualified individual must still show experience. Every Class A and Class B applicant still takes the Designated Employee exams for that class plus board approved pre-license education, and documents net worth of $45,000 for Class A or $15,000 for Class B.
• West Virginia: the Contractors Licensing Board, Division of Labor, will not accept NASCLA exam scores or transcripts from before September 1, 2013. Every contractor still takes the Contractor Licensing Act exam, formerly called the Business and Law exam, in addition to any trade exam. There is no contractor license surety bond; a wage bond under W. Va. Code 21-5-14 applies instead.

Read the table and notes once more and the pattern holds across all 18 jurisdictions: NASCLA clears one requirement, at most. In most states that is the trade exam; in Arkansas and Utah it stands in for experience, and in Oregon it replaces the 16 hour training. It never clears a state's own business, law, or financial vetting.

What the NASCLA exam does NOT do

Here is the part that trips up contractors expanding across state lines. Passing NASCLA satisfies one box on each state's checklist. It does not:

• Waive the state's Business and Law exam. As the table above shows, every participating state we could confirm still requires its own business and law exam, course, or equivalent in addition to NASCLA.
• Replace the state license application. You still file a full application with each state board, pay that state's fees, and meet its deadlines.
• Erase experience, bonding, insurance, or financial requirements. States still want proof of qualifying experience, surety bonds, liability insurance, and in many cases financial statements that set your monetary limit, from Tennessee's reviewed or audited statement tiers to New Mexico's $10,000 license bond.
• License your company. This is the big one. A company's contractor license in nearly every state must be qualified by a qualifying agent, a qualified individual the state recognizes as responsible for the company's work. Passing NASCLA helps an individual meet the exam requirement. It does not create the qualifying relationship the company needs in each state.

Fees and exam details are set by NASCLA, the testing vendor, and each state board, and they change. Verify current numbers with the provider or board before you rely on them.

Step by step: using a NASCLA pass to license in a new state

1. Confirm the target state's current status. Check NASCLA's Participating State Agencies directory or call the board directly. The list changes as boards join or adjust programs.
2. Confirm the classification. NASCLA scores map to specific classifications: commercial General Building in most states, GB-98 in New Mexico, B-1/B-2 in Arizona, CBC in Virginia. Confirm yours matches what you intend to build.
3. Send your NED transcript. Purchase and electronically send your passing transcript from NASCLA's National Examination Database to the board.
4. Pass that state's business and law exam or course. Every state on this list that we could confirm requires it separately from NASCLA.
5. File the state application with its bond, insurance, and financial statement requirements. Each board sets its own thresholds; some, like Tennessee and New Mexico, require formal accountant prepared statements or a specific bond amount.
6. Resolve the qualifying agent requirement. If you personally cannot serve as the qualifier in that state, whether due to residency, experience, or simply holding too many qualifier roles already, the company still needs a genuinely employed qualified individual attached to the license there.

The qualifier angle: NASCLA gets the individual through the door, not the company

Every one of these 18 NASCLA participating jurisdictions requires the contracting company's license, not just the individual's exam score, to be tied to a real, qualified person. The title varies by state. North Carolina and Tennessee both tie the company's license to a named qualifier who sits for the exams on the company's behalf. South Carolina calls this person the Primary Qualifying Party. Virginia calls the role the Designated Employee under its Class A and Class B rules, and requires that person to be a full time employee or a member of Responsible Management.

New Mexico's Construction Industries Division issues the GB-98 license only to an entity with a certified qualifying party. Mississippi asks for proof of employment, such as a check stub or W-2, for its qualifying party. Nevada requires its qualified individual to pass the state's own Business and Law exam on top of any NASCLA trade exam waiver.

None of these states let a company simply attach a passing NASCLA score to the business on its own. A state board certifies the person, and the company qualifies through that person's genuine, full time role on its team. A qualifying agent QUALIFIES the company as an owner or full time W-2 employee who supervises the work; that is what hiring a qualifying agent or using contractor qualifier services closes for a company that has NASCLA qualified people it can send to some states but not every state it wants to build in. If you are not sure what the role covers, start with what a qualifying agent is.

Why this matters if you're expanding into multiple states

Say you pass the NASCLA exam and want to take your commercial GC business into five of the states above, for example North Carolina and Tennessee. You have cleared the trade exam in all five at once. Good.

But each of those five state licenses still has to be qualified by someone who meets that state's requirements and is genuinely tied to the company, on top of passing that state's own Business and Law exam. If you do not personally meet every state's experience or residency expectations, or you simply cannot be the qualifying agent on five licenses at once, you need a qualified individual in each state.

A qualifying agent placed as a full time, W-2 employee lets your company legally hold the license in a state where you do not have your own qualified individual, without you having to relocate, re-credential, or chase a separate qualifier arrangement in every market. Our licensing services in all 50 states cover exactly this kind of expansion, whether you need one qualifier or a dozen. Look at how the cost is structured, or read the contractor license overview that ties all of this together across states.

The NASCLA exam gets you past one trade exam in 17 states and a territory. A qualifying agent gets your company licensed in the ones where you cannot qualify it yourself. Used together, they are the fastest legitimate path to building across state lines.

Frequently asked questions

What does NASCLA stand for? NASCLA stands for the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies. It is the organization behind the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors, along with a separate accredited program for electrical contractors.

How many states accept the NASCLA exam? As of October 15, 2026, 17 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors. The list changes over time, so verify your target state directly with NASCLA or the state board.

Does passing the NASCLA exam mean I'm licensed? No. It generally satisfies the trade exam requirement in participating states, though the effect varies by state. In Utah, for example, a passing score satisfies the two year experience requirement for general classifications, because Utah has had no separate general contractor trade exam since May 2019, but Utah's own Business and Law exam is still required. Across nearly every participating state you still must file the application, usually pass that state's business and law exam, and meet experience, bond, insurance, and financial requirements. The license must also be qualified by a qualifying agent.

Which NASCLA states don't require a separate business and law exam? None that we could confirm. Every participating state we checked layers its own business and law exam, course, or equivalent on top of the NASCLA score. Louisiana delivers its version as an online course, New Mexico accepts either a test or an approved course, and Virginia uses its Designated Employee exams plus pre-license education, but each is still required.

Is Arkansas a NASCLA state? Yes. The Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board accepts the NASCLA exam in lieu of documenting appropriate experience on the application. The Arkansas Business and Law exam is still required for a new commercial license, along with a CPA financial statement and a $10,000 contractor's bond.

Do I still need a qualifying agent if I passed the NASCLA exam? Often yes, especially when expanding into states where you do not personally meet the requirements or cannot serve as the qualifier on every license. The NASCLA exam covers the individual's trade knowledge. The company still needs a qualifying agent, primary qualifying party, or designated employee, depending on the state's term, on each state license.

Is the NASCLA exam open book? Yes, it is an open book commercial exam, though open book does not mean easy since it draws on multiple reference texts and covers construction math, estimating, and business topics. We do not sell exam prep materials for it. Our own live exam prep classes are coming soon.

Want help expanding into NASCLA states? If you have passed the NASCLA exam or are planning to, and you need your company licensed in multiple states, talk to us about qualifying agent placement. We place qualified individuals as full time employees so your company can hold the license legally in each state.

Sources

• NASCLA Commercial Exam Participating State Agencies, retrieved October 15, 2026
• Arizona Registrar of Contractors, NASCLA participating-agency listing, retrieved October 15, 2026, and Arizona Revised Statutes 32-1122, retrieved September 23, 2026
• South Carolina Contractors' Licensing Board, NASCLA participating-agency listing, retrieved October 15, 2026
• West Virginia Contractors Licensing Board, NASCLA participating-agency listing, retrieved October 15, 2026
• New Mexico Construction Industries Division, NASCLA participating-agency listing, retrieved October 15, 2026
• Georgia Rule 553-4, Qualifications for Licensure, General Contractor Division, retrieved October 15, 2026
• North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors, FAQ, retrieved October 15, 2026; the FAQ confirms the project caps but not the dollar working-capital, net-worth, or bond figures, which were last confirmed September 23, 2026
• Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, retrieved October 15, 2026
• Virginia DPOR Board for Contractors, Change in License Class application (A501-27CHLIC), retrieved October 15, 2026
• Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors, Prime Application Instructions, retrieved October 15, 2026
• California CSLB, Reciprocity for Out-of-State Contractors, retrieved October 15, 2026
• Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, FAQ, retrieved October 15, 2026; net worth figure most recently confirmed September 23, 2026
• Mississippi State Board of Contractors, retrieved October 15, 2026; exam and financial statement figures most recently confirmed September 23, 2026
• Nevada Revised Statutes 624.270, attempted October 15, 2026, bond figure could not be re-opened in full; last confirmed September 23, 2026, and Nevada State Contractors Board, Licensure by Endorsement, retrieved September 23, 2026
• Florida DBPR, Construction Industry FAQs, attempted October 15, 2026, exam list could not be re-opened in full; last confirmed September 23, 2026
• Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board, Commercial Contractors Law, revised April 2026, attempted October 15, 2026, the PDF would not render as text; last confirmed September 23, 2026 against the Commercial New Application
• Oregon Construction Contractors Board, attempted October 15, 2026, the page returned a 404; last confirmed September 23, 2026
• Utah Admin. Code R156-55a-602 (Cornell mirror, used because Utah's own administrative rules site would not return the subsection text), retrieved October 15, 2026; original figure last confirmed directly with Utah DOPL on September 23, 2026
• U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs, attempted October 15, 2026, the page returned a 404; last confirmed September 23, 2026

Requirements, fees, and participating states are set by NASCLA, the testing vendors, and individual state boards and are subject to change. Always verify current details with the provider or board before applying.

Have questions about qualifying your company in a NASCLA state or anywhere else? Call 615-219-2110 or start with /HireAQualifyingAgent.