The current list of every state and territory that accepts the NASCLA Accredited Examination, retrieved directly from nascla.org, plus the business and law exam and financial requirements each one still has on top of it.
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 exam before you can pull a permit. The NASCLA Accredited Examination exists to knock down most of that wall. Pass it once, and your score is recognized by contractor licensing boards across 18 states and territories, confirmed directly at nascla.org on September 23, 2026.
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 PSI
- Where it counts: 18 states and territories, confirmed at nascla.org on September 23, 2026
- What it clears: one requirement; a separate state Business and Law exam still stands between you and a license in most participating states
- What it does not do: license your company; a company's contractor license in nearly every state must be qualified by a qualifying agent
That is a genuine time saver. But there is a part most exam prep sites gloss over.
Passing the NASCLA exam does not, by itself, license your company in any of those states. It clears one requirement, and in most participating states it does not even clear the full trade knowledge box, because a separate state Business and Law exam still stands between you and a license.
The rest of each state's process still stands: 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. It is 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) at ned.nascla.org, 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, which uses its own participating state list, distinct from the commercial general building list below.
Every state and territory that accepts the NASCLA commercial exam (retrieved September 23, 2026)
Checked directly against NASCLA's own Participating State Agencies directory today. The following 18 states and territories 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 18 states and territories 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 directory notes that Arizona and North Carolina want a passing exam from within the past two years, South Carolina accepts scores within three years, West Virginia will not accept scores 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 state 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. Here is what each jurisdiction still asks for, checked against each state's own board, rules, or statute. Where a detail could not be confirmed at the board, we left it out rather than guess.
| State/Territory | License the NASCLA score counts toward | Business and law exam still required | Financial statement / net worth note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Licensing Board for General Contractors; Home Builders Licensure Board | Yes, the Licensing Board for General Contractors requires a passing score on the Alabama Business and Project Management exam | Current financial statement no more than one year old (audited, reviewed, or compiled by a CPA or Board approved LPA); minimum net worth and working capital of $10,000 |
| Arizona | Registrar of Contractors, B-1 and B-2 General Commercial Contracting classifications, accepted in lieu of the state trade exam since November 1, 2017; the NASCLA exam must be from within the past two years | Yes, 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 the Statutes and Rules Exam | A contractor's bond set by classification and anticipated annual volume |
| Arkansas | Contractors Licensing Board, commercial license; NASCLA is accepted in lieu of documenting appropriate experience on the application | Yes, the Arkansas Business and Law exam (50 questions, 2 hours) is required for a new commercial license | CPA compiled financial statement less than one year old; Building classification net worth of $50,000, half of it in cash; a $10,000 contractor's bond |
| California | Contractors State License Board, B General Building, 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 5 years; California residents take the state trade exam | Yes, the CSLB Law and Business exam is still required unless passed in the last five years | A $25,000 contractor bond and workers compensation rules apply |
| Florida | Construction Industry Licensing Board, general, building, or residential contractor, in lieu of the Florida trade exam | Yes, the Florida Business and Finance exam and an exam covering the Florida Building Code are both still required | A credit report showing a FICO score of 660 or higher, or completion of a board approved 14 hour financial responsibility course |
| Georgia | State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors, commercial General Contractor (unlimited or limited tier) | Yes, the Georgia Business and Law exam is required alongside NASCLA | Commercial general contractors affirm a minimum net worth of $150,000 under Rule 553-4 |
| Louisiana | State Licensing Board for Contractors; NASCLA gives credit only toward the Building Construction and Residential Construction exams | Yes, an online Business and Law course is required for every license applicant | $50,000 net worth shown on a CPA financial statement no more than 12 months old |
| Mississippi | State Board of Contractors, Building Construction major classification, in place of the Mississippi Building Construction exam | Yes, the Mississippi Law and Business Management exam is required for all applicants | Reviewed or audited CPA financial statement from the last 12 months; the board issues only an unlimited license |
| Nevada | State Contractors Board, general building classification, as a trade exam waiver | Yes, the qualified individual must still pass the Nevada Business and Law exam | Bond set by the board from $1,000 to $500,000 based on financial responsibility and size of operations (NRS 624.270), plus financial documentation |
| New Mexico | Construction Industries Division, GB-98 General Building, as a trade exam waiver for a qualifying party who has held a license from another state for at least one year | Yes, a Business and Law test, or an approved Business and Law course, is required of every new qualifying party | A $10,000 license bond from a corporate surety |
| North Carolina | Licensing Board for General Contractors, Building classification | Yes, a qualifier using an exam waiver must pass the North Carolina Business and Law exam | Limited (projects to $750,000): $17,000 working capital, $80,000 net worth, or $175,000 bond. Intermediate (to $1,500,000): $75,000 working capital or $500,000 bond. Unlimited: $150,000 working capital or $1,000,000 bond |
| Oregon | Construction Contractors Board; a NASCLA pass stands in for the 16 hour pre-license training | Yes, NASCLA passers still pass the Oregon exam, which is built on the Oregon edition of the NASCLA business and law guide | Bond of $25,000 for a residential general contractor, $80,000 for commercial Level 1, $25,000 for commercial Level 2 |
| South Carolina | Contractors' Licensing Board (general contractor); Residential Builders Commission for the residential path | Yes, commercial applicants pass the S.C. Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam and show 2 years of experience within the past 5 | Net worth or working capital by license group ($20,000 to $350,000 net worth), or a surety bond in the same amount; Group 5 unlimited requires an audited statement |
| Tennessee | Board for Licensing Contractors, BC-B commercial classification, in place of the state trade exam | Yes, every new contractor applicant takes the Tennessee Business and Law exam | CPA reviewed financial statement for monetary limits up to $3,000,000, audited above that; since July 1, 2026 a Contractors' Surety Bond of at least 50 percent of the requested limit is an alternative |
| Utah | Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Construction Trades Bureau, general contractor classifications; with no trade exams since May 2019, NASCLA meets the 2 year experience requirement | Yes, general contractors still pass the Utah Business and Law exam after the 25 hour and 5 hour pre-licensure courses | No license bond by default; a bond (at least $50,000 for general classifications such as B100) applies only when the financial responsibility review flags a recent bankruptcy or unpaid debts (R156-55a-602) |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs, participating since February 2013 | DLCA sets its own application, business, and insurance requirements. Confirm the current exam requirement directly with DLCA before you rely on it. | Contact DLCA directly, (340) 713-3522, for current financial documentation requirements |
| Virginia | Board for Contractors, DPOR, comparable to the Commercial Building (CBC) specialty; the qualified individual must still show experience | Yes, the Designated Employee exams for Class A and Class B, plus 8 hours of pre-license education for every license class | Net worth of at least $15,000 for Class B and $45,000 for Class A |
| West Virginia | Contractors Licensing Board, Division of Labor; scores from before September 1, 2013 are not accepted | Yes, the Contractor Licensing Act exam, formerly the Business and Law exam, 90 questions, is required of every contractor in addition to any trade exam | No contractor license surety bond; a wage bond under W. Va. Code 21-5-14 applies instead |
Read that table one more time and the pattern is obvious: in every one of these 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 the 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
- Confirm the target state's current status. Check nascla.org's Participating State Agencies directory or call the board directly. The list changes as boards join or adjust programs.
- 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.
- Send your NED transcript. Purchase and electronically send your passing transcript from NASCLA's National Examination Database to the board.
- Pass that state's business and law exam or course. Every state on this list that we could confirm requires it separately from NASCLA.
- 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.
- 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 the 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. That is exactly the gap hiring a qualifying agent closes for a company that has NASCLA qualified people it can send to some states but not every state it wants to build in.
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. If you are not sure what a qualifying agent is or how the role works, start with what a qualifying agent is, then 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 18 states. 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 September 23, 2026, 18 states and territories 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. We do not provide exam prep or study materials. For study help, work with an approved exam prep provider. This guide covers the licensing process, not how to study.
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, "NASCLA Commercial Exam Participating State Agencies" and each linked state agency page, nascla.org/nascla-commercial-exam-participating-state-agencies, retrieved September 23, 2026
- Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors, Prime Application Instructions, genconbd.alabama.gov, retrieved September 23, 2026
- Arizona Revised Statutes 32-1122, azleg.gov/ars/32/01122.htm, and Arizona Registrar of Contractors, roc.az.gov, retrieved September 23, 2026
- Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board, Commercial New Application (revised 1/2025), labor.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/NEW-Comm-App-1-2025.pdf, retrieved September 23, 2026
- California CSLB, reciprocity and NASCLA waiver requirements, cslb.ca.gov/Contractors/Applicants/Reciprocity, retrieved September 23, 2026
- Florida DBPR, Construction Industry FAQs, myfloridalicense.com/construction-industry/faqs, retrieved September 23, 2026
- Georgia Secretary of State, commercial general contractor application and Rule 553-4, sos.ga.gov and rules.sos.ga.gov/gac/553-4, retrieved September 23, 2026
- Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, FAQ, lslbc.gov/faq, retrieved September 23, 2026
- Mississippi State Board of Contractors, FAQ and Commercial Application (updated 7/2024), msboc.us, retrieved September 23, 2026
- Nevada State Contractors Board, "Licensure by Endorsement," nvcontractorsboard.com/licensing/licensure-by-endorsement, and NRS 624.270, retrieved September 23, 2026
- New Mexico 14.6.3 NMAC, srca.nm.gov, and NM CID Qualifying Party Application Instructions (May 2025), public.psiexams.com, retrieved September 23, 2026
- North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors, FAQ, nclbgc.org/faq-contractors, retrieved September 23, 2026
- Oregon Construction Contractors Board, "CCB License," oregon.gov/ccb, retrieved September 23, 2026
- South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board, licensure page and FAQ, llr.sc.gov/clb, retrieved September 23, 2026
- Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors, Exam Information and license application, tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors, retrieved September 23, 2026
- Utah Code 58-55-302, le.utah.gov, Utah Admin. Code R156-55a-602, and Utah DOPL contracting page, commerce.utah.gov/dopl, retrieved September 23, 2026
- U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs, dlca.vi.gov, retrieved September 23, 2026
- Virginia DPOR Board for Contractors, license application (A501-27LIC), application instructions, and step guide, dpor.virginia.gov, retrieved September 23, 2026
- West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board Candidate Information Bulletin, labor.wv.gov, retrieved 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.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, licensing guidance, or an offer of services. Licensing requirements vary by jurisdiction. For specific compliance questions, contact The Licensing Company for a confidential consultation.