New Jersey Contractor License: Requirements, Cost and Exams

License classes

Classifications and monetary tiers

There are none at the general commercial contractor level, because there is no general contractor license. HIC registration, and the new license it is converting into, has no classification tiers or job size caps beyond the compliance security amounts by contract value and prior 12 month receipts described above; it remains a single registration or license type covering home improvement and home elevation work broadly, not split by job size the way South Carolina or Virginia split general contractor licenses into monetary tiers. New Home Builder registration is likewise a single registration type, not tiered by home size or price. The three trade boards, electrical, plumbing, and HVACR, each issue a single master or contractor level license rather than tiered classes by job size.

The qualifier rule

The company qualifier model

New Jersey does not use a company qualifier model at the general contractor level, since there is no general contractor license to qualify, and even the newly licensed home improvement track attaches the license to the performing individual or business rather than to a separate qualifying agent. At the trade level, a qualifier concept exists, but it comes bundled with ownership requirements that do not exist in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee.

In summary: New Jersey has no state general contractor license for commercial building work. Renovation, remodeling, or home elevation work needs Home Improvement or Home Elevation Contractor registration, which is converting into a licensed, exam tested system under the 2024 law described above; where the state's rollout currently stands should be confirmed directly with the Division. New home construction and sale needs New Home Builder registration instead, unaffected by that change. Electrical, plumbing, or HVAC work needs an individual trade license and a qualifying person, but New Jersey law ties two of those three qualifying roles to real ownership stakes in the company, and caps the electrical qualifier at one business at a time.

Replacement rules when a qualifier leaves

For electrical, N.J.A.C. 13:31-3.3 governs what happens when the person whose license qualifies a business entity becomes incapable of performing that role due to death, illness, or other condition. The business may keep operating for a six month interim period, extendable for an additional six months for good cause shown, provided the Board is immediately notified in writing of the name of a new licensed electrical contractor, Class A journeyman, or other person with substantially equivalent experience who will qualify the business in the interim, after which the previously issued pressure seal must be returned to the Board. That six month rule is specific to death, illness, or incapacity, not to a qualifier who simply resigns or is terminated; for a voluntary departure, the mechanism is a straightforward Business Permit Change application naming the new qualifier. A specific day count deadline for filing that change application is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page, so this should not be quoted as a fixed number of days for a voluntary resignation scenario, only the confirmed six month figure for the death or incapacity scenario. For plumbing and HVACR, a published replacement deadline is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page, for either the incapacity scenario or the voluntary departure scenario. Confirm the exact timeline with the relevant board before relying on one.

Exams

NASCLA acceptance

None. NASCLA's own Commercial Exam Participating State Agencies page lists 20 agencies across 18 jurisdictions, and New Jersey is not among them (checked September 29, 2026). This follows from New Jersey having no state general contractor exam for a NASCLA transcript to feed into. The "NASCLA Contractor's Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, New Jersey edition" study book is an exam prep title used for New Jersey's own electrical and plumbing business and law exams, and should not be confused with actual NASCLA acceptance. A NASCLA card held from Georgia, Tennessee, or another participating state does not unlock anything in New Jersey.

Testing and exams

New Jersey has no general contractor exam, so this section covers the three state trade licenses that carry a real exam: electrical, plumbing, and HVACR. Home Improvement Contractor registration remains exam free under current mechanics as described above, though that is expected to change as the 2024 Act's licensing provisions take hold. All three trade exams are administered by PSI Services LLC, under program codes njel for electrical, njmp for plumbing, and njhvac for HVACR.

Electrical Contractor Licensure Examination (PSI, program njel)

Scheduling: once the New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors approves a candidate, PSI sends an Examination Eligibility Notice, and the candidate then pays and schedules directly with PSI, either online at test-takers.psiexams.com/njel, or by phone at (855) 340 3713, Monday through Friday 7:30 am to 10:00 pm and Saturday and Sunday 9:00 am to 5:30 pm Eastern. A candidate approved to test on or after March 16, 2015 must take all three required exams on the same day the first time, within two years of the eligibility date.

Three exams, all required: the Electrical Contracting trade exam runs 100 questions, 70 percent required to pass, meaning 70 correct answers, with 260 minutes allowed per the bulletin's stated time (a footnote in the same bulletin references an older rule dropping this to 255 minutes effective June 1, 2017, so 255 to 260 minutes is the practical range; confirm the exact number PSI displays at scheduling). The Business and Law exam runs 50 questions, 70 percent to pass, meaning 35 correct, 130 minutes. The Alarm Systems Electrical Contractor exam runs 50 questions, 70 percent to pass, meaning 35 correct, 165 minutes. All three are open book.

What each exam covers: the Electrical Contracting exam's content outline is General Electrical Knowledge (10), Raceways and Enclosures (10), Services, Feeders, and Branch Circuits (10), Overcurrent Protection (5), Conductors and Cables (9), Grounding and Bonding (16), Equipment for General Use (9), Special Occupancies (5), Special Equipment and Conditions (5), Motors and Controls (12), Low Voltage and Communications Circuits (6), and Safety (3). The Business and Law exam covers Business Organization, Licensing, Estimating and Bidding, Contract Management, Project Management, Risk Management, Safety, Labor Law, Financial Management, Tax Law, and Lien Law across its 50 questions. The Alarm Systems exam covers General Electrical Knowledge, Application of Fire Alarm Systems, Application of Intrusion and Security Systems, Installation Requirements, Wiring Methods and Materials, and Special Occupancies and Conditions.

Approved references: for the Electrical Contracting exam, NFPA 70 National Electrical Code, 2023 Edition, is provided at the test center; candidates may not write on it, highlight it, underline it, index it, or bring their own copy in. For the Business and Law exam, the NASCLA Contractor's Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, New Jersey edition, 2nd Edition, which the candidate brings. For the Alarm Systems exam, the same NFPA 70 provided at the center, plus candidate supplied copies of NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, 2022 edition, the NTC Blue Book Low Voltage Systems Handbook, 2025, and CCTV From Light to Pixels, 3rd edition, 2014.

Tabbing and highlighting: candidate supplied references may be highlighted, underlined, and indexed before the exam session, but nothing may be written in them during the exam. Only permanent tabs are allowed, meaning tabs that would tear the page if removed; temporary tabs such as Post it notes must be removed before the exam starts. No loose extra papers may be added to a reference. Any reference downloaded from the internet must be spiral bound, hole punched into a binder, or stapled at the top left corner. The NEC code book itself is the one exception: it is supplied at the center and may not be marked at all, and a candidate's own copy of it is not permitted in the room.

Where to test: nine current New Jersey centers, in Brick, the Hamilton Square area in Hamilton Township, Marlton, North Brunswick, New Providence, the Northfield area in Linwood, Rochelle Park, Parsippany, and Secaucus. An out of state testing option is not stated in the bulletin reviewed for this page. Remote or online proctoring is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page either; treat it as not offered.

Retake rules: for a candidate approved to test before March 16, 2015, a failed portion requires a six month wait before retesting. For a candidate approved on or after March 16, 2015, a failed exam only requires retaking that specific exam, but a candidate who fails on the first or second attempt must wait six months from the previous test date before the next attempt, must pass all three exams within three attempts total, and must pass all three within five years of the eligibility date or reapply to the Board from scratch. Fees are 84 dollars for Electrical Contracting, 47 dollars for Business and Law, and 49 dollars for Alarm Systems, 180 dollars total, none of it refundable or transferable, and each payment is valid for one year from the date paid. A scheduled exam may be cancelled or rescheduled without losing the fee if notice is given two days ahead of the appointment.

Master Plumber Licensure Examination (PSI, program njmp)

Scheduling: the current bulletin, dated March 9, 2026, confirms PSI Services LLC, not Prometric, as the vendor. Once the New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers approves a candidate, scheduling works the same way as electrical, online at test-takers.psiexams.com/njmp, or by phone at (855) 340 3713 during the same hours listed above. A first time candidate takes all three required exams on the same day.

Three exams: the Master Plumber trade exam runs 100 questions, 70 percent to pass, meaning 70 correct, 195 minutes, open book. The Master Plumber Practical exam runs 25 questions, 70 percent to pass, meaning 18 correct, 130 minutes, closed book. The Business and Law exam runs 50 questions, 70 percent to pass, meaning 35 correct, 130 minutes, open book, the same generic Business and Law content used across all three New Jersey trades.

What each exam covers: the Master Plumber trade exam's content outline names General Knowledge, Materials Uses and Specifications, Traps Interceptors and Backflow Prevention, Plumbing Fixtures Fixture Fittings and Plumbing Appliances, Water Supply Systems, Drains and Waste with two named subparts, Indirect Waste and Roof Drain Piping, Specialty Plumbing, Safety, and Vent Systems, totaling 100 questions. The Master Plumber Practical exam covers Isometric Analysis and Figure Analysis, together making up the 25 questions. The Business and Law exam covers the same eleven areas listed under electrical above.

Approved references: for the trade exam, the National Standard Plumbing Code, 2021 edition, is the only reference allowed in the center. Mathematics for Plumbers and Pipefitters, 8th Edition, 2013, and 29 CFR Part 1926, OSHA, were used to write the exam but are not allowed in the room. For the Practical exam, a handout of National Standard Plumbing Code tables is supplied at the center and may not be written on; no other references are allowed in, since it is closed book. For the Business and Law exam, the same NASCLA Contractor's Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, New Jersey edition, 2nd Edition, used for electrical.

Tabbing and highlighting: identical rules to electrical, permanent tabs only, highlighting and indexing allowed before the session but no writing during it, no loose extra papers, and temporary tabs must come off before the exam begins.

Where to test: the same nine New Jersey PSI centers listed above. This bulletin states PSI has centers in many other regions across the country, and a candidate may test out of state by following the Out of State Request Form referenced at the end of the bulletin. Remote or online proctoring is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page; treat it as not offered.

Retake rules: a candidate may retest on an unlimited basis with no attempt cap and no multi year expiration described, but must wait six months between each attempt. Fees are 87 dollars for the Master Plumber trade exam, 106 dollars for the Practical exam, and 47 dollars for Business and Law, 240 dollars total, none refundable or transferable, valid one year from payment.

HVACR Contractor Licensure Examination (PSI, program njhvac)

Scheduling: once the New Jersey State Board of Examiners of HVACR Contractors approves a candidate, scheduling works the same way, online at test-takers.psiexams.com/njhvac, or by phone at (855) 340 3713 during the same hours. A first time candidate takes both required exams on the same day.

Two exams: the HVACR trade exam runs 50 questions, 70 percent to pass, meaning 35 correct, 130 minutes, open book. The Business and Law exam runs 50 questions, 70 percent to pass, meaning 35 correct, 130 minutes, open book, the same generic Business and Law exam described under electrical, with a different reference list noted below.

What each exam covers: the HVACR trade exam's content outline is Electrical Knowledge, Motors, and Controls (7), Piping covering refrigeration, hydronic, steam, and process piping (7), Heating and Cooling Principles, Theory, and Equipment (8), Refrigerants and Refrigeration (8), Fuel and LP Gas (5), Combustion Air, Chimneys, Flues and Vents (5), Ducts, Ventilation and Exhaust (5), and Load Calculations (5). The Business and Law exam covers the same eleven areas listed under electrical.

Approved references: for the trade exam, the International Mechanical Code and the International Fuel Gas Code, both International Code Council publications, 2021 editions current per the bulletin. Manual J Residential Load Calculations, reprinted 2016, is also allowed, and a handheld ductulator is permitted in the room. Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, HVAC Duct Construction Standards Metal and Flexible, 2005, 3rd edition, and Ugly's Electrical References were all used to write the exam but are not allowed in the center. For the Business and Law exam, the reference list names the NASCLA Contractors' Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, the Basic 11th Edition rather than the New Jersey specific edition used in the other two trades, plus New Jersey's own Title 45 Uniform Enforcement Act and Title 2A Construction Lien Law.

Tabbing and highlighting: identical rules to electrical and plumbing, permanent tabs only, highlighting and indexing allowed before the session but no writing during it, no loose extra papers, temporary tabs must come off before the exam begins, and any reference downloaded from the internet must be bound, hole punched, or stapled at the top left corner.

Where to test: the same nine New Jersey PSI centers listed above. Like plumbing, this bulletin explicitly offers out of state testing at any other PSI center nationally via the Out of State Request Form. Remote or online proctoring is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page; treat it as not offered.

Retake rules: unlimited retesting with a six month wait between attempts, the same as plumbing, with no stated attempt cap or multi year expiration like electrical has. Fees are 84 dollars for the HVACR trade exam and 47 dollars for Business and Law, 131 dollars total, none refundable or transferable, valid one year from payment.

Candidate information bulletins: New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors, Electrical Contractor Licensure Examination Candidate Information Bulletin, copyright 2026, updated March 5, 2026. New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Master Plumbers, Master Plumber Licensure Examination Candidate Information Bulletin, copyright 2026, updated March 9, 2026. New Jersey State Board of Examiners of Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors, Master HVACR Contractor Licensure Examination Candidate Information Bulletin, copyright 2024, updated August 13, 2024.

Bond and insurance

Experience and financial requirements

HIC registration under the still current mechanics requires no work experience and no exam, only insurance and now also the compliance bond described above. New Home Builder registration requires no personal experience test either; its financial mechanism is the warranty enrollment and contribution rate rather than a net worth statement. Electrical requires five years hands on experience or the apprenticeship or degree equivalents described above, 300000 dollars of liability insurance or a bank letter of credit, and a 1000 dollar surety bond. Plumbing requires the apprenticeship or engineering degree paths described above, plus a 3000 dollar surety bond after passing. HVACR requires one of the four experience paths described above, 500000 dollars of liability insurance, and a 3000 dollar surety bond. Once the new home improvement license under P.L. 2023, c.237 is fully operative, an applicant will need either a Department of Labor registered apprenticeship or similar program, or at least two years of experience performing home improvement services, plus completion of the board's educational requirements and passage of an exam, with six hours of continuing education per renewal cycle. Whether that exam requirement is currently being enforced should be confirmed directly with the Board, as described above.

Fees and timeline

Application timelines

A specific number of processing days for HIC registration is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. According to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs HICB FAQ, the renewal schedule is: HIC renews annually at 90 dollars by March 31, online only; renewals received April 1 through April 30 cost 115 dollars, and after April 30 reinstatement costs 140 dollars; New Home Builder renews every two years at 200 dollars; plumbing every two years at 160 dollars, expiring June 30 of odd years; HVACR every two years, expiring June 30 of even years; electrical business permit every three years, expiring March 31 in 2024, 2027, and so on. New Home Builder registration states at least 20 working days for processing. The electrical board's business permit change applications must be received at least 10 business days before the board's next monthly meeting. HVACR applications are reviewed at monthly board meetings, with 15 to 20 days of processing after the license fee is paid. A specific processing timeline for plumbing license applications, or for the new home improvement license application under the 2024 Act, is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page.

Reciprocity

Reciprocity and exam waivers

New Jersey has no reciprocity agreement with any other state for the electrical contractor license; the board's own FAQ states, "No. New Jersey does not have reciprocity with any other state" (checked September 29, 2026). Plumbing and HVACR both handle out of state applicants case by case, considering a state "equal to or comparable" only if that state also reciprocates with New Jersey; a blanket list of approved states is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. There is one narrow electrical carve out worth knowing: a journeyman electrician, not a contractor, who has held an out of state journeyman license for at least two years from a state with equal requirements can get a New Jersey Class A journeyman license after a board approved 15 hour National Electrical Code course, but this is a journeyman path, not a contractor license path.

What changed

What changed: home improvement registration is becoming a licensed trade

New Jersey still has no state license covering general commercial construction. The prior no exam Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration, however, is being converted into a real license with an exam, under P.L. 2023, c.237, the Home Improvement and Home Elevation Contractor Licensing Act, signed January 8, 2024.

Under the statute's own effective date clause, its substantive provisions, sections 1, 2, 7 through 23, and 26 through 30, took effect February 1, 2026, the first day of the 25th month after enactment. These sections include the license requirement itself, a new compliance bond, raised insurance minimums, an exemption for small volume contractors, and a grandfathering path for existing registrants. As of the date this page was last checked, that effective date has already passed.

Whether the new Board is currently administering the exam and issuing licenses, or whether registration under the prior system is still what is being processed while the Board finishes its regulations, is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. Confirm current status directly with the Division of Consumer Affairs before treating either answer as settled. The law has changed; a real license and exam are coming, and depending on where the Board's rollout stands, may already apply.

What is confirmed already in force, from the statute text, is a new compliance security requirement with amounts that vary by contract value and prior 12 month receipts, on top of the existing 500000 dollar per occurrence general liability insurance, plus a separate 1000000 dollar per occurrence insurance requirement specifically for home elevation work.

According to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs HICB FAQ and P.L. 2023, c.237, the financial requirements are: HIC, general liability of at least 500000 dollars per occurrence plus workers compensation unless exempt, plus a compliance bond, letter of credit, or other security of 10000 dollars for contracts under 10000 dollars or prior 12 month receipts under 150000 dollars; 25000 dollars for contracts from 10000 through 120000 dollars or prior 12 month receipts from 150000 through 750000 dollars; 50000 dollars for contracts over 120000 dollars or prior 12 month receipts over 750000 dollars. Electrical: 300000 dollars liability or a bank letter of credit, plus a 1000 dollar surety bond. Plumbing: a 3000 dollar surety bond. HVACR: 500000 dollars liability plus a 3000 dollar surety bond. No net worth statement is required for any of these.

The board

Who licenses general contractors

New Jersey has no state license for general commercial contracting and no statewide exam a general building contractor must pass for that kind of work. There is no board resembling a general contractors licensing board. Instead, two separate state level systems cover residential work, and which one applies depends on the kind of job; one of the two is now converting from registration to a licensed, exam tested model, as described above.

The first is Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) and Home Elevation Contractor (HEC) registration and, going forward, licensure, run by the Division of Consumer Affairs. This covers repair, remodeling, renovation, and elevation work on existing residential property; the Act's own definition of home improvement explicitly excludes the construction of a new residential property. Under the still current registration mechanics, an applicant submits an application, proof of the insurance and bond described above, business formation paperwork, and a 110 dollar initial fee, receives a 13 digit number starting with the prefix 13VH that must appear on every contract, ad, business card, estimate, and proposal for residential work, and renews annually online through the MyLicense portal. According to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs HICB FAQ, the renewal schedule is: HIC renews annually at 90 dollars by March 31, online only; renewals received April 1 through April 30 cost 115 dollars, and after April 30 reinstatement costs 140 dollars; New Home Builder renews every two years at 200 dollars; plumbing every two years at 160 dollars, expiring June 30 of odd years; HVACR every two years, expiring June 30 of even years; electrical business permit every three years, expiring March 31 in 2024, 2027, and so on. Under the new Act, a contractor registered for at least five years can move onto the new license by application and fee without meeting the new education or exam requirement, a grandfathering path under Section 12(a) of the Act, while a contractor doing under 1500 dollars per contract and under 25000 dollars a year stays on the old registration only system, not the new license, under Section 11(g) of the same Act. Without HIC registration or, once fully rolled out, the new license, a contractor cannot get a municipal construction permit for home improvement work in New Jersey.

The second is New Home Builder registration, a separate system for anyone building new owner occupied homes for sale: single family, townhouse, duplex, condominium, factory built, or modular. This runs through the Division of Codes and Standards, Bureau of Homeowner Protection, under the New Home Warranty and Builders' Registration Act, N.J.S.A. 46:3B-1, and is unaffected by the 2024 home improvement licensing law, since new construction is expressly outside that Act's definition of home improvement. It costs 200 dollars, non refundable, valid two years, renews at the same 200 dollar fee, and takes at least 20 working days to process. Registered builders must also enroll every new home in a warranty plan, either the state plan automatically or an approved private plan such as 2-10, American eWarranty, Professional Warranty Service Corp, Quality Builders Warranty Corp, Residential Warranty Co, or StrucSure, with state plan contribution rates running from 0.17 percent to 0.595 percent of the home's value depending on claims history.

Neither of these two systems has an individual, exam tested qualifying agent standing behind the company the way Georgia, Tennessee, or South Carolina do, and that remains true even as HIC becomes a real license, because the license attaches to the individual or business performing the work rather than to a separate qualifying agent. This holds on both the general commercial side, which has no license at all, and the home improvement side, which is converting into a directly held individual or business license rather than a qualifying agent structure.