Vermont has no general contractor license, but residential contractors must register with the Office of Professional Regulation at the Secretary of State before taking on residential projects of $10,000 or more in labor and materials, a registry that opened in 2023.
Requirements checked against the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (residential contractor registry) and Division of Fire Safety (electrical and plumbing) published requirements on September 29, 2026.
| Licensing board | No state GC license. Office of Professional Regulation (Secretary of State) runs the mandatory Residential Contractor Registry; Division of Fire Safety (Department of Public Safety) licenses electrical and plumbing |
|---|---|
| License required when | No license; residential contractor registration required for jobs of more than 10000 dollars including labor and materials (dwellings of four or fewer units); commercial work has no state requirement |
| What the state calls the qualifier | No qualifying individual system for general or residential work; an electrical business must have a master electrician (owner, officer, or employee) associated with the work |
| NASCLA exam accepted | no |
| Reciprocity and endorsement | Electrical only: Maine, New Hampshire (residents only pathway), plus any National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance (NERA) member state; none for plumbing or the residential registration |
| Exam waivers | Electrical reciprocal license for a master or journeyman in good standing at least one year; requires a certified letter from the issuing state, a copy of the license, the fee, and a notarized application; the board material does not spell out which exam is excused; no reciprocity for plumbing or the residential registration |
| Experience required | Residential registration: none. Electrical master: 2 years as a licensed journeyman or 16000 hours; electrical journeyman: 8000 hours plus 576 classroom hours or 12000 hours; plumbing master: 12 months as journeyman or 14000 hours; plumbing journeyman: 4000 hours plus 144 classroom hours (trade figures from secondary sites) |
| Application and exam fees | Residential registration: 75 dollars individual, 250 dollars business; trade license application fees not stated (Prov exam fee is 80 dollars per sitting) |
| Renewal | Registration renews biennially by March 31 of odd numbered years; renewal 75 dollars individual, 250 dollars business |
| Time to license | Residential registration: allow a minimum of 5 full business days; no official processing time for electrical or plumbing licenses |
| Bond and financial requirements | No bond, financial statement, or net worth; registration requires liability insurance of 1000000 dollars per occurrence and 2000000 dollars aggregate plus a written contract attestation |
| Penalty for unlicensed work | Not stated |
| Time to replace a qualifier | Not applicable to general or residential contracting; no replacement or grace period rule found for electrical or plumbing masters |
| Companies one qualifier may qualify | Not stated |
Facts checked on July 14, 2026.
Each line was checked against the state board’s published requirements on the date shown. Not stated means the board material we reviewed did not state it, so we do not guess. Boards change rules; confirm the current figure with the board before you file.
Registration is built on insurance and paperwork rather than exams: there is no test, no experience requirement, and no qualifier designation. Electricians and plumbers are licensed separately by the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Public Safety, which issues journeyman and master licenses. Commercial construction has no state registration requirement.
Vermont has no statewide general or residential contractor license. Residential construction jobs over 10000 dollars require registration with the Secretary of State's Office of Professional Regulation, not a license, and no qualifying individual is involved. Electrical and plumbing contractors are individually licensed through the Division of Fire Safety. A qualifying agent placement does not create a Vermont general contracting license.
Not applicable to general or residential contracting in Vermont, because there is no qualifying individual system to begin with; a residential contractor registration is not tied to a designated qualifier the way a state contractor license is in other states. For an electrical or plumbing business that loses its master, the Electrical Safety Rules text contains no grace period or replacement deadline provision, and the same is absent from DFS's plumbing and electrical program pages. The underlying statute itself, 26 V.S.A. Chapter 15, has not been confirmed directly for this page. A specific replacement deadline for Vermont trades should be confirmed directly with the Division of Fire Safety rather than assumed.
Vermont is not a participating state agency on NASCLA's own official list of jurisdictions that accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors (NASCLA commercial exam participating states). This is consistent with there being no state commercial or general contractor license in Vermont for NASCLA to plug into. NASCLA has no relevance to a Vermont conversation and should not be offered as a fast track here.
Vermont has no general contractor exam, consistent with there being no general or residential contracting license to test for. The four exams below are the real trade exams that matter in Vermont: Journeyman Electrician, Master Electrician, Journeyman Plumber, and Master Plumber. All four sit inside one primary source, the Vermont Division of Fire Safety Trade Licensing and Certifications Candidate Information Bulletin, published by Prov Inc (Prov Vermont trade licensing bulletin PDF). A newer revision, 2026.01.27v2, exists at the same host; the details below are drawn from the 2026.01.21 revision and should be confirmed against the newer revision once it is available in readable form.
The DFS licensing page's plumbing paragraph mentions the International Code Council, but the Prov bulletin shows every one of these exams, electrical, plumbing, and elevator or lift alike, is scheduled, proctored, and scored by Prov on the same computer testing platform, at the same two Vermont sites, for the same 80 dollar fee. The International Plumbing Code and other ICC titles are reference books candidates are allowed to bring into the room, not a separate testing program run by ICC.
Register and schedule online at provexam.com/scheduler or through Prov exam registration, or call Prov at 801 733 4455 (staffed 8am to 6pm Eastern, Monday through Friday). The system looks up a candidate by a Candidate ID that starts with 200 and runs 10 digits, mailed by the Board once a license application is in the system, plus the candidate's last name. Anyone unsure which exam their license requires should resolve that with the Division of Fire Safety at 802 479 7564 before registering, since Prov cannot make that determination and a wrong exam booking is not refunded. Cancel or reschedule at least 3 business days before the test date to avoid forfeiting the fee.
Vendor and scheduling: Prov, per the shared process above. Question count and time limit: 90 questions, 4 hours. Passing score: 70 percent, the same cut score Prov uses across every Vermont Division of Fire Safety exam. Open or closed book: open book, approved references only, checked by the Prov proctor before entry to the room. What the exam covers, per the official content outline: General Electrical Theory and Principles (7 questions), Wiring and Protection (30), Wiring Methods and Materials (20), Motors and Controls (3), Equipment for General Use (15), Special Occupancies (4), Special Equipment (3), Special Conditions (3), Local Amendments (5). Approved references, exact titles from the bulletin: 2025 State of Vermont Electrical Safety Rules (State of Vermont); NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code, 2023 edition (National Fire Protection Association, Quincy MA); Ugly's Electrical References, 2020 edition, ISBN 9781284194531 (Jones and Bartlett Publishers); Vermont Statutes Title 26 Chapter 15; and NEC Notes, 2023, Hand Written Notes, meaning handwritten notes tied to the 2023 NEC are an allowed reference item, subject to the ink rule below. Tabbing and highlighting: see the shared Prov rules below. Where to test: see the shared Prov locations below. Retake rules and fees: see the shared Prov retake and fee rules below.
Vendor and scheduling: Prov, per the shared process above. Question count and time limit: 105 questions, 5 hours. Passing score: 70 percent. Open or closed book: open book, same reference check as above. What the exam covers, per the official content outline: Wiring and Protection (34 questions), Wiring Methods and Materials (21), General Electrical Knowledge (12), Motors and Controls (11), Equipment for General Use (10), Special Conditions (4), Special Equipment (4), Special Occupancies (4), Local Amendments (5). Approved references, exact titles from the bulletin: the same five item list as Journeyman Electrician above, 2025 State of Vermont Electrical Safety Rules, NFPA 70 National Electrical Code 2023 edition, Ugly's Electrical References 2020 edition ISBN 9781284194531, Vermont Statutes Title 26 Chapter 15, and NEC Notes 2023 Hand Written Notes. Tabbing and highlighting: see the shared Prov rules below. Where to test: see the shared Prov locations below. Retake rules and fees: see the shared Prov retake and fee rules below.
Vendor and scheduling: Prov, per the shared process above. Question count and time limit: 80 questions, 3 hours. Passing score: 70 percent. Open or closed book: open book, same reference check as above. What the exam covers, per the official content outline: General Knowledge and Plumbing Math (8 questions), Fixtures and Fittings (5), Water Heaters (5), Water Supply and Distribution (8), Sanitary Drainage and Indirect or Special Waste (15), Vents and Vent Systems (14), Traps, Interceptors and Separators (5), Storm and Roof Drainage (5), Plan Reading and Isometrics (10), Safety (5). Approved references, exact titles from the bulletin: 2025 State of Vermont Plumbing Rules (State of Vermont); Basic Safety, 2015 printing, ISBN 0134129016 (NCCER MATS Testing, also reachable at NCCER Pearson construction bookstore); International Plumbing Code, 2024 edition (International Code Council, Country Club Hills IL), the same ICC title referenced above, used here purely as an in room reference book. Tabbing and highlighting: see the shared Prov rules below. Where to test: see the shared Prov locations below. Retake rules and fees: see the shared Prov retake and fee rules below.
Vendor and scheduling: Prov, per the shared process above. Question count and time limit: 97 questions, 3 hours. Passing score: 70 percent. Open or closed book: open book, same reference check as above. What the exam covers, per the official content outline: General Knowledge and Plumbing Math (11 questions), Fixtures and Fittings (6), Water Heaters (6), Water Supply and Distribution (12), Sanitary Drainage and Indirect or Special Waste (16), Vents and Vent Systems (16), Traps, Interceptors and Separators (4), Storm and Roof Drainage (6), Plan Reading and Isometrics (12), Safety (8). Approved references, exact titles from the bulletin: 2025 State of Vermont Plumbing Rules (State of Vermont); Basic Safety, ISBN 9781323676189 (Prentice Hall, sold through Prov bookstore, no printing year given in the bulletin); International Plumbing Code, 2024 edition (International Code Council). The Basic Safety title here carries a different ISBN than the one listed for Journeyman Plumber above; both are printed that way in the bulletin, worth a phone confirmation with Prov at 801 733 4455 for certainty on which printing to buy. Tabbing and highlighting: see the shared Prov rules below. Where to test: see the shared Prov locations below. Retake rules and fees: see the shared Prov retake and fee rules below.
Tabbing and highlighting: permanent tabs are allowed, meaning gummed tabs, self adhesive tabs with printable inserts, or insertable tab dividers in a three ring binder. Movable or repositionable tabs and Post it notes are never allowed in a reference book. Highlighting or underlining in a reference book is allowed only in pen, done ahead of time, since books cannot be marked during the test itself. Handwritten notes are allowed only in black or blue ink, never pencil. Photocopied pages or photocopied whole books are not permitted unless a specific exam's reference list says otherwise, and none of the four exams above say otherwise. Loose formula sheets, index booklets, or stickers taped or glued into a reference book are not allowed. Test prep guides and practice exam books of any kind are not approved references and cannot be brought into the testing room at all.
Where to test: Vermont has two Prov administered testing centers, Northern Vermont University's Lyndon campus (1001 College Road, second floor, Samuel Reed Library, Lyndonville VT 05851) and the Manchester Tutorial Center (3511 Richville Road, Manchester Center VT 05255), both running computer tests Monday through Friday with appointment slots at 9am and 1pm. The bulletin also allows testing at any Prov facility nationwide without naming specific neighboring state sites, so a candidate near the New Hampshire, Massachusetts, or New York border should call Prov at 801 733 4455 to find the nearest one. Remote proctoring is available through Prov's Examroom service, letting a candidate test at home on their own computer with a live proctor watching by webcam; it needs a computer no more than 3 to 4 years old, Chrome or Firefox (Chrome works best), a working webcam and microphone, and an internet connection able to upload faster than 3 Mbps, checked in advance at examroom.ai/systemtest.
Retake rules: a candidate who fails is allowed two more attempts within their eligibility period, with no waiting period between attempts, meaning a new sitting can be booked for the next available date. A passed exam cannot be retaken. The bulletin does not state how long the eligibility period itself lasts, so a specific number of months or years should be confirmed directly with the Division of Fire Safety at 802 479 7564 rather than assumed.
Exam fees: every exam in this bulletin costs 80 dollars, paid to Prov at scheduling, and a retake costs the same 80 dollars again. A hand score recheck costs 25 dollars and must be requested within 90 days of the test. A candidate who fails a category at least twice and scores within 10 points of the 70 percent passing mark can request a 1 and a half hour review of the missed questions, at the same cost as the exam itself.
Bulletin cited: Vermont Division of Fire Safety, Trade Licensing and Certifications, Candidate Information Bulletin, revision 2026.01.21, published by Prov Inc, matching the copy linked from Vermont Fire Safety licensing (checked July 14, 2026). A newer revision, 2026.01.27v2, is posted at Prov; the exam details above should be confirmed against it once it is available in readable form.
Residential contractor registration: allow a minimum of 5 full business days for processing once a complete online application is submitted (Vermont residential contractor FAQs). For electrical and plumbing trade licenses, Vermont State University's workforce development center, which administers registered apprenticeships and directs candidates through the Division of Fire Safety's own process, states that once a candidate passes their DFS exam, the license itself is mailed out within two to three weeks (Vermont State University, formerly Vermont State Workforce Education Center). A separate claim that applications must be submitted at least two weeks before a board meeting date to be considered at that meeting, rather than pushed to a later one, is not confirmed on an official DFS page; treat it as plausible but unverified, and confirm a hard deadline directly with the Division of Fire Safety at 802 479 7564 before relying on it.
The Division of Fire Safety offers two separate reciprocal pathways for an electrical license. The first is a named Maine or New Hampshire, residents only, pathway, available at both Master and Journeyman levels. The second is a universal reciprocal license open to anyone holding a master or journeyman electrician license, in good standing for at least one year, from any state that belongs to the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance, NERA. Vermont is a NERA member: "Vermont has joined the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance, and an electrical license held in a NERA member state shall be held and in good standing for 1 year in order to apply for a Vermont electricians license" (Vermont Division of Fire Safety).
NERA's own members map lists conflicting numbers depending on source and date: at points appearing to show roughly 50 states and Washington DC as members, an older 2018 Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians document citing 15 member states by name, not including Vermont, Maine, or New Hampshire, and other coverage describing NERA as a 17 state compact. This is most likely a map color coding issue, distinguishing member states from states with merely similar requirements, rather than a genuine 50 state membership. Confirm a specific home state's current NERA membership directly with the Division of Fire Safety at 802 479 7564 or on the National Electrical Reciprocal Alliance's own site before relying on this pathway.
Both pathways require a certified letter from the issuing state, a photocopy of the out of state license, payment of the fee, and a signed and notarized application. Both pathways apply only to the electrical license; neither extends to plumbing licensure or to the residential contractor registration. A plumbing or residential contractor registration reciprocity arrangement is not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page. Every residential contractor registers under the same 75 or 250 dollar process described above, regardless of what license they hold elsewhere, individual or business.
Unlike general contracting, Vermont does license individual tradespeople in electrical and plumbing work, through the Department of Public Safety's Division of Fire Safety, DFS, not through OPR (Vermont Fire Safety licensing). The ledger runs Electrical Master, EM, Electrical Journeyman, EJ, and a set of Electrical Specialist, ES, sub classes that include C3 for refrigeration and air conditioning, meaning HVAC in Vermont is folded into the electrical specialist structure rather than given its own standalone HVAC license. Plumbing runs Plumbing Master, PM, Plumbing Journeyman, PJ, and Plumbing Specialist, PS, sub classes including P1 for water heaters and P2 for heating systems. Elevator and lift mechanic licenses are a separate DFS category.
The actual Vermont Electrical Safety Rules text, read directly through a Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute mirror of the rules, contains no cap on how many separate businesses one master electrician or master plumber can be responsible for at the same time, and no replacement or grace period provision when a master leaves a business (Cornell LII Vermont regulations, the 24-001 Code Vt. R. mirror of the Electrical Safety Rules). DFS's own plumbing and electrical program pages say nothing on either question (Vermont Fire Safety plumbing licensing, Vermont Fire Safety electrical licensing). The underlying statute, 26 V.S.A. Chapter 15, has not been confirmed directly against the Vermont Legislature's own site; confirm with DFS at 802 479 7564 before relying on whether a business can share one master across multiple entities.
Experience requirements for electrical, consistent with DFS's own apprenticeship and hour based framework: journeyman requires either a Department of Labor registered apprenticeship or 8000 hours, about four years, of documented work under a licensed electrician plus 576 classroom hours, or alternatively 12000 hours of experience without a formal apprenticeship; master requires two years as a licensed journeyman or 16000 hours of on the job experience. Plumbing experience requirements: journeyman requires 4000 hours of on the job training under a licensed specialist or master plus at least 144 classroom hours, or a four to five year Department of Labor registered apprenticeship, or 12000 hours without a formal apprenticeship; master requires holding a journeyman license for 12 months and passing the master exam, or alternatively 14000 hours of documented experience acceptable to the Plumbers Examining Board.
Electrical exams are administered by Prov, formerly Experior, through Prov's testing centers, reachable at 866 720 7768. A newer Vermont DFS Trade Licensing and Certifications Candidate Information Bulletin exists on Prov's site, dated revision 2026.01.27v2, superseding the 2026.01.21 revision; it confirms Prov is still the vendor, but the exam mechanics below, question counts, time limits, and fees, are drawn from the earlier 2026.01.21 revision. Plumbing, elevator, and lift mechanic exams run through the same Prov platform. DFS's own trade licensing page mentions the International Code Council in connection with plumbing; that reference is to reference books allowed in the exam room, not a separate testing program.
Vermont has no statewide general or residential contractor license and no qualifying individual system. The closest thing to a licensing requirement for general or residential construction is the registration described below, which is not a license and does not involve an exam or a qualifying individual.
A Deputy Secretary of State at the Vermont Secretary of State's office told VTDigger in an April 2026 investigative piece that homeowners who hire an unregistered contractor and get bad work are on their own: "We can't help you." The same piece reports that only about 1400 residential contractors, individuals and businesses combined, are registered statewide, a number state officials themselves believe is far below the true count of contractors operating in Vermont (VTDigger). State enforcement against unregistered contractors is thin in practice.
Vermont's own Electrical Safety Rules, read directly through a Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute mirror of the rule text, contain no cap on how many businesses one master electrician can be responsible for and no replacement or grace period provision when a master departs. The underlying statute, 26 V.S.A. Chapter 15, has not been confirmed directly against the Vermont Legislature's own site for this page; confirm it directly with the Division of Fire Safety before relying on it as a final answer.
A newer trade exam candidate bulletin revision, dated 2026.01.27, supersedes the 2026.01.21 revision the exam details on this page are drawn from. The exam fee, question counts, and time limits in the exam section below reflect the 2026.01.21 revision; confirm current figures with Prov or the Division of Fire Safety before relying on them.
Under Vermont statutes title 26 chapter 106, the licensing threshold is: no license; residential contractor registration required for jobs of more than 10000 dollars including labor and materials, for dwellings of four or fewer units; commercial work has no state requirement.
Vermont has no statewide license for general contractors and no qualifying individual system for general or residential construction at all (Vermont Office of Professional Regulation, Vermont residential contractors page). A qualifying agent placement does not create a Vermont general contracting license, because no such license exists to get, unlike Georgia, Tennessee, or Florida. The only credential touching general or residential construction is the registration described below, which any business owner can complete without an exam or an experience requirement. The electrical and plumbing trades are different: Vermont does license individuals in those trades with real experience and exam requirements, covered further down this page.
The Vermont Secretary of State's Office of Professional Regulation, OPR, administers a Residential Contractor Registry that has been mandatory since April 1, 2023 under Act 182 (Vermont residential contractors page). Registration is required of any residential contractor who performs residential construction work where the contract value is more than 10000 dollars, inclusive of labor and materials (26 V.S.A. section 5501(b), Vermont residential contractor FAQs). Residential contracting is defined broadly: interior and exterior construction, renovation and repair, painting, paving, roofing, weatherization, and installation or repair of heating, plumbing, solar, electrical, water, or wastewater systems on a dwelling or a building of four or fewer residential units. About 1400 individuals and businesses are registered statewide, a figure state officials consider well short of actual compliance (VTDigger, April 2026).
There are two registration types. Individual registration is for self employed contractors with no employees. Business registration is for contractors with employees; employees of a registered business do not need their own registration as long as they work within the scope of that business. A contractor is not required to hold both. Subcontractors hired by another contractor, rather than contracting directly with the homeowner, do not need to register unless they later contract directly with a homeowner for more than 10000 dollars.
Fees are 75 dollars for an individual registration and 250 dollars for a business registration. To register, an applicant uploads proof the business name is active with Vermont Corporations, uploads a certificate of liability insurance with a minimum of 1000000 dollars per occurrence and 2000000 dollars aggregate, and attests to using a written contract that states the price basis, estimated start and completion dates, scope of work, and a change order provision. There is no exam, no minimum years of experience, and no financial statement or net worth requirement in this process; it is a registration and insurance gate, not a licensing exam gate. Registration renews biennially by March 31 of odd numbered years, and a new application allows a minimum of 5 full business days for processing (Vermont residential contractors page; the 5 day figure should be confirmed directly before quoting a hard date). Under Vermont statute 26 VSA 5507, the renewal schedule is: registration renews biennially by March 31 of odd numbered years; renewal is 75 dollars individual, 250 dollars business.
People and situations exempt from registering, per the OPR FAQ page: an employee of an already registered business; any tradesperson licensed, registered, or certified by the Department of Public Safety while working within that credential's scope; a licensed engineer or architect within scope; a business whose residential work is performed primarily by or under the direct supervision of one or more employees who are themselves individually exempt; a person delivering or installing consumer appliances, audio visual equipment, telephone equipment, or computer network equipment; a person working on a structure not attached to a residential building; a person working in an emergency, provided they register as soon as reasonably possible afterward; and a person working on a property they themselves own. The FAQ directly answers this last point: "Will I be required to register if I am working on a property I own? No." (Vermont residential contractor FAQs). OPR's authority here is limited to unprofessional conduct and unauthorized practice by people required to register; it does not adjudicate money damages, mediate billing disputes, or inspect construction quality. Those issues go to the Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program.
Two provisions of H.718 are worth watching. It creates a Residential Contractor Registry Task Force inside OPR to improve the existing registry's usability and outreach, contingent on the legislature appropriating 200000 dollars in fiscal year 2027; this is an advisory body, not a new registration requirement. Separately, it directs the Director of Fire Safety to deliver, by January 15, 2027, an assessment of whether and how Vermont should adopt a statewide residential building code, which Vermont currently does not have outside of energy standards. Neither provision changes the current picture: Vermont still has no general contractor license and no qualifying individual system right now. The bill's final Senate passage and gubernatorial signature are not confirmed on this page; House passage is the firmest confirmed status, and this should be rechecked before relying on it.
Official Licensing Authority
All contractor license applications, renewals, and qualifying agent changes must go through this board.
We place a licensed qualifying agent with your company as a full time W-2 employee and prepare the qualifier filing with the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation (residential contractor registry) and Division of Fire Safety (electrical and plumbing). Tell us your trade and what you have going on, and pick a time for a discovery call. Or call 615-219-2110.
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