West Virginia licenses contractors through the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board, administered by the Division of Labor.
Requirements checked against the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board (Division of Labor) published requirements on September 29, 2026.
| Licensing board | West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board, with administrative and enforcement help from the West Virginia Division of Labor, Charleston; governing law is WV Code Chapter 30, Article 42 |
|---|---|
| License required when | Jobs of 5000 dollars or more for residential work, 25000 dollars or more for commercial work |
| What the state calls the qualifier | qualifier (the license is held by a person on behalf of a business entity); must be responsible management or a full time employee working at least 30 hours a week for that firm |
| NASCLA exam accepted | partial (NASCLA Commercial General Building exam credits the trade exam for the General Building classification WV001 since 2013, and the NASCLA Electrical exam credits the Electrical classification since 2020; the Contractor Licensing Act exam through Prov is still required; not accepted for any other classification) |
| Reciprocity and endorsement | North Carolina, Ohio, Alabama, Tennessee |
| Exam waivers | The trade exam may be waived for the named state and classification pairs at the board's discretion (the statute says the board may grant it); the applicant must still pass West Virginia's own Contractor Licensing Act exam |
| Experience required | No years of experience stated for a firm's classification; the qualifier must be a real employee or manager and pass the exams (separately, the State Fire Marshal's individual journeyman electrician license needs 1 year and master electrician 2 years) |
| Application and exam fees | 90 dollars annual license fee, paid with the application |
| Renewal | Twelve month cycle from date of issuance; 90 dollar renewal fee; 25 dollar late fee if renewed more than 15 days late; a license lapsed 90 days or more cannot be renewed and requires reapplication |
| Time to license | No official processing time published; expect a matter of weeks once the exams are passed |
| Bond and financial requirements | No net worth minimum and no general license bond; proof of workers compensation, unemployment compensation and general liability insurance plus a wage bond status affidavit; contractors with under one year of West Virginia payroll post a wage bond of four weeks of payroll plus 15 percent unless exempt |
| Penalty for unlicensed work | Administrative penalty up to 200 dollars a day for each day of unlicensed work on a job of 25000 dollars or more, plus separate criminal fines for continuing after a cease and desist order |
| Time to replace a qualifier | No published day count; the company notifies the board in writing and submits the new qualifier's exam score report, proof of employment and a QESA form |
| Companies one qualifier may qualify | One business entity at a time per license holder (WV Code 30 42 7); a company may have several qualifiers, typically one per classification, and backup qualifiers are not allowed |
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.
A license is required before bidding or performing work when the cost of the undertaking is $5,000 or more for residential work or $25,000 or more for commercial work, under the Contractor Licensing Act at WV Code chapter 30, article 42. Licenses are issued by classification, including general building, general engineering, and specialty classifications for trades such as electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. The license rests on exams passed by named people inside the company, which makes staffing the credential the central question for firms expanding into the state.
West Virginia requires a Qualifying Agent for all licensed contractor entities.
West Virginia requires a Contractor Licensing Act license for construction work of 5000 dollars or more residential, or 25000 dollars or more commercial. The West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board issues it. A qualifier, an officer, member, owner, or full time employee, must hold the license on behalf of one company at a time, per classification.
West Virginia licenses by named classification, not by a Class A, B, C dollar sized tier the way Virginia does. The board's current testing bulletin lists these tested classifications: General Building, General Engineering, Residential, Multifamily, Electrical, Plumbing (tested as Master Plumber), Heating Ventilating and Cooling (HVAC), Piping, Excavation, Concrete, Masonry, Manufactured Home Installation, Remodeling and Repair, Sprinklers and Fire Protection, Structural Steel Erection, and Utilities Sewer and Water, plus a catch all Specialty classification for anything that does not fit elsewhere (Prov, West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board Candidate Information Bulletin, dated May 7, 2026, published via West Virginia Division of Labor and West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board). The one classification with a built in dollar cap is Remodeling and Repair, limited to projects where the cost does not exceed 40000 dollars (same Prov bulletin).
West Virginia's current Act and testing bulletin license by classification and type of work, not by a dollar sized Class A, B, C system similar to Virginia's. A Class A unlimited, Class B up to about 2000000 dollars, Class C up to about 500000 dollars description does not match the current Act or the board's own testing bulletin, so that framing should not be used for West Virginia.
The process for replacing a qualifier is to notify the board in writing of the new qualifier and submit their exam score report and proof of employment. A published numeric deadline, a number of days, for how fast a company must get a replacement qualifier filed after one leaves is not stated in the board's statutes and rules page or its application guide, the way Virginia has a clean 60 day and 120 day rule. If this question comes up, the safe answer is that West Virginia requires prompt written notice along with the exam and employment paperwork, and that the exact timing should be confirmed directly with the board (304 356 3928) rather than assuming a specific day count. Confirming directly also avoids promising a number of days that the board's own published materials do not provide.
Prov, Inc. became the board's contracted testing vendor effective September 1, 2024, replacing the previous vendor PSI (Prov Candidate Information Bulletin, dated May 7, 2026). Every applicant, in every classification, must pass the Contractor Licensing Act exam, 90 questions over 3 hours, covering WV Code 30 42, the board's own Title 28 rules, and the separate Notice and Opportunity to Cure Construction Defects law at WV Code 21 11A, in addition to whatever trade specific exam the classification requires (Prov bulletin). Each exam costs 59.95 dollars whether it is a first attempt or a retake, exams are open book from a published reference list, and the passing cut score is 70 percent (Prov bulletin). Some older sources describe a shorter 50 question Business and Law exam; that reflects the prior vendor's format before the September 2024 switch. The current figure to quote is 90 questions over 3 hours, per the Prov bulletin.
West Virginia accepts a passed NASCLA Accredited Commercial General Building Contractor exam as credit for the trade exam portion of its General Building classification, listed by the board as WV001 (NASCLA, Commercial Exam Participating State Agencies, West Virginia detail page). That page states that the board "will not accept examination scores or transcripts prior to September 1, 2013." The state's own Contractor Licensing Act exam through Prov is still required either way. Separately, West Virginia also accepts a NASCLA Accredited Electrical Contractor or Master Electrician exam as credit toward its Electrical classification (NASCLA, Electrical Exams Participating State Agencies page; West Virginia is on the current list, and the 2020 effective date should be confirmed with the board before being quoted). NASCLA is not accepted as a substitute for any other West Virginia classification's trade exam.
This is the fact that most changes how West Virginia works compared with other states. The license is not simply issued to a company; the statute frames the license as being held by a person on behalf of a business entity. West Virginia Code 30 42 7 states that "a license holder may hold a license on behalf of only one business entity during a given time period." A company can still have multiple qualifiers at the same time, typically one per classification it holds, and each qualifier must be either part of the firm's responsible management or a full time employee of that same firm (Prov Candidate Information Bulletin, dated May 7, 2026; WV Contractor Licensing Board apply guide; both describe the qualifier as an officer, member, owner, or full time employee with payroll records as proof). Both the board's guide and the Prov bulletin state that a company can have multiple qualifiers but that backups are not allowed: every qualifier on file has to be a real, currently working member of that one company, not a reserve held in case someone leaves. In practice, this means one qualifying agent qualifies one West Virginia company at a time for the classification that agent holds. A company needing several classifications covered needs several qualifiers, not one person carrying all of them the way a Florida or Georgia qualifier might.
Prov, Inc. is the sole contracted testing vendor for the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board, and has been since September 1, 2024 (West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board Candidate Information Bulletin, page 1). The bulletin covers sixteen exam categories total: the Contractor Licensing Act exam plus fifteen named trade classifications. Every applicant in every classification must pass the Contractor Licensing Act exam in addition to whatever trade exam their classification requires. The four exams covered in detail below are Contractor Licensing Act (mandatory for everyone, no exceptions), General Building Contractor (the main general classification, and the one NASCLA credit applies against, per the section above), Electrical Contractor (the classification with the separate Fire Marshal overlay described above), and Plumbing Contractor, tested as Master Plumber (the classification the bulletin names with that parenthetical, and the highest question count exam in the program).
One program wide note before the specifics: every exam in this bulletin shares the same vendor, scheduling process, testing centers, tabbing and highlighting rules, retake policy, and fee structure, so those items are stated once here rather than four separate times.
Vendor and how to schedule, same for all four exams: schedule online at provexam.com/scheduler, select Self Registration, use the dropdown under Select Certifying Body to choose West Virginia Contractor Licensing, choose the license or exam being sought, enter name, Social Security number, address, email, and phone number, then pick a date, time, and location and pay. Candidates may instead call Prov at 866 720 7768, available 8 am to midnight Eastern, Monday through Friday, with name, driver's license number, and address ready. A cancellation or reschedule must happen at least three business days before the test date or the exam fee is forfeited.
Passing score, same for all four exams: a 70 percent cut score. Score 70 percent or higher and the exam is a pass.
Open or closed book, same for all four exams: open book, using only the specific references named in the bulletin for that exam. Any older or newer edition of the same title is always permitted unless a different edition is separately named as a substitute; if the current and an older edition conflict, the exam is scored against the edition shown in the bulletin. Test preparation study guides and practice exams, even ones sold in Prov's own bookstore, are never permitted in the testing room.
Tabbing and highlighting rules, same for all four exams: a reference book may be prepared only by highlighting or underlining in pen, or by attaching permanent tabs, meaning gummed tabs, self adhesive tabs with printable inserts, or insertable tab dividers for three ring binders. Movable or repositionable tabs and Post it notes are never allowed. Handwritten notes are not allowed anywhere in a reference book. Photocopied pages or whole photocopied books are not allowed unless that specific exam's listing says otherwise. No further highlighting, underlining, or marking of a reference book is allowed once testing has started, and reference materials cannot be shared between candidates during testing.
Where to test, same for all four exams: Prov runs four testing centers inside West Virginia, in Charleston, Martinsburg, Morgantown, and Wheeling, plus any Prov testing center nationwide. The bulletin does not name specific neighboring state centers in Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Kentucky, so do not promise a specific out of state city; confirm the nearest option on Prov's own scheduler. Remote proctoring is offered for every exam through Prov's Examroom.ai service, testing Monday through Friday between 8 am and 10 pm on the candidate's own computer, subject to minimum system requirements: an operating system less than three to four years old, a Mac, PC, or Chromebook, a Chrome or Firefox browser with Chrome preferred, a working webcam and microphone, and an internet connection able to upload above 3 Mbps, checked in advance at examroom.ai/systemtest.
Retake rules, same for all four exams: no waiting period between attempts; a candidate can schedule the next available testing date immediately after a fail. A passed exam cannot be retaken unless the State of West Virginia requires it. A candidate may request a review of a specific exam only after failing it at least twice and scoring within 10 points of the 70 percent cut score; the review runs 1.5 hours under the same test security rules as the original exam and costs the same as the exam fee. A hand score recheck of a completed exam costs 25 dollars, tax included, must be requested by signed form mailed to Prov within 90 days of the test date, and comes back in 7 to 10 business days.
Exam fees, same for all four exams: 59.95 dollars per sitting, whether a first attempt or a retake.
Question count and time limit: 90 questions, 3 hours.
What the exam covers, per the bulletin's official content outline: West Virginia Code 30, Article 42, the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Act, 37 questions; Title 28, Legislative Rule, West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board Series 2, West Virginia Contractor Licensing Act, 10 questions; Title 28, Procedural Rule, West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board Series 4, Written Contracts for Services, 24 questions; West Virginia Code Chapter 21, Labor, Article 11A, Notice and Opportunity to Cure Construction Defects, 19 questions. Total 90.
Approved reference named in the bulletin: West Virginia Contractor Licensing Act Study Guide, sold through the Prov Bookstore, 200 W Civic Center Drive, Suite 160, Sandy, Utah 84070, Prov bookstore. 100 percent of the questions come from this one book. Candidates who already own the prior vendor's West Virginia Business and Law Study, 6th Edition guide may use it instead, since the bulletin states it still contains the statutes and rules the exam covers.
Question count and time limit: 80 questions, 3 hours.
What the exam covers, per the bulletin's official content outline: Plan Reading and Estimating 8 questions, Sitework 8, Concrete 12, Masonry 8, Structural Steel 12, Carpentry 8, Roofing 4, Doors and Windows and Stairs 4, Interior Finish 4, Exterior Finish 4, Safety OSHA 8. Total 80.
Approved references named in the bulletin: Concrete Construction Level 2, 2021 edition, ISBN 978 0 13 689832 0, Pearson, 4 percent of questions; International Building Code, 2018 edition, ISBN 978 1 60983 735 8, International Code Council, 64 percent of questions; Study Guide for Commercial Building Contractor, 2024 edition, Pearson, sold through Prov bookstore, 26 percent of questions; Study Guide for Structural Steel, 2012 edition, ISBN 978 1 269 08432 1, Pearson, 10 percent of questions. As printed in the bulletin, those four percentages add to 104 percent rather than 100; the figures are reproduced here as published.
This is the classification NASCLA's Accredited Commercial General Building Contractor exam substitutes for on the trade exam side, per the NASCLA section above; the Contractor Licensing Act exam above is still required regardless.
Question count and time limit: 75 questions, 3 hours.
What the exam covers, per the bulletin's official content outline: Communication Systems 3 questions, Equipment for General Use 6, General Electrical Knowledge 12, Motors and Controls 5, Plan Reading 2, Special Conditions 4, Special Equipment 4, Special Occupancies 2, Wiring and Protection 17, Wiring Methods and Materials 20. Total 75.
Approved references named in the bulletin: American Electrician's Handbook, 17th edition, ISBN 978 1260457919, McGraw Hill Publishing, 30 percent of questions; NFPA 70, National Electrical Code, 2020 edition, ISBN 9781455922970, National Fire Protection Association, 70 percent of questions.
This Contractor Licensing Board exam is separate from the individual journeyman or master electrician exam administered by the Office of the State Fire Marshal under WV Code 29 3B. That Fire Marshal exam is a different agency's program and is not part of this Prov bulletin; its format is not described here.
Question count and time limit: 100 questions, 3 hours, the largest exam in the West Virginia program.
What the exam covers, per the bulletin's official content outline: General Knowledge 10 questions, Fixtures and Fittings 6, Storm Drainage 5, Fuel Gas Systems 10, Safety 7, Isometrics 13, Water Supply and Distribution 14, Water Heaters 7, Drain, Waste and Vent Systems 14, Plumbing Math 9, Plumbing Tools 5. Total 100.
Approved references named in the bulletin: International Fuel Gas Code, 2018 edition, ISBN 978 1 60983 741 9, International Code Council, 10 percent of questions; International Plumbing Code, 2018 edition, ISBN 978 1 60983 745 7, International Code Council, 53 percent of questions; Plumbing Basics for Contractors, 3rd edition, 2014, ISBN 978 1 269 78624 9, Pearson, 37 percent of questions.
An explicit number of years of hands on experience for a firm's classification is not stated in the Act, the board's procedural rule, or its application guide (WV Code 30 42 7, West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board guide page). On paper, the qualifying individual's role is to be a genuine employee or manager of the firm and to pass the required exam or exams, not to document a set number of years in the trade, unlike experience heavy states such as Virginia or California. This is unusual enough that it is worth confirming directly with the board for any applicant who raises the question.
The one place West Virginia does require documented years of experience is a separate credential: the individual journeyman electrician license, which needs at least 1 year of electrical work experience, and the individual master electrician license, which needs at least 2 years. Both are issued by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, not the Contractor Licensing Board (WV Code 29 3B, West Virginia Code).
A net worth minimum and a general surety bond tied to the license itself are not stated in the board materials reviewed for this page (WV Code 30 42, WV Contractor Licensing Board apply guide). At application, the board requires proof of workers compensation insurance, unemployment compensation insurance, and general liability insurance, plus a wage bond status affidavit. Contractors new to operating in the state, meaning less than one year of West Virginia payroll history, must post a wage bond equal to four weeks of payroll plus 15 percent for benefits, unless exempted for being in business five or more years, holding 100000 dollars or more in assets, or being the subsidiary of a parent company in business five or more years. The wage bond does not apply to a contractor doing only residential, single family dwelling work (West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board application guide). Confirm the current wage bond figures directly with the board before relying on them as exact.
A West Virginia contractor license runs on a twelve month cycle from its date of issuance rather than a single fixed calendar date, and the board mails a renewal notice roughly 45 days ahead of expiration. A license renewed more than 15 days after its renewal date picks up a 25 dollar late fee. A license that lapses for more than 90 days cannot simply be renewed: WV Code 30 42 13 states that "no license which has lapsed for a period of 90 days or more may be renewed," and the holder must reapply from the start, though retesting is not required if the original exam scores have not already been used more than three times (checked September 29, 2026). The statute carves out one exception to the 90 day cutoff for a licensee who was in a dispute with a state agency and is later found not at fault, worth remembering if a lapse ties back to an agency dispute rather than simple inaction. Per West Virginia rule 28CSR2 (https://apps.sos.wv.gov/adlaw/csr/readfile.aspx?DocId=58823&Format=PDF), the renewal schedule is: a twelve month cycle from the date of issuance; a 90 dollar renewal fee; a 25 dollar late fee if renewed more than 15 days late; and a license lapsed 90 days or more cannot be renewed and requires reapplication.
An official published processing time is not stated in the board's materials reviewed for this page. The practical path the board's own guide lays out is to contact the board first to confirm the right classification and exams, schedule and pass the Prov exam or exams, obtain a West Virginia State Tax business registration number, register with the Secretary of State if required, provide the insurance proof, complete the wage bond affidavit, then submit the application online or by mail (WV Contractor Licensing Board apply guide). That sequence typically takes a matter of weeks once the exams are passed; confirm current timing with the board for anything time sensitive. Per West Virginia rule 28CSR2 section 5 (https://apps.sos.wv.gov/adlaw/csr/readfile.aspx?DocId=58823&Format=PDF), the application fee is 90 dollars, paid with the application.
West Virginia's reciprocity is discretionary, not automatic. By statute the board "may" grant a license without written exam to a contractor already licensed in an equivalent classification by another state, if that other state extends the same courtesy to West Virginia licensees, the applicant furnishes proof their qualifications are equal, and the fee is paid (WV Code 30 42 18). In practice the board has approved a specific, narrow list of named agreements by classification and effective date: North Carolina and Ohio for Electrical since 2000, Ohio for Plumbing since April 2018, Alabama for HVAC since May 2018, Ohio for HVAC since May 2018, Ohio for Manufactured Home Installation since December 2019, and Tennessee for Electrical since December 2020. Confirm with the board that a specific agreement is still active before relying on it for an applicant. Every one of these named agreements still requires passing West Virginia's own Contractor Licensing Act exam even when the trade exam itself is waived.
Electrical work in West Virginia carries two separate layers, and one should never be assumed to cover the other. At the firm level, an Electrical Contractor classification through the Contractor Licensing Board is required once the general licensing threshold is met. At the individual level, anyone actually performing electrical work must separately hold a journeyman or master electrician license issued by the Office of the State Fire Marshal under WV Code 29 3B, a completely different state agency from the Contractor Licensing Board (West Virginia Code, West Virginia State Fire Marshal). Plumbing and HVAC do not carry this same second agency layer; they are tested and licensed directly as Contractor Licensing Board classifications, Master Plumber and Heating Ventilating and Cooling Contractor (Prov bulletin). Anyone doing electrical work in West Virginia is very likely dealing with two different state offices, the Fire Marshal for the personal license and the Contractor Licensing Board for the firm's classification, not just one form.
The West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board licenses contractors statewide out of Charleston, with administrative and enforcement support from the West Virginia Division of Labor (West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board, West Virginia Division of Labor). The governing law is the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Act, found at WV Code Chapter 30, Article 42 (West Virginia Code). The Act previously sat at Chapter 21, Article 11; the current citation, Chapter 30, Article 42, comes from the board's own statutes and rules page (WV Contractor Licensing Board statutes).
West Virginia defines a contractor, and therefore who must be licensed, as anyone who undertakes construction work for compensation where the job costs 5000 dollars or more for residential work, or 25000 dollars or more for commercial work (WV Code 30 42 3). Work below those thresholds generally does not require a state contractor license. The Act carries about nine narrow exemptions from licensure, including government employees and agencies, material suppliers who only give advice, owner performed work on the owner's own agricultural property or owner occupied home, public utilities, emergency equipment repair, and an employer's own regular employees on a non speculative project (WV Code 30 42 6). The same 5000 and 25000 dollar thresholds set the trigger for the board's unlicensed activity penalty: an administrative penalty of up to 200 dollars a day for each day of unlicensed work on a job of 25000 dollars or more, plus separate criminal fines for continuing after a cease and desist order (WV Code 30 42 14).
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 West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board (Division of Labor). Tell us your trade and what you have going on, and pick a time for a discovery call. Or call 615-219-2110.
Provide your information for a compliance assessment.
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