Contractor licensing, compared by state
Use these rankings to see the state-level licensing patterns in the record set, then open the state and trade pages to check the applicable board before relying on a requirement.
Scope
51
state-level records
Coverage
20
trade categories
Use
Verify
with the board
Highest state-level coverage
The rankings in one line
Electrician is #1 of 20 tracked trades, marked as requiring a state-level licence in 51 of 51 jurisdictions; Carpenter sets the top-5 cutoff.
- 51/51
- Electrician (#1)
- 72%
- tracked pairs marked required
- 20
- trades compared
- 51
- jurisdictions compared
Counts describe the board-sourced record set at its 2026-06-27 vintage, not a current legal determination; confirm with the relevant board before hiring.
State coverage tier ≠ strictness order
According to state licensing boards, California leads the strictness index at #1 (9.5/10) while 6 jurisdictions tie for the broadest trade coverage at 20 of 20 tracked trades; Nevada ranks #2 on strictness among that full-coverage group.
- #1
- California strictness #1
- 20
- trades at full coverage tier
- #2
- Nevada strictness among tier
- 9.5/10
- California strictness score
Coverage counts how many of 20 tracked trades carry a statewide license in the directory; strictness is a composite score from exam, bond, insurance, and CE screens. Neither metric is a hiring clearance.
Trade lens
Where licensing reaches the most states
Rank each tracked trade by the number of jurisdictions whose record is marked as requiring a state-level license.
Open trade coverage ranking →State lens
Where fewer tracked trades need a state license
Compare counts in the dataset only. A lower count is not a safety, quality, business-cost, or local-rule verdict.
Open state count ranking →How to use this page
A comparison is a starting point, not a clearance.
- 1Choose the state where the work will occur and the trade that matches the project scope.
- 2Read the state/trade record for the specific requirement and its linked board information.
- 3Confirm current requirements and a contractor’s status directly with the relevant public authority before hiring or starting work.
What the counts do not answer
The rankings do not assess a contractor, predict project quality, or replace local permitting rules. Requirements can vary by classification, project and municipality, and the underlying record may change after its shown vintage.
Read the data boundary and methodology →Preview
State strictness index
Source: State licensing boards · NCSL · NASCLA State-level licensing coverage and ranking inputs · 2026-06-27 Counts summarize board-sourced directory records. Open the linked state and trade pages to inspect the associated board information and data boundary.
Download the jurisdiction snapshot (same CSV as /statistics): contractor-licensing-statistics.csv (CC BY 4.0).
According to state licensing boards, NCSL, and NASCLA, contractor-licensing rules are published by public authorities. Every figure on PlainHireCheck is rebuilt from those board-sourced tables; no number is typed in by an editor. This page summarizes state-level licensing fields from the board-sourced record set; open linked records for their listed board context. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
| Publisher | PlainHireCheck |
| Sources | Public state contractor licensing board records |