Trade license requirements · 51 jurisdictions

Pool Contractor · narrow-license lane (#19/20 by licensing breadth)

Builds, repairs, and maintains swimming pools and spas Licensing breadth 49% (#19/20 by licensing breadth) places this trade in the narrow-license lane. Open-data from state boards, NCSL, and NASCLA; verify live status before you hire.

25
States require license
49%
Of all jurisdictions
25
Surety bond mandates
26
No state license

Pool Contractor licensing-breadth posture

Pool Contractor is in the narrow-license lane (#19/20 by licensing breadth): only 25 of 51 jurisdictions require a statewide license (49%), and 25 of those licensing states also mandate an exam.

25
states require a license
25
of those also mandate an exam
25
also require a surety bond
#19
of 20 trades by breadth

Source: state licensing boards · NCSL · NASCLA · snapshot 2026-06-27. Specialty or local credentials may still apply where no statewide license is listed.

Pool Contractor · narrow-license lane

According to state licensing boards, NCSL, and NASCLA, Pool Contractor requires a state license in 25 of 51 jurisdictions (49%), rank #19 of 20 by licensing breadth; #19/20 by licensing breadth.

According to the same board-sourced directory (snapshot 2026-06-27), pool contractor sits in the narrow-license lane. Of the 25 licensing states, 25 also mandate an exam and 25 list a surety-bond requirement. This is a requirements directory, not a live credential check - confirm status on the board roster before you hire.

Among 25 licensing states

NASCLA trade screen folio

Pool Contractor board screens in this snapshot

Entity-varying counts from state licensing boards, NCSL, and NASCLA: how many jurisdictions stamp exam, bond, and insurance requirements on this trade.

  1. 25/51 jurisdictions require a license 49% coverage
  2. 25 licensing states mandate an exam 100% of licensed rows
  3. 25 licensing states list a surety bond 100% of licensed rows
  4. 25 licensing states set a liability floor 100% of licensed rows
  5. #19 of 20 trades by breadth

Exam-mandate neighbourhood

Among licensing states, how many also mandate an exam; nearest trades by exam count (snapshot 2026-06-27).

Pool Contractor (this)25 statesSolar Installer25 statesGeneral Contractor21 statesFire Protection32 statesElevator Mechanic36 statesHVAC Technician40 statesPlumber47 statesCarpenter0 states

Breadth peers

Peer placement

Licensing breadth across all 20 tracked trades

Highlighted bar is Pool Contractor: share of jurisdictions requiring a state license in this snapshot (#19/20 by licensing breadth).

Same board as the distribution above (state licensing boards · NCSL · NASCLA · 2026-06-27).

States Requiring a Pool Contractor License (25)

The Exam, Bond, Insur., and Fee columns below reflect an industry-typical baseline for pool contractor licensing, per-state statutory research for this trade is still in progress, so these are not yet confirmed dollar figures for each individual state. Confirm the exact current requirement with the state licensing board (link on each state's page) before relying on a specific number.

State License Type Exam Bond Insur. Fee
Alabama Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Arizona Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Arkansas Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
California Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Connecticut Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
District of Columbia Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Florida Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Georgia Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Hawaii Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Louisiana Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Maryland Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Massachusetts Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Michigan Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Mississippi Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Nevada Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
New Jersey Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
North Carolina Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Oklahoma Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Oregon Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
South Carolina Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Tennessee Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Texas Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Utah Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Virginia Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400
Washington Pool Contractor License Yes $10K $500K $100-$400

States Without State Pool Contractor License (26)

In these states, pool contractor contractors do not require a state license. Local permits and municipal registration may still apply.

Alaska Colorado Delaware Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Maine Minnesota Missouri Montana Nebraska New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Dakota Ohio Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Dakota Vermont West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Breadth peers

Trades whose statewide licensing share sits nearest to Pool Contractor's 49% - not a fixed guide strip.

All 20 trades →

Disclaimer: Requirements shown are from state licensing boards, NCSL, and NASCLA data. Always verify current requirements directly with your state's licensing board.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Nationwide trades with similar licensing breadth

Peer sets for Pool Contractor lead with jurisdiction licensing share (49% here), then exam-mandate count, distinct from the sidebar ABS(%) peers.

Similar licensing breadth

Nearest nationwide trades by share of jurisdictions requiring a license (49% here).

Similar exam-mandate stack

Nearest nationwide trades by count of licensing states that also mandate an exam (25 here).

Data sourced from official state contractor licensing board records for Pool Contractor (#19/20 by licensing breadth). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainHireCheck from NCSL and NASCLA directories (snapshot 2026-06-27).