Requirements by state
Hawaii contractor license requirements
Quick answer
Hawaii contractor license requirements
Hawaii licenses contractors through the DCCA Contractors License Board across General Engineering (A), General Building (B), and Specialty (C) classes. You need 4 years of verified supervisory experience, must pass a 2-part PSI exam ($150 total), post a $5,000 bond, and pay a license fee of $494 to $633 plus a $50 application fee.
At a glance
- Exam
- Hawaii DCCA Contractors License Board exam (PSI)
- Vendor
- PSI
- Fees
- Application fee $50; License fee $494 to $633; Exam fee (2 parts) $150
- NASCLA accepted
- No
- Last reviewed
- 2026-07-28
License classes
- A
- General Engineering : Fixed works requiring specialized engineering knowledge.
- B
- General Building : Whole structures involving two or more unrelated trades.
- C
- Specialty : Single-trade classifications.
Hawaii regulates contracting through a state-level general contractor license. This page lays out exactly what Hawaii requires: the licensing agency, who must be licensed, experience, exams, fees, the financial responsibility mechanism, and reciprocity, every figure sourced and dated below.
Who must be licensed in Hawaii
Hawaii DCCA Contractors License Board is the licensing authority. State license required for contracting work above the DCCA’s minor-work exemption.
Experience and qualification
4 years of verified supervisory experience in the classification applied for.
License classes
- A (General Engineering): Fixed works requiring specialized engineering knowledge.
- B (General Building): Whole structures involving two or more unrelated trades.
- C (Specialty): Single-trade classifications.
Exam
A 2-part PSI exam: Part 1 Business and Law, Part 2 the trade classification, $150 total. Candidates register with PSI within 6 months of Board approval.
Fees
- Application fee: $50
- License fee: $494 to $633
- Exam fee (2 parts): $150
Financial responsibility
Hawaii uses surety bond ($5,000) as its financial-responsibility mechanism. A $5,000 bond, plus proof of liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance where the contractor has employees.
Reciprocity and the NASCLA exam
Hawaii is not on NASCLA’s participating-agencies list, confirmed directly against NASCLA’s own page, so a NASCLA Accredited Examination credential from another state does not by itself satisfy Hawaii’s requirements. See contractor license reciprocity for what does carry over, and the 50-state comparison for which states do accept the NASCLA exam.
Official source
Verify everything at the source: Hawaii DCCA Contractors License Board, cca.hawaii.gov. The NASCLA participating-agencies determination above is drawn from NASCLA’s own list, nascla.org, confirmed 2026-07-24.
Sources: Hawaii DCCA Contractors License Board (cca.hawaii.gov, reviewed 2026-07-28); NASCLA participating state agencies list (nascla.org, confirmed 2026-07-24). Fee, bond, and experience figures are compiled from the agency's published requirements and current industry compliance guides as of 2026-07-28; treat any figure not independently reconfirmed against a fetched primary-source page as reported pending the next freshness review, per this site's standard practice.