Requirements by state
New Jersey contractor license requirements
Quick answer
New Jersey contractor license requirements
New Jersey requires Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration through the Division of Consumer Affairs, not yet a tested license: no exam currently applies, though one is authorized by statute for after the new licensing board is fully seated. Registration costs a $110 application fee and $90 renewal, and contractors must carry $500,000 liability insurance plus a $10,000 to $50,000 compliance bond required since April 2025.
At a glance
- Exam
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA), Home Improvement Contractor registration requirements (no state exam)
- Vendor
- No state exam vendor
- Fees
- Application fee $110; Renewal fee $90
- NASCLA accepted
- No
- Last reviewed
- 2026-07-28
License classes
- HIC
- Home Improvement Contractor registration : The State Board of Home Improvement and Home Elevation Contractors was partially formed in July 2025; a training and exam requirement is expected to phase in roughly two years after the board is fully seated.
New Jersey regulates contracting through a state contractor registration (bond and insurance based, not a competency exam). This page lays out exactly what New Jersey 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 New Jersey
New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA), Home Improvement Contractor registration is the licensing authority. Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration required for residential home improvement work.
Experience and qualification
No experience verification is currently required; a licensing exam has been authorized by statute but had not yet been rolled out as of this research.
License classes
- HIC (Home Improvement Contractor registration): The State Board of Home Improvement and Home Elevation Contractors was partially formed in July 2025; a training and exam requirement is expected to phase in roughly two years after the board is fully seated.
Exam
No exam requirement is currently in effect. A future licensing exam is authorized by statute once the new State Board of Home Improvement and Home Elevation Contractors is fully appointed.
Fees
- Application fee: $110
- Renewal fee: $90
Financial responsibility
New Jersey uses surety bond ($10,000 to $50,000) as its financial-responsibility mechanism. A compliance surety bond of $10,000 to $50,000 has been required since April 2025, alongside at least $500,000 general liability insurance.
Reciprocity and the NASCLA exam
New Jersey 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 New Jersey’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: New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA), Home Improvement Contractor registration, www.njconsumeraffairs.gov. The NASCLA participating-agencies determination above is drawn from NASCLA’s own list, nascla.org, confirmed 2026-07-24.
Sources: New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA), Home Improvement Contractor registration (www.njconsumeraffairs.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.