North Dakota contractor license requirements

Quick answer

North Dakota licenses general contractors through the Secretary of State once a project exceeds $4,000, in four classes set by maximum project value (Class A over $500,000 down to Class D up to $100,000). There is no state exam and no bond, only liability insurance proof, business registration, and workers' compensation verification where applicable.

Last reviewed 2026-07-28 by Contractor Exam Pro editorial team

At a glance

Agency: North Dakota Secretary of State (general contractor licensing)
Exam: North Dakota Secretary of State (general contractor licensing) requirements (no state exam)
Vendor: No state exam vendor
Fees: Estimated initial cost (application, exam, license) about $450
NASCLA accepted: No
Last reviewed: 2026-07-28

License classes

A: Class A : Projects over $500,000.
B: Class B : Projects up to $500,000.
C: Class C : Projects up to $300,000.
D: Class D : Projects up to $100,000.

North Dakota regulates contracting through a state-level general contractor license. This page lays out exactly what North Dakota 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 North Dakota

North Dakota Secretary of State (general contractor licensing) is the licensing authority. Required for any contracting project exceeding $4,000.

Experience and qualification

No documented years-of-experience requirement; classes are set by maximum project value instead.

License classes

A (Class A): Projects over $500,000.
B (Class B): Projects up to $500,000.
C (Class C): Projects up to $300,000.
D (Class D): Projects up to $100,000.

Exam

No state exam is required for general contractor licensing.

Fees

Estimated initial cost (application, exam, license): about $450

Financial responsibility

North Dakota uses insurance in place of a bond as its financial-responsibility mechanism. No surety bond is required for general contractors; proof of liability insurance is required instead. Water well contractors carry a separate $2,000 to $15,000 bond, and many municipalities add their own local bond requirements.

Reciprocity and the NASCLA exam

North Dakota 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 North Dakota’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: North Dakota Secretary of State (general contractor licensing), firststop.sos.nd.gov. The NASCLA participating-agencies determination above is drawn from NASCLA’s own list, nascla.org, confirmed 2026-07-24.

Sources: North Dakota Secretary of State (general contractor licensing) (firststop.sos.nd.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.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a contractor exam in North Dakota?

No. North Dakota requires a Secretary of State contractor license above the $4,000 project threshold, but there is no state-level exam or bonding requirement, just liability insurance.

How are North Dakota's contractor license classes set?

By maximum project value: Class A for projects over $500,000, Class B up to $500,000, Class C up to $300,000, and Class D up to $100,000.