Utah Contractor License Guide

In the State of Utah the following contractor classifications require licensing:

• General Engineering
• General Building
• Residential/Small Commercial
• General Electrical Work
• Residential Electrical Work
• General Plumbing
• Residential Plumbing

Note: If you have a valid license in any of the following states, you may apply for a Utah license by endorsement: Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arizona, Michigan, Virginia, Arkansas, Mississippi, West Virginia, California, Nevada, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Before submitting your application to the Utah Division of Professional and Occupational Licensing you are required to take the Utah Business and Law exam and – when required – a trade exam.

• Utah Business and Laws examination:
  • This test is required for all classifications
  • Submit a copy of the test results with the application form
• Trade examination: You or the chosen qualifier must pass the trade examination required for the classification(s) you apply for, and submit a copy of the test results with the application form. The test provider for the Utah Division of Professional and Occupational Licensing is PSI. All examinations are conducted at PSI’s computer examination centers throughout Utah. You can find a convenient location here.
• Reciprocal Examination: The Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing refers to reciprocity with other States as an endorsement. An endorsement is available with some licensing classifications with the states of Arizona, California, Louisiana, Nevada and South Carolina. If you have a license from any of the above-listed states, this may be in line with the work experience requirement in Utah, which is, depending on the license either two or four years. If that is the case, some trade tests may be waived. However, you would still need to take the Utah Business and Law test, as it is mandatory for all qualifiers.

Note: If you did not take the trade classification examination included on the Reciprocal State License Classification Chart, but still hold a license from any of the above-mentioned states, you must take the Utah trade classification examination.

• Experience: If you have held a comparable license in one of the reciprocal states for the required experience required in Utah, then verification of the licensure for the number of years required is acceptable to verify experience for the Utah license.
• Failing an exam: If you have failed an examination, you are have to wait for at least 30 days before you are allowed to retake it. Three attempts in total are allowed for each examination. After failing the examination for three consecutive times, you must wait six months before retaking it.

Note: Master Electrician, Residential Master Electrician and Master Plumber qualifier must take the Business and Law exam.

Thorough step-by-step information on the Examination can be found on the Candidate Information Bulletin.

• Appoint a qualifier: A qualifier is the person who demonstrates that the applicant has the knowledge and experience necessary for licensure. This person could be yourself or another individual, but must meet the following requirements:
  • own at least 20 percent of the company, or be a W-2 employee and paid for at least 10 hours of work per week.
  • have two years (4,000 hours) of lawful experience in the construction trade, completed within the last 10 years.
• Obtain for each applicant and submit along with your application the following:
  • affidavits of experience - the affidavit is included in the application form
  • W-2s or tax returns to verify the qualifying experience
• Complete the Utah 20 hour pre-license education course
  • A list of the Approved Pre-Licensure Education Providers can be found here
  • Submit a copy of the certificate after the course completion
  • Alternatively, submit a transcript showing that you have a Construction Management degree.
• Register your entity: Required if you are applying on behalf of an entity (corporation, LLC, LLP, partnership etc), with the Utah Division of Corporations.
• Register your DBA: If you use a DBA - “doing business as” - such as using a name for your business or adding a description of what you do to your name, example: John Doe Construction Services - register your DBA with the Utah Division of Corporations.
• General liability insurance: A certificate of general liability insurance must be obtained from your insurance agent. The insurance coverage must be at least $100,000 per incident and $300,000 aggregate. The certificate must include:
  • the name and address of the insured (which must match the name and address on the application exactly)
  • policy number
  • expiration date
  • the insurance company
  • contact information
• Unemployment registration: If you plan to employ others, you must obtain an unemployment registration from the Utah Department of Workforce Services. You may also submit a contract with a licensed PEO company to satisfy this requirement.
• Criminal history: If you (or any owner, qualifier or prior companies they have been involved in) have positive answers to criminal history questions:
  • Obtain copies of each court document, police report, etc., and provide them along with the application form
  • Write an brief explanation of your criminal history
• Financial responsibility history: If you (or any owner, qualifier or prior companies they have been involved in) have positive answers to financial responsibility history questions, such as judgments, tax liens, delinquent child support, bankruptcies etc:
  • Obtain copies of court documents, satisfaction of delinquencies and an explanation of your financial history and provide them along with your application form.
  • Submit credit report authorization on each owner and the company.
  • Submit a copy of the last tax return for each owner and the company.

Note: A license bond may be required if delinquencies have not been fully resolved.

The contractor application forms can be found here.

Upon completion of all licensure requirements, including passing the examination, submit a completed application for license.

Licensing and Application Fees

• Contractors Application fee - $210
  • Each additional primary classification fee - $210
  • Each additional supplemental classification fee - $110
• Lien Recovery Fund fee (if applicable) - $195
• Business and Law Examination fee - $72
• Trade Examination fee - $75

Note: You must pay any outstanding citations or residence lien recovery fund payouts before your license can be granted.

Mailing Address:

Submit your completed application form along with the required documents to:

By U.S. Mail:

Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing
P.O. Box 146741
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-6741

By Delivery or Express Mail:

Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing
160 East 300 South 1st Floor
Main Lobby
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111

A Utah contractor license bond is a mandatory part of the license application process if the applicant has declared bankruptcy within the last three (3) years, or if other outstanding liens are unpaid. The bond will vary from $15,000 to $100,000 depending on the classification of licensure and your individual financial situation. A surety bond application is included as a separate section in the license application form.

How Long Does the Licensing Process Take?

After your application has been received by Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, please wait 4-6 weeks before checking on the status of your application by calling, faxing or emailing the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing.

License Expiration and Renewal

The Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing supports an Online License Renewal System which allows holders to renew their Utah professional license with a debit/credit card. You can find more detailed information on license renewals here.