STATE LICENSE
RequiredNevada State Contractors Board (NSCB)
NRS 624.215 splits contracting into general engineering (A), general building (B), and specialty (C) branches; A and B are mutually exclusive unless you hold the combined AB. A general building contractor's business is building or remodeling structures that require more than two unrelated trades, as prime contractor. Subclassifications narrow the license — B-2 (residential and small commercial, up to three stories above ground) and B-7 (remodeling an existing single-family residence, no added enclosed space) are the common residential tracks.
Licensure takes a qualifier with four years of journeyman-or-better experience in the last 15, passing PSI's Business & Law and trade exams, a Board-set bond of $1,000–$500,000, and a financial statement that sets your monetary limit. Contractors who sell to single-family homeowners also pay the Residential Recovery Fund assessment, which backs payouts of up to $40,000 per injured owner.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Licensing is exclusively state — the NSCB issues every contractor classification under NRS 624, and no city or county license substitutes for it. Cities and counties issue building permits and run inspections; whenever a permit is required, the under-$1,000 handyman exemption no longer applies (NRS 624.031(6)(a)). Local business licensing is set by each jurisdiction.
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Nevada county on file.
Each row names the issuing authority, cost, timeline, citation, and status behind the requirement — verified against the official source.
Published fees from the issuing authorities, as of October 2026. Local permit fees vary by project and jurisdiction — the basis is stated where a flat number does not exist.
Every Nevada license carries a monetary limit — the largest contract you may take on one site for one client — set from your financial statement. Bidding over it voids the bid; one-project increases must be approved before you bid.
A general building contractor may contract specialty work only as prime on the project — and may never perform plumbing, electrical, refrigeration and air-conditioning, or fire protection without that specialty license (NRS 624.215(3)).
Residential contractors pay $200 per biennium (limit up to $1,000,000), $500 (higher but limited) or $1,000 (unlimited) into the fund that repays homeowners up to $40,000 per claim.
A practical sequence for a new general contracting contractor in Nevada. Actual agency processing times are noted in the ledger above.
Each item names the issuing authority, cycle, and citation.
Statutory consequences with their citations — not estimates, not “commonly cited” guesses.
Acting as a contractor or bidding without an active license; penalties escalate with each offense, and the maximum fine may be enhanced by up to 10% of the contract value if work began or money was received.
In addition to prosecution, the Board may fine each violation of the license requirement or unlawful advertising.
A bid or contract made without a license is void from the start, and an unlicensed contractor cannot sue to collect payment.
Inside city limits, the city office listed here issues the permit; the county office serves unincorporated areas. Every office links to its official page.
Every fact in this file was checked against these official sources on October 2026.
Pending verification: Eligibility rules for restricted B-7 licenses (the Board's 2025 application form references B-7 restricted applications; criteria not retrieved) · The Board's bond schedule mapping monetary limits to bond amounts (only the statutory $1,000–$500,000 range is confirmed) · Current PSI exam fees for the Business and Law (CMS) and trade exams (set by the testing vendor; not published in NAC 624) · Whether the Board is currently collecting the full statutory Recovery Fund assessment or a reduced amount under NRS 624.470(3) (the Board FAQ lists the full $200 / $500 / $1,000 schedule) · The NSCB General Requirements FAQ still lists older unlicensed-contracting fines (first offense 'not more than $1,000'; second $2,000–$4,000; third $5,000–$10,000). NRS 624.750(2) as amended in 2025 sets $1,000–$4,000, $4,000–$10,000 and $10,000–$20,000 — the statute is used here
General information, not legal advice. Always confirm requirements, deadlines, and forms with the issuing authority before filing or contracting.
Store licenses, permits, policies, and renewal dates in one place.