STATE LICENSE
RequiredUtah Division of Professional Licensing (…
Utah licenses general contractors through the Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) under the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act, Title 58, Chapter 55. A general classification requires a qualifier with two years (4,000 hours) of paid construction experience, a 25-hour pre-licensure course plus a 5-hour business and law course, and a passing score on the Utah Contractor Business and Law exam.
R100 covers single-family homes, multifamily up to four units, and commercial buildings of no more than three stories and 20,000 square feet — but not plumbing, electrical, or mechanical work, which go to licensed specialists. As of April 20, 2026 DOPL requires $1 million per-occurrence and $2 million aggregate general liability. The handyman exemption now reaches projects under $7,000 (a 2025 amendment), and H.B. 40 recodifies the whole chapter on January 1, 2027.
The state sets the license floor; the county or city permit office controls filing, inspections, and local rules wherever the job site sits.
Utah Code § 58-55-301(1)(b)–(c) makes the DOPL license plus the local business license at your principal place of business the only licenses a contractor needs statewide — cities and counties may not require additional contractor licenses or registrations, though they still issue building permits and inspect. For owner-occupied homes, an owner who paid a licensed contractor in full under a written contract is protected from subcontractor liens (Utah Code § 38-11-107).
The local offices section below names the exact permit desk for every Utah 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.
Work under $7,000 total — labor, materials, and changes combined — is exempt, but never for electrical, plumbing, gas, HVAC, fire sprinkler, or radon work.
DOPL's April 20, 2026 requirements set general liability minimums of $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate.
H.B. 40 (2026) recodifies Title 58, Chapter 55 and adds a fingerprint background check starting January 1, 2027; section numbers in contracts and forms will change.
A practical sequence for a new general contracting contractor in Utah. 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.
Engaging in a construction trade or acting as a contractor without the appropriate license (or an exemption) is unlawful conduct; DOPL may cite instead of prosecuting, and citations escalate.
A contractor may not sue in a Utah court to collect compensation for licensed work without alleging and proving it was licensed when the contract was made and when the claim arose.
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: The general liability minimum in force before DOPL's April 20, 2026 update (prior amount not retrieved) · Exam vendor fee for the Utah Contractor Business and Law exam · Coverage amount and form of the public liability insurance a handyman must affirm on projects over $3,000 (set by DOPL rule; not retrieved) · That the second DOPL fee-schedule column ($128 per contractor classification) is the biennial renewal fee — the schedule does not label the columns in the retrieved text · Whether the Residence Lien Recovery Fund still charges contractors a separate assessment (DOPL's fee schedule lists a $330 'Residence Lien' entry without explaining who pays it)
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.