CashFinders × TradeAtlas
How much work can you do without a contractor license?
Most states let you take small jobs without a contractor license, up to a limit. The limit, what it counts, and the trades it never covers differ a lot by state. Here is what each board says, with the date we last checked it.
Disclosure: Both sites are run by the same team. TradeAtlas maintains this data; CashFinders covers the gig platforms where small jobs are found. If you are weighing which platform to use, see CashFinders' TaskRabbit breakdown.
This is not legal advice. Thresholds change, cities and counties can add their own rules, and permits are separate from licenses. Verify with the board before you take a job. A blank figure means we could not confirm one, not that there is no limit.
| State | Limit | Always needs a license | Registration | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $10,000 (per project)Residential home-builder license required when the cost of the undertaking exceeds $10,000 (residential roofing: $2,500). Owners working on their own property are exempt. Commercial thresholds and the electrical, plumbing and HVAC boards were not checked; local business licenses may still apply. | roofing | No | Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board (residential); Licensing Board for General Contractors (commercial) | |
| California | $1,000 (labor + materials)Minor-work exemption raised from $500 to $1,000 on 1/1/2025 (AB 2622). It covers all project costs, cannot be used if a permit is required or any worker is hired, and cannot be part of a larger job or split into smaller ones. Unlicensed ads must say so. | Not verified | No | Contractors State License Board (CSLB) | |
| Colorado | No verified dollar limitNo state general-contractor license and no state dollar threshold. Electrical and plumbing work is state-licensed, and many cities and counties require their own contractor licenses. Source page was read through a search excerpt only; re-check before relying on it. | electrical, plumbing | No | Colorado DORA Division of Professions and Occupations (electrical and plumbing boards) | |
| Florida | $2,500 (labor + materials)The state exemption covers only casual, minor or inconsequential work with an aggregate contract price under $2,500. It does not apply if the job is part of a larger operation, is split into smaller contracts, or you advertise as a contractor. Electrical and alarm work are licensed under a separate part of the law; plumbing, HVAC and roofing were not checked. County licenses may apply. | electrical, alarm | No | Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board / DBPR (Fla. Stat. ch. 489) | |
| Georgia | $2,500 (per project)A residential or general contractor license is required when the higher of the work's value or the compensation exceeds $2,500 (O.C.G.A. 43-41-2, as amended 2024). Electrical, plumbing, conditioned air, low-voltage and utility work need their own trade licenses. | electrical, plumbing, hvac, low voltage, utility | No | Georgia State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors (Secretary of State) | |
| Illinois | No verified dollar limitNo state general-contractor or handyman license and no statewide dollar threshold. Roofing and plumbing are state-licensed at any dollar amount (plumbing has an owner-occupant exception for one's own single-family home). Electrical and local licensing were not checked; cities such as Chicago have their own rules. | roofing, plumbing | No | Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (roofing: Roofing Industry Licensing Act; plumbing: Illinois Plumbing License Law) | |
| Michigan | $600 (labor + materials)Residential builder license is not required when the aggregate price for labor, materials and other items is under $600. It does not apply to parts of a larger job or a larger job split into smaller contracts. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical work fall under separate licensing laws that were not checked. | Not verified | No | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes | |
| Nevada | $1,000 (labor + materials)Repair or maintenance work valued under $1,000 including labor and materials (NRS 624.031). Not available if a building permit is required, if the work is plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, HVAC or another licensed class, or if it is part of a larger project or split to avoid the law. | plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, heating, air-conditioning | No | Nevada State Contractors Board | |
| New York | No verified dollar limitNo statewide general-contractor or handyman license and no state dollar threshold. Home-improvement licensing is local; New York City requires a DCWP Home Improvement Contractor license for residential work. Electrical and plumbing are licensed separately. Check your city or county. | Not verified | Not verified | No statewide contractor licensing; NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) licenses home improvement contractors; counties (e.g. Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam) run own programs | |
| North Carolina | $40,000 (per project)A general-contractor license is required when the cost of the undertaking is $40,000 or more (G.S. 87-1). The statute does not say whether materials count. Owner-occupied and farm exemptions apply. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC trade boards were not checked. Below $40,000 you may still need local permits. | Not verified | No | North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors | |
| Ohio | No verified dollar limitNo state general-contractor license and no dollar threshold in the contractor-licensing chapter (R.C. 4740). The state board licenses electrical, plumbing, HVAC, hydronics and refrigeration contractors; state licensing appears to cover commercial work only, with local rules for residential, which we have not confirmed. Check your city. | electrical, plumbing, hvac, hydronics, refrigeration | No | Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce | |
| Oregon | $1,000 (labor + materials)The exemption applies when the total price of all your contracts for labor, materials and other items is under $1,000 and the work is casual, minor or inconsequential. It is lost if you advertise or present yourself as a contractor. Electrical and plumbing are licensed through the state Building Codes Division; whether they apply below the cap was not confirmed. | electrical, plumbing | No | Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB); trades via Building Codes Division | |
| Pennsylvania | $5,000 (per year)There is no statewide contractor license. Contractors doing at least $5,000 of home improvement work per year must register with the Attorney General (HICPA); this is registration, not a license exemption. Local licenses and permits (for example in Philadelphia) may still apply. | Not verified | Yes | Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection (HICPA registration) | |
| Texas | No verified dollar limitTexas has no state general-contractor or handyman license and no dollar threshold, so there is no cap to report. Electrical (TDLR), plumbing (TSBPE) and air-conditioning/refrigeration (TDLR) work is state-licensed. We found no single official page that states the no-license rule outright; it is read from the licensing statutes. | electrical, plumbing, hvac | No | Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (electrical, ACR); Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners | |
| Virginia | $1,000 (per project)Class C contractor licensing starts above $1,000 per contract or project (Va. Code 54.1-1100); a 12-month aggregate test also applies, so repeated small jobs can add up. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC require a master tradesman license. The statute defines license classes rather than stating an explicit exemption, so treat this as the practical threshold. | electrical, plumbing, hvac | No | Virginia Board for Contractors (DPOR) | |
| Washington | $500 (labor + materials)Washington requires contractor registration rather than a license. Work with an aggregate price under $500 for labor, materials and other items is exempt (RCW 18.27.090), unless part of a larger job, split to avoid the law, or advertised as a contractor. Electrical and plumbing work are separately regulated by L&I. | Not verified | Yes | Washington Department of Labor & Industries (RCW 18.27) |
Covers 16 states so far: the ten largest by population plus the states in the TradeAtlas licence directory. Developers can read the same data as JSON at /api/public/handyman-limits.