This year brought several important updates to the North Carolina general contractor’ licensing process and procedures. Here are some changes to make note of for 2023.
Starting Jan. 1, criminal background checks must be submitted by all persons named on new general contractor license applications, including the Qualifier. Applicants should expect to submit their background check and payment via a third-party vendor with their online license application. Applicants will be redirected to this vendor during the application process to complete their background check. Cost for the check will vary based on the number of locations the applicant has lived. General contractors looking to renew an existing license are not required to submit a criminal background check. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in ineligibility. Fees paid are non-refundable.
As of Oct. 1, 2022, PSI – the Licensing Board’s third-party vendor for exam services – no longer allows examinees to schedule a review of a failed general contractor’s licensing exam. This news was originally reported in the Board’s October newsletter. Upon request, examinees can review a failed exam 30 minutes immediately following the exam period, in compliance with N.C.G.S. 92B-8(c). If the review is not requested at the time of exam it will not be allowed.
Effective June 29, 2022, holders of limited licenses can bid, contract or perform work up to $750,000 for a single project. Holders of intermediate licenses can bid, contract or perform work up to $1,500,000 for a single project. This change follows the introduction of S.B. 372, which included amendments to G.S. 87-10(a1). Previously, limitations were $500,000 for limited licenses and $1,000,000 for intermediate licenses. License limitations are strictly financial qualifications and can be changed by submitting an “increase in limitation” form along with the fee and appropriate documentation to the Board. The fees to increase your limitation are currently $100 for intermediate and $125 for unlimited. The forms can be found online at http://nclbgc.org/