Hawaii General Contractor License Requirements (2026)

Hawaii’s Contractors License Board licenses general contractors under HRS chapter 444. Class A is General Engineering and Class B is General Building; specialty contractor classifications are Class C. An entity must employ a properly licensed Responsible Managing Employee (RME), while a sole owner or RME applicant must document four years of on-site supervisory experience in the requested classification within the 10 years before applying. Hawaii contractor licensing is not a project-dollar-threshold system; statutory exemptions, including the owner-builder exemption, are separate and limited.

Regulatory Body

Hawaii Contractors License Board (DCCA-PVL Contractors Board) administers the credential or scope-specific rules discussed here under HRS chapter 444; HAR chapter 16-77. Whether that pathway applies depends on the work scope and conditions explained below. The Board classifies and licenses contractors, reviews applicants and RMEs, and administers contractor insurance, bonding, renewal, and enforcement.

• Official portal: https://cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/boards/contractor/
• Address: 335 Merchant Street, Room 301, Honolulu, HI 96813
• Phone: (808) 586-3000

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Applicants must provide a Social Security Number. Hawaii contractor applicants need the Board-required business, tax-clearance, place-of-business, and entity records. An entity must be registered with Hawaii’s Business Registration Division; use the current application requirements for out-of-state entities and tax clearance.

Good moral character

HRS 444-11 requires a history of honesty, truthfulness, financial integrity, and fair dealing. The current application requires disclosures and supporting records where applicable.

Background investigation

Follow the current application’s disclosure and documentation instructions. Do not rely on an unsupported blanket criminal-background-check assertion.

Experience and Education

A minimum of 4 years of A sole owner or RME applicant needs at least four years of supervisory experience during the 10 years immediately before filing, with on-site supervision and direction of employees in the classification requested. must be documented and verified. Unless the board publishes a different lookback period, applicants should keep payroll, tax, project, or supervisor records that support the claimed experience.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

• At least three notarized certificates supporting supervisory experience
• A chronological project list for each classification, describing on-site supervision, work performed, and contract information
• Current financial statement, credit reports, tax clearance, and entity records as applicable

Education substitution

Do not assume a degree substitutes for the four years. The current Board application describes verified supervisory experience and does not state the previously claimed degree-credit formula.

Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: Prometric, after Contractors License Board approval. The following examination requirements cover the pathways described in this guide; follow each part's classification, waiver, and local-scope conditions. Unpublished format details do not remove an examination requirement:

• Part I — Hawaii contractor business and law — question count: confirm with the authority, timing: confirm with the authority, passing score: confirm in the current candidate bulletin
• Part II — classification-specific trade examination — question count: confirm with the authority, timing: confirm with the authority, passing score: confirm in the current candidate bulletin

Examination fee: Prometric examination fees are paid after Board approval; confirm the current amount and bulletin with Prometric.

Retake policy: The Board application says an applicant must continue the licensing process and make an examination attempt within two years of approval. Use the current Board examination schedule and Prometric registration instructions.

Insurance and Bonds

Before the license is issued, the applicant must file a $5,000 contractor license surety bond in the form prescribed by the DCCA-PVL Contractors Board.

General liability

The current Board application requires comprehensive bodily-injury liability of at least $100,000 each person and $300,000 each occurrence, plus at least $50,000 property-damage liability. Continuous liability coverage is required.

Workers' compensation

Provide workers’ compensation coverage unless eligible for and approved for a Chapter 386 exclusion. The Board identifies specific no-employee business forms that may qualify.

Additional financial requirements

The application requires a current compiled, reviewed, or audited financial statement with an independent accountant’s report, plus current credit reports for relevant entity personnel. The Board may require a bond of not less than $5,000, considering financial condition and field experience.

Fee Schedule

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for Hawaii general contractor.

Renewal and Continuing Education

The Hawaii Class A General Engineering and Class B General Building Contractor License runs on a 2 years renewal cycle. The current renewal fee is $338. Renew by September 30 of each even-numbered year. Failure to keep liability/workers’ compensation coverage continuous can cause automatic forfeiture; active entity and sole proprietor renewals also require current tax clearance.

Continuing education: The cited current contractor renewal materials do not state a general contractor continuing-education requirement. Confirm current renewal instructions before filing.

Reciprocity

For this classification, Hawaii does not recognize the NASCLA Accredited Examination.

Do not represent Hawaii as having contractor-license reciprocity. The current requirements call for Board approval and Hawaii Part I business/law plus Part II trade examinations.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published General Contractor license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

General Contractor Licensing in Other States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Hawaii's requirements against the states most often compared against it before committing to an application:

• California General Contractor License Requirements — California Class B — General Building Contractor
• Washington General Contractor License Requirements — Washington Registered General Contractor
• Oregon General Contractor License Requirements — Oregon Construction Contractors Board General Contractor License
• Nevada General Contractor License Requirements — Nevada Class A (General Engineering) or Class B (General Building) Contractor

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

1. Choose Class A or Class B. Confirm that general engineering or general building matches the work; specialty trade work may require a Class C classification and individual trade credentials.
2. Qualify the sole owner or RME. Document four years of recent, classification-specific on-site supervisory experience with at least three notarized experience certificates and a project history.
3. Prepare business and financial records. Gather the current financial statement, credit reports, tax clearance, business registration, RME appointment, and trade-name records that apply.
4. File the Board application. Submit the complete application and the $50 nonrefundable application fee by the published filing deadline.
5. Pass both written examinations. After Board approval, register with Prometric for Part I business/law and Part II trade examination for the requested classification.
6. File insurance and bond requirements. Provide the required liability and workers’ compensation coverage, and any bond the Board requires, using the Board’s current forms.
7. Pay post-approval licensing charges and maintain the license. License-period charges vary with status and issuance date. Maintain insurance and bond continuously, renew by September 30 of every even-numbered year, and keep current tax clearance.

Application Checklist

Before submitting to DCCA-PVL Contractors Board, the applicant should have each of the following ready:

• Choose Class A or Class B and any needed additional classifications
• Four years of recent, classification-specific supervisory experience
• At least three notarized experience certificates and chronological project list
• Financial statement, credit reports, tax clearance, and entity/BREG records as applicable
• RME appointment for an entity
• $50 nonrefundable application fee
• Board approval and Prometric Part I and Part II examination passage
• Required liability, workers’ compensation, and Board-directed bond documents

Progress is saved in this browser, so you can return to this checklist while your application is in flight.

Common Filing Mistakes

The following pitfalls summarize the issues most likely to delay, return, or derail a Hawaii General Contractor application based on the published board instructions and source materials cited on this page.

Using trade experience instead of supervisory experience

The RME application calls for on-site supervision and direction of employees in the requested classification.

Submitting too few experience certificates

The current RME instructions require at least three notarized supervisory-experience certificates.

Using old PSI exam details

The current contractor application identifies Prometric, not PSI, as the testing service.

Treating the bond as universally automatic

HRS authorizes the Board to require an at-least-$5,000 bond based on financial condition and experience.

Letting insurance lapse

Continuous liability and workers’ compensation coverage is required; failure can forfeit the contractor license.

Study and Reference Materials

The list below collects the board's cited references and the materials applicants typically study from. CLR is not paid to recommend any of them.

• Hawaii contractor laws and rules — Hawaii DCCA / Legislature. Use HRS chapter 444 and HAR chapter 16-77 for the Board’s Part I business-and-law material.
• Prometric Bulletin of Examination Information — Prometric / Hawaii Contractors License Board. Confirm the current classification-specific trade outline, references, format, fees, and testing dates.

Other Hawaii Trade Licenses

CLR maintains guides for additional Hawaii trades; the published ones are listed here:

• Hawaii Electrician License Requirements
• Hawaii Plumber License Requirements
• Hawaii HVAC Technician License Requirements
• Hawaii Roofing Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Painting Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Landscaping Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Masonry Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Concrete Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Carpentry Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Solar Installer License Requirements
• Hawaii Low-Voltage Technician License Requirements
• Hawaii Fire Sprinkler Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Home Inspector License Requirements
• Hawaii Pool Contractor License Requirements
• Hawaii Handyman License Requirements
• Hawaii Pest Control License Requirements
• Hawaii Septic Contractor License Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Class A and Class B?

The Board lists Class A as General Engineering and Class B as General Building. Class C covers specialty contractor classifications, including electrical contracting.

How much experience does a Hawaii contractor applicant need?

The sole owner or RME must show four years of classification-specific on-site supervisory experience within the 10 years before applying. The current RME instructions require at least three notarized experience certificates and a project list.

Is Hawaii contractor insurance required?

Yes. The Board’s current application lists minimum bodily-injury liability limits of $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence, plus $50,000 property-damage liability. Workers’ compensation is also required unless the business has an approved exclusion.

Is every contractor required to post a $5,000 bond?

The Board has discretion to require a bond of at least $5,000, taking financial condition and experience into account. Do not assume it is automatic for every applicant; follow the Board’s post-approval instructions.

When does a contractor license renew?

All contractor licenses renew by September 30 of each even-numbered year. The published on-time 2026 active entity and sole-proprietor renewal cost is $338, and active businesses need current matching tax clearance.

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