Hawaii Masonry License Requirements

Hawaii’s masonry specialty is C-31 Masonry contractor—not C-27, which is Landscaping contractor. C-31 covers specified masonry and related concrete work, including brick, stone, concrete masonry units, manufactured precast panels, refractory products, concrete fencing, grout/rubble/tuckpointing/caulking related to masonry, placing and finishing cement concrete, selected concrete cutting/coring, and structural epoxy injection. Hawaii’s contractor-license exemption is limited to a project at no more than $1,500 aggregate labor and materials; it does not apply when a building permit is required or work is divided to evade chapter 444. The applicant/RME must meet the statewide licensing requirements, while the relevant county separately controls project permits and inspections.

Regulatory Body

Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Contractors License Board (DCCA CLB) administers the credential or scope-specific rules discussed here under HRS ch. 444; HAR ch. 16-77. Whether that pathway applies depends on the work scope and conditions explained below. CLB issues the statewide C-31 Masonry contractor license. County authorities administer building permits, plans, inspections, and local project conditions.

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. The cited statewide requirements do not impose a masonry residency bar. An entity must meet applicable Hawaii business-registration and RME requirements; verify foreign-entity requirements with the Business Registration Division.

Good moral character

The applicant must have a reputation for honesty, truthfulness, financial integrity, and fair dealing. Provide complete responses and documents for application disclosures.

Background investigation

The current application requests disclosures and authorizes Board review, but the cited materials do not establish a blanket fingerprint background check.

Experience and Education

Eligibility requires Four years of classification-specific supervisory experience in the last ten years. The Board’s current instructions recognize supervisory work at the journeyman, foreman, supervisor, or contractor level and require on-site supervision/direction of employees., documented and independently verifiable. Payroll, tax, project, and supervisor records are the usual proof the board will accept.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

Current contractor/RME application and tax clearance
At least three notarized experience certificates from qualified people with direct knowledge
Chronological History of Projects for C-31 supervisory work
Financial statement and credit report required by the current application
Entity/RME appointment and business-registration documents where applicable

Education substitution

Do not assume a masonry degree or voluntary credential replaces the four-year Board experience rule. Seek Board direction before relying on other training.

Exam Requirements

The examination requirement has not been established in this record. Confirm it with the authority before applying. Provider or process notes: PSI Services, LLC, after CLB approval

Examination fee: The Board requires an examination in the appropriate classification and uses PSI. PSI controls the current registration, testing, and retest fees; the cited official materials do not support the former fixed C-27 question counts, scores, or $75-per-part statement.

Retake policy: Failing to pass within six months of examination eligibility requires a new application. The full process is subject to the one-year abandonment rule.

Insurance and Bonds

The cited state source set does not require a contractor license surety bond for this credential. Contractors should still confirm project-specific bond, permit-bond, or public-works bond requirements before bidding.

General liability

A licensed contractor must maintain comprehensive personal-injury and property-damage liability insurance continuously. The cited statute does not state a universal C-31 dollar limit.

Workers' compensation

Maintain workers’ compensation unless the contractor is a Chapter 386 self-insurer or has an approved/no-employee exclusion within the Board’s process. Loss of required coverage causes automatic forfeiture.

Additional financial requirements

The current application requires a financial statement and credit report. A bond is required only if the Board imposes one under HRS § 444-16.5; the cited sources do not establish a blanket C-31 bond.

Fee Schedule

Fee	Amount
Application	$50
Initial license	$260
Renewal (every 2 years)	$338

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 masonry.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Expect to renew the Hawaii C-31 Masonry Contractor License every 2 years. Renewal currently costs $338. Renew by September 30 of every even-numbered year. Active entity/sole-proprietor renewal is $338; RME and inactive-status fees differ. A current matching DOTAX tax clearance is required.

Continuing education: The cited current CLB materials do not establish the former C-27-specific continuing-education claim. Confirm any current Board requirement before renewal.

Reciprocity

Hawaii does not accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for this classification.

Reciprocal State	Accepted Exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity agreements identified.

The cited Hawaii CLB materials do not provide C-31 reciprocity. Out-of-state applicants follow the Hawaii application, experience, examination, insurance, and tax-clearance process unless CLB states otherwise in writing.

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

Masonry 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 Masonry License Requirements — California Class C-29 — Masonry Contractor
Washington Masonry License Requirements — Washington Specialty Masonry Contractor Registration — L&I
Oregon Masonry License Requirements — Oregon CCB Construction Contractor License (General) — No Specialty Masonry
Nevada Masonry License Requirements — Nevada C-18 Masonry Contractor License

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

Use the correct classification. C-31 is Masonry contractor. Match the actual work to the C-31 scope and identify whether a more specific specialty, A General Engineering, B General Building, or another licensed trade is required for work outside that scope.
Confirm the licensing threshold. The chapter 444 exemption is only for aggregate labor-and-material work of $1,500 or less. It does not apply if a building permit is required or work is divided to evade licensing.
Build the qualifying RME file. Document four years of C-31 supervisory experience within the preceding ten years, with notarized certificates and project history. An entity must appoint and maintain its responsible managing employee.
Apply, clear taxes, and pass the Board examination. File the current $50 application and supporting documents with CLB. After approval, take PSI’s current appropriate classification examination. Submit the required tax clearance and issuance materials after passing.
Keep the license active. Maintain continuous liability and workers’ compensation coverage or an approved exclusion. Keep entity/RME information current and renew under the current biennial cycle.
Obtain county project approval and run a safe site. Check the responsible Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi, or Maui county department for permits, plans, inspections, and local code conditions. For covered cutting, grinding, drilling, or similar construction exposure, apply federal OSHA’s silica rule based on the actual task and exposure.

Application Checklist

These are the pieces to lock down before filing with DCCA CLB:

Common Filing Mistakes

Based on the board's own instructions and the sources cited here, the problems below are what most often stall a Hawaii Masonry application.

Applying as C-27 for masonry

C-27 is Landscaping contractor. Masonry is C-31; the wrong classification leaves the actual work outside the claimed license scope.

Using the obsolete $1,000 threshold

The statutory exemption is $1,500 or less and fails when a building permit is required or work is improperly divided.

Assuming a fixed state bond or liability amount

CLB requires continuous insurance and may impose a bond, but the cited sources do not set the former blanket C-31 figures.

Letting an RME or insurance requirement lapse

The Board’s current RME and insurance rules can result in automatic forfeiture if deadlines or continuous coverage are missed.

Skipping county approval or task-specific safety controls

State licensing does not replace county permits/inspections, and silica obligations depend on the actual construction task and exposure.

Study and Reference Materials

What follows are the regulator-cited and commonly used preparation references for this trade. They appear here for convenience only; CLR takes no compensation for them.

HAR chapter 16-77 — Hawaii DCCA. Official C-31 specialty classification and scope.
CLB contractor application requirements — Hawaii DCCA. Current experience, documents, deadlines, and licensing process.
PSI Hawaii contractor examination bulletin — PSI Services. Use the current bulletin after approval for test content, fees, and references.
OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1153 — Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Federal construction silica requirements for covered exposure.

Other Hawaii Trade Licenses

If the Masonry license is not the right fit, the following published Hawaii trade guides are also covered by CLR:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Hawaii’s masonry contractor classification?

C-31 Masonry contractor. C-27 is Landscaping contractor, so a C-27 guide is not a valid masonry-license path.

What can a C-31 Masonry contractor do?

HAR chapter 16-77 lists masonry materials and related work including brick, stone, CMU, specified panels/refractories, concrete fencing, masonry-related grout/tuckpointing/caulking, placing/finishing cement concrete, specified cutting/coring, and structural epoxy injection. Confirm the full rule for the project’s exact scope.

Is Hawaii’s contractor threshold $1,000?

No. The statutory exemption is no more than $1,500 aggregate labor and materials, and it is unavailable where a building permit is required or work is divided to evade chapter 444.

Does C-31 require four years of experience?

Yes. The Board requires four years of supervisory, classification-specific experience in the prior ten years, documented with the current experience certificates and project history.

How often does a C-31 contractor renew?

Contractors renew by September 30 of every even-numbered year. Current active entity/sole-proprietor renewal is $338, with a valid matching DOTAX tax clearance; RME renewal fees differ.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-04 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-03

Report a correction to this guide

Corrections and presentation updates

2026-09-30: Corrected examination detection when format details are unpublished and updated the summary layout and requirements score. Source-check dates are unchanged.
2026-09-08: Shared template updated to distinguish unspecified eligibility requirements, retain cost qualifications, and use consistent headings. Source-check dates are unchanged by presentation updates.
2026-09-21: Local-only guides now use a compliance-focused structure and terminology instead of implying a statewide license application. Source-check dates are unchanged by this presentation update.