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Contractor License Requirements

Michigan Concrete Contractor License Requirements (2026)

Gabriel Giner

By Gabriel Giner, Editor · Verified  ·  Updated

Michigan regulates concrete work through a broader contractor-license structure rather than a separate concrete board. Michigan lists concrete as a trade on the Residential Maintenance & Alteration Contractor license, so the real question is whether the project falls inside that residential licensing system rather than a standalone concrete credential.

Who Issues the Michigan Concrete Contractor License?

Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs — Bureau of Construction Codes (LARA BCC) issues and enforces the Michigan concrete contractor license under Michigan Occupational Code, MCL 339.2401 et seq. (Article 24 — Residential Builders); Skilled Trades Regulation Act, MCL 339.5101 et seq. Administers Michigan Residential Builder and Maintenance & Alteration licensing, including the residential Concrete trade.

Michigan Concrete Contractor License Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Applicants must provide a Social Security Number. The current individual application requires a physical Michigan business address. An applicant using an out-of-state photo ID must also submit the current notarized Consent to Service of Process form.

Good moral character

The application requires the current good-moral-character and disciplinary disclosures; submit any additional documentation LARA requests.

Background investigation

Follow the current LARA application’s conviction and disciplinary disclosure instructions; LARA does not publish a separate fixed background-check procedure for this license.

How Much Experience Do You Need for a Michigan Concrete Contractor License?

For the residential M&A Concrete trade, applicants complete 60 hours of LARA-approved prelicensure education; no separate concrete-years requirement is published.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

  • 60-hour LARA-approved prelicensure course certificate
  • Current individual application, identification, and business-address documents.

Michigan Concrete Contractor Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: PSI, after LARA approves the M&A Concrete application. 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 Unpublished format details do not remove an examination requirement:

  • M&A Concrete examination: 105 questions, 50 of them Business and Law (passing raw score 76) — 105 questions, 135 minutes, passing score: confirm in the current candidate bulletin

Examination fee: PSI charges $70 for a first-time or retest M&A examination with one trade portion ($99 for two portions, $114 for three).

Retake policy: Retests cost the same as a first attempt. PSI examination fees are valid for one year from registration.

Michigan Concrete Contractor Insurance and Bond Requirements

The cited sources do not require a license surety bond for the Michigan concrete contractor license, but a permit, contract, or public-works bond can still apply to a given job, so confirm bonding before you bid.

General liability

LARA’s individual builder/M&A application does not list a general-liability certificate as an initial application item. Project owners, companies, and local authorities may impose separate requirements.

Workers' compensation

Workers’ compensation obligations are separate from the individual LARA builder/M&A application. Verify coverage obligations with Michigan’s Workers’ Disability Compensation Agency for the actual workforce arrangement.

Additional financial requirements

No financial statement required.

How Much Does a Michigan Concrete Contractor License Cost?

FeeAmount
Application$195
Examination$70
Initial licenseNo separate amount recorded; confirm in the fee guidance
Renewal (every 3 years)$150

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 Michigan concrete contractor.

Michigan Concrete Contractor License Renewal and Continuing Education

The Michigan concrete contractor license renews every 3 years. The renewal fee is $150. M&A licenses renew on a three-year cycle. LARA lists a $150 renewal fee, $170 late-renewal fee, and $185 relicensure fee.

Continuing education: Licensees first licensed on or after January 1, 2009 complete 21 hours of continuing competency in each of their first two three-year cycles (at least 3 hours each year); later cycles require 3 hours covering codes, safety, and legal topics.

Does Michigan Accept Out-of-State Concrete Contractor Licenses?

Michigan does not accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for the Michigan concrete contractor license.

Reciprocal StateAccepted ExamConditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity agreements identified.

The current application allows an out-of-state photo ID with a notarized Consent to Service of Process form, but it still requires the current Michigan application path. LARA does not publish a general reciprocity pathway for this license.

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

How to Get a Michigan Concrete Contractor License, Step by Step

  1. Confirm the residential scope. Michigan’s M&A path is a residential Article 24 credential; it is not a statewide commercial concrete license.
  2. Complete 60 hours of prelicensure education. Complete LARA-approved education before the M&A Concrete examination/application process.
  3. Apply and test for Concrete. Select Concrete—not Masonry—on the M&A application, pay the $195 application fee, and after approval take the PSI Concrete examination ($70).
  4. Renew the individual credential. Renew every three years ($150) and meet the continuing-competency requirement for the renewal cycle.
  5. Keep state authority and project approval aligned. Do not let a broad contractor credential, registration, or specialty label substitute for the actual project permit, plan review, inspection, or separately licensed trade requirement.

Application Checklist

Have each of these ready before you file with LARA BCC:

Common Filing Mistakes

These are the problems most likely to delay or derail a Michigan Concrete Contractor application, drawn from the instructions of LARA BCC and the other sources cited on this page.

Using the M&A license as commercial authority

M&A Concrete is a residential licensing path; confirm commercial and local requirements separately.

Treating a statewide starting point as complete project authority

A contractor can still be outside the applicable scope or permit rules even after completing the state registration, classification, or other initial requirement.

Bidding outside the actual concrete scope

A classification, registration, or exemption must match the particular concrete scope and project facts; it is not blanket authority for unrelated or separately regulated work.

Study and Reference Materials

These references are cited in the Michigan sources for this guide or commonly used to prepare for concrete work; CLR receives no compensation for listing them.

  • Michigan M&A contractor license information — Michigan LARA. Use LARA’s current selected-trade, course, application, and renewal guidance.

Concrete Contractor Pay and Employment in Michigan

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 6,350 cement masons and concrete finishers work in Michigan, earning a median of $59,860 a year ($28.78 an hour). That is 5% above the national median of $57,020, ranking 22nd of 51 jurisdictions BLS published. The lowest-paid 10% earn under $43,860 and the top 10% earn over $75,650. The trade's share of Michigan's workforce is close to the national average (location quotient 1.09).

Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers wages, Michigan compared with the United States, May 2025
MeasureMichiganUnited States
Median annual wage$59,860$57,020
Median hourly wage$28.78$27.41
10th–90th percentile$43,860–$75,650$39,190–$85,480
Employment6,350206,170

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 47-2051 (Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers). Figures cover wage and salary employees and exclude self-employed owners.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Michigan have a dedicated standalone concrete license?

Not as a separate board-level trade license. Concrete work is handled through the Residential Maintenance & Alteration Contractor — Concrete Trade path inside the state’s broader contractor licensing system.

What is the main concrete classification or path in Michigan?

Michigan lists concrete as a trade on the Residential Maintenance & Alteration Contractor license, so the real question is whether the project falls inside that residential licensing system rather than a standalone concrete credential.

Why does the concrete page differ from a simple trade-license page in Michigan?

Because the state regulates concrete by classification, specialty, or scope within a larger contractor framework. The exact classification and project type matter more than the word "concrete" by itself.

Does the statewide route replace local concrete permits or approvals?

No. The statewide route described here is separate from the permit, inspection, zoning, right-of-way, and project-specific contractor requirements set by Michigan's permitting authority.

Primary Sources

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

  1. Michigan LARA — M&A contractor license information
  2. Michigan LARA — residential builder and M&A license fees
  3. PSI — Michigan Residential Builder and M&A Contractor candidate bulletin
  4. Michigan LARA — individual Residential Builder/M&A renewals

Verified 2026-09-08  · Next scheduled review 2026-12-07

Report a correction to this guide

Corrections and updates
  • : Cost, examination, and renewal details are now written for the M&A Concrete trade instead of being carried over from the masonry guide: $195 application, $150 renewal, $170 late renewal, and $185 relicensure fees (LARA fee schedule), and a $70 PSI examination with 105 questions and 135 minutes for Concrete (PSI Michigan candidate bulletin). The renewal step now describes the three-year cycle and its fee.

Layout changes shared by every guide are listed in the template change log; they do not change source-check dates.

Concrete Contractor Licensing in Neighboring States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Michigan's requirements against the bordering jurisdictions before committing to an application:

More guides for Michigan contractors

Other Michigan Trade Licenses

CLR also publishes these Michigan licensing guides for other trades: