New Mexico General Contractor License Requirements (2026)

New Mexico licenses general building contractors statewide through the Regulation and Licensing Department’s Construction Industries Division (CID). A GB-98 license is a business license and must have a CID-certified qualifying party (QP) for the classification. GB-98 covers residential and commercial buildings and includes work authorized by GB-2, GF-5, GF-7, and GS classifications; it is not a substitute for the separate GA, GF, electrical, mechanical, or plumbing classifications.

Regulatory Body

This license is issued and enforced by New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department — Construction Industries Division (CID) pursuant to NMSA 1978 Chapter 60 Article 13 (Construction Industries Licensing Act); NMAC Title 14 Chapter 6. CID licenses construction contractors and tradespeople statewide through its General Construction Bureau, Electrical Bureau, and Mechanical Bureau, enforces adopted building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical codes, and conducts inspections and disciplinary proceedings.

Official portal: https://www.rld.nm.gov/construction/
Address: 2550 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505
Phone: (505) 476-4700

Eligibility Requirements

This guide does not establish a minimum applicant age; confirm any age requirement with the issuing authority. Applicants must provide a Social Security Number. CID’s current materials do not state a New Mexico residency requirement. The licensee must provide New Mexico Taxation and Revenue registration and, for applicable entity types, New Mexico Secretary of State registration.

Good moral character

CID may deny or renew a license or certificate based on listed disqualifying felony convictions or conduct that violates the Construction Industries Licensing Act or its rules; mitigation or rehabilitation information may be submitted for reconsideration.

Background investigation

The current QP application asks about specified licensing, compliance, complaint, and disqualifying-felony history. CID’s standard materials do not list a routine fingerprint submission for this license.

Experience and Education

Eligibility requires four years (8,000 hours) of foreman-level practical or related-trade experience for the GB-98 qualifying party, including at least two years of commercial experience; qualifying experience must be from the 10 years immediately before application, documented and independently verifiable. Payroll, tax, project, and supervisor records are the usual proof the board will accept.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

CID/PSI Qualifying Party Certificate Application
General Building Work Verification affidavit for each employer, verifier, license, or time period
Supporting proof of the verifier’s position or license, and an out-of-state verifier’s current license where applicable

Education substitution

CID/PSI may credit accredited technical training at one-half year of experience for each year of training, up to one-half of the total experience requirement. Submit transcripts with the work-verification packet.

Exam Requirements

Testing provider or authority: PSI Services LLC (under contract to CID). 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:

GB-98 Part 1 / GB-2 residential building examination — 80 questions, 225 minutes, passing score 75%
GB-98 Part 2 general building examination — 100 questions, 310 minutes, passing score 75%
New Mexico Contractor Business and Law examination (or CID-approved Business and Law course) — 50 questions, 130 minutes, passing score 75%

Examination fee: $269.06 for the two-part GB-98 exam and $68.88 for the Business and Law exam (PSI bulletin updated April 3, 2026).

Retake policy: Applicants must be preapproved. Eligibility to test lasts six months; passing scores remain valid for one year. For these exams, no more than two attempts are allowed in a 30-day period; after two failures, wait 30 days from the first attempt before testing again.

Insurance and Bonds

Licensure is conditioned on filing a $10,000 contractor license surety bond with the CID.

General liability

CID’s current contractor application identifies the required proof of financial responsibility as the statutory code bond; it does not state a statewide general-liability minimum. Project owners or public contracts can impose separate insurance terms.

Workers' compensation

CID/PSI states that workers’ compensation insurance is required of licensees. A sole proprietor with no employees may be exempt; confirm coverage status with the New Mexico Workers’ Compensation Administration.

Fee Schedule

Fee	Amount
Application	$30
Examination	$338
Initial license	$306
Renewal (every 3 years)	$300

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 New Mexico general contractor.

Renewal and Continuing Education

Expect to renew the New Mexico GB-98 General Building Contractor every 3 years. Renewal currently costs $300. Renew through PSI with the applicable renewal fee and a new bond or continuation certificate that covers the entire new three-year term.

Continuing education: CID states that the General Building Bureau has no continuing-education requirement for contractors.

Downloadable Asset

2026 New Mexico General Contractor License Roadmap (PDF) — a printable step-by-step checklist for the application process.

Download the PDF roadmap →

Reciprocity

The NASCLA Accredited Examination is accepted by New Mexico for this classification.

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

CID/PSI’s current NASCLA waiver applies to GB-98 and EE-98 qualifying-party applicants only. The applicant must have used the NASCLA score to obtain a license in another state and held that license for at least one year; CID must approve the transcript. The waiver removes only the trade exam, not experience, application, or Business and Law requirements.

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 Neighboring States

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

Arizona General Contractor License Requirements — Arizona General Contractor (B, B-1, B-2, B-3, KA, KB-1, or KB-2)
Colorado General Contractor License Requirements — Colorado General Contractor Requirements — Local Jurisdictions
Oklahoma General Contractor License Requirements — Oklahoma General Contractor (Municipal Registration — No State License)
Texas General Contractor License Requirements — Texas General Contractor — No State License (Local Registration Only)
Utah General Contractor License Requirements — Utah General Contractor — B100 or R100

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

Choose the right classification. Use GB-98 for general residential and commercial building work. GB-2 is residential-only; GA-98 is the separate asphalt, bitumen, and concrete classification.
Establish a qualifying party. The business needs a QP certified for GB-98. Submit the notarized QP application and work-verification affidavits before scheduling exams.
Document qualifying experience. Document 8,000 hours in the most recent 10 years, with two years of commercial experience. Use separate affidavits for each verifier, license, or time period.
Pass the required examinations. Pass both GB-98 parts and either the PSI Business and Law exam or an approved Business and Law course. PSI must preapprove testing.
Prepare the company application. Submit the notarized contractor application, QP scores or certificate, $10,000 code bond, New Mexico tax registration, and entity registration when applicable.
Maintain the three-year license. Keep the bond in force for the full term and renew with PSI before expiration. General Building contractors have no CID continuing-education requirement.

Application Checklist

The items below are the ones worth confirming before the application is filed with CID:

GB-98 qualifying party with four years / 8,000 hours of qualifying experience, including two years commercial
Notarized QP application and General Building Work Verification affidavit(s)
Passing reports for both GB-98 exam parts and Business and Law exam, or an approved Business and Law course certificate
Notarized contractor license application
$10,000 CID code bond in the business’s exact licensed name
Current New Mexico Taxation and Revenue registration and, when applicable, Secretary of State registration

Common Filing Mistakes

Working from the cited board instructions, here are the snags most likely to trip up a New Mexico General Contractor filing.

Weak experience documentation

CID/PSI requires detailed, notarized affidavits. Experience outside the latest 10 years is not accepted, and generalized project-management descriptions are insufficient.

Using the wrong classification

GB-98 does not replace GA, GF, electrical, mechanical, or plumbing classifications. Request a CID classification determination if the scope is uncertain.

Confusing classifications

The NASCLA option is a CID-approved trade-exam waiver for eligible QPs, not automatic contractor-license reciprocity.

Missing the bond

The company’s code bond must be in the exact licensed name and cover the complete three-year term.

Letting the license lapse

A contractor license is suspended at expiration and cancelled after 90 days if it is not renewed.

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.

2021 New Mexico Residential Building Code and 2021 IRC — CID / International Code Council. PSI lists these for the GB-98 Part 1 / GB-2 portion.
2021 New Mexico Commercial Building Code and 2021 IBC — CID / International Code Council. PSI lists these for GB-98 Part 2.
NMSA 1978 Chapter 60 Article 13 and 14.6 NMAC — State of New Mexico. Licensing law and rules for the Business and Law exam.

Other New Mexico Trade Licenses

If the General Contractor license is not the right fit, the following published New Mexico trade guides are also covered by CLR:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between GB-98, GB-2, and GA-98?

GB-98 is the broad general-building classification for residential and commercial buildings. GB-2 is residential building. GA-98 is not a general-building license: it is the asphalt, bitumen, and concrete classification.

Does New Mexico accept the NASCLA exam?

CID may approve a NASCLA trade-exam waiver for an eligible GB-98 qualifying party. It is not automatic and does not waive the experience review or Business and Law requirement.

What bond does New Mexico require?

The Construction Industries Licensing Act requires a $10,000 corporate-surety bond as proof of responsibility. The current CID/PSI application calls it a code bond and requires it to cover the full three-year license term.

How long is the New Mexico contractor license valid?

Every three years, on the last day of the month of issuance. A license not renewed by expiration is suspended and is cancelled after 90 days.

Does a GB-98 license need a qualifying party?

Yes. CID issues the contractor license to the business entity, and each classification on the license must have a certified qualifying party.

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

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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.