North Dakota Masonry License Requirements

North Dakota does not list a separate masonry trade license, but a Secretary of State contractor license is required when the cost, value, or price of a construction job exceeds $4,000. The requirement includes subcontractors, public contractors, and nonresident contractors. Select the class by the value of one project: D up to $100,000, C up to $300,000, B up to $500,000, and A over $500,000. The SOS materials list no masonry exam; they require liability insurance and the applicable WSI verification.

Regulatory Body

Licensing for this trade is governed by North Dakota Secretary of State — Contractor Licensing (ND SOS), the agency that issues and regulates the credential under North Dakota Century Code chapter 43-07. Issues and renews statewide contractor licenses through FirstStop.

Official portal: https://www.sos.nd.gov/business/licensing-registration/contractors
Address: 600 E Boulevard Ave, Dept 108, Bismarck, ND 58505
Phone: (701) 328-2900

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Applicants must provide a Social Security Number. No North Dakota residency requirement; out-of-state entities must register with the ND Secretary of State.

Good moral character

The registrar may deny or discipline based on statutory eligibility grounds, including convictions directly bearing on ability to serve the public; rehabilitation rules apply.

Background investigation

The registrar may require criminal-history information if appropriate or necessary; it is not listed as a routine initial document on the SOS page.

Experience and Education

The cited source set does not publish a fixed year-based experience threshold for this credential. The controlling requirement is No minimum years or masonry-school requirement is listed. The application requires a signed statement of experience and qualifications..

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

Signed statement of experience and qualifications in the SOS application
Certificate of liability insurance in the contractor-license applicant name
Current WSI certificate of payment or, where applicable, a WSI letter of good standing

Exam Requirements

No statewide examination is specified for this pathway. The controlling process is: No state masonry examination is listed for the contractor license.

Examination fee: No state examination fee. Initial license fees are Class A $450, B $300, C $225, and D $100.

Insurance and Bonds

There is no statewide surety bond tied to this credential in the cited record. Bonding can still surface at the project level — permit, license, or public-works bonds — so check before you bid.

General liability

A certificate of liability insurance is required with the application, in the same name as the requested contractor license and naming the Secretary of State as certificate holder. The reviewed SOS materials do not state a fixed liability-limit amount.

Workers' compensation

Applicants with North Dakota-resident employees need a current WSI certificate of payment. An applicant without those employees and without significant North Dakota contacts must provide a WSI letter of good standing under the SOS instructions.

Additional financial requirements

The reviewed SOS contractor-license application information does not list a financial-statement submission.

Fee Schedule

Fee	Amount
Application	$100
Initial license	No separate amount recorded; confirm in the fee guidance
Renewal (every year)	$30

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 North Dakota masonry.

Renewal and Continuing Education

The North Dakota Contractor License (Masonry) runs on a year renewal cycle. The current renewal fee is $30. Renew on or before March 1. Class renewal fees are A $90, B $60, C $45, and D $30; a late renewal has a $50 penalty before the statutory final deadline.

Continuing education: No continuing-education requirement is listed on the reviewed SOS contractor page.

Downloadable Asset

2026 North Dakota Masonry License Roadmap (PDF) — a printable step-by-step checklist for the application process.

Download the PDF roadmap →

Reciprocity

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

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

The SOS page includes nonresident contractors in the $4,000 licensing requirement and does not identify a masonry reciprocity or NASCLA pathway.

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 Neighboring States

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

Minnesota Masonry License Requirements — Minnesota Residential Building Contractor or Residential Remodeler License
Montana Masonry License Requirements — Montana Construction Contractor License (Masonry)
South Dakota Masonry License Requirements — South Dakota Contractor’s Excise Tax License (Masonry)

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

Confirm the $4,000 threshold. A contractor license is required when the cost, value, or price of the construction job exceeds $4,000, including for subcontractors and nonresident contractors.
Choose the single-project class. Class D is up to $100,000, C up to $300,000, B up to $500,000, and A is over $500,000.
Complete any business registration. Sole proprietors may need a trade name; general partnerships may need a fictitious-partnership name; other entities must register with the Secretary of State.
Get application documents. Provide liability insurance in the applicant name, naming the Secretary of State as certificate holder, and the applicable WSI verification.
Apply through FirstStop. Submit the contractor license application, signed experience-and-qualifications statement, required documents, and initial class fee.
Renew by March 1. Renew through FirstStop with the project list for completed work over $50,000, insurance certificate, premium/tax certification, and the class renewal fee.

Application Checklist

Have each of the following squared away before the packet goes to ND SOS:

North Dakota Secretary of State entity registration
Initial class fee: A $450, B $300, C $225, or D $100
Liability-insurance certificate in applicant name naming SOS as certificate holder
Current WSI certificate of payment or applicable WSI letter of good standing
Project-specific permits and specialty-trade licenses where required

Common Filing Mistakes

These are the recurring mistakes that most often delay or reject a North Dakota Masonry application, based on the official instructions cited here.

Wrong license class

The class limits apply to the value of a single contract project. Choose a class that covers the actual project value before contracting.

Using the wrong insurance certificate name

The liability-insurance certificate must be in the same name requested for the contractor license and name the Secretary of State as certificate holder.

Missing WSI verification

The SOS instructions distinguish the WSI certificate of payment for applicants with North Dakota-resident employees from the stated WSI letter-of-good-standing situation.

Missing March 1 renewal

A contractor that misses March 1 is not in good standing and is deemed unlicensed; the statute provides a limited late-renewal period with a $50 penalty.

Skipping project approvals

The contractor license does not replace permits or specialized credentials required for the specific work.

Study and Reference Materials

These materials are drawn from the regulator's own citations and the references applicants commonly use to prepare. CLR receives no compensation for listing them.

North Dakota Secretary of State — Contractors — North Dakota Secretary of State. Current FirstStop application, document, fee, and renewal instructions.
North Dakota Century Code chapter 43-07 — North Dakota Legislature. Primary contractor threshold, class, fee, renewal, and enforcement statute.

Other North Dakota Trade Licenses

Looking at a different trade? CLR also publishes these North Dakota licensing guides:

Frequently Asked Questions

Does North Dakota license masonry as a trade?

The state does not list a separate masonry classification or examination. A contractor license is required for covered construction jobs above $4,000.

What triggers the license requirement?

Performing construction work valued at $4,000 or more triggers mandatory licensing under N.D.C.C. §43-07-02.

What are the four classes?

Class D (≤$100K), Class C (≤$300K), Class B (≤$500K), Class A (unlimited). Set by anticipated project value.

What insurance is needed?

The application requires a liability-insurance certificate in the applicant name naming the Secretary of State as certificate holder, plus the applicable WSI verification. The reviewed SOS materials do not specify fixed liability limits.

When does the license renew?

Renew on or before March 1. Fees are A $90, B $60, C $45, and D $30, with current insurance and the listed certifications.

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.