Last verified against the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board and the City of Columbus on 19 October 2026. Bond and insurance coverage content reviewed by Tyler Williamson, Licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Agent, North Carolina.
Ohio has no statewide general contractor licence. The state licenses five commercial trades: electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics and refrigeration. Everyone else, including general and residential contractors, is licensed or registered by the city or county where the work is done. So the honest answer to “how do I get an Ohio contractor licence” is that it depends on your trade and your town.
That is why so much published guidance on Ohio is confusing. Figures quoted as Ohio requirements, such as a $25,000 bond, turn out to be one city’s rules. This page separates what the state requires from what your local building department does.
Comparing states? See how to become a general contractor, our side-by-side of the requirements in every state we cover.
Do you need an Ohio contractor license?
Two questions decide it.
Is your work one of the five state-licensed trades, on commercial projects? If you are an electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics or refrigeration contractor doing commercial work, you need a state licence from the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB). Ohio law requires local building and health departments that run a registration to see that state licence before they will issue you a commercial permit.
Everything else is local. The Board says so directly: all local building and health departments regulate residential contractors, and general contractors are licensed by the jurisdiction where the project sits. Your city may require a registration, a licence, a bond, insurance or an exam. It may also require the state trade licence for residential work, which Ohio law allows it to do.
The practical step for a general or residential contractor is to call the building department of each city or county you plan to work in. Rules differ from one to the next, and working in several towns can mean several registrations. That is the opposite of Georgia, where one state licence covers the whole state and cities cannot add licensing of their own.
The five state-licensed trades
| Trade | Licensed by | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical | OCILB | Commercial work |
| HVAC | OCILB | Commercial work |
| Plumbing | OCILB | Commercial work |
| Hydronics | OCILB | Commercial work |
| Refrigeration | OCILB | Commercial work |
| General, residential, remodeling, roofing and other trades | Your city or county | Varies by jurisdiction |
The state licences are also called Master Licenses. For residential work in these five trades, your local department decides whether it wants the state licence, its own credential, or both.
Requirements for an OCILB licence
To sit the exam for one of the five trades, the Board’s application requires that you:
- Are at least 18 years of age
- Are a U.S. citizen or legal alien, with proof
- Have worked as a tradesperson in that trade for at least five years immediately before applying
- Have never been convicted of a disqualifying offence as defined in Senate Bill 337
Two routes replace the five years of trade work: being a registered professional engineer in Ohio with three years of construction business experience in the trade, or five years as an Ohio government inspector in the trade.
Proving the five years
This is where applications succeed or fail, because the Board wants documents, not a description. You send your last five consecutive years of tax documents, meaning W-2s or Schedule C from Form 1040, plus one of these:
- At least one permit for each of the last five years, pulled by the licensed contractor you worked under
- An active journeyman’s card in the trade
- A certificate of completion from an apprenticeship approved by Ohio or the U.S. Department of Labor
- Proof of 40 hours of code continuing education in the trade from an OCILB-approved training agency, live or virtual; self-guided courses do not count
One detail catches people out: permits for sewer service, water service, gas service and drain cleaning do not count towards the permit option. Veterans can apply with their DD214 and training records instead.
Exam, background check and getting the licence
- Apply for one trade with a $25 fee payable to “Treasurer, State of Ohio”. Each application covers a single trade.
- Wait for Board review. Each trade section meets every other month, and applications are due two weeks before the meeting. Miss the deadline and you wait for the next one, so time your filing around the Board’s published calendar.
- Get a BCI and FBI background check once you are approved, before you sit the exam. Board approval is valid for one year.
- Sit the PSI exam. It is computer-based, by appointment, at sites across Ohio. You must pass both sections.
- Send for the licence: your exam results, a second $25 check, and proof of at least $500,000 contractor liability insurance.
The licence and the insurance must both be assigned to a contracting company as defined in Ohio Revised Code 4740.01. The licence belongs to an individual, but it works through a business.
What the state licence costs
Ohio’s board fees are among the lowest anywhere: $25 to apply and $25 to issue, so $50 for one trade. Compare that with $450 to apply in California, or $900 for two years in Nevada, in our breakdown of how much a contractor license costs.
The fee is not the real cost. The $500,000 liability insurance minimum is, and it is higher than most states set. Washington, for comparison, asks for $250,000 combined. The premium depends on your trade, payroll, revenue and claims history, so get quotes before you budget. Local registrations add their own fees, bonds and insurance on top.
General and residential contractors: an example from Columbus
Because general contracting is local, the only way to show what it involves is with a real city. Columbus licenses contractors through its Department of Building and Zoning Services under City Code Chapter 4114, and it runs several separate credentials:
| Columbus credential | Covers | Notable requirement |
|---|---|---|
| General Contractor | New commercial and multi-family construction and alterations | $25,000 bond and liability insurance naming the city as certificate holder |
| Home Improvement General Contractor | Existing one-, two- and three-family homes | Pass the 767 Ohio Home Improvement Contractor exam at 70% or higher |
| Home Improvement Limited Contractor | Specialty residential trades such as roofing, decks and fencing | Approved by the city’s board |
| OCILB Contractor | Electrical, HVAC, refrigeration, hydronics, plumbing | Must hold the state licence first |
Columbus publishes its fees in a separate schedule rather than on that page, and exam scores are valid for one year.
This is where the confusing figures come from. The $25,000 bond that appears in several guides as an Ohio requirement is Columbus’s requirement for its general contractor licence. Ohio itself sets no general contractor bond, because it issues no general contractor licence. Another city may ask for a different bond, or none. Check the rules where you will actually work, and read our guide to contractor license bonds by state for how this compares elsewhere.
Is there an Ohio handyman licence?
Not from the state. Handyman work is general or residential work, which Ohio leaves to local departments, so whether a handyman needs a licence or registration depends entirely on the city. In Columbus, for example, work on existing homes falls under the Home Improvement credentials above. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC work is a different matter: on commercial jobs it needs the state licence regardless of size, and many cities require a licensed contractor for it on homes too.
Step by step
If you are in one of the five state-licensed trades:
- Collect five consecutive years of W-2s or Schedule C, and choose your second proof: permits, journeyman card, apprenticeship certificate or 40 hours of code CE.
- File the OCILB examination application with $25, at least two weeks before your trade’s Board meeting.
- Once approved, complete the BCI and FBI background check.
- Pass both sections of the PSI exam.
- Buy at least $500,000 of contractor liability insurance in your contracting company’s name.
- Send the exam results, insurance certificate and a second $25 to the state.
- Register with each local department where you will pull permits.
If you are a general, residential or other contractor:
- List the cities and counties you plan to work in.
- Check each building department’s contractor licensing or registration rules.
- Meet each one’s bond, insurance and exam requirements; in Columbus, home improvement work means the 767 exam.
- Get general liability insurance whether or not your city requires it. Clients and general contractors will ask for a certificate.
Frequently asked questions
Does Ohio have a state contractor license?
Only for five commercial trades: electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics and refrigeration, issued by the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board. There is no statewide general contractor licence; general and residential contractors are licensed or registered locally.
How do I get a general contractor license in Ohio?
Through the city or county where you work, not the state. Requirements vary. Columbus, for example, requires a $25,000 bond and liability insurance for its general contractor licence, and the 767 Ohio Home Improvement Contractor exam for home improvement work.
How much is an Ohio contractor license?
The state trade licence costs $25 to apply and $25 to issue. You also need at least $500,000 of liability insurance. Local licences and registrations carry their own fees, which each city publishes.
What is the 767 exam in Ohio?
The Ohio Home Improvement Contractor exam. It is a local requirement, not a state one. Columbus, for instance, requires a score of 70% or higher for its Home Improvement General Contractor licence.
How many years of experience do you need for an Ohio contractor license?
For an OCILB trade licence, five years as a tradesperson in that trade immediately before applying, proven with tax documents plus permits, a journeyman card, an apprenticeship certificate or 40 hours of code education. Engineers need three years of construction business experience; government inspectors need five years in the trade.
Sources
- Ohio Department of Commerce, Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board: board overview, board meeting and application calendar
- OCILB Examination Application (DIC 3524)
- City of Columbus, Department of Building and Zoning Services: contractor licenses (City Code Chapter 4114)
Verified against OCILB and the City of Columbus on 19 October 2026. Licensing rules change, and local requirements differ between cities; confirm with the Board and your local building department before you apply. This page is research, not legal advice.
