NASCLA States: What States Accept the NASCLA Exam?
If you build in more than one state, the NASCLA exam is the shortest route to multiple contractor licenses. Pass it once and you can satisfy the trade-exam requirement in every participating jurisdiction, instead of sitting for a separate general contractor exam in each state you want to work in.
As of 2026, 17 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California (limited), Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia. Twenty separate licensing agencies participate, because several states run both a commercial board and a residential board.
Acceptance is not identical everywhere. Some boards use the NASCLA exam for commercial work only, some use it for residential licenses as well, and at least one state accepts it only under a narrow out-of-state waiver. This guide walks through the full list, how each type of state uses the exam, what you still have to take after it, and how to apply.
What the NASCLA exam is, and what it is not
The full name is the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors . It is a standardized, open-book trade examination developed by the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies and delivered at PSI Exams testing centers. Its job is to give participating states one common trade exam so a qualified contractor does not have to re-test the same competencies in every jurisdiction.
What it is not is a license. A passing score is a portable credential you submit to a state board. Each state still sets its own experience, financial statement, insurance, bonding and business-and-law requirements, and you still file a license application in every state where you intend to work.
NASCLA also accredits separate electrical examinations for master and unlimited electricians, journeyman electricians, and residential electrical contractors. Those programs have their own participating-agency lists, so a state that accepts the commercial general building exam does not automatically accept the electrical exams.
NASCLA states: the full list of participating agencies
The table below reflects NASCLA's current list of participating state agencies for the commercial general building exam. Alabama and South Carolina each appear twice, because a commercial board and a residential board both accept the exam.
| State / jurisdiction | Participating agency | How the exam is used |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Licensing Board for General Contractors; Home Builders Licensure Board | Accepted for commercial general contractor licensure and by the residential home builders board |
| Arizona | Registrar of Contractors | Offered as an option in place of the state trade examination for general commercial classifications |
| Arkansas | Contractors Licensing Board | Accepted as the trade exam for commercial contractor licensure |
| California | Contractors State License Board | Limited: B General Building trade exam may be waived for qualifying out-of-state applicants only |
| Florida | Construction Industry Licensing Board | Accepted in place of the Florida trade exam; Business and Finance plus Florida Building Code portions still required |
| Georgia | State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors | Accepted for both residential and general contractor licenses |
| Louisiana | State Licensing Board for Contractors | Accepted as the trade exam for commercial licensure |
| Mississippi | State Board of Contractors | Accepted as the trade exam for commercial licensure |
| Nevada | State Contractors Board | Accepted for general building classifications |
| New Mexico | Construction Industries Division | Accepted for general building classifications; joined in 2023 |
| North Carolina | Licensing Board for General Contractors | Accepted as the trade exam for both commercial and residential building contractor licensure |
| Oregon | Construction Contractors Board | Accepted as part of the board's licensing requirements |
| South Carolina | Contractors' Licensing Board; Residential Builders Commission | Accepted by both the commercial board and the residential board |
| Tennessee | Board for Licensing Contractors | Accepted for the commercial building contractor classification |
| Utah | Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing | Accepted as the trade exam; also bypasses the supervised experience requirement |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs | Accepted for general building contractor licensure |
| Virginia | Board for Contractors, DPOR | Accepted for commercial general contractor licensure |
| West Virginia | Contractors Licensing Board, Division of Labor | Accepted as the trade exam for contractor licensure |
How acceptance differs from state to state
Grouping the states by how they use the exam is more useful than memorizing the list. Three patterns cover almost every jurisdiction.
| How the state uses it | What that means for you | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial trade exam | Satisfies the trade requirement for a commercial general contractor license only | Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi |
| Commercial and residential | One exam covers both license tracks, sometimes across two separate boards | Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama |
| Waiver or credit | Used to waive a state exam or an experience requirement under specific conditions | California, Utah |
Commercial only, or commercial and residential
In Virginia, the exam is accepted for a commercial general contractor license. Tennessee works the same way, with one wrinkle worth knowing: a Tennessee commercial building contractor classification also covers residential construction of more than four units or greater than three stories in height, so the commercial route can reach work you might think of as residential.
North Carolina is broader. There the NASCLA exam is accepted as the trade exam for building contractor licensure covering both commercial and residential work — the details are in our guide to how to get a contractor's license in North Carolina . Georgia accepts it for both its residential and its general contractor licenses, and South Carolina splits the two across two boards that each participate.
California's limited acceptance
California is the newest and most misunderstood entry. The Contractors State License Board does not treat the NASCLA exam as a general substitute for its own test. Under the policy NASCLA lists as effective April 25, 2025, the California B General Building trade exam may be waived for an applicant who is applying from out of state, holds a license in good standing in that state for at least five years, and has passed the NASCLA Accredited Examination. A California resident still has to take the California state-specific trade examination.
Utah's experience credit
Utah normally requires documented supervised time on the job before you apply. Candidates who have already passed the NASCLA exam can bypass that supervisory training requirement, which makes the exam a schedule advantage rather than only a testing one.
When a license is actually required: value-of-work limits
Every NASCLA state sets a dollar value above which work must be performed by a licensed contractor. Those thresholds vary widely, and they determine how quickly a license stops being optional.
| State | License required above | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia | $2,500 | Almost any contracting work in the state requires a license |
| South Carolina | $5,000 | A general contractor license is needed for most residential, commercial and industrial projects above this value |
| North Carolina | $30,000 | Smaller jobs may fall below the limit, but the cap restricts what you can bid |
Georgia's limit is low enough that most contractors working in the state need a license from the start. North Carolina's is high enough that some smaller work falls below it, but staying under a threshold caps the size of job you can legally take.
You still need the state business and law exam
In most NASCLA states the accredited exam covers the trade portion only. A separate business and law exam, written for that state, is required before the board will issue a license. These exams are typically shorter and narrower than the NASCLA exam, but they are not automatic passes.
| State exam | Questions | Time limit | Passing score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia business and law | 50 | 120 minutes | 70% |
| Mississippi business and law | 50 | 200 minutes | 70% |
| North Carolina business and law | 40 | 90 minutes | 70% |
| Florida Business and Finance | 120 | 390 minutes | 70% |
Most state business and law exams test on the NASCLA business and law reference book published for that state. A few add state-specific material. North Carolina, for example, also draws on the 811 manual, the North Carolina Sedimentation Control guide and the North Carolina Sedimentation Pollution Control Act of 1973.
Florida's Business and Finance exam
Florida runs a different track. Instead of a short business and law exam, applicants take the Florida Business and Finance exam, reported at 120 questions over 390 minutes with a 70% passing score, scheduled through Pearson VUE rather than PSI once your application is approved by Professional Testing, Inc. Full details are on the Florida DBPR construction examinations page . It draws on roughly six references, including the Builder's Guide to Accounting, the Contractors Manual, Florida Statutes Chapter 455, AIA A201 General Conditions of the Contract for Construction and AIA A701 Instructions to Bidders. Florida also requires a Florida Building Code portion alongside the accepted NASCLA trade exam.
Studying for the exam that unlocks 17 states?
Our online NASCLA prep course walks you through every reference book, section by section, with timed practice questions.
Why contractors take the NASCLA exam
Portability
One passing score can be sent to any participating board. For a contractor expanding across the Southeast, that replaces four or five separate general contractor exams with a single sitting.
Cost and time savings
Each state exam carries its own application fee, its own reference list and its own study cycle. Consolidating the trade portion removes most of that duplication, leaving only the state business and law exam to prepare for in each new jurisdiction.
Consistency across markets
Because every participating state is measuring against the same standard, boards can trust the credential and contractors can move between markets without relearning how competency is assessed. That consistency is the reason the list has kept growing, with New Mexico joining in 2023 and further agencies added since.
How to apply for the NASCLA exam
Applications are handled by NASCLA directly, not by the state board. The process is straightforward once you know the order of operations.
Your application checklist
- Confirm your state board accepts the NASCLA exam for the exact license classification you want
- Apply through NASCLA's National Examination Database at ned.nascla.org and pay the $65 application fee
- Allow about 7 business days for processing; an approved application is valid for one year and allows up to three exam attempts
- Download the current PSI candidate information bulletin and buy the exact NASCLA general contractor reference book editions listed
- Tab and highlight your reference books before test day, then take timed practice exams
- Schedule and sit the exam at a PSI testing center
- Send your transcript from NED to each participating board you are applying to
- Register for your state's business and law exam and file your license application
Frequently asked questions
How many states accept the NASCLA exam?
As of 2026, 17 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands accept the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors. Twenty separate licensing agencies participate, because Alabama and South Carolina each have two boards that accept it.
Does California accept the NASCLA exam?
Only in a limited way. Under the policy NASCLA lists as effective April 25, 2025, the California B General Building trade exam may be waived for an applicant applying from out of state who has held a license in good standing there for at least five years and has passed the NASCLA exam. California residents must still take the state-specific trade exam.
Does passing the NASCLA exam give me a contractor license?
No. It satisfies the trade-examination requirement in participating states. You still submit a license application to each state board and meet its experience, financial, insurance and bonding requirements.
Do I still have to take a business and law exam?
In most NASCLA states, yes. The accredited exam covers the trade portion, and the state adds its own business and law exam. Florida is the notable variation, requiring a Business and Finance exam plus a Florida Building Code portion.
Is the NASCLA exam open book?
Yes. You bring the approved reference books listed in the PSI candidate information bulletin. The exam is strictly timed, and you cannot tab or highlight your books inside the testing center, so prepare them beforehand.
How do I apply, and what does it cost?
You apply through NASCLA's National Examination Database at ned.nascla.org with a $65 application fee. Applications are typically processed within seven business days, and an approved application is good for one year with up to three attempts.
Does a NASCLA exam score expire?
The score itself does not expire, but individual states may require that the exam was passed within a certain window when it is submitted with an application. Confirm the time limit with the board you are applying to.
Can the NASCLA exam be used for a residential license?
In several states, yes. Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama all have residential pathways that accept it, though in some states a separate residential board issues the license. Elsewhere it applies to commercial licensure only.
The bottom line
The NASCLA states have built something unusual in construction licensing: a single credential that travels. Seventeen states and the U.S. Virgin Islands now accept the accredited exam, and the list has grown steadily rather than shrunk. For a contractor who works near a state line, chases commercial projects across a region, or plans to expand, that one exam removes the largest repeated obstacle to getting licensed.
Start by confirming how your state accepts the NASCLA exam and which board issues the license you want. Then prepare properly for the trade exam, and plan for the business and law exam that follows it. Handled in that order, multi-state licensing becomes a sequence of manageable steps instead of a maze.