How to become a general contractor in Alaska

Licensing office Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing (Construction Contractors) · (907) 465-2050 [3]

The license pathway in Alaska

1. 1

   Construction worker or apprentice (no state license)

   Registration applies to contractors, which state law defines as people who build or remodel "in the pursuit of an independent business." Carpentry and general construction workers have no state worker certificate; electrical and plumbing work need a certificate of fitness from the Department of Labor. [1][8]

2. 2

   Handyman Contractor

   • $100 application + $250 registration
   • Every 2 years, $250

   For projects with an aggregate contract of $10,000 or less, including labor and materials. Handyman contractors can't do work that requires an electrical or mechanical administrator or a residential endorsement. The bond is $5,000. [1][2][3][5]

3. 3

   Specialty Contractor

   • $100 application + $250 registration
   • Every 2 years, $250

   For businesses that use no more than three trades, such as roofing, drywall or concrete. Electrical contractors are specialty contractors that also need an electrical administrator. The bond is $10,000. [1][2][3][5]

4. 4

   General Contractor

   • $100 application + $250 registration
   • Every 2 years, $250

   For businesses that use more than three trades or supervise mechanical or specialty subcontractors. No experience or exam; you need a $25,000 bond, liability insurance and workers' compensation if required. [1][2][3][5]

5. 5

   Residential Contractor Endorsement

   • 16-hour cold climate course (Alaska Craftsman Home Program or equivalent, or a postsecondary arctic engineering course) within the past 2 years
   • Yes: residential contractor endorsement exam through PSI, 70% to pass; results valid 1 year
   • $100 application + $250 endorsement
   • Every 2 years, $250; 16 contact hours of continuing competency

   Needed by a general contractor to build privately owned homes of one to four units, or to alter one when the work is worth more than 25% of the structure's value. The endorsement is held by a person and assigned to a registered general contractor. [1][2][3][4][5]

Who must register

State law says a person "may not submit a bid or work as a contractor" without a certificate of registration. A contractor is someone who, in an independent business, builds, alters, repairs, moves or demolishes buildings, roads or other fixed structures, including excavation and site work.

Exemptions include working on an existing structure on your own property, owners who hire a registered contractor, and owner-builders who build one home, duplex, triplex, four-plex or commercial building every two years. Owner-builders who sell during construction or within two years must file a notice with the state. [1]

Registration classes

• General contractor: uses more than three trades or supervises mechanical or specialty subcontractors; $25,000 bond.
• Residential contractor: a general contractor with a residential endorsement; $20,000 bond if it does only residential work.
• Specialty contractor: no more than three trades; $10,000 bond.
• Mechanical contractor: plumbing, heating and similar work; needs a mechanical administrator; $10,000 bond.
• Handyman contractor: projects of $10,000 or less; $5,000 bond.

Electrical contractors register as specialty contractors and need a licensed electrical administrator. For the trades themselves, see the Alaska electrician, plumber and HVAC pages. [1][2][3]

The residential contractor endorsement

A general contractor may not build, or bid to build, a privately owned home of one to four units, or alter one when the work is worth more than 25% of the structure's value, without a residential contractor endorsement.

To get it, you complete a 16-hour cold climate course (the Alaska Craftsman Home Program or an equivalent, or a postsecondary arctic engineering course) within two years before applying, and score at least 70% on the residential contractor endorsement exam given by PSI. You don't need state approval to schedule the exam, and results are valid for one year. The endorsement costs $100 to apply plus $250, and is assigned to a registered general contractor: the sole proprietor, a partner, or an employee, officer or member of the company.

To renew, you need 16 contact hours of continuing competency activities (fewer on a first renewal: 8 for each full calendar year you held the endorsement), with no more than 8 hours on business topics. [1][2][3][4][5]

Bond, insurance and fees

Bonds run from $5,000 (handyman) to $25,000 (general). You can file a cash deposit instead of a surety bond. Liability insurance must cover at least $20,000 for property damage, $50,000 for injury to one person and $100,000 for injury to more than one person; contractors whose projects are each $2,500 or less are exempt from the liability requirement. Workers' compensation is required to the extent state law requires it.

Fees are a $100 nonrefundable application fee and $250 for the two-year registration, renewable for $250. [1][5]

Getting started in construction in Alaska

Most contractors start as workers. The state's apprenticeship office says registered apprenticeships are paid jobs that combine on-the-job learning with classroom instruction, and that they exist in union and non-union workplaces. Carpenter and piledriver are among Alaska's apprenticeship occupations.

Find programs through the state's apprenticeship page or a Job Center. See also how to get an apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. [6][7]

Steps to get licensed in Alaska

1. Learn the work

   Get hired by a registered contractor or join a registered apprenticeship; find programs through the state's apprenticeship page. [1][7]

2. Choose your registration class

   Handyman for projects of $10,000 or less, specialty for up to three trades, or general for more. Building or substantially remodeling homes of one to four units also needs a residential endorsement. [1][3]

3. Get your bond and insurance

   File a surety bond ($5,000 to $25,000 depending on class) and proof of liability insurance and, if required, workers' compensation. [1][2]

4. Apply and pay

   Apply to the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing and pay $100 to apply plus $250 for the two-year registration. [2][3][5]

5. Add a residential endorsement if you'll build homes

   Take the 16-hour cold climate course, pass the PSI residential contractor exam with 70%, and apply within 12 months of the exam. [1][2][3][4]

Where to get the hours

Programs that train general contractors in or for Alaska, from their own official pages. Listed by type, not ranked.

• State program

  Registered apprenticeship programs in Alaska (Apprenticeship Finder)

  The state points job seekers to the U.S. Department of Labor's Apprenticeship Finder for Alaska programs and sponsors, union and non-union, including carpenter programs, and to Job Centers for help. [6][7]

• Other

  Alaska Works Partnership pre-apprenticeship training

  Free hands-on construction training, much of it open to students 16 and up, with offices in Anchorage, Mat-Su and Fairbanks. The state's apprenticeship page links to Alaska Works Partnership. [7][9]

• State program

  Statewide Apprenticeship Office (Alaska Workforce Investment Board)

  Helps people find registered apprenticeships and helps employers start them. [6][10]

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