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General contractor · State license

Do you need a general contractor license in Delaware?

State law and licensing-board sources · Last reviewed October 11, 2026

Delaware has no exam-based general contractor license. Instead, every contractor doing business in the state, general contractor or subcontractor, resident or not, must get a contractor business license from the Division of Revenue. It costs $75 a year plus a license fee on gross receipts, and you need workers' compensation insurance and a Department of Labor notice certificate first. Trade work is separate: plumbing, HVAC and electrical work need licenses from the Division of Professional Regulation. [1][2][3][4][5]

New to the trade?

Starting from zero in Delaware

You don't need any state license to work on a Delaware construction crew. Most people start as a laborer or carpenter's helper, or as a registered apprentice with a construction employer. The contractor license only matters later, when you run your own contracting business. [3][8][9][13]

  • High school diploma or GED

    No state rule: the contractor license is a business license with no education requirement, and the Department of Labor's listed requirements for a registered apprentice are age 16 and a job with a registered sponsor. The union carpenters' schools (EASCTC) say no minimum grade point average, class rank, training or experience is required to apply, though you may be asked to upload transcripts. Polytech Adult Education says a diploma isn't required for all of its programs but is highly recommended. [3][8][12][14]

  • Minimum age

    16 for a registered apprenticeship in Delaware. The carpenters' apprenticeship requires age 18 and a valid driver's license. [8][13]

  • Register before you work?

    Not as an employee. The Division of Revenue license is for people and companies in the business of contracting You get it before or when you sign a contract. [2][3]

  • Applying to the carpenters

    The Eastern Atlantic States Carpenters Technical Centers have two Delaware sites, New Castle and Georgetown. You must first register for an information session (you go on a waitlist), then complete the application and a personal interview A sample test is on the applicant resources page. [10][15]

  • Pay while you learn

    Carpenter apprentices are paid a wage from the first day they're hired by a contractor and complete 4,000 to 8,000 hours of on-the-job training. Delaware's apprenticeship rules require registered apprentices' pay to start at least at minimum wage and rise to at least 85% of the journeyperson rate. [8][16]

  • Credit for prior training

    Delaware's apprenticeship rules allow up to 25% credit on on-the-job hours for prior experience or training. [16]

  • Still in high school?

    Registered apprenticeship starts at 16, and the Department of Labor says graduates of Delaware's six vo-tech high schools may apply to skip the first year of apprenticeship classes. Polytech lets apprenticeship students enroll at 16 with a parent's approval. The Delaware Department of Education's career and technical education (CTE) programs let high school students earn early college credit, industry credentials and work experience, and its Delaware Pathways site describes the career pathways Executive Order #1 (January 2025) told state agencies to prioritize youth apprenticeships. [12][13][14][17][18][19]

Where to apply in DelawareHow to get an apprenticeshipHelper jobs

Licensing office Delaware Division of Revenue (contractor business license) · (302) 577-8780 [1]

Delaware contractor license at a glance

State general contractor license
None with an exam or experience requirement A Division of Revenue contractor business license instead [1][3]
Who needs the contractor license
Anyone in the business of construction, alteration, repair or demolition of structures, general or subcontractor, resident or nonresident [1][2]
Fee
$75 a year, plus a license fee on gross receipts Filed monthly, or quarterly for smaller contractors [3]
Before the license is issued
Workers' compensation insurance certificate, a Department of Labor certificate of notice, and (for nonresidents) the bond rules of 30 Del. C. § 375 [1][3]
Trade licenses
Master plumber, master HVACR and electrician licenses come from the Division of Professional Regulation [4][5]
On this page
  1. At a glance
  2. Starting from zero
  3. The license pathway
  4. The contractor business license
  5. What you need first
  6. Trade work needs its own license
  7. County licenses: New Castle County
  8. Steps to get licensed
  9. Where to get the hours
  10. Licensed in another state?
  11. Questions people ask

The license pathway in Delaware

  1. 1

    Crew member, helper or apprentice

    No state license is needed to work on a construction crew. Carpentry apprenticeships train you through 4,000 to 8,000 hours of paid on-the-job training; Polytech's construction laborer apprenticeship is two years, with 316 classroom hours and 4,000 on-the-job hours. [3][8][9]

  2. 2

    Contractor business license (Division of Revenue)

    • $75 a year plus a fee on gross receipts
    • Yearly; valid until January 1

    Required for anyone in the business of contracting in Delaware. Issued after you file workers' compensation and Department of Labor certificates; nonresidents must also meet the § 375 bond rules. [1][2][3]

The contractor business license

State law says anyone who wants to do business in Delaware as a contractor must get a license from the Division of Revenue and pay $75, before or when signing a contract. For competitively bid contracts over $50,000, you must start the application before you bid. The license runs until January 1 and is renewed each year.

"Contractor" covers anyone furnishing labor, or labor and materials, for construction, alteration, repair or demolition of buildings, roads and other structures, whether a general contractor or subcontractor, resident or nonresident, plus real estate developers. On top of the $75, contractors pay a license fee on gross receipts, filed monthly (quarterly for smaller contractors) after a set deduction; amounts paid to licensed subcontractors under a written agreement don't count as gross receipts. [2][3]

What you need first

Revenue won't issue the license until you have filed a certificate of workers' compensation insurance (or proof you're a qualified self-insurer), filed a Department of Labor certificate of notice that you'll be working on Delaware construction projects, and met the nonresident contractor rules of 30 Del. C. § 375. Nonresident contractors file a bond, cash bond receipt or letter of credit, or a letter for contracts under $20,000. For bonding questions, Revenue lists a contact at (302) 577-8167; its Business Tax Department is at (302) 577-8780. [1][3]

Trade work needs its own license

The contractor license doesn't let you do licensed trade work. The Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners issues master plumber and master HVACR licenses, and the Board of Electrical Examiners licenses electricians at every level. [4][5]

County licenses: New Castle County

New Castle County adds its own contractor license for work in unincorporated parts of the county (not inside incorporated towns and cities). A permit endorsed license is required for construction work that needs a county permit, such as building, plumbing and HVACR contractors; a non-permit endorsed license covers other construction work. Electrical contractors are excluded because they're licensed by the state as electricians. Before you apply for a permit endorsed license you need your State of Delaware business license, a certificate of liability insurance and a statutory compliance bond. See the county's contractor licensing page or call (302) 395-5420. [6][7]

Steps to get licensed in Delaware

  1. Learn the trade

    Work on a crew or apply to a carpentry or construction apprenticeship. No license is needed as an employee. [3][8]

  2. Get workers' compensation and Department of Labor certificates

    Before Revenue issues a contractor license, you file a certificate of workers' compensation insurance and a Department of Labor certificate of notice for Delaware construction work. [3]

  3. Apply for the contractor license

    Complete the Resident or Non-Resident Contractors Package through Delaware One Stop and pay $75. Revenue sends your business license and tax forms. [1][3]

  4. Get trade licenses if you do trade work

    Plumbing, HVACR and electrical work need licenses from the Division of Professional Regulation's boards. See the Delaware plumber, HVAC and electrician pages. [4][5]

Where to get the hours

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

Licensed in another state?

We didn't find a reciprocity agreement published by the licensing office for this license. Ask the office how it treats an out-of-state license or experience before you apply.

Open the reciprocity map · How reciprocity works

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DE Listed here (agreement or endorsement)

Questions people ask

Does Delaware require a general contractor license?

Not an exam-based one. Every contractor must instead get a $75 contractor business license from the Division of Revenue and pay a license fee on gross receipts. [1][3]

Do subcontractors need a Delaware contractor license?

Yes. The law defines a contractor as anyone in the construction business, whether a general contractor or a subcontractor, resident or nonresident. [2]

Sources (19)
  1. Contractors (Resident and Non-Resident), Delaware Division of Revenue. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  2. 30 Del. C. § 2501 Definitions, Delaware General Assembly (Delaware Code Online). Accessed October 11, 2026.
  3. 30 Del. C. § 2502 License requirement; resident and nonresident, Delaware General Assembly (Delaware Code Online). Accessed October 11, 2026.
  4. Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners, Delaware Division of Professional Regulation. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  5. Board of Electrical Examiners, Delaware Division of Professional Regulation. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  6. Contractor Licensing, New Castle County Department of Land Use. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  7. Permit Endorsed Contractor License, New Castle County Department of Land Use. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  8. Frequently Asked Questions About Apprenticeship, Eastern Atlantic States Carpenters Technical Centers (United Brotherhood of Carpenters). Accessed October 11, 2026.
  9. Registered Programs, Polytech Adult Education. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  10. Meet Delaware, Eastern Atlantic States Carpenters Technical Centers. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  11. Apprenticeship and Training, Delaware Department of Labor. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  12. Registered Apprenticeship brochure (Train, Build, Master), Delaware Department of Labor. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  13. Apprenticeship and Training: Frequently Asked Questions, Delaware Department of Labor. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  14. Frequently Asked Questions, Polytech Adult Education. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  15. Apply - Delaware, Eastern Atlantic States Carpenters Technical Centers. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  16. 19 DE Admin. Code 1101 Apprenticeship and Training Regulations (as posted by the Department), Delaware Department of Labor. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  17. Career and Technical Education, Delaware Department of Education. Accessed October 11, 2026.
  18. About Delaware Pathways, Delaware Pathways (Delaware Department of Education CTE site). Accessed October 11, 2026.
  19. Governor Matt Meyer Signs First Executive Order, State of Delaware News. Accessed October 11, 2026.