How to get a general contractor license in New Mexico

Licensing office New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department, Construction Industries Division (CID), General Construction Bureau · (505) 476-4700 [11][12]

The license pathway in New Mexico

1. 1

   Construction worker or apprentice (no license)

   Working for wages for a licensed contractor needs no state license. Registered apprenticeships in carpentry and other building trades combine paid work with classes. [1][13]

2. 2

   GS (general specialty) specialty contractor (for example GS-7 drywall)

   • 2 years of experience
   • Yes: trade exam ($68.88) plus Business and Law or an approved course
   • $36 application plus the license fee
   • Contractor licenses expire two years after issue, or as CID sets (never less than one year)

   CID licenses many single-trade specialties in its GS series. Many, such as GS-7 drywall installation and texture, require two years of experience. [1][2][3][6]

3. 3

   GB-2 Residential

   • 2 years of experience
   • Yes: GB-2 exam (80 questions, 225 minutes) $134.53, plus Business and Law (50 questions) $68.88 or an approved course
   • $36 application; $100 a year license fee
   • Contractor licenses expire two years after issue, or as CID sets (never less than one year)

   Build, alter, repair or demolish homes and apartment buildings of up to four units, including the GS specialty work on them. The qualifying party needs two years of foreman-level practical or related trade experience. [1][2][3][6][7]

4. 4

   GB-98 General Building

   • 4 years of experience
   • Yes: two-part exam including the GB-2 exam (Part 2: 100 questions, 310 minutes), $269.06, plus Business and Law or an approved course
   • $36 application; $100 a year license fee
   • Contractor licenses expire two years after issue, or as CID sets (never less than one year)

   Residential and commercial buildings, including all GB-2 and GS work. The qualifying party needs four years of foreman-level experience, at least two of them commercial. [1][2][3][6][7]

Who needs a contractor's license in New Mexico

State law says "no person shall act as a contractor without a license issued by the division classified to cover the type of work to be undertaken." Contracting includes building, altering, repairing or demolishing buildings and many other structures.

The law lists exemptions, including:

• an individual "who works only for wages";
• an owner building or improving a single-family home for their own use;
• casual, minor handyman work of no more than $7,200 a year, not including electrical, plumbing or gas work, if you don't advertise as a contractor and you file a yearly declaration with CID;
• small repairs to commercial property not covered by building codes, up to $5,000 per job.

Electrical and mechanical work must be done by contractors licensed in those trades. See New Mexico electrician and plumber licensing. [1]

The license classes

CID names classes by field and type: G for general construction, B for building, A for asphalt and concrete, F for fixed works, S for specialties.

• GB-2 Residential: homes and apartment buildings of up to four units; two years of foreman-level experience.
• GB-98 General Building: residential and commercial buildings; four years of foreman-level experience, two of them commercial.
• GS specialties: single trades such as drywall (GS-7); many require two years.
• GA and GF (general construction, fixed works) classes: roads, bridges, utilities and other fixed works; GF-98 requires four years.

A licensed contractor may bid as the prime contractor only if most of the job, by dollar amount, falls within its classification. Compare states on the general contractor hub. [3]

Experience and the qualifying party

CID licenses businesses that employ or are owned by one or more qualifying parties (QPs) certified for the work. A QP must be at least 18 and have the required years of experience within the 10 years before applying.

Each person vouching for your experience fills out a separate notarized affidavit. CID counts technical training from an accredited college, vocational school or apprenticeship program at half a year of experience per year, up to half the requirement. [2][5]

The exams

PSI runs the exams. The GB-2 exam has 80 questions in 225 minutes. GB-98 candidates take the GB-2 exam plus a second part of 100 questions in 310 minutes. Topics include sitework and foundations, concrete, masonry, carpentry, roofing, associated trades, codes and plan reading, estimating and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) safety.

Every new candidate also takes the Business and Law exam (50 questions, 130 minutes) or an approved Business and Law course. The passing score is 75%. You must pass the trade and Business and Law exams within one year of each other. Fees: GB-2 $134.53, GB-98 (both parts) $269.06, Business and Law $68.88. [5][6]

Fees, bond and renewal

CID's licensing page lists a $36 application fee for the qualifying party and again for the business license; the fee rule, last revised in 2004, lists $30. The license fee for GB-2 or GB-98 is $100 a year per classification.

The business must carry a $10,000 license bond from a surety authorized in New Mexico, and workers' compensation coverage is required for all licensees. Licenses expire two years after issue (or as CID sets) and can be renewed; an unrenewed license is suspended and canceled after three months. CID's General Building Bureau has no continuing education requirement for contractors. [1][2][5][7][8]

If you're licensed in another state

CID publishes no reciprocity agreements for general contractor licenses, so out-of-state contractors normally document their experience and take the PSI exams like new applicants.

Military service members, spouses, dependent children and veterans who hold a substantially equivalent license elsewhere can be licensed within 30 days, with no license fee for the first three years.

New Mexico's Uniform Licensing Act (61-1-31.1 NMSA) also lists CID among the boards that must process an out-of-state licensee's complete application within 30 days and issue a one-year provisional "expedited license" if your license is current and in good standing and you have practiced for the period New Mexico law requires; CID may make you pass its exam before renewal if your state didn't require one. CID publishes no reciprocity or expedited-licensure guidance for contractor licenses, so confirm with CID how it applies this law before you rely on it. See our reciprocity guide. [1][5][8][9]

Steps to get licensed in New Mexico

1. Pick your classification

   GB-2 for residential work, GB-98 for residential and commercial, or a GS specialty. Work outside your classification must be subcontracted to a properly licensed contractor. [3]

2. Document your experience

   Submit the qualifying party application with notarized work experience affidavits (one per person vouching for you) and a $36 fee to PSI in Albuquerque, by mail or in person. Experience must be within the 10 years before you apply. [2]

3. Pass the trade and Business and Law exams

   Once approved, schedule with PSI. You must pass the trade exam and the Business and Law exam (or an approved course) within one year of each other. [2][6]

4. Apply for the business license

   Send the license application to PSI with the $36 application fee and license fees, a $10,000 license bond, a tax registration certificate, any required business filings and the qualifying party's scores. Get workers' compensation coverage. [1][2]

Where to get the hours

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

• Union

  Southwest Carpenter and Affiliated Trades JATC (Western States Carpenters Training Fund)

  The union carpenters' training center in Albuquerque, listed by the state as a carpenter sponsor. Apprentices work for union employers and attend classes at the training center. [13][14]

• Open shop

  AGC New Mexico Multi-Trade Apprenticeship

  The Associated General Contractors' registered program teaches carpentry, masonry, cement finishing, craft laborer and glazing using NCCER curriculum; graduates receive a state journeyworker certificate. [13][15][16]

• Open shop

  ABC New Mexico

  Associated Builders and Contractors runs registered carpentry and other craft apprenticeships from Albuquerque. [13][17]

• State program

  NM Department of Workforce Solutions State Apprenticeship Office

  The state apprenticeship agency registers programs, lists sponsors for carpentry and other building trades, and works with local workforce boards to help pay training costs. [13][18]

Licensed in another state?

Questions people ask