 
If you want to engage in residential or professional design in Hawaii, you have to undertake a licensing method with the condition Department of Commerce and Purchaser Affairs. It is the authority that difficulties the Hawaii contractor license. 
There are 3 key types of licenses that you can choose from :
- General engineering contractor 
- General setting up contractor
- Specialty contractor 
All of thesemain types of contractors also have specific subtypes of license. In order to receive any of the Hawaii contractor license classifications, you have to fulfill a record of demands.
For an overview of the standards and the approach, you can seek advice from with the appropriate sections down below. 
The Hawaii Contractor License Requirements
The licensing authority is the Contractor License Board at the Specialist and Vocational Licensing Division of the Office of Commerce and Buyer Affairs. It has decided the criteria that you have to meet up with in purchase to get your point out of Hawaii contractors license. 
Enterprise Entity Registration or SSN
You have to register your entity with the Organization Registration Division (BREG), Office of Commerce and Shopper Affairs. This applies for corporations, partnerships, LLPs and LLCs. 
If you&rsquore applying as a sole proprietor, you should present your social protection quantity (SSN). 
Trade Identify 
In scenario you&rsquore planning to use a trade title, you have to get a filed-stamped copy of present trade name registration accredited by the BREG.
Economical Statement
Receive a compiled, reviewed or audited financial assertion. It has to be fewer than just one 12 months outdated.
You also require to post an independent accountant&rsquos report. 
Credit Report
For each and every officer, partner, supervisor, or member, you require to file a existing and comprehensive credit history report covering the last 5 years.
The report has to be issued within just the last 6 months. 
Tax Clearance
If your firm is far more than 1 calendar year previous, you need to deliver a present Hawaii Point out Tax Clearance with an original State Division of Taxation stamp. It should really be issued inside of the final 6 months. 
RME/Entity Appointment
You have to appoint a accountable taking care of staff for your company. If you don&rsquot have this sort of a Hawaii RME license but, you have to finish the Responsible Managing Staff software. This is relevant for all entities other than sole proprietorship. 
Put of Enterprise
You will need to keep a physical locale where you show your contractor&rsquos license. 
Background and Practical experience
In circumstance you are making use of as a sole proprietor, you have to exhibit at least four years of experience as a supervisor. You will need to submit at least 3 notarized certificates in assist of your supervisory experience. You also have to provide a chronological heritage of your projects. Sole proprietors want to move the Hawaii contractors license apply check on their own (rather of their RME).
Complete the Hawaii Contractor License Application
When you have gathered all vital documents stated over, you can go to the true application approach. You have to total an application sort provided by the Hawaii Contractors License Board. There are two types, dependent on your entity:
- Corporations, partnerships, joint ventures, LLPs and LLCs
- Sole proprietors
Send out all paperwork to the Board by mailing it to:
Contractors License Board
DCCA, PVL Licensing Department
P.O. Box 3469
Honolulu, Hello 96801
Alternatively, you can deliver it in particular person to:
335 Merchant St.,
Place 301,
Honolulu, Hi 96813 
Note: The Board fulfills each and every month, apart from for December. You have to send out your documents on or before the first Tuesday of the month just before the scheduled meeting day. You can find out its timetable on the web.
Licensing and registration fees
Together with your finished form, you have to shell out a $50 non-refundable application rate for each and every software. 
The Board sets your licensing service fees just after approval. 
Future stepsThe Board has to evaluate your software. If approved, the RME has to sign-up with a screening agency for an examination and to choose it the pursuing month. In situation they move it, you get the licensing requirements, which are in depth in the future area. When you fulfill all of them, the Board concerns your Hawaii contractor license. 
Give a Surety Bond and Insurance coverage
The added licensing requirements entail supplying two styles of coverage and a surety bond. 
Employee&rsquos Compensation Coverage
All corporations choosing employees have to get a certificate of staff&rsquo compensation insurance plan. Single-member and member-managed LLCs with no employees are exempt. 
Legal responsibility and Assets Problems Insurance
You have to obtain bodily damage insurance policies with boundaries of $a hundred,000 for each individual particular person and $300,000 for each and every incidence, as perfectly as home destruction coverage with a limit of $50,000 for every event. 
Surety Bond 
The Board may possibly require you to attain a surety bond. It sets the quantity of the bond on a scenario-by-situation basis. The bare minimum amount is $five,000. You have to deliver it in the official variety. In purchase to get a bond, you have to shell out a little portion of the required amount of money. This is your top quality. If your funds are in fantastic condition, you can hope premiums amongst .75% and five% of the bond amount.
Find out precisely what your contractor license bond will charge, by filling out our short application form below!
How to Verify Your Hawaii Contractor License
You can check out the validity of your license by Professional & Vocational Licensing Research. You can lookup by license selection or company/person.  
License Renewal and Expiration
You have to renew your license each two yrs if you want to carry on your functions. The deadline for renewal for all licensees is September thirty of just about every even-numbered year. You require to send out your renewal software just before August fifteen previous that date. 
Do you want to get your Hawaii contractors license, but you aren't confident how? No matter if you're a general contractor, plumber, or an electrician, this guideline involves anything you will need to know about the process.
In this guideline, we'll walk you as a result of what you want to know to become a certified contractor in the point out of Hawaii. Permit's dive in!
Do I Require a Contractors License in Hawaii?
Like most states, everyone who is contracted for residential, community functions, design, advancements, or something of the like will have to have a contractor's license.
In accordance to the Hawaii Revised Statutes segment 444-seven(c), a typical contractor is outlined as, "a contractor whose principal contracting small business is in link with any framework constructed, remaining crafted, or to be created, for the support, shelter, and enclosure of folks, animals, chattels, or movable residence of any kind, requiring in its construction the use of extra than two unrelated constructing trades or crafts, or to do so superintend the complete or any element thereof."
In other terms, if you do contracting perform, you require to be accredited. There are numerous forms of contractor license classifications recognized by the Hawaii Contractor's License Board, which you can look at out here.
But not only is staying licensed crucial from a compliance perspective, but it's also excellent for organization. Persons want to use contractors that are not only law-abiding, but that have been verified to meet the expertise, schooling, and other needs as set by the Point out of Hawaii.
Contracting do the job can make shoppers nervous&mdashit's a big undertaking both equally financially and bodily in most circumstances&mdashso remaining certified can support set anxious minds at simplicity.
How do You Get a Hawaii Contractors License?
Even though there are rather a couple of demands to get your Hawaii contractors license, they are pretty regular phrases.
Candidates should meet up with the following standards:
You should be 18+ many years old.
You have to disclose your Social Protection selection and a credit rating report from the last 6 months.
You ought to have a fantastic popularity.
You have to show four a long time of supervisory working experience (inside the very last ten many years of your application day) as well as a chronological heritage of tasks variety.
You will have to acquire and pass the test that corresponds with the license you would like to utilize. Nonetheless, you received't be equipped to consider the exam until eventually your application is approved.
You must give a compiled, reviewed, or audited economical statement along with an unbiased accountant's report of your financial standing.
You should attain the suitable insurance coverage coverage like basic legal responsibility insurance policies and workers' compensation.
You ought to include things like a the latest Hawaii Tax Clearance with an initial Point out Department of Taxation stamp.
If you want to use a investing title, you're demanded to submit a file-stamped duplicate of that name registration accepted by the Hawaii Company Registration Division of the Division of Commerce and Customer Affairs.
If you've registered (or prepare on registering) your small business as an LLC or joint enterprise, you have to appoint a Registered Controlling Staff. If you haven't registered yet, be absolutely sure to do so with the Business enterprise Registration Division (BREG), Department of Commerce and Client Affairs.
You'll be requested to deliver this details both in the application by itself or at some point all through the process.
There are many fees you're accountable for having to pay:
Software fee: $50.00 for each application.
Exam charge: $75.00 for every element.
License charge: For contracting entities and sole proprietors, you'll pay back $663.00 if you get your license among Oct one of an even-numbered year and September 30 of an odd-numbered 12 months, and $494.00 if you get your license in between Oct one of an odd-numbered 12 months and September thirty of an even-numbered year.
As soon as you meet up with these needs, you're properly on your way to turning out to be a certified contractor in Hawaii. Having said that, there are useful content want to include, as very well.
Vital Application Details You Require to Know
When implementing for your contractor's license, it's crucial to have your ducks in a row to not delay the processing time. An incomplete application usually means a longer wait time&mdashand much more work on your finish acquiring what documents or info is missing.
Permit's take a glimpse at some of the significant aspects of the software method.
one. Get the suitable insurance policies coverage.
All certified contractors who work in Hawaii are demanded to hold recent insurance policies of the two workers' payment coverage (if you have workforce, of study course) and general legal responsibility and home harm coverage.
In accordance to the application, if your coverage expires and you fall short to reinstate it within 60 days of expiration, you're topic to computerized forfeiture of your license. The ethical of the story: preserve your protection up to date!
To meet up with the workers' compensation prerequisites, you require to not only provide a certification of coverage but a assertion from your service provider that they'll notify the Board of any changes about the insurance.
For normal liability and assets problems insurance policy, you have to post a certificate from a provider that is licensed to do enterprise in Hawaii, demonstrating total coverage protection. You are needed to have the following minimums for every single kind of legal responsibility insurance plan:
Bodily harm liability: $a hundred,000 for each man or woman and $three hundred,000 for each event
Assets destruction liability: $fifty,000 per prevalence
Make sure you're having the appropriate coverage at the finest selling price by requesting a estimate to assure you're included.
2. Prepare for and timetable your contractor&rsquos exam.
Right after your application is accepted, the Contractor Board of Hawaii will notify you when you can program an test for your Hawaii contractors license.
There are two sections to the contractor's exam:
Business enterprise and Law Test (Aspect one): This test will examination your expertise of contractor procedures and legal guidelines. Unlike other states, this take a look at is shut reserve, which means you can't use notes, and you must rating a seventy five% or higher to move. You can find the official principles and guidelines on the Department of Commerce and Customer Affairs, Professional & Vocational Licensing Division website.
Trade Examination (Section two): This element of the examination will exam your awareness about a wide range of products and services that contractors provide relying on the trade. This test is also shut e book, and you require to score at least seventy five% to move.
Prometric administers all examinations. For review elements, take a look at the Prometric Hawaii Development Testing site.
three. Sign-up your small business with the Hawaii Secretary of Condition.
All candidates will have to register their enterprise with the Section of Commerce and Customer Affairs. The process is very simple, and with your eHawaii.gov account, you can take care of your registration all from 1 dashboard.
Check out out our fast tutorial if you will need suggestions registering your organization in Hawaii.
You can sign up your enterprise as an LLC, LLP, corporation, sole proprietor, and a nonprofit. The cost of registering will depend on the style of business enterprise entity you decide on.
How A lot Do the job Can You do With no a Contractor License in Hawaii?
If the value for the get the job done (labor and materials) is much less than $1,000, a contractor&rsquos license is not expected.
Does a Handyman Require a License in Hawaii?
Whether or not or not you need a license is determined by the benefit of the labor and elements for a specific undertaking. As we described earlier mentioned, if the full charge is far more than $one,000, a certified contractor is required to complete the function.
Get Your Contractor License with Our Basic Guideline!
If you have more questions about contractor licensing, the approach, or the prerequisites, leave a comment below! We're happy to guide.
Also, check out out our manual on How to Turn into a Common Contractor in 6 Steps for a lot more beneficial guidance.
 
 
 
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