Trade and Business License Requirements by State
A license and an LLC are two different things, and most people arrive here needing both. These guides cover which states license 4 trades, what the license is called, who issues it, and what the entity has to file first. Where a state issues no statewide license we say exactly that, because local registrations often still apply.
By Edmond Hui · Last updated: September 2026
How many states license each trade
Counted from our verified 50-state records, not estimated. "Varies" means the state licenses the work locally or by specialty rather than under one statewide scheme.
General Contractor
35 of 50 states
issue a license for this trade. 1 reaches it through contractor or related licensing, 9 vary locally, and 5 issue none.
Plumbing
43 of 50 states
issue a license for this trade. 1 reaches it through contractor or related licensing, 6 vary locally, and 0 issue none.
Landscaping
9 of 50 states
issue a license for this trade. 24 reach it through contractor or related licensing, 3 vary locally, and 14 issue none.
Cleaning Business
2 of 50 states
issue a license for this trade. 0 reach it through contractor or related licensing, 3 vary locally, and 45 issue none.
Licensing guides by state and trade
200 guides. Each one names the license, the issuing body and the entity filing that has to come first.
| State | General Contractor | Plumbing | Landscaping | Cleaning Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALAlabama | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| AKAlaska | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| AZArizona | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| ARArkansas | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| CACalifornia | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade |
| COColorado | Varieslocal or specialty | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| CTConnecticut | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | Varieslocal or specialty |
| DEDelaware | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| FLFlorida | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| GAGeorgia | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| HIHawaii | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| IDIdaho | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| ILIllinois | Varieslocal or specialty | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| INIndiana | Varieslocal or specialty | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| IAIowa | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| KSKansas | Varieslocal or specialty | Varieslocal or specialty | Varieslocal or specialty | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| KYKentucky | Varieslocal or specialty | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| LALouisiana | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Varieslocal or specialty |
| MEMaine | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| MDMaryland | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| MAMassachusetts | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| MIMichigan | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| MNMinnesota | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| MSMississippi | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Varieslocal or specialty |
| MOMissouri | Varieslocal or specialty | Varieslocal or specialty | Varieslocal or specialty | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| MTMontana | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| NENebraska | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Varieslocal or specialty | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| NVNevada | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| NHNew Hampshire | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| NJNew Jersey | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| NMNew Mexico | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| NYNew York | Varieslocal or specialty | Varieslocal or specialty | Varieslocal or specialty | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| NCNorth Carolina | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| NDNorth Dakota | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| OHOhio | Varieslocal or specialty | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | A related credentialnot a license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| OKOklahoma | Varieslocal or specialty | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | A related credentialnot a license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| OROregon | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade |
| PAPennsylvania | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | Varieslocal or specialty | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| RIRhode Island | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| SCSouth Carolina | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| SDSouth Dakota | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| TNTennessee | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| TXTexas | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| UTUtah | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| VTVermont | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| VAVirginia | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| WAWashington | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Via contractor licensingno license for this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| WVWest Virginia | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| WIWisconsin | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | Issued statewidestate licenses this trade | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
| WYWyoming | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | Varieslocal or specialty | No state licenselocal rules may still apply | No state licenselocal rules may still apply |
Frequently Asked Questions
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.