Colorado Handyman License Requirements
Colorado requires state registration or licensing with no small-job dollar exemption.
Leads (multiple non-official sources, consistent): false - Colorado has no statewide general/residential/handyman contractor license; licensing is set by cities/counties. State licenses only electricians and plumbers (DORA). No official .gov page stating this was fetched this run.
"All Residential Wireman, Journeyman Electricians and Master Electricians with an Active Colorado license must complete at least 24 hours of Continuing Education (CE) during each 3 year license period."
Source: dpo.colorado.gov · leg.colorado.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Who regulates this
No state general-contractor regulator. Trades: Colorado State Electrical Board and Colorado State Plumbing Board, Division of Professions and Occupations (DPO), Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA).
Source: dpo.colorado.gov · leg.colorado.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Does Colorado license general and residential work?
Leads (multiple non-official sources, consistent): false - Colorado has no statewide general/residential/handyman contractor license; licensing is set by cities/counties. State licenses only electricians and plumbers (DORA). No official .gov page stating this was fetched this run.
Source: dpo.colorado.gov · leg.colorado.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Registration
HB26-1415 (2026) proposed an OPTIONAL residential construction contractor certification (Dept. of Law enterprise, fee capped at $100/yr); enactment status not verified.
Source: leg.colorado.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Trade work
Electrical: DORA/DPO State Electrical Board licenses Residential Wireman, Journeyman and Master Electricians (and electrical contractors - lead). Plumbing: State Plumbing Board (lead). HVAC/mechanical: no state license (lead) - local.
Source: dpo.colorado.gov · checked November 2, 2026
What a handyman should charge in Colorado
Statewide planning estimate: $77 to $104 an hour. It's an estimate from public data, not the market rate. City pages use local wages when we can match them.
| Step | Low end | High end |
|---|---|---|
| Your pay (employee wage for this work in Colorado) | $51,280 median | $62,710 top quarter starts here |
| Overhead ($33,148 national, adjusted to local prices at 103.1) | $34,160 | $34,160 |
| Profit 15% + PTO 10% + warranty 3% + business taxes 12% | +40% | +40% |
| Yearly total to cover | $119,616 | $135,618 |
| Billed hours a year (hours on the job × 52) | 30 × 52 = 1,560 | 25 × 52 = 1,300 |
| Hourly rate | $77 | $104 |
- Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 49-9071 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, Colorado (statewide figure, because we could not match a metro for this place). The top-quarter figure is in the BLS data file.
- Local prices: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, Colorado, all items index 103.1 (US = 100).
- Overhead, hours and percentages: median answers from members using our hourly rate calculator, the same formula that tool uses. National, not local.
Colorado places we cover (28)
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice.