Delaware Handyman License Requirements
Delaware requires state registration or licensing with no small-job dollar exemption.
No small-job exemption found. 30 Del. C. 2502(a): 'Any person desiring to engage in business in this State as a contractor shall obtain a license upon making application to the Division of Revenue and paying a fee of $75.' 19 Del. C. 3604: 'A contractor must register under this chapter before performing construction services or maintenance.' Nonresident bond (30 Del. C. 375) triggers at contracts of $20,000 or more (single or aggregated per calendar year).
What counts toward it: other: no dollar threshold. 30 Del. C. 2501 'contractor' = anyone in the business of 'furnishing labor or both labor and materials' for construction, alteration, repairing, dismantling or demolition of any structure. 19 Del. C. 3602 covers 'construction services or maintenance' ('maintenance' = repair of existing facilities without changing size/type/extent).
"Any person desiring to engage in business in this State as a contractor shall obtain a license upon making application to the Division of Revenue and paying a fee of $75."
Source: delcode.delaware.gov · delcode.delaware.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Who regulates this
Delaware Division of Revenue (Department of Finance) - contractor business license; Delaware Department of Labor, Division of Industrial Affairs, Office of Contractor Registration - contractor registry; Division of Professional Regulation (Department of State) - trade licenses (not fetched).
Source: labor.delaware.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Does Delaware license general and residential work?
Delaware has no competency/exam license for general or home-improvement contractors, but EVERY contractor (resident or nonresident, general or sub, residential or commercial) must (1) hold a Division of Revenue contractor business license ($75/yr + 0.6472% gross receipts tax), 30 Del. C. ch. 25, and (2) register with the Department of Labor Office of Contractor Registration before performing construction services or maintenance, 19 Del. C. ch. 36. No dollar exemption in either statute.
Source: delcode.delaware.gov · delcode.delaware.gov · labor.delaware.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Registration
Division of Revenue contractor license: $75/yr (renews Jan 1) plus 0.6472% gross receipts fee monthly; requires DOL certificate of notice and workers' compensation insurance certificate (30 Del. C. 2502(b)). DOL Contractor Registration: $200 initial and second year for contractors without a state contract ($300 with state contract), then 2-year registration $300 ($500); requires proof of Delaware workers' comp insurance, state business license, OSHA-compliant safety plan, disclosure of home improvement fraud convictions (19 Del. C. 3605). Nonresident contractors: surety bond of 6% of contract price on contracts (or calendar-year aggregate) of $20,000 or more (30 Del. C. 375).
Source: delcode.delaware.gov · delcode.delaware.gov · delcode.delaware.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Insurance and bond
Workers' compensation insurance certificate required for Division of Revenue contractor license and DOL registration. Nonresident tax surety bond 6% of contracts >= $20,000. No general liability minimum found in these statutes.
Source: delcode.delaware.gov · checked November 2, 2026
What a handyman should charge in Delaware
Statewide planning estimate: $75 to $103 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 Delaware) | $50,150 median | $62,160 top quarter starts here |
| Overhead ($33,148 national, adjusted to local prices at 99.8) | $33,085 | $33,085 |
| Profit 15% + PTO 10% + warranty 3% + business taxes 12% | +40% | +40% |
| Yearly total to cover | $116,528 | $133,342 |
| Billed hours a year (hours on the job × 52) | 30 × 52 = 1,560 | 25 × 52 = 1,300 |
| Hourly rate | $75 | $103 |
- Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 49-9071 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, Delaware (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, Delaware, all items index 99.8 (US = 100).
- Overhead, hours and percentages: median answers from members using our hourly rate calculator, the same formula that tool uses. National, not local.
Delaware places we cover (12)
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice.