District of Columbia Handyman License Requirements
District of Columbia's small-job figure is $300. The exact wording below decides whether a job fits.
16 DCMR 899: 'Home improvement contract - an agreement for the performance of home improvement work in the District for a contract price of three hundred dollars ($ 300) or more' (so $300 and up is covered; under $300 is not), including second or subsequent agreements with the same homeowner within any 12-month period if they aggregate $300 or more. Trigger in 16 DCMR 800.1: no person may require or accept any payment for a home improvement contract in advance of full completion of all work unless licensed as a home improvement contractor.
What counts toward it: other: 'contract price' of the home improvement agreement (whole contract price, effectively labor+materials); multiple agreements with the same homeowner within 12 months are aggregated.
"Home improvement contract - an agreement for the performance of home improvement work in the District for a contract price of three hundred dollars ($ 300) or more."
Source: dcregs.dc.gov · dcregs.dc.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Who regulates this
District of Columbia Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), Business Licensing Division (BBL: Home Improvement Contractor; General Contractor/Construction Manager; Home Improvement Salesperson). Trades: DLCP Occupational and Professional Licensing / Board of Industrial Trades (not fetched). Future (unfunded): Board of Construction Managers and General Contractors.
Source: dcregs.dc.gov · dlcp.dc.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Does District of Columbia license general and residential work?
DC (acting as state and city) licenses through Basic Business License (BBL) categories at the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP): 'Home Improvement Contractor' (16 DCMR ch. 8; $25,000 bond, liability insurance) and 'General Contractor/Construction Manager'. No exam today. D.C. Law 25-244 (General Contractor Licensing Amendment Act of 2024, eff. Dec. 17, 2024) would create exam-based residential/commercial contractor licenses under a new Board, but the DC Code marks it '[Not Funded]' / 'has not been implemented'.
Source: dcregs.dc.gov · code.dccouncil.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Registration
DLCP BBL for Home Improvement Contractor: 2-year license $99 or 4-year $198 (DLCP fee schedule; HIC not eligible for 6-month term; GC/CM 6-month $49); Every HIC and residential GC must designate and maintain a BBL for at least one Home Improvement Salesperson. $25,000 surety bond (16 DCMR 802.1) and liability insurance (16 DCMR 803).
Source: dcregs.dc.gov · dlcp.dc.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Insurance and bond
HIC: surety bond penal sum $25,000 running to DC (16 DCMR 802.1; other security may be deposited in lieu). Public liability/property damage insurance minimum $50,000 bodily injury per person, $100,000 per accident, $10,000 property damage per accident (16 DCMR 803.2). Unfunded D.C. Law 25-244 would allow a $25,000 bond for residential contractors in lieu of financial statements.
Source: dcregs.dc.gov · dcregs.dc.gov · code.dccouncil.gov · checked November 2, 2026
What a handyman should charge in District of Columbia
Statewide planning estimate: $87 to $121 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 District of Columbia) | $60,310 median | $76,210 top quarter starts here |
| Overhead ($33,148 national, adjusted to local prices at 109.9) | $36,430 | $36,430 |
| Profit 15% + PTO 10% + warranty 3% + business taxes 12% | +40% | +40% |
| Yearly total to cover | $135,436 | $157,696 |
| Billed hours a year (hours on the job × 52) | 30 × 52 = 1,560 | 25 × 52 = 1,300 |
| Hourly rate | $87 | $121 |
- Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 49-9071 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, District of Columbia (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, District of Columbia, all items index 109.9 (US = 100).
- Overhead, hours and percentages: median answers from members using our hourly rate calculator, the same formula that tool uses. National, not local.
District of Columbia places we cover (1)
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice.