New Hampshire Handyman License Requirements
New Hampshire has no statewide general contractor license for this work, so local and trade rules decide.
No state license or dollar threshold for general/handyman work.
What counts toward it: other: no state licensing threshold
"(c) Upon the receipt for filing of a certificate of formation under RSA 304-C:31, a fee in the amount of $100."
Source: gc.nh.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Who regulates this
No contractor licensing board. Consumer side: NH Department of Justice, Consumer Protection Bureau. Trades: Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) - Electricians' Board (RSA 319-C); Mechanical Licensing Board (plumbers, gas fitters, mechanical) - not fetched (site returned Access Denied).
Source: doj.nh.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Does New Hampshire license general and residential work?
New Hampshire does not license or register general/home-improvement contractors (NH DOJ Consumer Protection Bureau: 'New Hampshire does not license home contractors'). Only trades (electrical; plumbing/gas/mechanical) are state-licensed through OPLC boards. Third-party claim of an 'RSA 332-A Home Improvement Contractor registration' is FALSE: RSA 332-A is 'Licensing Standards Established' (two sections on arrest questions and alien licensing).
Source: doj.nh.gov · gc.nh.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Registration
None for general/home-improvement contractors at state level.
Source: doj.nh.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Trade work
Electrical: OPLC Electricians' Board licenses apprentice (registration), journeyman, master and high/medium voltage electricians; 'An active and valid New Hampshire Electrician license is required to work with 30 volts or higher.' No handyman carve-out found.
Source: oplc.nh.gov · gc.nh.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Insurance and bond
None state-required for general contractors (no license).
Source: doj.nh.gov · checked November 2, 2026
What a handyman should charge in New Hampshire
Statewide planning estimate: $78 to $105 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 New Hampshire) | $52,830 median | $62,640 top quarter starts here |
| Overhead ($33,148 national, adjusted to local prices at 104.2) | $34,529 | $34,529 |
| Profit 15% + PTO 10% + warranty 3% + business taxes 12% | +40% | +40% |
| Yearly total to cover | $122,302 | $136,036 |
| Billed hours a year (hours on the job × 52) | 30 × 52 = 1,560 | 25 × 52 = 1,300 |
| Hourly rate | $78 | $105 |
- Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 49-9071 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, New Hampshire (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, New Hampshire, all items index 104.2 (US = 100).
- Overhead, hours and percentages: median answers from members using our hourly rate calculator, the same formula that tool uses. National, not local.
New Hampshire places we cover (11)
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice.