New Jersey Handyman License Requirements
New Jersey requires state registration or licensing with no small-job dollar exemption.
No dollar-value exemption. N.J.S.A. 56:8-140 exempts categories: DCA-registered new home builders; work on property the person (or a family member, a charity or non-profit) owns; persons licensed by a Division professional board or other State agency acting within scope of practice; community association/co-op employees; public utilities; home repair contractors/financing agencies/salesmen; home improvement retailers with net worth over $50,000,000 and their employees. Part-time/side work must register; subcontractors must register. Applies to existing residential properties only.
What counts toward it: other: no dollar threshold; exemptions are by category only
"Yes. The Act applies to any HICB engaging in the business of making or selling home improvements — regardless of whether the home improvements are done on a full-time or part-time basis."
Source: njconsumeraffairs.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Who regulates this
NJ Division of Consumer Affairs (Dept. of Law and Public Safety), Regulated Business Section - Home Improvement Contractor Business registration; New Jersey State Board of Home Improvement and Home Elevation Contractors (created by P.L.2023, c.237). New home builders: Department of Community Affairs.
Source: njconsumeraffairs.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Does New Jersey license general and residential work?
New Jersey requires every home improvement contractor business (HICB, formerly HIC) to register annually with the Division of Consumer Affairs under the Contractors' Business Registration Act (N.J.S.A. 56:8-136 et seq.), with no dollar threshold and no part-time exception.
Source: njconsumeraffairs.gov · njconsumeraffairs.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Registration
Annual HICB registration with the Division (current registrations expired March 31, 2026; renewal annual). Must have: (1) workers' compensation insurance unless exempt; (2) 'additional security' (compliance bond, irrevocable letter of credit, or other security) per N.J.S.A. 56:8-142; (3) commercial general liability insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence (HECBs $1,000,000). Penalties for unregistered work: up to $10,000 first offense, $20,000 subsequent; knowing violation is a fourth-degree crime. Board partially seated July 2025).
Source: njconsumeraffairs.gov · njconsumeraffairs.gov · njconsumeraffairs.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Trade work
Persons licensed by a professional board within the Division acting within their scope are exempt from HICB registration.
Source: njconsumeraffairs.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Insurance and bond
CGL minimum $500,000 per occurrence (HICB). Workers' comp unless exempt. Additional security minimum: $10,000 (contract under $10,000 or <$150,000 in prior-12-month contracts); $25,000 (contract $10,000-$120,000 or $150,000-$750,000 prior 12 months); $50,000 (contract over $120,000 or $750,000+ prior 12 months).
Source: njconsumeraffairs.gov · checked November 2, 2026
What a handyman should charge in New Jersey
Statewide planning estimate: $82 to $111 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 Jersey) | $54,810 median | $66,700 top quarter starts here |
| Overhead ($33,148 national, adjusted to local prices at 108.8) | $36,067 | $36,067 |
| Profit 15% + PTO 10% + warranty 3% + business taxes 12% | +40% | +40% |
| Yearly total to cover | $127,228 | $143,874 |
| Billed hours a year (hours on the job × 52) | 30 × 52 = 1,560 | 25 × 52 = 1,300 |
| Hourly rate | $82 | $111 |
- Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 49-9071 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, New Jersey (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 Jersey, all items index 108.8 (US = 100).
- Overhead, hours and percentages: median answers from members using our hourly rate calculator, the same formula that tool uses. National, not local.
New Jersey places we cover (21)
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice.