North Dakota Handyman License Requirements
North Dakota's small-job figure is $4,000. The exact wording below decides whether a job fits.
NDCC 43-07-02(1): a person may not act as a contractor 'when the cost, value, or price per job exceeds the sum of four thousand dollars' without a license - i.e., license required only when the job is OVER $4,000; jobs at or below $4,000 are exempt. Per-job, not annual.
What counts toward it: other: 'cost, value, or price per job' (statute does not split labor vs materials; total job price is the natural reading - labor+materials not expressly stated)
"A person may not engage in the business nor act in the capacity of a contractor within this state when the cost, value, or price per job exceeds the sum of four thousand dollars"
Source: ndlegis.gov · sos.nd.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Who regulates this
North Dakota Secretary of State (Registrar, Licensing - contractor licensing, NDCC ch. 43-07); State Electrical Board (NDCC ch. 43-09); State Board of Plumbing (NDCC ch. 43-18)
Source: sos.nd.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Does North Dakota license general and residential work?
the Secretary of State licenses all contractors (general, residential, sub, nonresident) when the cost/value/price per job exceeds $4,000 (NDCC ch. 43-07). Four classes (A-D) by single-job value; no exam, application under oath with experience statement, liability insurance certificate, WSI coverage statement.
Source: ndlegis.gov · sos.nd.gov · checked November 2, 2026
When a permit changes the answer
No - the exemption is purely value-based; no official text ties it to permits. NDCC 43-07-24 only requires a contractor to supply its license number when applying for a building permit (permits issued locally).
Source: ndlegis.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Registration
The license itself is the registration (no separate registration tier). Annual renewal on or before March 1 with list of ND projects over $50,000 completed in prior calendar year (raised from $25,000 by 2025 SB 2163), liability insurance certificate naming the Secretary of State, payroll/WSI/unemployment tax certification. New-license fees: Class D (up to $100,000/job) $100; Class C (up to $300,000) $225; Class B (up to $500,000) $300; Class A (over $500,000) $450. Renewal: $30/$45/$60/$90. Business entities must also be registered with SOS (sole props may need a trade name). No bond (contractor's bond section 43-07-11 repealed 1995).
Source: sos.nd.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Trade work
Electrical: State Electrical Board licenses anyone who plans/installs/alters/repairs wiring, apparatus or equipment for electric light, heat or power (43-09-09); exemptions in 43-09-16 (utilities, telecom, appliance dealers etc.) - no general handyman carve-out found. Plumbing: State Board of Plumbing licenses master/journeyman plumbers in any location with a public waterworks/sewerage system (43-18-11), with homeowner-own-residence and full-time-maintenance-employee exceptions only.
Source: ndlegis.gov · ndlegis.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Insurance and bond
WSI (workers' comp) certificate of payment if ND employees, otherwise WSI letter of good standing. No surety bond.
Source: sos.nd.gov · ndlegis.gov · checked November 2, 2026
City and county rules
Building permits are local.
Source: ndlegis.gov · checked November 2, 2026
What a handyman should charge in North Dakota
Statewide planning estimate: $71 to $96 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 North Dakota) | $49,840 median | $59,650 top quarter starts here |
| Overhead ($33,148 national, adjusted to local prices at 89.0) | $29,488 | $29,488 |
| Profit 15% + PTO 10% + warranty 3% + business taxes 12% | +40% | +40% |
| Yearly total to cover | $111,060 | $124,794 |
| Billed hours a year (hours on the job × 52) | 30 × 52 = 1,560 | 25 × 52 = 1,300 |
| Hourly rate | $71 | $96 |
- Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, occupation 49-9071 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, North Dakota (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, North Dakota, all items index 89.0 (US = 100).
- Overhead, hours and percentages: median answers from members using our hourly rate calculator, the same formula that tool uses. National, not local.
North Dakota places we cover (10)
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice.