What can a handyman do in Asheville, NC?
North Carolina's small-job figure is $40,000. The exact wording below decides whether a job fits.
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License required where 'the cost of the undertaking is forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or more' (G.S. 87-1(a)). So under $40,000 is exempt; $40,000 exactly requires a license. Also: anyone erecting a NC-labeled modular building needs a license regardless of cost. Owner-builder exemption for own-occupancy buildings (must comply with G.S. 87-14; presumption if not occupied 12 months).
What counts toward it: other: 'cost of the undertaking' (total project cost; board says 'total project cost'). Third-party sources say labor+materials; statute text does not split it.
"the construction of any building, highway, public utilities, grading or any improvement or structure where the cost of the undertaking is forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or more"
Source: ncleg.gov · nclbgc.org · checked November 2, 2026
What Asheville adds
Local business license
None found on official sources
"The City of Asheville no longer collects a general business tax (also called a privilege license)."
Source: ashevillenc.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Local contractor or handyman license
None found on official sources
- Name: No city contractor license; city permits defer to NC state licensing threshold
- Trigger: City residential permit guidance: under $40,000 no licensed contractor needed (state GC threshold); trade permits still required
"Under $40,000: You do not need a licensed contractor."
Source: ashevillenc.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Jobs a handyman usually takes
Examples of everyday jobs that stay inside a small-job rule when the whole job fits the wording above. This is an example list, not a legal one:
- Mounting TVs, shelves, mirrors and pictures
- Assembling furniture and flat-pack cabinets
- Patching drywall and interior painting
- Caulking, weatherstripping and sealing
- Repairing doors, locks, screens and windows
- Basic carpentry, trim and small repairs
- Pressure washing and gutter cleaning
Trade work in North Carolina
Electrical: NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors licenses electrical contracting with NO dollar threshold; G.S. 87-43.1 exceptions include own-property work and 'the replacement of lamps and fuses and to the installation and servicing of cord-connected appliances' - exception does NOT cover permanently installed receptacles or junction boxes.
Source: ncleg.gov · checked November 2, 2026
Nearby places
Rules change. This page shows what official sources said on the dates above. It is not legal advice, so confirm with the office named before you take the job.
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