How to Become an Oregon General Contractor

The Oregon Construction Contractors Board regulates the licensing of general and special contractors throughout the state. There are residential and commercial general contractors in Oregon. Both types of general contracting firms need liability insurance and a surety bond and must have a qualifying individual who has passed an Oregon contractor exam. The qualifying individual for commercial general contractors must also have experience in addition to a passing score on the general contractors exam.

Step 1:

Obtain 4 to 8 years of experience if you are going for an Oregon commercial general contractor’s license. The 8 years would apply to a Level 1 license, which is essentially the same as Level 2 but for larger firms that do bigger projects. Some educational credits may reduce the number of required years of experience. Refer to the list in the “Licensing and Endorsement Requirements” document to see what kinds of educational achievements can be used to replace some portion of the experience requirements. Note that a residential general contractor need not have this experience.

Step 2:

Take the required construction course and study for the Oregon contractors exam. General contractors in Oregon take the same test as all other contractors (there are a few specialized advanced programs, but those are not requirements for an Oregon general contractor license).

The Oregon contractor exam is based off of a single publication, which is the “Oregon Contractors Reference Manual.” There are many editions of this, so the best thing to do is just arrange to take your required 16-hour course and purchase the latest edition from your education provider. You can find a list of approved providers online.

Step 3:

Download the “Candidate Information Bulletin” to register for and take the exam. Prometric, the exam administrator, provides this bulletin online. Go here to find a link to the bulletin. The exam has an open-book policy, but you should still try to memorize the material to the best of your ability. Take the exam, which is $85, as of December 2010.

Step 4:

Get insurance and a surety bond. The following amounts apply for each type of Oregon general contractor:

Residential General Contractor – $20,000 bond and $500,000 liability insurance per occurrence

Commercial General Contractor For Level 2 – $20,000 bond and one million dollars in total liability insurance

Commercial General Contractor For Level 1 – $50,000 bond and two million dollars in total liability insurance

Step 5:

You will also need to file your business with the normal office that handles that registration, which is typically the Secretary of State. Additionally, you need workers comp insurance if you are hiring employees.

Step 6:

Access an Oregon general contractor application. Fill out the form and send it in with your $325 application fee. If all your papers are in order, then the Oregon Construction Contractors Board will issue you a two-year general contractors license.

Resources:

Oregon Contractor License Application

Oregon General Contractor Requirements