How to become a general contractor in Arkansas

The path in Arkansas, step by step

Arkansas licenses general contractor work at the state level through the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board (Department of Labor and Licensing). These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Pick commercial (non-residential, $50,000 and up) or residential builder (single-family homes, jobs over $2,000).
2. Pass the Arkansas Business and Law exam with PSI.
3. Gather three references showing your experience.
4. Prepare a balance sheet (residential) or CPA financial statement (commercial) showing positive net worth.
5. Commercial applicants get a $10,000 contractors bond.
6. File the application with the $100 fee at least three weeks before a board or committee meeting.
7. Renew on time with a current financial statement.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: general contractor license in Arkansas.

Finding an apprenticeship in Arkansas

Arkansas has no recognized State Apprenticeship Agency, so the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship registers and oversees programs there through a state field office. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Arkansas Apprenticeship Office as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. New construction managers are usually hired as assistants and work under an experienced manager for up to a year, sometimes longer.

License levels and exams in Arkansas

The license to aim for: Commercial license or Residential Builders license.

Business exam. Yes. Arkansas Contractor Business and Law exam given by PSI, $84 exam fee. Required for commercial, residential builder and remodeler licenses.

Keeping it. Renewal needs a current financial statement: reviewed or audited for regular commercial, compiled for restricted commercial, balance sheet for residential builders. $50 late fee.

Coming from another state. Military members, veterans and their spouses who hold a current contractor license (not a registration) from another state can skip the Business and Law exam and the reference forms.

What the Arkansas license costs

The fees the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board (Department of Labor and Licensing) lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What general contractors earn in Arkansas

The median general contractor in Arkansas earned $41.50 an hour in May 2025, the lowest median of 51 states, with 2,280 on payrolls. The national median was $55.28.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of general contractors in Arkansas earned under $33.68 an hour and a tenth under $25.27. At the top, a quarter earned over $48.82 and a tenth over $61.69.

BLS has no separate wage figure for general contractors. These are its numbers for construction managers, the group BLS files general contractors under. They count managers on a payroll, so owners who run their own contracting business are not in them. Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: general contractor salary in Arkansas.

Jobs ahead in Arkansas

Arkansas's labor market office projects jobs for general contractors growing from 3,000 in 2022 to 3,250 in 2032, a change of 8.3%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 250 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 8.3% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 4.5% projected nationally, ranking 35th of the 49 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group construction managers.

Starting your own general contractor business in Arkansas

To contract on your own in Arkansas, the license is the Commercial license or Residential Builders license.

Insurance. Workers' comp is required if you have one or more employees.

Bond. Commercial applicants need a $10,000 contractors surety bond. Commercial net worth: $50,000 for the Building classification, half of it in cash.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Arkansas median of $41.50 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $143.47 per billable hour. Try your own in the labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start a general contracting business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.