How to become a general contractor in the District of Columbia

The path in the District of Columbia, step by step

The District of Columbia licenses general contractor work at the state level through the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP). These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Register your business and get DC tax registration and a Clean Hands certificate.
2. Get a Certificate of Occupancy or Home Occupation Permit for your office.
3. Buy liability insurance and prepare a sample contract.
4. Apply for the General Contractor/Construction Manager basic business license with DLCP.
5. If you do residential work, designate a licensed Home Improvement Salesperson.
6. Watch for the new board and exam rules under D.C. Law 25-244.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: general contractor license in District of Columbia.

Finding an apprenticeship in the District of Columbia

The District of Columbia runs Registered Apprenticeship through its own State Apprenticeship Agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor to register and oversee programs there. Its staff are state employees, and it may use the federal paperwork or forms of its own. Apprenticeship.gov lists the District of Columbia State Apprenticeship Agency 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 the District of Columbia

The license to aim for: General Contractor/Construction Manager basic business license.

Keeping it. Two or four year terms (a six month term is also offered).

What the the District of Columbia license costs

The fees the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What general contractors earn in the District of Columbia

The median general contractor in the District of Columbia earned $60.78 an hour in May 2025, 12th of 51 states, with 1,250 on payrolls. The national median was $55.28.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of general contractors in the District of Columbia earned under $49.84 an hour and a tenth under $38.76. At the top, a quarter earned over $77.52 and a tenth over $100.81.

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 District of Columbia.

Jobs ahead in the District of Columbia

The District of Columbia's labor market office projects jobs for general contractors growing from 1,390 in 2022 to 1,530 in 2032, a change of 10.1%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 120 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 10.1% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 4.5% projected nationally, ranking 28th 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 the District of Columbia

To contract on your own in the District of Columbia, the license is the General Contractor/Construction Manager basic business license.

Insurance. A certificate of liability insurance is required.

Bond. None listed for the general contractor license today. Under the 2024 law, once funded, a residential contractor can show financial responsibility with a $25,000 bond.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the the District of Columbia median of $60.78 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $177.33 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.