How to become a general contractor in Utah

The path in Utah, step by step

Utah licenses general contractor work at the state level through the Utah Department of Commerce, Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL). These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Get 4,000 hours of paid construction experience or another accepted qualification.
2. Take the 25-hour pre-license course and the 5-hour business and law course from an approved provider.
3. Pass the Utah Business and Law exam through Prov.
4. Register your business, buy $1M/$2M liability insurance and set up workers comp or a waiver.
5. Apply to DOPL online or on paper and pay the classification and qualifier fees.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in Utah

Utah 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 Utah 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 Utah

The license to aim for: Contractor license, B100 General Building or R100 Residential and Small Commercial.

Trade exam. The Utah Business and Law exam is the only exam DOPL lists for B100 and R100. Passing the NASCLA commercial general building exam can count toward the experience path.

Business exam. Yes. The Utah Business and Law exam through Prov, unless you had one year of licensed experience in another state or were a Utah qualifier before May 9, 2017. A 25-hour pre-license course plus a 5-hour business and law course is also required.

Keeping it. Every two years, expiring November 30 of odd years. 6 hours of continuing education, with 3 taught live.

Coming from another state. Utah has no reciprocity. It offers licensure by endorsement for people licensed in other states.

What the Utah license costs

The fees the Utah Department of Commerce, Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What general contractors earn in Utah

The median general contractor in Utah earned $50.58 an hour in May 2025, 33rd of 51 states. The national median was $55.28.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of general contractors in Utah earned under $40.99 an hour and a tenth under $30.87. At the top, a quarter earned over $61.96 and a tenth over $76.55.

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 Utah.

Jobs ahead in Utah

Utah's labor market office projects jobs for general contractors growing from 4,780 in 2022 to 6,630 in 2032, a change of 38.7%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 590 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 38.7% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 4.5% projected nationally, ranking 1st 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 Utah

To contract on your own in Utah, the license is the Contractor license, B100 General Building or R100 Residential and Small Commercial.

Insurance. General liability of at least $1,000,000 per incident and $2,000,000 aggregate, with DOPL as certificate holder. Workers comp, or a Labor Commission waiver if you have no employees.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Utah median of $50.58 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $159.42 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.