How to become a general contractor in West Virginia

The path in West Virginia, step by step

West Virginia licenses general contractor work at the state level through the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Email the board your scope of work and get a written answer on which exams you need.
2. Schedule and pass the Contractor Licensing Act exam and your classification exam with ProV, Inc.
3. Get a Business Registration Tax Number from the WV State Tax Department and register with the Secretary of State if required.
4. Set up workers' compensation and unemployment coverage if you have employees.
5. Fill out the wage bond status affidavit and the license application, and submit them to the board.
6. Renew every 12 months.

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

Finding an apprenticeship in West Virginia

West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia

The license to aim for: Contractor license, General Building or Residential classification.

Trade exam. A classification exam through ProV, Inc. The board tells you in writing which exam fits your scope of work. Exams are open book.

Business exam. Every applicant must pass the WV Contractor Licensing Act exam.

Keeping it. Every year. A license expires 12 months from the date it was issued.

Coming from another state. West Virginia has reciprocity with Tennessee for the General Building, Residential and Multi-Family classifications, and the board lists NASCLA exam scores among the exam scores it accepts.

What the West Virginia license costs

The fees the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What general contractors earn in West Virginia

The median general contractor in West Virginia earned $46.03 an hour in May 2025, 49th of 51 states, with 600 on payrolls. The national median was $55.28.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of general contractors in West Virginia earned under $33.39 an hour and a tenth under $27.64. At the top, a quarter earned over $62.26 and a tenth over $73.16.

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 West Virginia.

Jobs ahead in West Virginia

West Virginia's labor market office projects jobs for general contractors growing from 1,150 in 2022 to 1,300 in 2032, a change of 13%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 100 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 4.5% projected nationally, ranking 19th 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 West Virginia

To contract on your own in West Virginia, the license is the Contractor license, General Building or Residential classification.

Insurance. Workers' compensation and unemployment coverage for all employees working in West Virginia. The board's guide does not list a general liability amount.

Bond. A wage bond status affidavit is required with every application. Commercial contractors with employees may need a wage bond, set by the Division of Labor Wage and Hour Section.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the West Virginia median of $46.03 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $151.42 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.