- None stated at state level.
- Plan for a trade exam and a business and law exam.
- Set by each city or county.
- Set by each city or county.
Do you need a state license in Kansas?
Kansas does not issue a statewide general contractor license. Any license you need comes from the city or county where the job is, so the rules can change from one town to the next.
None stated at state level.
Ask each city or county where you work whether it licenses general, building or residential contractors. Each sets its own fees, codes and inspections.
Kansas license types for general contractor work
Kansas splits the work into 3 licenses. Pick the one that matches the jobs you take, since working outside its scope is the same as working without one.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| General Contractor | Local license where required. |
| Building Contractor | Local license where required. |
| Residential Contractor | Local license where required. |
How to get set up in Kansas, step by step
- Ask each city or county where you work whether it licenses general, building or residential contractors.
- If it does, take a state-designated exam so the license carries to other jurisdictions that license contractors.
- Get the local license and meet its insurance and bond rules.
- Follow each city or county's own codes and inspections.
- If you do roofing, get a state roofing contractor registration certificate.
Experience and other requirements
Experience. Set by each city or county.
Kansas general contractor exams
Trade exam. State-designated standard exams for general, building and residential contractors. Local passing score is 75%. Cities may also use their own exams.
Business and law exam. Set by each city or county.
What it costs in Kansas
There is no state license fee for general contractor work in Kansas. Ask the city or county where you work about any local fees.
Insurance and bond
Insurance. Set by each city or county.
Bond. Set by each city or county.
Renewal and licenses from other states
Renewal. Set by each city or county.
Reciprocity. A license based on a state-designated exam is valid in any other Kansas city or county that licenses these contractors. A license based on a city's own exam only works there unless there is a reciprocal agreement.
Good to know in Kansas
- Roofing contractors need a state roofing contractor registration certificate under K.S.A. 50-6,121 and following, a law the Kansas Attorney General enforces.
- A general contractor can be exempt from roofing registration if it meets the conditions in the act, for example when roofing is no more than 50% of the total project cost and it does no door-to-door sales.
Once you are cleared to work
The license lets you take the work. Getting the work is the next job.
- Register the business. If you work under a name other than your own, register it where your state asks (often the Secretary of State, sometimes the county), and keep the name the same on your license, your truck and your invoices.
- Claim your Google Business Profile. It is the listing people see when they search for a contractor near them. Fill in your service area, hours and real photos of your work.
- Put up a website that shows the license. Customers look for it before they call. Koira builds a contractor website for you and keeps it current.
- See where you stand. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where this comes from
Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below, checked October 8, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with your city or county before you file.