- No license needed when the total contract price for labor and materials is less than $600.
- No experience rule is stated. You must finish 60 hours of approved prelicensure courses before getting the license.
- Plan for a trade exam and a business and law exam.
- Every three years by May 31. You need 21 hours of continuing education in your first and second renewal cycles, then 3 hours per cycle after that.
Do you need a state license in Michigan?
Michigan licenses some handyman work at the state level and leaves the rest alone. Which side of that line a job falls on decides whether you need the state license.
No license needed when the total contract price for labor and materials is less than $600.
Michigan license types for handyman work
Michigan splits the work into 2 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 |
|---|---|
| Residential Maintenance and Alteration Contractor | Repair, alteration, addition or demolition work on homes, building garages and laying concrete on residential property |
| Residential Builder | All residential building and remodeling work |
Steps to get licensed in Michigan
- Check your job sizes. A job with a total price under $600 needs no license.
- Complete 60 hours of LARA approved prelicensure courses.
- Apply to LARA and pay the $15 processing fee.
- Once approved, pay PSI and pass the maintenance and alteration exam.
- Pay the license fee, keep up continuing education, and renew every three years.
Experience and other requirements
Experience. No experience rule is stated. You must finish 60 hours of approved prelicensure courses before getting the license.
The license to apply for. Residential Maintenance and Alteration Contractor license.
Michigan handyman exams
Trade exam. Yes. The maintenance and alteration exam, given by PSI, with a law and rules portion and a practice or trades portion.
Business and law exam. The exam includes a law and rules portion.
What it costs in Michigan
The board lists 5 fees along the way. These are the state's own numbers. Insurance, any bond, exam prep and your business registration come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application processing | $15 |
| Complete maintenance and alteration exam | $50 |
| Initial license, per year of the first cycle | $60 |
| License fee, per year | $50 |
| Renewal (three year license) | $150 |
Insurance and bond
Insurance. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Bond. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Renewal and licenses from other states
Renewal. Every three years by May 31. You need 21 hours of continuing education in your first and second renewal cycles, then 3 hours per cycle after that.
Reciprocity. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Good to know in Michigan
- Licensed electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors doing only their own trade work do not need this license, and HVAC work itself needs a state mechanical contractor license.
- Subcontractors working only for a licensed contractor do not need their own license.
After you are licensed
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 handyman 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 Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Construction Codes and the official pages below, checked October 8, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the board before you file.
More for your trade: how handyman businesses run on Koira.