- No registration needed if your home improvement work totaled less than $5,000 in the previous tax year.
- Every two years.
Do you need a state license in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania 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 registration needed if your home improvement work totaled less than $5,000 in the previous tax year.
Towns cannot add their own home improvement license, but they can still license tested trades like plumbing and electrical. Philadelphia requires a city Contractor License for construction and repair work, except for businesses that only work on existing one or two family homes, which submit as a state registered Home Improvement Contractor instead.
The Pennsylvania license for this work
There is one license to aim for here.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Home Improvement Contractor registration | Home repair and improvement work on private homes |
Steps to get licensed in Pennsylvania
- Track your yearly home improvement sales. At $5,000 or more you must register.
- Buy liability insurance with at least $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage coverage.
- Register online with the Attorney General and pay $100.
- Check whether your city (such as Philadelphia) needs its own license.
- Leave plumbing and electrical work to locally licensed trades where required.
Experience and other requirements
Experience. The board's pages do not list one.
The license to apply for. Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration.
Pennsylvania handyman exams
Trade exam. No trade exam.
Business and law exam. No business and law exam.
What it costs in Pennsylvania
The board lists one fee for this license. These are the state's own numbers. Insurance, any bond, exam prep and your business registration come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Registration, new or renewal (every two years) | $100 |
Insurance and bond
Insurance. General liability with at least $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage coverage.
Bond. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Renewal and licenses from other states
Renewal. Every two years.
Reciprocity. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Good to know in Pennsylvania
- Home improvement covers work on a private home that costs more than $500 in total.
- Registration is not a license and does not vouch for your skill.
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 Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General 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.