How to get a contractor license in Tennessee
Tennessee licenses general contractors at the state level. Tennessee licenses contractors statewide through the Board for Licensing Contractors, with license requirements set out in Tennessee Code Annotated Title 62, Chapter 6, and a monetary project threshold determining when a license is required.
- Licensing level
- state
- Exam vendor
- Prov
- Verified
- Official source
Start at the source
Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce & Insurance) is the official authority. Its site, www.tn.gov, carries the current requirements, applications and any candidate bulletin. Everything on this page routes back to it, because requirements change and the agency's version is the one that counts.
The path, wherever you are
- Confirm the licensing level above with the authority, then pull the current application checklist from its site.
- Where a trade exam is required, get the candidate bulletin: it names the exam vendor, the topics, and the exact reference editions allowed on the table.
- Buy the referenced code books in the exact editions listed, and tab them yourself within whatever marking the bulletin permits.
- Train the lookup, not just the knowledge: contractor trade exams are commonly open book, which makes finding the governing section fast the actual tested skill.
- Expect a separate business and law exam in many jurisdictions, with its own reference book.
Why open book changes your prep
An open-book exam gives you the answers and takes away the time to find them. The candidates who fail are rarely the ones who knew the least; they are the ones who found things slowest. That lookup skill is what this site trains:the free timed drill shows you your seconds-per-lookup in two minutes.
Not sure whether you need a contractor license or an ICC inspector certification? The two are issued by different bodies and scored differently: seeinspector certification vs contractor licenseand why the ICC passing score is a scaled 75.
Frequently asked questions
Does Tennessee require a state contractor license?
Tennessee licenses general contractors at the state level. Tennessee licenses contractors statewide through the Board for Licensing Contractors, with license requirements set out in Tennessee Code Annotated Title 62, Chapter 6, and a monetary project threshold determining when a license is required.
Who do I contact to get licensed in Tennessee?
Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (Department of Commerce & Insurance) is the state authority. Its official site carries the current application requirements.
Is the Tennessee contractor exam open book?
Where Tennessee or its localities require a trade exam, contractor trade exams are commonly open book against the adopted code and reference list, administered by Prov. The candidate bulletin for your specific exam is the authority, and it names the exact editions allowed on the table.
Sources
- www.tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors.html
- www.tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors/license.html
Other states
| Pennsylvania | hybrid |
| Rhode Island | state |
| South Carolina | state |
| South Dakota | local |
| Texas | local |
| Utah | state |
| Vermont | state |
| Virginia | state |
The kit that goes on the table
2024 IRCThe book itself
2021 IRC + tabsIf you register on 2021
2024 Fast-TabsPlace them yourself
Construction Master ProFeet-inch math, no errorsMatch the book and tabs to the edition you register for.Confirm which, first.
The 120-second study sheet, free
Every topic weight on all four residential exams, the code-vocabulary glossary, and the two-week study sequence, on one printable page. Enter your email and we will send you straight to it.
No spam. One useful sheet and occasional notes.