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Which states accept the NASCLA exam?

Bid Bond editorial teamUpdated 5 min read

NASCLA lists 20 agencies in 18 states and territories that accept the NASCLA Commercial General Building exam: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia. In most of them a pass replaces the state's own trade exam for a commercial or general building license, and the state's application and business and law exam still apply.

The NASCLA Commercial General Building exam is worth taking only if a state where you want to work accepts it. This list comes from NASCLA's participating agencies page, read on 5 November 2026. Lists change, so treat it as a starting point and confirm with the agency before you apply or pay for anything.

What "accepts" means

Most participating agencies accept a NASCLA pass in place of their own trade exam for the commercial or general building classification, or a similar one. A few use it differently: Oregon's board takes it in place of its 16-hour pre-license training, Utah's accepts it as one way to meet the experience requirement, and NASCLA's listing for Arkansas describes it as standing in for experience. Either way, that one requirement is all it replaces. Each state still sets its own application, its own business and law exam, and its own financial requirements, along with any other conditions it has. You send your result to each agency as a transcript from NASCLA's National Examination Database (NED), and the agency pairs it with your license application.

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The 20 participating agencies

NASCLA lists 20 agencies in 18 states and territories. Alabama and South Carolina each have two.

State or territoryAgency
AlabamaHome Builders Licensure Board
AlabamaLicensing Board for General Contractors
ArizonaRegistrar of Contractors
ArkansasContractors Licensing Board
CaliforniaContractors State License Board
FloridaConstruction Industry Licensing Board
GeorgiaState Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors
LouisianaState Licensing Board for Contractors
MississippiState Board of Contractors
NevadaState Contractors Board
New MexicoConstruction Industries Division
North CarolinaLicensing Board for General Contractors
OregonConstruction Contractors Board
South CarolinaContractors' Licensing Board
South CarolinaResidential Builders Commission
TennesseeBoard for Licensing Contractors
UtahDivision of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Construction Trades Bureau
U.S. Virgin IslandsDepartment of Licensing and Consumer Affairs
VirginiaBoard for Contractors, Department of Professional and Occupational Licensing
West VirginiaContractors Licensing Board, Division of Labor

NASCLA's page also marks some agencies as administering: they offer a choice between their own trade exam and the NASCLA exam. Its map, read 7 November 2026, counts 8 administering and 12 accepting agencies and shades Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and the U.S. Virgin Islands as administering. By the map's counts, Alabama and South Carolina each have one agency of each kind; NASCLA's own listing for the South Carolina Contractors' Licensing Board says it administers the exam, while the map does not say which Alabama board is which. What "accepts" covers also differs: in some states the pass stands in for experience or a training course rather than a trade exam. Each state page links from the table above and says what the agency's own site shows, read 7 November 2026, and what we could not confirm.

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  • Confirm with the agency. PSI's bulletin says that if you are unsure whether the exam meets your license requirements in a participating state, you should contact the state agency directly. Ask which license classification it accepts the NASCLA exam for, and what else you need.
  • Plan the state steps too. Each state sets its own application, business and law exam, and financial requirements, and they differ from state to state. Ask each agency for its list.
  • Mind the one-year window. NASCLA approval gives you one year and up to three attempts. See cost, scheduling and retakes.
  • Budget for transcripts. You buy transcripts in NED and send one to each agency where you apply.

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The NASCLA Commercial course has a lesson for each of the 12 subject areas that shows which listed reference to open and how to apply it, original practice questions with every answer worked, and four timed practice exams of 115 questions on a 330-minute clock. Your scores come back by subject area, so you know where the next study hour goes. See the course.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by NASCLA or PSI. NASCLA and PSI are named only to identify the exam and its test vendor. State agencies are named only to identify them.

FAQ

How many states accept the NASCLA exam?

18 states and territories, through 20 agencies. Alabama and South Carolina each have two.

Does California accept the NASCLA exam?

The California Contractors State License Board is on NASCLA's list. In California the exam matters mainly to contractors already licensed in another state.

Does passing the NASCLA exam give me a license?

No. It meets one requirement, usually the trade exam. Each state still sets its own application, business and law exam and financial requirements.

Sources

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Facts come from the sources listed above. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it within 2 business days.

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