Colorado Contractor License

If you want to get a general contractor license in Colorado, continue reading to learn step by step how to get your Colorado contractor license.

Are contractors required to be licensed in Colorado?

Most of all states in the United States require general contractor licensing at the state level, but Colorado state is not like that. Most general contractor projects are locally regulated. You need to get a license in the county and city where you work. In Colorado, the licensure process is different in every city, due to the general contractor licensing being controlled by the local governments. In most cities, you don’t need the license to work as a contractor, unless your workplace requires it.

How to get a general contractor license in Colorado?

First of all, in order to understand whether you need the contractor license or not contact your local government where you want to work.

In most places, to get your contractor license you need to complete a minimum number of years of experience working with a contractor who is legally licensed. At the end of your experience, you should get general contractor insurance coverage that is required by the local government. Read the detailed description of this below.

In Colorado, you cannot get a license in one city and work in another. You have to get multiple licenses to work in different states and cities in the United States.

Types of general contractor license classifications in Colorado

In Colorado, there are several types of contractor licenses, but not all of them are required in all municipalities. Here are the usual types of licenses for general contractors.

Class A license: This type of license is the broadest. This license lets you work on any project. If you have a Class A type license but do not have the trade-specific licenses in plumbing, electrical, mechanical, fire extinguishing, or elevators, you cannot work on these areas.

Class B license: with this license, you can work on most residential and commercial building projects. But you cannot work in projects that are designated as IA or IIA by the International Building Code. Also without additional licenses, class B contractors cannot work on specific trades.

Class C license: this license type has some limits, you can only be contractors of the residential buildings for single-family or multi-family dwellings. The residential buildings must have no more than three floors and have a maximum four living units.

Colorado general contractor license requirements

Usually, to become a qualified contractor you need to pass an International Code Council (ICC) exam. Most places in Colorado use this exam for Class A, B, and C licenses. But in some cities like Denver, the future contractor needs to pass ICC and the national exam, connecting with the chosen type of license.

General contractor licenses in Denver, CO

Denver has the most limited licensure process, but it is also the biggest market for general contractors.

The process of the contractor licensure is handled by the Denver Office of Community Planning and Development. All the candidates need to have a supervisor certificate, which must be given by the supervisor certificate or a state-licensed electrical or plumbing contractor.
After you meet the original requirements, you must complete the additional steps of the application.

First of all, read the Denver Building and Fire Code. Choose the type of the license and complete the application.

After you need to have a “Supervisor Statement of Responsibility”. It should be from the supervisor certificated person. If you are not a state-licensed electrician or plumber.

If you are a state-licensed electrician or plumber, you must provide a copy of your Colorado Contractor, and a copy of your Master Electrician/Master Plumber ID card.

You also need to provide the documents from the Secretary of State, which will prove the legal business status of your contracting company.
The submission of your application, reference forms, proof of any required ICC exam scores, and applicable fees to the Denver Community Planning & Development Office can be either online or you can bring it directly to the Contractor Licensing Desk.

Insurance requirements for Colorado general contractors

To get a license all the contractors need to prove that the minimum level of the liability insurance is covered. The coverage amount is different in different places, it also depends on the type of the license and the type of work.

If the company has its own vehicles and employees they also need commercial auto insurance for the first one and workers’ compensation insurance for the second one.

General liability insurance for Colorado contractors

Almost in all areas to get a license you need to have a general liability policy with a policy limit of at least $100,000. But this level can change according to the place, for example in big cities and places with huge building projects it can be higher.

These are some liability insurance requirements examples in different parts of Colorado.

The requirement for Pikes Peak Regional Building Department is that all contractors with a Class A license must have a $500,000 policy limit. And the Class B or C license need to have $300,000 single limit liability insurance.

For Larimer County, it is necessary that the Class A, B, and C general contractors hold the limit liability insurance of $1 million. And the contractors with a single trade license, roofers license, or mechanical license need to have a $300,000 policy single limit.

The City of Longmont requires that the general contractors have a single limit liability of $1 million, and $2 million for both: the general aggregate liability and products completed aggregate liability insurance.

Commercial auto insurance for general contractors

Commercial auto insurance is only required for companies that have their own vehicles, it is not for all general contractors. The limit of coverage depends on the size, type, and use of the vehicle.

How long does it take to get a general contractor license in Colorado?

Now you have completed all the required steps and submitted your application, it is time to wait for your license, usually, before the license is reviewed it should pass a few weeks, it only depends on the municipality. The application sent by mail takes longer to review than the application submitted online or in person.

In Denver, you need to wait from 7 up to 14 business days for your application to be reviewed.

But The Larimer County Chief Building Official will provide your contractor license in 7 days.

Common challenges for obtaining a license

It can be tough in Colorado to get your contractor license because every location has its own requirements and unique way of submitting the application. To minimize the errors in this process, before starting it, visit the local office and find workers that can be helpful in this hard journey.

How to renew the general contractor license?

In Colorado every one to three years you need to renew your general contractor licenses. Here are some requirements for that process.

First of all, you need to complete and submit your application.

Then you should pay the renewal fee.

After all this, you need to update the insurance coverage certificate. As usual different parts of Colorado have their own requirements, for example, they can also need the exam which will test for knowledge.

How do I find out if a contractor is licensed in Colorado?

If you want to know if the contractor has a legal license in Colorado. You need to connect with the Denver government of varying the contractor license.

You can connect them by phone at 720-865-2770 or email [email protected]. Also, you can use their web tool. Here is the link for it.