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Contractor license bond for carpenters
Published 2026-06-11 · by Brokly
Required if…
Required if your state's (or city's) licensing law conditions the carpentry or contractor license on filing a surety bond — the license won't issue or renew without it.
What it covers for carpentry contractors
A contractor license bond is a financial-guarantee instrument the contractor buys from a surety and files with the licensing authority; it protects the public, not the contractor. Where a state conditions the carpentry or contractor license on one, it must be on file before the license will issue or renew — which states require one, and in what amounts, is set state by state by the licensing law. Where the licensing board demands it, the bond is a gate on the license itself — a contractor in a bond state cannot legally operate without one on file.
Sources: California Contractors State License Board — C-6 Cabinet, Millwork and Finish Carpentry classification (retrieved 2026-06-11) · California Contractors State License Board — Bond Requirements (retrieved 2026-06-11)
Finish-carpentry bond requirements by state
Whether each state conditions the credential to contract finish, cabinet, and trim carpentry work on a surety bond — and the amount. State-bond states show the filed figure; license-only, locally-licensed, and unlicensed states show "—".
1 of 51 jurisdictions pending verification.
| State | Requirement | State bond | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama licenses residential finish-carpentry contracting through the Home Builders Licensure Board once a job exceeds $10,000 — commercial work needs the General Contractors board's license only at $100,000 or more — and neither credential carries a surety bond, HBLB instead checking financial responsibility by credit report and running a Homeowners' Recovery Fund, with its $10,000 license bond applying solely to residential roofers. | — | Home Builders Licensure Law, Ala. Code § 34-14A-2(12) ('residential home builder' definition) — Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board |
| Alaska | Alaska conditions the statewide specialty-contractor registration a business needs for finish-carpentry contracting on a surety bond filed with the Department of Commerce — $10,000 for a specialty contractor, dropping to $5,000 where the whole project is $10,000 or less (AS 08.18.071(b)). | $5,000–$10,000 | Alaska Statutes AS 08.18.071 (Bond required) — 'Statutes and Regulations: Construction Contractors' compilation, DCCED Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing |
| Arizona | Arizona conditions its statewide ROC finish-carpentry contractor license (C-60 commercial, R-60 residential, or CR-60 dual — the business-level credential) on filing a surety bond or cash deposit whose amount the Registrar fixes by classification and estimated annual gross volume, running $2,500–$50,000 for commercial specialty work and $4,250–$7,500 for residential specialty work under the ROC's published schedule, with dual licensees posting the combined amount. | $2,500–$50,000 | Arizona Revised Statutes § 32-1152 (Bonds), Arizona State Legislature |
| Arkansas | Arkansas reaches residential finish carpentry through the Contractors Licensing Board's bond-free Home Improvement Specialty license — required for specialty work over $2,000 on a single-family residence, qualified by a compiled balance sheet showing positive net worth (Unlimited tier) rather than any bond — while commercial work of $50,000 or more takes the commercial contractor license, which does carry a fixed $10,000 surety bond filed with the board. | — | Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board — Apply for Contractors License/Registration (Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing) |
| California | California conditions the statewide contractor license that lets a business contract finish-carpentry work (CSLB C-6 Cabinet, Millwork and Finish Carpentry classification) on filing a $25,000 Contractor's Bond with the Contractors State License Board before the license can be issued, reactivated, or renewed. | $25,000 | CSLB — Bond Requirements (Contractors State License Board, CA.gov) |
| Colorado | Colorado leaves finish-carpentry contracting to municipal licensing — no state contractor license covers the work, and cities credential it themselves, as in Boulder, where no contractor work may be performed in the city without a city contractor's license (Building Contractor classes A through G) — so license and bond requirements vary city by city, with the bonds that do exist typically attached to right-of-way, concrete, or excavation licenses rather than building trades. | — | City of Boulder — Contractor Licensing |
| Connecticut | Connecticut requires any business performing home improvement work on residential property — which reaches finish carpentry, trim, and cabinet installation on homes — to hold a Home Improvement Contractor registration with the Department of Consumer Protection, and no surety bond attaches to the registration; registered contractors instead pay annual assessments into the state's Home Improvement Guaranty Fund. | — | DCP — Home Improvement (Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, CT.gov) |
| Delaware | Delaware has no competency license and no license bond for carpentry contractors at the state level — a business contracting finish carpentry needs a $75 Division of Revenue contractor business (tax) license and a Department of Labor contractor registration, and only nonresident contractors post security: a surety bond of 6% of any contract of $20,000 or more, guaranteeing Delaware tax and employment obligations. | — | Delaware Code, Title 30, Chapter 3, Subchapter V, § 375 (Furnishing of bonds by foreign persons or firms) — delcode.delaware.gov |
| District of Columbia | The District of Columbia requires a business taking any payment before completing residential home-improvement work — finish carpentry included — to hold a DLCP Home Improvement Contractor license backed by a $25,000 surety bond running to the District (or equivalent security deposited with the D.C. Treasurer) under 16 DCMR §802. | $25,000 | 16 DCMR §802.1 (Bonds or Other Security), Home Improvement Businesses — DC Office of Documents and Administrative Issuances (dcregs.dc.gov) |
| Florida | Florida issues no state contractor certificate for finish-carpentry or cabinetry work — the Construction Industry Licensing Board's Ch. 489 categories reach structural contracting such as framing under the general, building, or residential contractor licenses — and s. 489.117(4), F.S. forbids local governments from requiring a license for job scopes such as cabinetry that do not substantially correspond to a state contractor category, so no license or bond attaches to finish-carpentry contracting at either the state or local level. | — | Florida Statutes s. 489.117(4) (2025), The Florida Senate |
| Hawaii | Hawaii licenses finish-carpentry contractors statewide through the DCCA Contractors License Board (C-5 Cabinet, millwork, and carpentry remodeling and repairs specialty classification), which conditions licensure on liability and workers'-compensation insurance and a recovery-fund assessment rather than an across-the-board surety bond — the board may impose a bond only case-by-case as proof of financial integrity. | — | Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 16, Chapter 77 (Contractors), §16-77-11(a)(3) — DCCA-posted compilation |
| Idaho | Idaho requires every construction contractor — finish-carpentry firms included — to hold the Idaho Contractors Board's contractor registration before doing business, and the registration is conditioned on a general liability policy of at least $300,000 single limit plus workers'-compensation proof, not on any surety bond. | — | Idaho Code § 54-5204 (Registration required), Idaho Contractor Registration Act — Idaho Legislature |
| Illinois | Illinois has no statewide license or bond for carpentry or general contracting — municipalities credential the work, e.g., the City of Chicago requires a Department of Buildings general contractor license (five classes, A–E, tiered by project value and conditioned on liability insurance rather than a bond) for most construction within the city, while many suburbs condition local contractor registration on a surety bond (e.g., Westmont's minimum $10,000 bond). | — | City of Chicago, Department of Buildings — General Contractor License (official trade-licensing page) |
| Indiana | Indiana credentials carpentry and general contracting at the local level, with no statewide license — e.g., Indianapolis–Marion County requires businesses 'engaging in any construction' to hold a Department of Business and Neighborhood Services general contractor license, conditioned on a $10,000 surety bond naming the Consolidated City of Indianapolis as obligee plus general liability insurance. | — | City of Indianapolis / Marion County — Contractor Licenses (Department of Business and Neighborhood Services), incl. the BNS General Contractor License Application Packet |
| Iowa | Iowa requires carpentry businesses earning $2,000 or more a year from construction to hold the statewide contractor registration with the Division of Labor (Iowa Code ch. 91C), which carries no exam and no surety bond for Iowa-based contractors — but a contractor whose principal place of business is outside Iowa must file a $25,000 surety bond (or a DOT-prequalification statement) as a condition of registering. | — | Iowa Code 2026, chapter 91C (Construction Contractors) — Iowa Legislature (legis.iowa.gov) |
| Kansas | Kansas has no statewide license or bond for carpentry or general contracting — contractors are credentialed city by city and county by county (e.g., the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas requires general contractors and subcontractors to obtain its city occupational tax license before working in the county), and surety-bond requirements vary by jurisdiction and trade. | — | Unified Government of Wyandotte County / Kansas City, Kansas — Trade Licensing & Prometric Testing (Neighborhood Resource Center, Building Inspection) |
| Kentucky | Kentucky issues no statewide license for carpentry or general contracting (state licensing covers trades such as electrical, plumbing, HVAC and fire suppression) — building contractors are credentialed locally, e.g., Louisville Metro's Building Type A and Type B licenses for contractors pulling building permits in Louisville-Jefferson County, and local surety bonds attach only to certain license classes, varying by jurisdiction. | — | Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government — Construction Review, License Types (contractor licenses) |
| Louisiana | Louisiana scopes its contractor credentials by job size — finish-carpentry firms need the State Licensing Board for Contractors' Home Improvement Registration for residential improvement work over $7,500 up to $50,000, its residential license above $50,000, or its commercial license at $50,000 and up — and none of these carries a surety bond, the conditions being exams or registration plus general-liability and workers'-compensation insurance. | — | LSLBC — Frequently Asked Questions (Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors) |
| Maine | Maine has no state-level license, registration, or surety bond for carpentry contracting — general contractors, including finish-carpentry businesses, are not licensed or regulated by the State, which separately licenses trades such as plumbers and electricians. | — | Maine Office of the Attorney General — Consumer Information: Home Construction and Repair |
| Maryland | Maryland requires businesses contracting home-improvement work — including finish carpentry, trim, and cabinet installation in existing homes — to hold a Maryland Home Improvement Commission contractor license, which carries no universal surety bond: only an applicant who cannot meet the Commission's financial-solvency guidelines posts one (the standard surety bond form is $30,000, with a $100,000 bond available in lieu of financial documentation and an indemnitor as the non-bond alternative), and homeowners are otherwise protected by the MHIC Guaranty Fund. | — | MHIC — Apply for a Maryland Home Improvement Commission License (Maryland Department of Labor) |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts requires contractors performing residential contracting work on pre-existing owner-occupied homes of one to four units — which reaches finish carpentry, trim, and cabinet installation — to register as Home Improvement Contractors with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, and no surety bond attaches to the registration, with consumer recourse running through the state's Residential Contractor's Guaranty Fund instead. | — | Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 142A, Section 9 (The 194th General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts) |
| Michigan | Michigan licenses carpentry businesses statewide through LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes — residential construction, repair, or alteration work of $600 or more requires a Residential Builder or Residential Maintenance & Alteration Contractor license carrying the carpentry trade (MCL 339.2401–2404; examination plus 60 hours of approved prelicensure education), and no surety bond attaches to the license, while commercial-only carpentry needs no state credential. | — | Michigan Compiled Laws 339.2403 (license requirement and exemptions, incl. the $600 threshold) and 339.2401 (definitions) — Michigan Legislature; LARA Bureau of Construction Codes, Residential Builders FAQ and Maintenance & Alteration Contractor License Information |
| Minnesota | Minnesota requires no contractor license for a business whose residential work is carpentry alone — one-skill specialty contractors are exempt from the Residential Building Contractor license (Minn. Stat. 326B.805, subd. 6(8)) and instead hold the Department of Labor and Industry's bond-free construction contractor registration (Minn. Stat. 326B.701), while a company offering two or more special skills (e.g., carpentry plus drywall-and-plaster) must carry the Residential Building Contractor license, which itself attaches no surety bond. | — | 2025 Minnesota Statutes §§ 326B.805 (licensing requirement + exemptions), 326B.802 (definitions), 326B.701 (construction contractor registration) — Office of the Revisor of Statutes |
| Mississippi | Mississippi requires a State Board of Contractors license for finish-carpentry work only above dollar thresholds — over $50,000 commercial (subcontractors included), over $50,000 residential new construction, or over $10,000 residential remodeling — and none of those licenses carries a surety bond, licensure resting instead on examinations, financial statements or workers'-compensation proof, and insurance certificates. | — | Mississippi State Board of Contractors — Frequently Asked Questions (official board site) |
| Missouri | Missouri requires no statewide license or bond for carpentry or general contracting — cities and counties license the work locally (e.g., Kansas City, Missouri licenses contractors, with Residential Building Contractors among the certificate-of-qualification trades, under Article XII of its Building and Rehabilitation Code), and local financial-security requirements vary by jurisdiction and trade. | — | City of Kansas City, Missouri — Contractor Licensing (City Planning & Development, Permits Division) |
| Montana | Montana requires construction contracting businesses — finish carpentry included — to hold the Department of Labor & Industry's construction contractor license (independent contractors with no employees are exempt and may opt in), and the license is conditioned on proof of workers'-compensation compliance, not on any surety bond. | — | MCA 37-45-201 (Construction contractor license required -- application), Montana Code Annotated — Montana Legislature |
| Nebraska | Nebraska requires every contractor — finish-carpentry firms included — to register with the Department of Labor before performing construction work in the state (own-property work and contractors earning under $5,000 annually are exempt), and the registration is conditioned on a workers'-compensation insurance certificate for contractors with employees, not on any surety bond. | — | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-2104 (Registration required), Contractor Registration Act — Nebraska Legislature |
| Nevada | Nevada conditions the statewide contractor license that lets a business contract finish-carpentry work (C-3 Carpentry classification, C-3b Finish Carpentry subclassification) on filing a surety bond or cash deposit with the State Contractors Board, in an amount the Board fixes per licensee between $1,000 and $500,000 based on financial responsibility and the magnitude of operations (NRS 624.270). | $1,000–$500,000 | Nevada Revised Statutes NRS 624.270 (Bond or deposit: Requirements; amount; conditions), Nevada Legislature |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire has no state-level license, registration, or surety bond for carpentry contracting — contractors, including finish-carpentry businesses, do not need a state license to contract work in New Hampshire. | — | New Hampshire Department of Justice — Consumer Alert: Attorney General Encourages the Public to Take Steps to Protect Themselves Against Home Improvement Scams in Recognition of National Consumer Protection Week |
| New Jersey | New Jersey conditions the statewide home-improvement contractor credential a finish-carpentry business needs for residential work (Division of Consumer Affairs registration) on maintaining a compliance surety bond — or an irrevocable letter of credit or division-acceptable securities — of $10,000, $25,000 or $50,000, tiered by single-contract value and trailing-12-month contract volume under N.J.S.A. 56:8-142. | $10,000–$50,000 | P.L.2023, c.237, §32 (amending C.56:8-142) — enacted chapter law, New Jersey Legislature |
| New Mexico | New Mexico requires a finish-carpentry business to hold a CID contractor license (GS-29 Specialties classification) and conditions every contractor license on a $10,000 surety bond filed as proof of responsibility under NMSA 1978 §60-13-49. | $10,000 | NMSA 1978 §60-13-49 (Proof of responsibility), Construction Industries Licensing Act — RLD-posted compilation (Article 13 CILA) |
| New York | New York licenses home-improvement contracting — the credential that reaches residential finish carpentry, trim, and cabinet installation — at the county and city level rather than statewide, and bond practice varies by jurisdiction: New York City's Home Improvement Contractor license requires either DCWP Trust Fund enrollment or a $20,000 surety bond, while licensing counties such as Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland set their own conditions. | — | NYS Department of State, Division of Consumer Protection — Consumer Alert: Home Improvement Scams (dos.ny.gov) |
| North Carolina | North Carolina requires its general contractor license only when a construction undertaking costs $40,000 or more, so finish-carpentry businesses contracting below that threshold operate without any state credential, and the license itself carries no surety bond — applicants instead provide evidence of financial responsibility as determined by the licensing board. | — | N.C.G.S. §87-1 (definition of 'general contractor'), North Carolina General Assembly |
| North Dakota | North Dakota licenses contractors — finish carpentry included — through the Secretary of State whenever a job exceeds $4,000, and the license is conditioned on a liability-insurance certificate and workforce-safety-insurance (workers' compensation) compliance, not on any surety bond, the chapter's contractor's-bond section having been repealed in 1995. | — | North Dakota Century Code ch. 43-07 (Contractors) — official chapter PDF, North Dakota Legislative Branch |
| Ohio | Ohio licenses only five construction trades statewide — electrical, HVAC, refrigeration, plumbing and hydronics, through the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board — so carpentry and general contracting are credentialed by municipalities, where surety bonds are common (e.g., Columbus registers general contractors through Building and Zoning Services and sets all of its contractor license/registration bonds at $25,000). | — | OCILB Examination Application, Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Industrial Compliance (official com.ohio.gov asset); City of Columbus, Department of Building and Zoning Services — General Contractors page and Contractor License/Registration Bond form |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma issues no statewide license for finish-carpentry or general-contracting work — the Construction Industries Board regulates only the plumbing, electrical, mechanical, home-inspection, and roofing-registration acts — so no state credential or bond applies to carpentry contracting at the state level. | — | Oklahoma Construction Industries Board — About the CIB |
| Oregon | Oregon requires a finish-carpentry business to hold a CCB contractor license and file a surety bond whose amount is set by license endorsement — $15,000 to $80,000 across the endorsement schedule, with a residential specialty contractor at $20,000 and a commercial specialty contractor at $25,000 (level 2) or $55,000 (level 1) per ORS 701.068, 701.081 and 701.084. | $15,000–$80,000 | Oregon Revised Statutes ORS 701.068 (Bonding requirements), 701.081 (Residential contractors; bond) and 701.084 (Commercial contractors; bond), Oregon Legislature |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania requires any business performing $5,000 or more of home improvements per taxable year — which reaches finish carpentry, trim, and cabinet work on private residences — to register as a Home Improvement Contractor with the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection, and no surety bond attaches to the registration, which instead requires proof of liability insurance of at least $50,000 for personal injury and $50,000 for property damage. | — | Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, 73 P.S. § 517.1 et seq. (full act text, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General) |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island requires anyone doing residential or commercial construction work — including remodeling, alteration, and repair work such as finish carpentry — to register with the Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board, and no surety bond attaches to the registration, which instead requires a certificate of general liability insurance of at least $500,000 plus a five-hour pre-registration course for residential work. | — | CRLB — Contractor Registration (Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board, RI.gov) |
| South Carolina | South Carolina registers carpentry businesses statewide as residential specialty contractors through the LLR Residential Builders Commission — registration applies once a residential undertaking exceeds $500 — and attaches no surety bond to the registration itself, though a registrant must file a commission-approved surety bond for any job performed directly for an individual property owner whose total materials-and-labor cost exceeds $5,000. | — | S.C. Code of Laws Title 40, Chapter 59 (Residential Home Builders) — §§40-59-20, 40-59-220, 40-59-240, South Carolina Legislature |
| South Dakota | South Dakota issues no state contracting license for finish-carpentry work — the statewide credential a carpentry business must hold is the Department of Revenue's contractor's excise tax license, a tax registration imposing a 2% excise on construction gross receipts rather than a competency requirement — and no state license bond exists for the work. | — | South Dakota Department of Revenue — Contractor's Excise Tax |
| Tennessee | Tennessee requires the Board for Licensing Contractors' statewide contractor license whenever a project totals $25,000 or more — finish carpentry included — with no surety bond attached to that license, while residential remodels of $3,000 to $24,999 trigger the separate Home Improvement license, which does carry $10,000 of financial responsibility (surety bond, cash or property bond, or irrevocable letter of credit), only in the nine counties that adopted it. | — | Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors — Contractor license requirements (tn.gov/commerce) |
| Texas | Texas requires no state license for finish-carpentry or general-contracting work — the Governor's Business Permit Office guide states that general contractors are not required to obtain a license to practice in Texas — so no state credential or bond applies to the work, with regulation limited to trade-specific state licenses (electrical, air conditioning, plumbing) and whatever registration individual cities or counties attach to permits. | — | Texas Business Licenses & Permits Guide, 2026-2027 edition — Office of the Governor, Business Permit Office ('General Contracting – Construction – Home Builder' section, p. 59) |
| Utah | Utah licenses finish-carpentry contracting at the business level through the Division of Professional Licensing's contractor license (S220 Carpentry and Flooring Contractor classification), and the license carries no across-the-board surety bond — applicants demonstrate financial responsibility by questionnaire and carry $1,000,000/$3,000,000 general liability insurance, with a license bond required only when that financial-responsibility review fails. | — | Utah Code § 58-55-306 (Financial responsibility), Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act — Utah State Legislature |
| Vermont | Vermont requires a business to register as a Residential Contractor with the Office of Professional Regulation before contracting with a homeowner for residential construction of more than $10,000 including labor and materials — a threshold that reaches larger finish-carpentry and cabinetry projects — and no surety bond attaches to the registration, which instead requires liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. | — | Vermont Statutes, Title 26, Chapter 106 (Residential Contractors), § 5501 (Vermont General Assembly) |
| Virginia | Virginia licenses finish-carpentry businesses statewide through the DPOR Board for Contractors — a Class A, B, or C contractor license (required for single contracts over $1,000) carrying the Finish Carpentry (FIN) specialty service designation — and conditions the license on no surety bond, though Class A and B applicants may elect to file a $50,000 bond in lieu of demonstrating the Board's minimum net worth. | — | 18VAC50-22-30, Definitions of specialty services — Virginia Administrative Code (Board for Contractors regulations) |
| Washington | Washington requires a finish-carpentry business to register with the Department of Labor & Industries as a specialty contractor under RCW 18.27 and to file a $15,000 continuous surety bond with the registration ($30,000 for general contractors) per RCW 18.27.040. | $15,000 | Revised Code of Washington RCW 18.27.040 (Bond or other security required), Washington State Legislature |
| West Virginia | West Virginia licenses contracting businesses statewide through the Contractor Licensing Board once an undertaking costs $5,000 or more for residential work or $25,000 or more for commercial work — finish carpentry falls under the act's general-building, residential, or specialty-contractor classifications — and the license carries no surety bond, with jobs below those thresholds requiring no state credential. | — | W. Va. Code §30-42-6 (necessity for license; exemptions), West Virginia Legislature — threshold clause from §30-42-3 (definitions) |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin's statewide credential for residential carpentry work — the DSPS Dwelling Contractor certification required to pull permits on one- and two-family dwellings (Wis. Stat. 101.654) — conditions on an election between proofs of financial responsibility rather than a mandatory bond: either a surety bond (statutory floor $5,000, with DSPS issuing the unrestricted certification only on a bond of at least $25,000 and bonds below $25,000 producing a 'Dwelling Contractor Restricted' certification limited to jobs within the bond amount) or general liability insurance of at least $250,000 per occurrence; commercial carpentry needs no statewide credential. | — | Wis. Stat. § 101.654 (Wisconsin Legislature, docs.legis.wisconsin.gov); DSPS Form #3096, Dwelling Contractor Application Information |
| Wyoming | Wyoming licenses finish-carpentry contracting at the municipal level — the state issues no contractor license for the work, while cities and towns such as Jackson (which makes it unlawful to undertake regulated construction work without its contractor Certificate of Qualification) and Casper (general contractor license classes I through IV, reaching interior finish work) credential contractors locally — so bond requirements vary town by town, from Jackson's application bond to Casper's insurance-only license. | — | Town of Jackson, Wyoming — Contractor Licensing (Municipal Code ch. 15.36) |
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