Ohio Contractor License Requirements
No statewide general contractor license — the state licenses only 5 commercial specialty trades, everything else is local.
License Requirement
Licensing body: Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB), Ohio Department of Commerce — com.ohio.gov
Ohio has no statewide general contractor license, confirmed directly via com.ohio.gov. The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board licenses only five commercial specialty trades under Ohio Contractor Licensing Law (ORC 4740): Electrical, HVAC, Hydronics, Plumbing, and Refrigeration. General contracting itself is handled entirely at the municipal or county level — for example, the City of Columbus requires its own local contractor registration.
Exam
For the five OCILB-covered specialty trades only. The specific testing vendor could not be confirmed cleanly this pass — verify directly at com.ohio.gov.
Bonding
Not confirmed for OCILB trades during this research pass. General contracting has no statewide bonding requirement since there's no statewide GC license.
Continuing Education
OCILB requires annual renewal with continuing education for its five licensed trades; the specific hour count was not confirmed this pass.
Experience Requirements
5 years of trade experience is commonly cited to sit for the OCILB exam, consistent across independent secondary sources, but not directly reconfirmed against a current .gov page this pass.
Reciprocity
Ohio does not appear on NASCLA's participating-jurisdiction list, consistent with having no statewide competency-based general contractor exam.
Licensing requirements change and vary by locality within a state. Always verify current requirements with your state's contractor licensing board before applying. This page is an independent informational reference — it is not legal advice, and ContractorLicense.org is not a government agency and is not affiliated with any state licensing board.
Research note: High confidence, directly .gov-confirmed, that Ohio has no statewide GC license and that OCILB covers only 5 specialty trades. Exam vendor, bond/insurance, and CE hour details for those trades are unconfirmed — verify at com.ohio.gov.
Still Not Sure What Ohio Requires?
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