Arkansas

To bid and work on construction projects in Arkansas that cost $20,000 or more, you must get a contractor's license.

To find out if a contractor is licensed in Arkansas, click http://www.state.ar.us/clb/search.html or call (501) 372-4661. To find out if a plumber is licensed in Arkansas, call (501) 661-2642. To find out if an electrician is licensed in Arkansas, call (501) 682-4549 or click https://www.ark.org/labor/electrician/roster_download/index.php. To find out if a boiler installer is licensed in Arkansas, call (501) 682-4514 or click https://www.ark.org/labor/boilers/roster.php. To find out if an asbestos abatement contractor is licensed and certified in Arkansas, call (501) 682-0719 or click http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/air/asb_lead/license/lic_asb_sql.asp. To find out if an alarm system installation contractor is licensed in Arkansas, call (501) 618-8600.

• Contractor's Classifications

• Plumber's Licenses

• Electrician's Licenses

• Asbestos Abatement License and Certificates

• Boiler Licenses

• Alarm Systems Installation License

• Department of Transportation (DOT)

• Out-of-State Corporations

Arkansas licenses both commercial and residential contractors. To apply for the license to work on construction projects, contact:

Contractors Licensing Board 4100 Richards Road N. Little Rock, AR 72117 (501) 372-4661 http://www.state.ar.us/clb/

The application will ask you for:

• a financial statement
• a statement of your experience
• professional references

Commercial Contractor's Classifications

You'll also be asked which classifications of work you want to do in the state. Here's an outline of the commercial classifications Arkansas uses:

Heavy construction:

Highway, railroad and airport construction:

Municipal and utility construction:

Building contracting:

Light building:

This classification includes all of the specialty classes listed under the Building classification, but are limited to projects that do not exceed $250,000 and do not exceed two stories in height. 

Mechanical contracting (master plumber and class A or B HVACR licenses required for this classification):

Electrical contracting (master electrician license required for this classification):

You can pick any of these trades as a specialty except heavy construction, highway, railroad and airport construction, municipal and utility construction, light building and building contracting. The Board considers these as general contracting classifications of work. To qualify for any trade you need five years of experience in it. You also have to give the Board a list of equipment you have available to use in the trade.

The Board requires you to have minimum business related net worth for any classification. For heavy, highway, railroad, airport, municipal & utility and building contracting it's $50,000, for light building, mechanical and electrical it's $20,000. The specialty trades are $5,000. The Board also requires contractors to post a bond for $10,000.

Residential Contractor's Classifications

The Residential Contractor's Committee regulates licensing for the residential classifications. 

Residential builder:

You need four years of experience and have two verifiable references to qualify. The license will authorize you to do both residential building and residential remodeling work.

Residential remodeler:

You will need proof of two years experience and two verifiable references to qualify. A contractor holding a commercial license from the Board with either the Building or Light Building classifications is considered to be qualified to perform residential building. However, a Residential Building class must be requested in writing prior to performing the work.

Both commercial and residential classifications require that you pass an exam.

The exam is given by:

Prometric http://www.prometric.com

The exam covers law and business. It's an open book exam with 50 multiple choice questions. Here's a breakdown of the content of the exam:

Contractor's license fees: It will cost you $100 nonrefundable to file an application for a commercial license. The business and law computerized testing costs $75. The commercial license is good for one year. The residential application and license fee is $100. The license is good for one year. 

The laws and business subjects in the exam come from the Arkansas Contractor's Reference Manual. To buy the book, call 1-877-622-8191.

Arkansas has reciprocity with Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. You must complete a Request for Verification of License and Affidavit form. The reciprocity is for exam waiver only.

Plumber's Licenses

You must have a license to do plumbing work in Arkansas unless you work only on your own residence or agricultural buildings. The agriculture buildings must be outside city limits and they mustn't be connected to a public water line, sewer, or gas line. To apply for a license, contact:

Arkansas Department of Health Plumbing and Natural Gas Section Division of Protective Health Codes 4815 West Markham Slot 24 Little Rock, AR 72205-3867 (501) 661-2642 http://www.healthyarkansas.com/phc/

Arkansas issues master, journeyman, restricted, plumber and/or gas inspector and apprentice licenses. You'll have to take an exam to get a master or journeyman license. To take the master exam you need to have five years of plumbing experience or be a professional engineer in plumbing engineering. For the journeyman plumber exam you need four years of plumbing experience. If you've had a journeyman license for a year, you can take the master exam.

Plumber's license fees: The master plumbing exam costs $125, and the license costs $200. The journeyman exam costs $75, and the license $75. An apprentice license costs $25. All licenses are good for a year, but they all expire on December 31 each year.

There are no reciprocal agreements with any other states.

Electrician's Licenses

You'll need a state license to do electrical work in Arkansas.

These classes of license are issued by the board:  master electrician, journeyman electrician, industrial maintenance electrician, residential master electrical, residential journeyman electrician, and air-conditioning electrician. To apply, contact:

Arkansas Board of Electrical Examiners 10421 West Markham Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 682-4549 Fax: (501) 682-1765 http://www.ark.org/labor/divisions/electricalexam_p1.html

An applicant for a state electrician's license must pass an exam, in addition to meeting experience or education requirements. Requirements for each classification are listed below.

Master electrician:

• a degree in electrical engineering plus two years construction experience
• six years experience (both residential and commercial) including two years as a licensed journeyman
• a combination of board-approved related training and experience

Journeyman electrician:

• four years or 8,000 hours electrical work experience
• a four-year combination of board-approved related training and experience
• a "Notice of Apprenticeship Committee Action - Released for Test" form from the applicant's training program
• maintenance experience in electrical work may be considered by the Board

Industrial maintenance electrician:

• four years experience under supervision of an engineer, master electrician, journeyman electrician or industrial maintenance electrician in the maintenance of electrical conductors or equipment
• a combination of board-approved related training and experience

Residential master electrician:

• three years experience in wiring of one or two family dwellings including one year experience as a licensed residential journeyman 
• a combination of board-approved related training and experience

Residential journeyman:

• two years experience in wiring of one or two family dwellings
• a combination of board-approved related training and experience

Air conditioning electrician:

• two years experience in wiring HVACR equipment
• a combination of board-approved related training and experience

The exam for industrial maintenance license is given by the Board. All other exams are given by:

Prometric http://www.prometric.com

Exam content:

The reference material for all exams is the NFPA 70 - National Electrical Code, available from the National Fire Protection Association.

Electrician's exam fees: The exam costs $56 (paper and pencil) or $86 (computerized) for master or journeyman, and $25 for industrial maintenance electrician.

Electrician's license fees: A master license will cost you $50 and it's $25 for a journeyman or industrial maintenance license. All licenses are good for one year. Renewal costs $50 per year for master electrician, and $25 per year for journeyman and industrial maintenance electricians. It will cost $10 to register as an apprentice. The registration is good for one year.

If you're already licensed in another state, Arkansas may accept your license. You'll need to give them proof of your valid license and pay the fees they charge for the Arkansas license. Check with the Board on this.

Asbestos Abatement License and Certificates

To do asbestos removal in Arkansas you need to be licensed by the Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology. To work in abatement of asbestos materials you need to get a certificate from the Department. To apply for the license and/or certificate, contact:

Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality Air Division Asbestos/Lead Section P.O. Box 8913 Little Rock, AR 72219-8913 (501) 682-0752 http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/air/asb_lead/asbestos.htm

The Department issues four types of certificates and three types of licenses.

Certificates:

• air monitor
• contractor/supervisor
• worker
• project designer
• inspector
• management planner

Licenses:

• asbestos contractor
• consultant
• training provider

You need at least one year of experience to apply for a contractor's license. You'll have to pass a written exam with 100 multiple choice questions for a contractor's license, and one with 50 multiple choice questions for a worker's license. The Department also requires a training course -- 40 hours for contractor/supervisors, 32 hours for workers, 24 hours for inspectors, 24 hours for management planners, 24 hours for project designers, 12 hours for air monitors (air monitors must first complete the 40 hour contractor/supervisor training). You also need at least $500,000 of liability coverage.

Asbestos abatement license and certification fees:  Check with the Division for exam fee details. The contractor, consultant and training provider licenses each cost $500. The fee will be prorated at $41.67 per month for the first fee, then will be $500 thereafter due December 31st. Air monitor, contractor/supervisor, inspector, management planner and project designer certificates cost $150. Worker certificates cost $35. A license or certificate is good for one year. You need to renew it by December 31 each year.

Boiler Licenses

If you sell, repair or install boilers, pressure vessels, or pressure piping in Arkansas, you must have an Installation License. To get one, contact:

Boiler Inspection Division Arkansas Department of Labor 10421 West Markham, Room 310 Little Rock, AR 72205 (501) 682-5066 Fax: (501) 682-4513 http://www.arkansas.gov/labor/divisions/boiler_p1.html E-mail: Dennis.Hannon@ Arkansas.gov

The Division issues the following licenses:

• low pressure boiler operator
• high pressure boiler operator
• boiler repair
• sell & installation 

Boiler license fees: There's no exam for this license. The sell and repair and repair licenses each cost $75. Check with the Division for the operator license fees. Licenses are good for a calendar year, and you have to renew before December 31st each year.

Alarm Systems Installation License

To install alarms systems you need to be licensed by the state. To get an application for a license, contact:

Arkansas State Police Special Services Section #1 State Police Plaza Drive Little Rock, AR 72209 (501) 618-8600 http://www.asp.state.ar.us

The state issues two types of licenses based on how many employees you have in your company. For more than five employees, the license is called a Class E license. For five or less, it's called a Class F license. For either license, you need to pass an exam on Arkansas rules and regulations on alarm systems.

Arkansas requires all licensees to have a public liability insurance policy for at least $10,000. If your alarm system business issues Underwriters' Laboratories certificates, you'll need a $300,000 public liability insurance policy.

Alarm Systems Installation license fees: A Class E license costs $450 and a class F costs $225. Either license is good for one year.

Department of Transportation (DOT)

You must be prequalified by the Arkansas State Highway Commission to bid on projects as a prime contractor. If you're licensed in Arkansas, you can send a copy of your Arkansas Contractor's License instead of the Prequalification Questionnaire. There are a few extra requirements with this option, so contact the Commission for details before you use it.

To get a Prequalification Questionnaire, contact:

Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department Programs and Contacts Division P.O. Box 2261 Little Rock, AR 72203 (501) 569-2261 http://www.arkansashighways.com/

The Prequalification Questionnaire will ask you for:

• your financial statement (prepared by a CPA)
• a detailed list of your equipment
• your experience record

The prequalification is good for one year, with a four-month grace period.

Essentially, you must be licensed by the Arkansas State Contractors Licensing Board before you can bid with the Department of Transportation. You can bid on a federal-aid highway project without it, but if you're awarded the project, you'll need the license to actually get the job.

Out-of-State Corporations

Any incorporated business must be registered with the Arkansas Secretary of State. To register, contact them at:

Secretary of State State Capitol Room 058 Little Rock, AR 72201 (501) 682-3409 http://www.sosweb.state.ar.us/

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