Transfer Your Contractor License to New Hampshire: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)
New Hampshire issues no statewide general contractor license, so there is no New Hampshire state license to transfer into or out of. Any licensing for this work is handled below the state level (a city, county or contractor-level authority), so check with the authority where you will work. Under HB 594 (2023), New Hampshire issues an electrician license by endorsement to an applicant holding an active license in good standing from a jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially similar to New Hampshire, evaluated case-by-case rather than from a fixed reciprocal-state list. New Hampshire has no state general-contractor license. Electrical work is licensed statewide and handled separately — check your trade in the checker.
Moving to New Hampshire from a specific state?
Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.
Verdict
No statewide license
The structural fact first: New Hampshire issues no statewide general contractor license, so a general contractor moving here has no state license to transfer and none to apply for. The work is to identify the local authority that governs your jobsite and meet its rules. Trade licenses are a separate question: check your trade and class in the checker before you assume anything carries over.
New Hampshire licenses electricians (journeyman, master, high/medium voltage) through the OPLC Electricians Board and offers licensure by endorsement under HB 594 (2023) for applicants licensed in a substantially-similar jurisdiction (part of the multi-state electrical reciprocity network). There is no fixed reciprocal-state list. New Hampshire does not license general building contractors at the state level.
New Hampshire requirements at a glance
| Exam | Under HB 594 (2023), New Hampshire issues an electrician license by endorsement to an applicant holding an active license in good standing from a jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially similar to New Hampshire, evaluated case-by-case rather than from a fixed reciprocal-state list. New Hampshire has no state general-contractor license. |
|---|---|
| General contracting |
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| General contractor fee | None at state level — general contractor licensing is local, so the city or county sets any fee |
| General contractor processing | None at state level — set by the local authority |
| Trade licenses (not general contracting) |
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| Trade-license fees | Electrician licence fees are set by OPLC in the Plc 1002 fee schedule. Retried 2026-09-01: every official New Hampshire host was unreachable from this environment - oplc.nh.gov returned HTTP 403 on both the Electricians' License Fees page and the adopted Plc 1002 rule PDF, and the New Hampshire General Court rules site (gc.nh.gov, gencourt.state.nh.us) refused the connection. No official figure could be read, so the amount is left null rather than taken from a secondary source |
Step by step
- New Hampshire issues no statewide general contractor license, so there is no state license to transfer: confirm with the authority linked on this page who licenses the work where you will practice.
- Contact that city, county or contractor-level authority for its own requirements, exams and fees.
- Keep records of your current license, exams and documented experience — a local authority may credit them, but nothing transfers at state level.
- General building contractors are not licensed at the state level in New Hampshire.
- General contractor fee: none at state level — general contractor licensing is local, so the city or county sets any fee.
- Electrical work is licensed statewide in New Hampshire and handled separately: use the checker with your trade selected.
Official links
Coming from a specific state?
Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into New Hampshire:
Nearby states
Contractor license transfer into the states bordering New Hampshire:
New Hampshire for other professions
- Nursing in New Hampshire
- Cosmetology / Barber in New Hampshire
- Real Estate in New Hampshire
- Teaching in New Hampshire
- CPA / Accounting in New Hampshire
- Electrician in New Hampshire
- Plumber in New Hampshire
- Engineering in New Hampshire
- Pharmacy in New Hampshire
- Physical Therapy in New Hampshire
- Psychology in New Hampshire
- Counseling in New Hampshire
- Social Work in New Hampshire
- Occupational Therapy in New Hampshire
Frequently asked questions
Does my contractor license transfer to New Hampshire?
New Hampshire issues no statewide general contractor license, so there is no state license to transfer; any general-contractor licensing is local. Under HB 594 (2023), New Hampshire issues an electrician license by endorsement to an applicant holding an active license in good standing from a jurisdiction whose requirements are substantially similar to New Hampshire, evaluated case-by-case rather than from a fixed reciprocal-state list. New Hampshire has no state general-contractor license.
Does reciprocity waive all of New Hampshire's requirements?
There is no state general contractor license in New Hampshire for reciprocity to apply to; any trade license that does reciprocate waives the trade exam only, not the business/law exam, bond, or insurance.
What fees apply in New Hampshire, and how long does processing take?
New Hampshire issues no state general contractor license, so there is no state license fee: general contracting is licensed locally, and the city or county sets any fee and timeline.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-07-21.
- NH OPLC - Reciprocity Licensing (HB 594) ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NH OPLC - Applications for Electricians ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources 2026-07-21
How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]