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#1 |
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Pro
Trade: Remodeling
Join Date: May 2006
Location: S.E.Pennsylvania
Posts: 159
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Licensed & Insured
This may be a repeat of someone else's post, but I couldn't find it. I was hoping someone could shed some light on the topic of "licensed & insured".
Many times (not too often anymore) people have questioned, are you licensed and insured? I own a small GC business in PA, but we mostly do Tile installations. I have insurance, & my company name is is filed in PA under their "Ficticious name" registry. Other than pulling a "license" when needed from each town, I'm not truely licensed. What I am getting at, is there a "license" for general contracting in Pennsylvania. I'm thinking no because I have searched far & wide, but I just wanted some opinions. Thanks again!
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Quality Isn't Expensive, It's Priceless |
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#2 |
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Pro
Trade: Roofer, Domains and Hosting
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Richmond, Va.
Posts: 2,456
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Re: Licensed & Insured
In Va, SCC gives you a Contractors lic. The city or county you operate your business from sells you your business lic. Are you confusing the 2?
And you pay your business taxes to them. BUT, here, if you do $40K in any other county or city, you pay THEM the taxes for that amount!
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Frank Slate Roof Repairs, Richmond, Va. |
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#3 |
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Pro
Trade: Lic. GC/Remodr - Commercial/Residential/Industrial
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New England
Posts: 2,702
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Re: Licensed & Insured
I will answer this based on the primary area that we work in, which is the state of MA.
In MA there is a Licensing program. There are 2 different levels of construction licensing: Restricted (smaller SF - residential only) and Unrestricted (larger SF and commercial). The official title of the license is a: "Construction Supervisor's License"...tho it is also referred to as a 'GC license', 'Contractor's license', 'Builder's license', or just plain 'license'. Contractors that are unlicensed can still do alot of residential work because the state allows the home owner to pull permits for their properties, and then they can hire contractors with proper insurance to do the work. The State does require that all residential contractors register with them under their: Home Improvement Contractor's Registration program. On this program, they are assigned a multi digit registration number. (There is no test for this, it is a registration) It cost a fee, they are assigned a number, and that number is used to track any complaints. Thus, there are: a.) Contractors/General Contractors who are "Licensed & Registered & Insured". b.) Contractors that are (not licensed) but are Registered and Insured. This is completely legal in the state. Side point: Pathetically, there are alot of little guys that call themselves residential "General Contractors", tho they don't possess a license. c.) Unscroupulous Contractors: There are some pathetic lumps that claim on their vehicles and cards that they are "Licensed and Insured".....when thay are only Registered and Insured. (They list their Home Improvement Contractor's Registration number as their "License no.") I once ran into a drywaller at my gym and he gave me his card that said: "Licensed and Insured". I asked him if they had their construction license?" He said yes. I asked him, what kind of license was it? , a number? He answered: "well,....um...it's...um....., er, that's referring to our Insurance Certificate license....our insurance....." - Rolled my eyes and walked away.... So, to sum it up, in my area of main operation, "Licensed and Insured" means a State issued License that is good in all towns (in state) ...tho many individuals twist the phrase around erroneously - to suite themselves. The way we sort it all out is with the state's CS number (Contruction Supervisor's number). No CS# here means = No construction license. Now, I live in NH (but work in MA). And my home address state has NO construction Licensing programs or requirements, (neither does RI where we have worked). Generally, if someone or a company advertises "Licensed & Insured" in NH, that usually means that they possess a construction license in another state. They list it as a way to show that they have the knowledge, certification, and experience that can be recognized by the fact that they have "a license" of somesort, while other contractor's in my home state, have none.
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- Build Well - Last edited by AtlanticWBConst; 06-22-2007 at 07:23 AM. Reason: grammer |
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#4 |
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Pro
Trade: Lic. GC/Remodr - Commercial/Residential/Industrial
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New England
Posts: 2,702
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Re: Licensed & Insured
Just had to bump this as my last total post number total was 666....
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- Build Well - |
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#5 |
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Charitable animal
Trade: decks
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Chester Co. PA
Posts: 2,509
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Re: Licensed & Insured
...
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Custom Decks & Carpentry LLC. Chester County Custom Decks Custom Deckbuilder Mainline Philadelphia Deck Builder Custom Decks & Carpentry on Facebook Last edited by Bone Saw; 06-27-2007 at 10:29 AM. |
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#6 |
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New Guy
Trade: GC
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 25
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Re: Licensed & Insured
"(neither does RI where we have worked). "
Actually, RI requires all contractors to be registered. crb.ri.gov CT is also a registration for either New Home Construction or Home Improvement. Many customers call it a a license, but it's just a registration. Randy |
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#7 | |
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Pro
Trade: Lic. GC/Remodr - Commercial/Residential/Industrial
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New England
Posts: 2,702
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Re: Licensed & InsuredQuote:
"Now, I live in NH (but work in MA). And my home address state has NO construction Licensing programs or requirements, (neither does RI where we have worked)." L-I-C-E-N-S-I-N-G - RI does not require any Construction LICENSING
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- Build Well - Last edited by AtlanticWBConst; 06-23-2007 at 01:28 AM. Reason: spelling |
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#8 | |
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Pro
Trade: Roofer, Domains and Hosting
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Richmond, Va.
Posts: 2,456
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Re: Licensed & InsuredQuote:
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Frank Slate Roof Repairs, Richmond, Va. |
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#9 |
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Pro
Trade: Remodeling
Join Date: May 2006
Location: S.E.Pennsylvania
Posts: 159
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Re: Licensed & Insured
Thanks for the input guys
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Quality Isn't Expensive, It's Priceless |
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#10 |
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Veteran Boss
Trade: General Contractor
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA.
Posts: 37
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Re: Licensed & Insured
You wanna talk about being licensed, come to California. You must be license by the state to hold a GC license. You can not do any work over $500 unless you have a license. There is only one GC license (can do res. or commer. work). We have two exams, and an FBI fingerprint background check. You must carry a $12K bond before they will issue it. Total process time, about a year for me.
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#11 |
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Member
Trade: Construction
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 34
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Re: Licensed & Insured
I just looked it up. Apparently 666 is the number of the beast in Revelation in the Bible. Seems silly to me though.
As to licensing, I find it exceedingly confusing. Question: who is it that licenses construction workers? Is it an actual government body or is there a contractor's board affiliated with the government? Like if I wanted to get my first license, what web site would I visit if I were in, say, Pennsylvania? |
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#12 |
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Deck Cleaner
Trade: Deck Cleaning, Staining, Restoration
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Havertown, PA
Posts: 984
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Re: Licensed & Insured
There is no licensing in PA but I still se "licensed and insured" on every other truck I pass. You can be registered though.
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#13 | |
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Pro
Trade: contractor
Join Date: May 2006
Location: east
Posts: 3,309
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Re: Licensed & InsuredQuote:
"uh, ... uh ... .... .... uh" |
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#14 |
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Pro
Trade: Remodeling
Join Date: May 2006
Location: S.E.Pennsylvania
Posts: 159
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Re: Licensed & Insured
Thats just it, what do you say. People are under the assumption that everyone is should be "licensed & insured". I pull the permits when needed, I have insurance, and I'm registered with the state, and Townships as needed. Can't say much more than that, and it hasnt cost me any jobs.
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Quality Isn't Expensive, It's Priceless |
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#15 |
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Member
Trade: Electrical
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 45
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Re: Licensed & Insured
I am also in PA. I just moved back about a year ago. What a mistake. Anyway in WV I needed to take the electrical exam, and a business and law exam. PA is behind on the times. I know some cities like Pittsburgh, state college, and well the larger ones have their own licensing. PA is in need of a overhaul. I asked my buddy that is a Jack of all trades what he charges and hour. He told me $25/hr I was like huh? This is why PA needs to have a standard license, and some kinds of enforcement. This guy calls me up asking about the code and what not. I feel like just buying him a code book. I honestly would contact the cities you work in that have a population over 50,000 and ask if you need a license, or you could just try and pull a permit and then they might ask for you license number. You should know then you need one
![]() I tried to move to TX a few months back. I need an electrical license. It would have taken me 6 months just to take that exam after all the paper work and other junk. what a joke. Even though I have a masters license in WV they don't recognize it. I wrote a letter to the governor telling him about the bottle neck that his state has for skilled workers wanting to move to TX. I didn't get a response. |
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#16 |
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Vegas Contractor
Trade: Commercial and Residential Construction
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Posts: 26
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Re: Licensed & Insured
...is strict like California for licensing. It is a crime to do unlicensed work in Nevada over $500, jail time plus huge fee... It's no joke here. Every week is some sting operation and illegal contractors arrested and shown on TV. There are lot of retired people here and those illegals are mostly taking advantage of them, take advance money and later dissapear. For any advertising without license number displayed Contractors Board Enforcment will get you sooner or later, also on vehicles, uniforms etc.
You have to be Licensed, Bonded and Insured to work here, if home owner don't pay on time, simply put the lean on the property and he will pay for sure after that... It's so easy, we like it here in Nevada. (And today was 115F at my job site)
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LAS VEGAS CONSTRUCTION LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
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#17 | |
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DGR,IABD
Trade: Electrical; Commercial and Residential Service
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Central PA
Posts: 9,680
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Re: Licensed & InsuredQuote:
State Board of Auctioneer Examiners State Board of Barber Examiners State Board of Chiropractic State Board of Cosmetology State Architects Licensure Board State Board of Accountancy State Board of Funeral Directors State Board of Landscape Architects State Board of Medicine—General Provisions State Board of Medicine—Medical Doctors State Board of Medicine—Practitioners Other Than Medical Doctors State Board of Vehicle Manufacturers, Dealers and Salespersons State Board of Nursing State Board of Optometry State Board of Osteopathic Medicine State Board of Pharmacy State Board of Podiatry State Board of Veterinary Medicine State Board of Dentistry State Real Estate Commission State Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists State Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators State Board of Physical Therapy State Board of Psychology State Board of Occupational Therapy Education and Licensure Commissioner of Professional and Occupational Affairs State Board of Examiners in Speech-Language and Hearing State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and FamilyTherapists and Professional Counselors State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and FamilyTherapists and Professional Counselors—Licensure of Marriage and Family Therapists State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and FamilyTherapists and Professional Counselors—Licensure of Professional Counselors Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry does license elevator inspection companies, and they do require a "certification" (not license) for asbestos workers, lead workers, boiler inspectors, and workplace safety committee leaders. You can legitimately say "licensed" if you're licensed to do work in any of the towns that have their own little license. There's lots of those in PA. There is nothing misleading by saying you're "licensed and insured", because you'd darn well better have insurance, and you're licensed to to the things you do when and where it's required. If nothing else, you have a driver's license
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#18 |
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Pro
Trade: Remodeling
Join Date: May 2006
Location: S.E.Pennsylvania
Posts: 159
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Re: Licensed & Insured
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Quality Isn't Expensive, It's Priceless |
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#19 |
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Thom
Trade: General Contractor/Homebuilder
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Albuquerque NM
Posts: 3,194
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Re: Licensed & Insured
In NM you must have a contractors license to do just about anything. If you ever hire an employee or a sub (even just one) you must carry workmens comp also.
The state can go after you for violating that law. They rarely do. BUT, the customer has no obligation to pay an unlicensed contractor. An unlicensed contractor cannot file a lein or sue to collect. We also collect Gross Receipts Tax (like a sales tax) I add on 7% to each and every project for tax and send that on to the state. |
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#20 |
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Pro
Trade: Project Manager/Licensed Remodeler
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: St. Paul, MN
Posts: 756
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Re: Licensed & Insured
This is for MN-
Who needs a license? If you have questions about whether a license is required, contact the Department of Labor and Industry at (651) 284-5065 to discuss your activities and what type of license may be required. Unlicensed activity may result in administrative action. All residential building contractors and residential remodelers who contract with an owner to construct or improve dwellings for habitation by one to four families (including detached garages) and perform two or more special skills must be licensed unless exempt under one of the provisions noted below. The licensing requirement also applies to any person acting as a "spec" homebuilder. The only difference between a residential building contractor and residential remodeler is a residential building contractor can build new homes and work on existing structures, whereas a remodeler can only work on existing structures. The following are exempt from the contractor/remodeler licensing requirements:
"Special skill" means one of the following eight categories
Roofers: For more information regarding the specific licensing requirements for people who only engage in residential roofing activities, contact the Department of Labor and Industry at (651) 284-5065. Siding contractors: Siding contractors who also install doors, windows or skylights must be licensed as a residential building contractor or remodeler. Anyone who is licensed as a residential building contractor or remodeler can engage in all of the special skill categories noted above, including roofing, without obtaining a separate roofer license. |
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