Contractor Licensing

Who Needs a Contractor License?

All individuals and businesses who provide construction and building improvement services are required to obtain a New Castle County contractor license, in addition to the State of Delaware business license. Those who provide work requiring building permits need a permit contractor endorsement license.

How Do I Know Whether I Am Considered A Contractor?

All persons engaging in any aspect of construction activity, as defined by "Sector 23 - Construction" of the current addition of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, excluding those solely engaged in subdivision and land development (Yr 2002 NAICS 2372), electrical contractors (must be licensed with the State of Delaware as an electrician), heavy utility construction in the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) right of way, and maintenance employees of state-owned facilities, are defined as contractors requiring a license.

You can perform a keyword search of the NAICS database and also view categories within "Sector 23 - Construction" by going to http://www.naics.com/search.htm.

Code Books Required

License holders are required to have access to a copy of the International Code applicable to the applicant's trade. The 2006 ICC Code Books are available for purchase through www.iccsafe.org; or can be viewed at any of the New Castle County libraries. New Castle County's Amendments to the 2006 Building Codes are found in Chapter 6 of the NCC Code: http://www2.nccde.org/code.