Getting your Michigan license starts here...
Getting a Michigan contractor license starts with choosing the right path. Michigan’s Bureau of Construction Codes issues two residential licenses — a Residential Builder license, which covers a full project except plumbing, mechanical, and electrical work, and a Maintenance and Alteration Contractor license, limited to specific trades like roofing, concrete, or masonry. Electricians, plumbers, and mechanical contractors are licensed separately under their own statewide system.
Contractor Licensing Inc. has helped Michigan contractors navigate LARA’s licensing process for years — from choosing between a Residential Builder and Maintenance and Alteration Contractor license, to completing the required 60 hours of prelicensure education, to preparing for the state exam. Whether you’re a builder, remodeler, or specialty trade, we handle the paperwork so you can focus on the job.
Michigan Contractor License Requirements & Application Help
Michigan licenses residential contractors through LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes, using two credentials: a Residential Builder license (broad scope, minus plumbing/mechanical/electrical) or a Maintenance and Alteration Contractor license (limited to specific licensed trades). Electrical, plumbing, and mechanical work are licensed entirely separately under the Skilled Trades Regulation Act.
Contractor Licensing Inc. helps you choose the right license path, complete your 60-hour prelicensure education, and pass your exam.
Quick Answer
- Any residential job of $600 or more needs a Residential Builder or Maintenance & Alteration Contractor license.
- A Residential Builder can do the whole project except plumbing, mechanical, and electrical; an M&A Contractor is limited to their specific licensed trade(s).
- Both require 60 hours of prelicensure education and passing a PSI-administered exam.
- Michigan has essentially no reciprocity with other states — even a Michigan license doesn't transfer elsewhere.
- Electricians, plumbers, and mechanical contractors are licensed under a completely separate act.
- Michigan cities can't add extra local licenses on top of already state-licensed trades.
Residential Builder vs. Maintenance & Alteration Contractor
Residential Builder
Licensed to perform or contract for a full residential project — everything except plumbing, mechanical, and electrical work, which must be subcontracted to separately licensed trades. This is the closest thing Michigan has to a "general contractor" license.
Maintenance & Alteration (M&A) Contractor
Licensed to perform only the specific trade or trades endorsed on the license — identified by a letter code on the wall license and pocket card. An M&A contractor cannot accept work outside their licensed trade(s), except incidental work directly supplemental to it.
Michigan's 14 Maintenance & Alteration Trades
Straight from LARA's own Builders licensing guide — each letter code identifies exactly what an M&A Contractor is authorized to do.
Prelicensure Education & Exam
Both license types require:
- Be at least 18 years old and of good moral character
- Complete 60 hours of LARA-approved prelicensure education
- Pass the required exam, administered by PSI Services LLC
The 60 hours must include at least 6 hours each in:
Business Fundamentals
Business Management, Estimating, and Job Costing
Design & Building Science
Core building science principles
Contracts & Risk
Contracts, Liability, and Risk Management
Marketing & Sales
Business development fundamentals
Project Management
Project Management and Scheduling
Michigan Residential Code
State-specific code requirements
MIOSHA Safety
Construction safety standards
Remaining hours toward the 60-hour total come from other LARA-approved topics.
Electrical, Plumbing & Mechanical Contractors
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, boiler, and elevator trades fall under Michigan's Skilled Trades Regulation Act — a completely separate licensing structure from Residential Builder/M&A. Each trade has its own master, journey, and contractor license levels, processed through the same LARA Bureau of Construction Codes.
Michigan electrical contractors must be domiciled in Michigan to hold a contractor license — an unusual requirement not shared by most states, and part of why Michigan doesn't offer electrical reciprocity elsewhere.
Michigan Contractor License Reciprocity
No General Reciprocity
Michigan does not maintain reciprocity agreements with any other state for Residential Builder, M&A Contractor, or skilled trades licenses. An out-of-state license — even one held for decades — does not transfer, and does not waive Michigan's education or exam requirements. This also runs the other direction: a Michigan license typically isn't recognized elsewhere either.
Military & Veteran Exception
Under 2021 PA 24, LARA must issue certain occupational licenses without examination to members of the armed forces, veterans, or their dependents who hold an equivalent license from another state, if specified conditions are met. This is a narrow, statute-specific exception — not general reciprocity.
Can Cities Add Their Own License?
Generally, no. A package of laws — House Bills 5955 through 5965, applied retroactively to January 1, 2018 — bars local governments from requiring an additional occupational license or registration for any of the roughly 200 occupations Michigan already licenses at the state level, including Residential Builder, M&A Contractor, and the skilled trades.
This preemption only covers state-licensed occupations. Cities and counties can still license specialty work the state doesn't regulate — which is why bonds still exist locally for trades like sewage disposal, sign installation, marine construction, and sidewalk work (see the Bonds section below).
Michigan Contractor License FAQ
Do I need a contractor license in Michigan?
Yes — any residential job of $600 or more needs a Residential Builder or M&A Contractor license, and you can't split a larger job into smaller contracts to dodge the threshold.
What's the difference between Residential Builder and M&A Contractor?
A Residential Builder can do the whole job except plumbing/mechanical/electrical. An M&A Contractor is limited to only their specific licensed trade(s).
What trades can an M&A Contractor be licensed in?
14 letter-coded trades: Carpentry, Concrete, Excavation, Insulation, Masonry, Painting & Decorating, Siding, Roofing, Screen & Storm Sash, Gutters, Tile & Marble, House Wrecking, Swimming Pools, and Basement Waterproofing.
What prelicensure education is required?
60 hours total, with at least 6 hours each in 7 named subject areas, then a PSI-administered exam.
Does Michigan have reciprocity with other states?
No general reciprocity — the only exception is a narrow military/veteran/dependent provision under 2021 PA 24.
Can a city require its own extra contractor license?
Not for already state-licensed trades, since 2018 — but cities can still license specialty work the state doesn't regulate.
Bureau Contact
LARA Bureau of Construction Codes
P.O. Box 30254, Lansing, MI 48909
(517) 241-9316
Michigan Local Bonds
Since Residential Builder and M&A licensing is statewide with no bond requirement of its own, the bonds in our Michigan database are for specialty trades that individual cities and counties still regulate locally.
| Jurisdiction & Bond | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan — Security Alarm Contractor (statewide) | $25,000 | Apply Now |
| City of Detroit — Wrecking Contractor | $50,000 | Apply Now |
| Genesee County — Sewage Disposal Contractor | $35,000 | Apply Now |
| Livingston — Sewage Disposal Contractor | $25,000 | Apply Now |
| City of Flint — Building Contractor | $5,000 | Apply Now |
| City of Wyandotte — Sewer Contractor | $5,000 | Apply Now |
| Wyandotte — Sign Contractor | $5,000 | Apply Now |
| Township of Clinton — Contractor License | $5,000 | Apply Now |
| Charter Township of Harrison — Water/Sewer Contractor | $2,500 | Apply Now |
| Roseville — Cement Contractor | $2,000 | Apply Now |
| Roseville — Registered Sidewalk & Approach Contractor | $2,000 | Apply Now |
| Warren — Sidewalk Contractor | $1,500 | Apply Now |
| St. Clair Shores — Marine Contractor | $1,000 | Apply Now |
Ready to Get Your Michigan Contractor License?
We help you choose Residential Builder vs. M&A Contractor, complete your prelicensure education, and schedule your exam.
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Michigan Contractor License Reciprocity
Michigan does not publish broad reciprocity for Residential Builder or M&A licenses. You apply through LARA and meet Michigan’s testing/education standards. :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18}
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