How to Get a General Contractor License in PA: HICPA and Insurance

Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide general contractor license, so how to get a general contractor license in PA depends on the work you do. For residential renovation, repair, or remodeling, you register with the Attorney General’s Office under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA) for a $100 fee that covers two years. For commercial construction, you follow the licensing rules of the local municipality where the project sits. Skipping HICPA registration when you need it costs you the right to enforce your own contracts in court.¹

Who Has to Register Under HICPA

HICPA applies to anyone who performs, offers to perform, or agrees to perform home improvements on private residences in Pennsylvania. That covers general contractors, subcontractors, and independent contractors working for home improvement retailers. The trigger is revenue based: if the total cash value of your home improvement work reached $5,000 or more during the previous tax year, you must register before doing any further work.²

Trades that carry their own license are not off the hook. A licensed plumber who replaces a water heater in someone’s home is performing a home improvement and needs HICPA registration in addition to the plumbing license. HICPA preserves existing municipal trade licensing, so a trade license does not replace HICPA registration, and HICPA registration does not replace a trade license.³

Who Is Exempt

Several categories fall outside HICPA:

Contractors whose total home improvement work was under $5,000 in the previous tax year.
Builders of brand-new homes; new construction is not a “home improvement” under the law.
Businesses that sell materials or goods but do not arrange for or perform installation.
Sellers of stoves, refrigerators, window AC units, and similar easily removable appliances.
Landscapers certified under Pennsylvania’s Plant Pest Act, unless the work involves construction of retaining walls, patios, drainage systems, or lighting.
Employees of apartment buildings, condominiums, and community associations doing property work as part of their job.
Repairs performed under the emergency provisions of the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.
Home improvement retailers with a net worth over $50 million (their subcontractors still have to register).

The new construction exemption has a hard edge. Build a house from the ground up and HICPA does not apply. Come back a year later to remodel the kitchen of that same house and you need to be registered.²

Insurance You Need Before You Apply

Every HICPA-registered contractor must carry at least $50,000 in personal injury liability coverage and at least $50,000 in property damage liability coverage. The policies have to be active when you file, and the application asks for coverage amounts, policy numbers, and carrier information.⁴

Those are statutory floors. A typical general liability policy for a small contracting business runs $2,500 to $3,500 per year, though premiums move with the type of work, headcount, and claims history. Some municipalities require higher coverage than the HICPA minimum before they will issue a building permit, so check local rules before you buy a policy.

Workers’ Compensation

Any Pennsylvania employer with at least one employee must carry workers’ compensation insurance. There is no exemption for small crews or part-time workers. Before issuing a building permit, municipalities have to require either proof of coverage or an affidavit that the contractor has no employees and is not required to carry it.⁵

Operating without workers’ comp when you have employees is a separate legal problem from HICPA. If an uninsured worker is hurt, the state pays the claim through its Uninsured Employers Guaranty Fund and then pursues the employer for full reimbursement plus costs, interest, penalties, and attorney fees. Criminal prosecution is also possible.

How to Apply

You submit the application through the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, either online at hic.attorneygeneral.gov or by mailing a paper form to the Harrisburg office. Online filings move faster and the office encourages them.⁶

The application asks for:

Your Social Security number (kept confidential) and federal Employer Identification Number if one has been issued.
The legal name of your business, any fictitious or trade names, and the names, home addresses, and phone numbers of all owners, partners, and officers.
Disclosure of any bankruptcy, and any conviction for fraud, theft, deception, fraudulent business practices, or crime related to a home improvement transaction, for the business or any listed individual.
Policy numbers, coverage amounts, and carrier information for your liability insurance.
Prior home improvement business names and addresses, plus any license or registration revocation or suspension in any state.

The fee is $100 for a two-year registration. All new and renewal applications submitted after March 2, 2026, are subject to this fee, and it is non-refundable.¹ Pay by credit card online, or by check or money order made out to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for a paper submission.

After You Are Registered

Once your application is approved, the Attorney General’s office issues a registration number. That number has to appear on every advertisement, contract, estimate, and proposal you produce. It also has to appear on any vehicle that carries business advertising: a work truck with your company name and phone number on the door needs the number, while a plain unmarked truck does not.³

HICPA also dictates what has to go into your home improvement contracts. A contract is not enforceable against the homeowner unless it is in writing, legible, includes your HICPA registration number, and gives the homeowner a completed copy at signing at no charge. It must also tell the homeowner about the three business day right to cancel from the date of signing, regardless of where the contract was signed. Additional formatting rules apply if you use time-and-materials pricing or include an arbitration clause.²

Renewals and Updates

Registrations run for two years and have to be renewed before they expire, using the same application and the same $100 fee.³

Between renewals, you have 30 days to notify the Attorney General’s office of any change to your registration information. That covers contact information, new or renewed insurance policies with different expiration dates, changes to officers or shareholders, and any new civil judgments, criminal convictions, or bankruptcies.⁷

As of mid-2025, the Attorney General’s online registration system experienced a prolonged outage. Contractors whose registrations expired after August 8, 2025, have a grace period of 30 days after the system is fully restored and will not be held liable for failing to renew during that window. Contractors who started a business after August 8, 2025, have a similar grace period for initial registration. Paper applications are still being accepted and will be processed once the database is back online.¹

What Happens If You Skip Registration

The penalty structure hits twice. Any contract you sign without a valid registration number is unenforceable against the homeowner, which means if the customer refuses to pay, you cannot sue to collect, no matter how much work you completed or how clearly the debt is documented.²

Performing home improvement work without registration is also treated as a violation of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, with civil penalties for each violation. When the customer is 60 or older, the criminal grading is bumped up one level. The Attorney General’s office enforces these provisions actively.

Commercial Work and Local Licensing

HICPA covers residential work only. For commercial construction, demolition, or repair, look to whatever the local municipality requires. Pennsylvania has no statewide commercial contractor license, and requirements vary from one jurisdiction to the next.⁸

One useful boundary: HICPA registration preempts local municipalities from charging a separate licensing fee for home improvement contractors on residential work. Cities and townships can still require building permits, enforce building codes, and charge fees for those, and existing trade licensing for electricians, plumbers, and similar trades stays in place.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia requires a Contractor License from the Department of Licenses and Inspections for any business doing construction, demolition, or repair work, covering both commercial and residential projects that go beyond what HICPA addresses. Applicants have to show compliance with local tax obligations and carry adequate insurance.⁹

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh requires a General Contractor License for all work performed under a commercial building permit, along with new construction of one- or two-family dwellings, renovations to residential rental or investment properties, and demolition of commercial or primary residential structures. Many larger Pennsylvania municipalities, including Pittsburgh, use International Code Council exams to test technical competency during licensing.¹⁰

If your work crosses municipal lines, call each local building department before you start. Bonding requirements, insurance minimums, and permit processes differ enough that carrying assumptions from one city into another can lead to stop-work orders and fines.

1
PA Office of Attorney General. Home Improvement Contractor Registration
2
Pennsylvania Attorney General. Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, 73 P.S. 517.1, et seq.
3
PA Office of Attorney General. Contractor Frequently Asked Questions
4
Pennsylvania Attorney General. Home Improvement Contractor Registration Application Instructions
5
PA.gov. PA Workers’ Compensation Employer Information
6
Pennsylvania Attorney General. Home Improvement Contractor Registration Application
7
PA Office of Attorney General. Home Improvement Update
8
PA.gov. Contractor Licensing
9
City of Philadelphia. Get a Contractor License
10
City of Pittsburgh, PA. General Contractor Licenses