Ohio contractor license requirements
What you need before your first paid job in Ohio, one page for each trade. The license, the least insurance you must carry, whether the state asks for a bond, when you charge sales tax, and the deadlines that protect your right to be paid.
Plumbing in Ohio
- License you need
- Plumbing Contractor (state license, also called a master license)Renews annual
- Insurance you must carry
- $500,000liability, at least
- Workers' comp
- Required
- The Ohio state plumbing license is for commercial work only. Houses and other residential buildings are left out of the state law, so residential plumbing is licensed by cities and counties, and each one has its own rules.
- Your $500,000 liability insurance and your license both have to be in the name of a contracting company, not in your own name. The state will not issue the license to you alone.
HVAC in Ohio
- License you need
- HVAC Contractor (state license, also called a master license)Renews annual
- Insurance you must carry
- $500,000liability, at least
- Workers' comp
- Required
- Ohio has no state license for residential HVAC work. The state law leaves out residential buildings, so the state HVAC license is for commercial jobs and each city or county sets its own rules for houses.
- HVAC and refrigeration are two different state licenses in Ohio. If you also do commercial refrigeration you sit a second exam and pay for a second license.
Electrical in Ohio
- License you need
- Electrical Contractor (state license, also called a master license)Renews annual
- Insurance you must carry
- $500,000liability, at least
- Workers' comp
- Required
- The state license is for commercial work only. The law's definition of a construction project leaves out residential buildings, so houses are licensed by your city or county, not by the state.
- The license is issued to you but has to be assigned to a contracting company, and that company's name goes on it. Your insurance policy must be in the same company name.
Across states
Can you charge sales tax on labor? The rule in 25 states. Which states tax the work itself, which tax only the parts, and how a repair differs from a new install.