New Mexico general contractor license & renewal

How to get this license

Use the agency’s requirements below to plan your next steps. Missing details stay marked.

1. Start with the licensing authority

   Licensing board

   Construction Industries Division, Regulation and Licensing Department

   Verified 2026-10-24 — source and quotation

   ISSUING AGENCY: Construction Industries Division of the Regulation and Licensing Department.

   Official source

   Official agency page

   Open the official agency page

   Verified 2026-10-24 — source and quotation

   Construction Industries Division

   Official source

2. Check the qualifications

   Age

   An entity majority-owned by someone aged 17 or younger is ineligible.

   Verified 2026-10-24 — source and quotation

   No business entity, the majority of which is owned by an individual who is 17 years of age or younger, is eligible for licensure.

   Official source

   Experience

   Except for the expedited military-service pathway, qualifying-party examination eligibility requires satisfactory documentation of four years of work experience within the preceding 10 years.

   Verified 2026-10-24 — source and quotation

   Except for individuals seeking expedited licensure as military service members, an individual applying for a qualifying party certificate must provide proof of work experience, as required in the act and Title 14, NMAC, in the classification of contracting for which application is made. No applicant for a qualifying party certificate is eligible to take a qualifying examination until providing satisfactory work experience, as to four years within the 10 years immediately prior to application, documentation to the division.

   Official source

   Education

   Each year of equivalent accredited training counts as one-half year of experience, up to half the total required work experience.

   Verified 2026-10-24 — source and quotation

   Each year of equivalent training shall be applied as one-half year of experience, but in no case shall accredited training exceed one-half of the total work experience requirement.

   Official source

   Exam

   A passing qualifying examination score is 75% or higher.

   Verified 2026-10-24 — source and quotation

   A passing exam score is seventy-five percent or higher.

   Official source

   Bond

   A $10,000 surety bond is required at initial licensure and renewal.

   Verified 2026-10-24 — source and quotation

   Upon initial licensure and as a condition of renewal each applicant shall furnish to the division a bond in the amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) underwritten by a corporate surety authorized to transact business in New Mexico.

   Official source

3. Review fees and apply

   Application fee

   $30.00

   Verified 2026-10-24 — source and quotation

   Each applicant for an initial contractor's license shall pay a non-refundable license application fee of $30.00 in addition to any other required fees.

   Official source

   Exam fee

   Not verified yet

   License fee

   $200.00

   Verified 2026-10-24 — source and quotation

   The basic fee for an initial license or for renewal of a license for the GA-98, GB-2, GB-98, GF-98, EE-98 or MM-98 classification shall be $100.00 per year, or $200.00 for two years, for each such classification.

   Official source

   Apply with the agency

   Not verified yet