In most states a handyman can take small repair jobs without a contractor’s license, as long as the whole job (labor and materials together) stays under a dollar line and needs no building permit. That line is $2,500 in Florida, $1,000 in California and $1,000 in Arizona, read from each state’s own statute on September 9, 2026. Electrical, plumbing, gas, heating and cooling, and roofing work almost always needs a permit, so it needs a license at any price. Calling yourself a contractor, or splitting one job into small invoices, cancels the exemption everywhere.
The three rules every state shares
Every handyman exemption ties to the same three things: a dollar ceiling on the whole job, no building permit, and no pretending to be a contractor.
- The ceiling counts everything. Florida, California, Arizona and Nevada all measure the “aggregate contract price” for labor, materials “and all other items.”
- One job is one job. All four statutes end the exemption when the work is “part of a larger or major operation” or is split into smaller contracts “for the purpose of evasion.”
- A permit ends it. California and Arizona say so in the statute; Florida’s board says “Typically, work requiring a permit is not of a casual, minor, or inconsequential nature.”
- Never call yourself a contractor. On a card, a truck or a listing, that word alone removes the exemption.
Florida: the $2,500 line, and the work the state never licensed
Florida’s contractor law does not apply to “any work or operation of a casual, minor, or inconsequential nature in which the aggregate contract price for labor, materials, and all other items is less than $2,500” (F.S. 489.103(9)). It is lost if the job is part of a larger operation or split “for the purpose of evading this part,” or if you advertise as “a contractor or otherwise represents that he or she is qualified to engage in contracting.”
The state board (DBPR) FAQ says: “As of July 1, 2020, handyman jobs where the total construction costs are below $2,500 are exempt from State licensure requirements when the jobs are of a casual, minor, or inconsequential nature.” Work that never needs a state license: “Cabinets, countertops, paint, wallpaper, carpet, tile and window treatments” (DBPR FAQ).
Florida also stopped cities and counties from inventing handyman licenses. F.S. 489.117(4)(a) lists job scopes “for which a local government may not require a license,” including “painting; flooring; cabinetry; interior remodeling when the scope of the project does not include a task for which a state license is required; driveway or tennis court installation; handyman services; decorative stone, tile, marble, granite, or terrazzo installation; plastering; pressure washing; stuccoing; caulking; and canvas awning and ornamental iron installation.” Older local occupational licenses were allowed to run on, but under F.S. 163.211 “any such local government licensing of occupations expires on July 1, 2025.” A city can still charge a business tax receipt (F.S. 205.042).
California: $1,000 since January 1, 2025, and one person only
California’s exemption is $1,000, up from $500. Business and Professions Code §7048(a) reads: “This chapter does not apply to a work or operation on one undertaking or project by one or more contracts if the aggregate contract price for labor, materials, and all other items is less than one thousand dollars ($1,000), that work or operation being considered of casual, minor, or inconsequential nature, and the work or operation does not require a building permit.”
The Contractors State License Board (CSLB) announced it on December 31, 2024: “Starting January 1, 2025, Assembly Bill 2622 (Carrillo, Chapter 240, Statutes of 2024) increases the minor work license exemption from $500 to $1,000, but there is a catch: the work cannot require a permit, and the unlicensed person cannot employ anyone for the project” (CSLB bulletin #24-07). The section was amended again by AB 1170 effective January 1, 2026; the $1,000 figure did not change.
Section 7048(c) removes the exemption from anyone who “advertises or puts out a sign or card or other device that might indicate to the public that the person is a contractor,” or who “employs another person to perform, or assist in performing, the work or operation.” Hire a helper for an afternoon and you need a license even on a $300 job.
The advertising rule is §7027.2: an unlicensed person “may advertise for construction work or a work of improvement covered by this chapter only if the aggregate contract price for labor, material, and all other items on a project or undertaking is less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) and the person states in the advertisement that the person is not licensed under this chapter.” Every ad, card and listing needs a line like “Not licensed under the Contractors State License Law.”
California licenses electrical (C-10), plumbing (C-36), heating and air (C-20) and roofing (C-39) separately (CSLB). The exemption does not name them; the permit rule does the work.
Arizona: $1,000, “casual or minor,” and four exact words in every ad
Arizona exempts “any person other than a licensed contractor engaging in any work or operation on one undertaking or project by one or more contracts, for which the aggregate contract price, including labor, materials and all other items” is “less than $1,000,” and the work “shall be of a casual or minor nature” (A.R.S. §32-1121(A)(14)). An unmodified plug-in appliance you attach with screws does not count toward the $1,000.
The exemption does not apply “in any case in which the performance of the work requires a local building permit,” when the job is part of a larger operation or split to evade the law, or “to a person who uses any form of advertising to the public in which the person’s unlicensed status is not disclosed by including the words ‘not a licensed contractor’ in the advertisement.” The Registrar of Contractors (ROC) puts it simply: over $1,000, or any permit, means a license (ROC).
Which trades need a license at any price
Electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling, gas and roofing are licensed trades everywhere on this page; some states name them in the exemption, others rely on the permit rule.
| State | How the trade carve-out works | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | Unlicensed electrical contracting is a first-degree misdemeanor. Plumbing, air-conditioning, mechanical, roofing and pool are named state categories. Propane (LP gas) work without a Department of Agriculture license is a third-degree felony. | 489.531, 489.105, 527.02 |
| California | No trade is named. Any job that needs a permit needs a license, and nearly all trade work needs a permit. | §7048 |
| Arizona | Same as California: the permit rule does the work. | §32-1121 |
| Nevada | The under-$1,000 exemption never covers work “of a type performed by a plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, heating or air-conditioning contractor.” | NRS 624.031(6) |
What unlicensed work costs you
A first offense is a misdemeanor with fines bigger than most handyman jobs, and in Florida, California and Georgia the client does not have to pay you.
| State | Criminal | Board fine | Your contract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | First-degree misdemeanor; a repeat, or any offense during a declared state of emergency, is a third-degree felony (489.127) | “Up to $10,000” (489.13) | “Unenforceable in law or in equity by the unlicensed contractor” (489.128) |
| California | Misdemeanor; up to $5,000 and six months in jail; a second conviction means at least 90 days and the greater of $5,000 or 20 percent of the contract price (§7028) | Citation of $1,500 to $15,000, operative July 1, 2026 (§7028.7) | You cannot sue to collect, and the client “may bring an action … to recover all compensation paid” (§7031) |
| Arizona | Class 1 misdemeanor; “not less than one thousand dollars” for a first offense, “not less than two thousand dollars” after that (§32-1164) | Set by the ROC case by case | Probation requires paying all sales tax owed on the job |
Ten more states in one table
State lines only; a permit anywhere pulls a small job back under license rules. Read September 9, 2026.
| State | Unlicensed line | What it means for a handyman | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | No state handyman or general license | Electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning need state licenses at any price; cities register contractors locally. | TDLR |
| North Carolina | $40,000 | A general contractor license is needed only where “the cost of the undertaking is forty thousand dollars ($40,000) or more.” | G.S. 87-1 |
| South Carolina | $500 (specialty) / $5,000 (builder) | Painters, carpenters, floor installers, drywall, roofers and the trades register as specialty contractors “when the undertakings exceed five hundred dollars”; a builder license starts when the cost “exceeds five thousand dollars.” | S.C. Code 40-59-20 |
| Georgia | $2,500 | A residential contractor license is needed where the value of the work or your pay, whichever is higher, “exceeds $2,500.00.” | O.C.G.A. 43-41-2 |
| Michigan | $600 | Exempt only when “the aggregate contract price for the labor, material, and any other items for the undertaking or project is less than $600.00.” | MCL 339.2403 |
| Minnesota | $15,000 a year | Exempt if your “total gross annual receipts for performing specialty skills” do not exceed $15,000, after filing for a certificate of exemption. | Minn. Stat. 326B.805 |
| Wisconsin | Permit, not dollars | “No person may obtain a building permit” on a one- or two-family home without a Dwelling Contractor certificate. | Wis. Stat. 101.654 |
| Colorado | No state general license | “Not all occupations are licensed, such as roofers and general contractors.” Electrical and plumbing contractors are state-registered. | Colorado DORA |
| Nevada | $1,000 | Repair or maintenance work “the value of which is less than $1,000, including labor and materials,” unless it needs a permit or is plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, heating or air-conditioning work. | NRS 624.031 |
| Washington | $0 | “Every contractor shall register with the department.” A handyman registers as a specialty contractor: $15,000 bond, liability insurance, $150.20 fee. | WA L&I |
How to stay on the right side of the line
Price the whole job before you say yes, and write it down; “while you’re here” work changes the math. The handyman contract template has a line for the total and a line for anything added later.
- Add labor and materials together, then compare to your state’s line. Parts you buy for the client count.
- Call the building department about anything touching wiring, pipes, gas, a roof or a wall you would open; if it needs a permit, refer it out.
- Put the required words on every ad and card: “not licensed” in California, “not a licensed contractor” in Arizona. Never use the word contractor about yourself in Florida.
- Work alone in California; a helper means you need the license.
- Mark trade jobs “licensed partner” on your price list and keep a referral list of electricians, plumbers and roofers.
Absent owners add one wrinkle: nobody can walk the job with you, so the total and the yes need to exist in writing before you start. House Matters keeps that record: the job, the price, the owner’s yes with a time on it, and the photos when it is done, on a link the owner opens without an account.
Honest limit. House Matters does not check, store or verify any license, permit or insurance. Whether a job is legal for you to take is your responsibility, and these rules change; check the linked statute before you rely on a number.
Questions people ask
Can a handyman do electrical work without a license?
Almost never. Texas, Colorado, Nevada and Florida license the trade itself at any price. In California and Arizona the permit rule catches nearly all electrical work, so the practical answer is the same.
Does the $1,000 limit include materials?
Yes. California, Arizona and Nevada all count “labor, materials, and all other items,” and Florida counts the same way toward $2,500. Arizona’s plug-in appliance carve-out is the one exception.
Can I split a big job into several small ones?
No. Every statute on this page ends the exemption when contracts are divided “for the purpose of evasion,” or when the small job is part of a larger operation by anyone.
Do I still need a business license?
Usually. A Florida city can charge a business tax receipt, Washington registers every contractor before the first job, and Texas and Colorado cities run their own registrations. None of these makes trade work legal.
What if the client refuses to pay for work I did without a license?
In Florida, California and Georgia you cannot sue for the money. California goes further: the client can sue you to get back everything already paid.
Sources, read September 9, 2026
- Business and Professions Code §7048 — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- Business and Professions Code §7027.2 — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- Bulletin #24-07, Minor Work Exemption Increases from $500 to $1,000 — CSLB
- Business and Professions Code §7028.7 — leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
- Florida Statutes 489.103 — Florida Legislature
- Florida Statutes 489.117 — Florida Legislature
- Florida Statutes 489.127 — Florida Legislature
- Construction Industry FAQs — Florida DBPR
- Florida Statutes 163.211 — Florida Legislature
- A.R.S. §32-1121 — Arizona Legislature
- A.R.S. §32-1164 — Arizona Legislature
- NRS Chapter 624, Contractors — Nevada Legislature
Set up before your next service call
House Matters is handyman software for jobs where the owner isn’t there: price it, the owner taps yes in writing from anywhere, before-and-after on their record, labor and parts billed as lines. Your first three client homes are free. No lead fee, ever.
Start free See how it works →