General vs. Specialty Contractor Rules in Hawaii

The three classes, in the words that define them

The Board's classification document reprints the statutory definitions, and they are worth reading rather than paraphrasing because each one turns on a specific test.

A general engineering contractor is defined under HRS section 444-7(b) as "a contractor whose principal contracting business is in connection with fixed works requiring specialized engineering knowledge and skill", and the definition then lists the divisions it covers: irrigation, drainage, water power, water supply, flood control, inland waterways, harbors, docks and wharves, shipyards and ports, dams and hydroelectric projects, levees, river control and reclamation works, railroads, highways, streets and roads, tunnels, airports and airways, sewers and sewage disposal plants and systems, waste reduction plants, bridges, overpasses, underpasses and other similar works, pipelines, parks and playgrounds, refineries and chemical plants, powerhouses and other utility plants, mines and metallurgical plants, land levelling and earth-moving projects, and excavating, grading, trenching, paving and surfacing work and cement and concrete works in connection with those fixed works.

A general building contractor is defined under HRS section 444-7(c) as "a contractor whose principal contracting business is in connection with any structure built, being built, or to be built, for the support, shelter, and enclosure of persons, animals, chattels, or movable property of any kind, requiring in its construction the use of more than two unrelated building trades or crafts, or to do or superintend the whole or any part thereof". The Board's own FAQ compresses this to "construction of structures involving more than two unrelated building trades". That "more than two unrelated trades" test is the working line: it is what separates a general building job from a specialty job that happens to be large.

A specialty contractor is defined under HRS section 444-7(d) as "a contractor whose operations as such are the performance of construction work requiring special skill such as, but not limited to, electrical, drywall, painting and decorating, landscaping, flooring, carpet laying by any installation method, plumbing, or roofing work, and others whose principal contracting business involves the use of specialized building trades or crafts".

Official sources: Contractors License Board: Description of Contractor License Classifications (PDF); Contractors License Board: Contractor Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

What an "A" licence gets you for free

This is the part most people do not know, and it changes what you should apply for. Under HAR section 16-77-32(a), licensees who hold the "A" general engineering classification "shall automatically hold the following specialty classifications without further examination or paying additional fees".

• C-3 asphalt paving and surfacing; C-9 cesspool; C-10 scaffolding.
• C-17 excavating, grading, and trenching; C-24 building moving and wrecking.
• C-31a cement concrete; C-32 ornamental guardrail, and fencing.
• C-35 pile driving, pile and caisson drilling, and foundation; C-38 post tensioning.
• C-37a sewer and drain line; C-37b irrigation and lawn sprinkler systems.
• C-43 sewer, sewage disposal, drain, and pipe laying; C-49 swimming pool.
• C-56 welding; C-57a pumps installation; C-57b injection well; C-61 solar energy systems.

Official sources: Contractors License Board: Description of Contractor License Classifications (PDF)

What a "B" licence gets you for free, and the two carve-outs on "A"

Under HAR section 16-77-32(c), licensees holding the "B" general building classification automatically hold C-5 cabinet, millwork, and carpentry remodeling and repairs; C-6 carpentry framing; C-10 scaffolding; C-12 drywall; C-24 building moving and wrecking; C-25 institutional and commercial equipment; C-31a cement concrete; C-32a wood and vinyl fencing; C-42a aluminum and other metal shingles; and C-42b wood shingles and wood shakes. Ten classifications, on the same "without further examination or paying additional fees" terms.

Two things an "A" contractor may do are written as conditional permissions rather than as automatic classifications, and the conditions are the point. HAR section 16-77-32(b) provides that the "A" general engineering contractor "may also install poles in all new pole lines and replace poles, provided that the installation of the ground wires, insulators, and conductors is performed by a contractor holding the C-62 pole and line classification". The same subsection allows the "A" contractor to install duct lines, "provided that the installation of conductors is performed by a contractor holding the C-13 electrical classification". The conduit is yours; the wire in it is not.

Official sources: Contractors License Board: Description of Contractor License Classifications (PDF)

The C list is longer and finer-grained than most states

Hawaii subdivides specialty work heavily, and the subclassification letters matter. Roofing alone is not one classification: alongside C-42 roofing sit C-42a aluminum and other metal shingles, C-42b wood shingles and wood shakes, C-42c concrete and clay tile, C-42e urethane foam and C-42g roof coatings. Plumbing runs C-37 plumbing with C-37a sewer and drain line, C-37b irrigation and lawn sprinkler systems, C-37c vacuum and air systems, C-37d water chlorination and sanitation, C-37e treatment and pumping facilities and C-37f fuel dispensing. Painting runs C-33 painting and decorating with C-33a wall coverings, C-33b taping and C-33c surface treatment.

Other classifications a home-service or light-commercial operator is likely to want include C-1 acoustical and insulation, C-5 cabinet, millwork, and carpentry remodeling and repairs, C-5a garage door and window shutters, C-5b siding application, C-7 carpet laying, C-12 drywall, C-13 electrical, C-15 electronic systems with C-15a fire and burglar alarm and C-15b telecommunications, C-20 fire protection, C-21 flooring, C-22 glazing and tinting, C-27 landscaping with C-27b tree trimming and removal, C-31 masonry, C-36 plastering, C-40 refrigeration, C-44 sheet metal with C-44a gutters, C-49 swimming pool, C-51 tile, C-52 ventilating and air conditioning, C-55 waterproofing, C-57 well, C-60 solar power systems and C-61 solar energy systems. The list ends at C-68 classified specialist.

Because a separate Chronological History of Projects and at least one experience certificate are required per classification, applying for five classifications is five times the evidence, not one application with five boxes ticked. Choose against the work you actually intend to sell.

Official sources: Contractors License Board: Description of Contractor License Classifications (PDF); Contractors License Board: Requirements for License, Sole Proprietor (PDF, rev. 10/25)

One classification worth calling out: asbestos

C-19 asbestos is the one classification where the Board substitutes training for the standard experience requirement. The application packet states that a sole proprietor or RME applying to do "asbestos application, enclosure, removal, encapsulation, renovation, repair, demolition or other disturbances of friable asbestos or asbestos containing material shall meet all requirements with the exception of experience".

What replaces the four years is specific: "In lieu of experience, the Sole Proprietor or RME shall submit proof of successful completion of a 4-day Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or Board approved asbestos training course within two years prior to filing the application." Note the two-year recency window on the certificate. Everything else - the financial statement, the credit report, the tax clearance, the examination - still applies.

Official sources: Contractors License Board: Requirements for License, Sole Proprietor (PDF, rev. 10/25)

Check the current rule before you file

Two of the documents this guide relies on carry old dates on their own faces. The Contractors License Board's Contractor FAQ is footer-dated 7/9/18, and the Description of Contractor License Classifications is dated June 20, 2014 and tells you so itself: it describes its contents as "selected excerpts" and directs you to "the most current language in Hawaii Revised Statutes ('HRS') chapter 444 and Hawaii Administrative Rules ('HAR') chapter 16-77" for the official version. Both are still the documents the Board links from its own pages today, which is why they are used here, but treat a figure in them as a starting point and confirm it with the Board before you write a check.

One conflict is already visible on the Board's own material. The Board's live page lists an on-time renewal fee of $338.00 for a contractor entity or sole proprietor in active status, $208.00 for an RME and $160.00 for any contractor in inactive status. The Contractor FAQ says $353.00 for entity and sole proprietor, and $208.00 for RMEs. The RME number matches; the entity number does not. We are not picking a winner - call the Board.

The other conflict is about timing, and it can cost you a month. The Board's applications and publications page says the application, fee and supporting documents "MUST be received in the Board's office on or before the first Tuesday of the month TWO MONTHS prior to the scheduled meeting date". The Contractor FAQ and the current sole-proprietor application packet, revised 10/25, both say the first Tuesday of the month prior to the scheduled meeting date. Work to the earlier of the two and confirm the date against the Board's published meeting schedule.

Official sources: Contractors License Board: Contractor Frequently Asked Questions (PDF); Contractors License Board: Description of Contractor License Classifications (PDF); Hawaii DCCA Contractors License Board; Contractors License Board: applications and publications; Contractors License Board: Requirements for License, Sole Proprietor (PDF, rev. 10/25)