Insurance has too much jargon. Here’s every term you’ll run into as a contractor, explained the way we’d explain it to you over a tailgate. A Additional Insured Someone added to your policy who gets coverage under it even though they didn’t buy it. GCs, project owners, and property managers will ask you to add…

If you’re a California contractor, your workers’ compensation class code is one of the biggest factors in what you pay for coverage. Get the wrong code on your policy and you could be overpaying by thousands, or worse, get hit with a surprise bill at audit time. (See our guide for a broader overview of…

If you’re a contractor operating outside of California, your workers’ compensation class code is probably assigned through the NCCI system. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) maintains the classification codes used in 38 states, plus the District of Columbia. A handful of other states run their own rating bureaus (like California’s WCIRB, New York’s…

If you’re a sole proprietor or independent contractor with no employees, you’ve probably run into this frustrating catch-22: you don’t need workers’ compensation insurance, but you can’t land a job without it. Whether you’re a plumber, electrician, carpenter, or any other trade, the problem is the same. That’s where a ghost policy comes in. And…

Carpenter licensing in the United States varies dramatically from state to state, creating a complex patchwork of regulations that can shift with each legislative session. While states like California, Florida, and Arizona treat most carpentry as regulated construction work requiring specific licenses, others such as Texas, Colorado, and Vermont have no state-level requirements, leaving regulation…

Because the construction trades fall under states’ police powers, each state and sometimes each city sets its own plumbing licensure laws. What qualifies you as a journeyman in Iowa may not be enough in neighboring Illinois, and six U.S. jurisdictions (e.g., Kansas and Wyoming) leave licensing almost entirely to local governments. Robust licensing exists for…

(Information may change, always verify with your state licensing board before applying.) Electrical work is regulated chiefly at the state level in the United States. Legislatures and licensing boards set their own scopes of practice, minimum experience hours, examination content, and renewal rules to address each state’s construction code, labor market and safety priorities. Consequently,…

The term “handyman” encompasses everything from a neighbor who fixes squeaky doors to a small contractor managing multi-trade renovations. Every state and many municipalities define their own boundaries between casual maintenance and regulated construction work. Key Points to Remember: Why Compliance Matters Understanding licensing requirements protects both contractors and homeowners: Beyond licensing, proper insurance coverage…

In the United States, every construction market is overseen by a patchwork of state and sometimes city-level statutes that govern who may call themselves a “contractor.” The result is that a builder who is perfectly legal in Tallahassee might face stiff penalties for the same work in Savannah, only 200 miles away. This variation exists…

Licensing requirements for painting contractors vary dramatically across the United States, with each state maintaining its own regulations, thresholds, and enforcement mechanisms. Some states like California, Arizona, and Nevada treat painting as a regulated construction trade requiring specific licenses, while others such as Texas and Colorado delegate oversight to local jurisdictions or require only basic…