Drywall installation contractors, also known as hanger contractors, contract with clients to apply plasterboard or other wallboard to ceilings or interior walls of buildings and apply or mount acoustical tiles or blocks, strips or sheets of shock-absorbing materials to ceilings and walls of buildings to reduce or reflect sound. The materials may be of decorative quality. The category includes lathers who fasten wooden, metal or rockboard lath to walls, ceilings or partitions of buildings to provide a support base for plaster, fireproofing or acoustical material.
Typically, only contractors require licenses, not the drywall installers who work for them. In some states, licensing requirements differ based on the setting. Those with a residential license may work only on residential properties, while those with a commercial license may work on commercial properties. Other states require the same license regardless of the setting, and this report records that license in both settings. Many states have contract minimums before the contractor’s license applies. See Appendix B for details.
Thirty states license drywall installation contractors working on residential properties. On average, states require over a year (368 days) of education and experience, $313 in fees, and about one exam. All in all, 16 states require at least one exam (California requires three). These requirements rank as the 42nd most burdensome.
Burden Rank | State | States Licensed | Fees | Estimated Calendar Days Lost | Education | Experience | Exams | Minimum Grade | Minimum Age |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | California | 30 | $579 | 1460 | 4 years | 3 | 0 | 18 | |
2 | Nevada | 30 | $983 | 1460 | 4 years | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
3 | Hawaii | 30 | $615 | 1460 | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
4 | Florida | 30 | $364 | 1460 | 4 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
5 | Massachusetts | 30 | $500 | 1095 | 3 years | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
6 | Arizona | 30 | $906 | 730 | 2 years | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
7 | New Mexico | 30 | $318 | 730 | 2 years | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
8 | Maryland | 30 | $433 | 730 | 2 years | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
9 | Utah | 30 | $549 * | 733 * | 20 clock hours * | 2 years * | 2 * | 0 | 0 |
10 | Virginia | 30 | $320 | 731 | 8 clock hours | 2 years | 1 | 0 | 18 |
11 | South Carolina | 30 | $50 | 365 | 1 years | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
12 | Mississippi | 30 | $290 | 67 | 3 jobs, contractors | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
13 | Oregon | 30 | $410 | 3 | 16 clock hours | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
14 | Louisiana | 30 | $460 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
15 | Rhode Island | 30 | $200 | 1 | 5 clock hours | 0 | 0 | 18 | |
16 | North Dakota | 30 | $125 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
17 | Tennessee | 30 | $305 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
18 | D C | 30 | $442 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
19 | North Carolina | 30 | $145 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
20 | West Virginia | 30 | $132 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
21 | Alabama | 30 | $350 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
22 | Alaska | 30 | $300 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
23 | Connecticut | 30 | $220 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
24 | Washington | 30 | $113 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
25 | New Jersey | 30 | $110 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
26 | Arkansas | 30 | $50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
26 | Iowa | 30 | $50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
26 | Pennsylvania | 30 | $50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
29 | Idaho | 30 | $30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
30 | Nebraska | 30 | $0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |