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2nd Edition

By Dick M. Carpenter II, Ph.D., Lisa Knepper, Kyle Sweetland and Jennifer McDonald

Mason Contractor (Residential)

License required by 31 states

39th most burdensome licensing requirements.

35th most widely and onerously licensed occupation.

Mason contractors contract with clients to lay and bind building materials, such as brick, structural tile, concrete block, cinder block, glass block and terra-cotta block, with mortar and other substances to construct or repair walls, partitions, arches, sewers and other structures.

Typically, only contractors require licenses, not the masons 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-one states license mason contractors working on residential properties. On average, states require over a year (380 days) of education and experience, $319 in fees, and about one exam. All in all, 18 states require at least one exam (California requires three). These requirements rank as the 39th most burdensome.

States With Licenses

Burden Rank State States Licensed Fees Estimated Calendar Days Lost Education Experience Exams Minimum Grade Minimum Age
1 Nevada 31 $1,078 1460 4 years 2 0 18
2 Arizona 31 $956 1460 4 years 2 0 18
3 California 31 $579 1460 4 years 3 0 18
4 Hawaii 31 $615 1460 4 years 2 0 18
5 Florida 31 $364 1460 4 years 1 0 18
6 Massachusetts 31 $500 1095 3 years 1 0 18
7 New Mexico 31 $318 730 2 years 2 0 18
8 Maryland 31 $433 730 2 years 1 0 18
9 Utah 31 $549 * 733 * 20 clock hours * 2 years * 2 * 0 0
10 Virginia 31 $320 731 8 clock hours 2 years 1 0 18
11 South Carolina 31 $50 365 1 years 0 0 0
12 Michigan 31 $286 14 60 clock hours 2 0 18
13 Mississippi 31 $290 67 3 jobs, contractors 2 0 0
14 Oregon 31 $385 3 16 clock hours 1 0 18
15 Louisiana 31 $460 0 1 0 0
16 West Virginia 31 $174 0 2 0 0
17 Rhode Island 31 $200 1 5 clock hours 0 0 18
18 Alabama 31 $403 0 1 0 0
19 North Dakota 31 $125 0 0 0 18
20 Tennessee 31 $305 0 1 0 0
21 D C 31 $442 0 0 0 0
22 North Carolina 31 $145 0 1 0 0
23 Alaska 31 $300 0 0 0 0
24 Connecticut 31 $220 0 0 0 0
25 Washington 31 $113 0 0 0 0
26 New Jersey 31 $110 0 0 0 0
27 Arkansas 31 $50 0 0 0 0
27 Iowa 31 $50 0 0 0 0
27 Pennsylvania 31 $50 0 0 0 0
30 Idaho 31 $30 0 0 0 0
31 Nebraska 31 $0 0 0 0 0

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