Texas

The Texas trades with no licence to wait for

Texas issues no general contractor licence, and for roofing, concrete, framing, drywall and painting it issues nothing at all. That is the best news on the page rather than a gap in it: what gates the work instead is a city registration and a certificate of insurance, both of which you can hold this month.

6 ways to move forward

Practical guidesTexas has no contractor licenseTexas does not issue a general contractor license: GC, framing, roofing, painting, concrete, drywall and flooring are state-unregulated on purpose. Only electrical and HVAC (TDLR), plumbing (TSBPE), irrigation (TCEQ) and fire sprinkler (TDI) are gated. The real gates are your city and the certificate of insurance.Practical guidesRegister in the right Texas cityTexas has no state contractor license, so the permit desk decides. Houston asks a general contractor for nothing and Austin is free, Dallas is $120 a year, Fort Worth is $168.75, and San Antonio wants $150 plus an FBI background check. Five cities, with the fees, the terms and what each one asks you to attach.Practical guidesBid your own concrete work in TexasTexas licenses electricians and plumbers, not concrete. What actually gates your first bid is a folder: city registration, a certificate with completed operations on it, commercial auto, and the comp decision. Plus the yield table, the pour date cash gap and the subgrade change order that concrete crews argue most.Practical guidesThe Texas framing sub they call firstTexas licenses no framers, so you can be on site next week. What the square foot bid has to include, labor-only versus turnkey, a lumber escalation clause a builder will sign, the three-draw schedule, and the 10 percent Tex. Prop. Code s.53.101 already holds for you.Practical guidesDrywall and painting in TexasTexas does not license drywall contractors or painters, so the quote decides the money instead of a board. What gates you is the city permit desk, the insurance certificate, the comp election, and the EPA lead rule on pre-1978 homes. Then the finish level table that stops a level 4 price buying level 5 work.Practical guidesRoofing in Texas without a licenseTexas issues no roofing license, so you can be quoting re-roofs this month. What actually gates the work is the WPI-8 certificate across 14 first-tier coastal counties, the ASTM D7158 Class H shingle spec, and city registration that runs from free in Austin to $120 a year in Dallas.

The rest of the Texas library

Bidding and prequalification in TexasPricing construction work in TexasGetting paid on Texas constructionTexas lien rights and deadlinesFinding construction work in TexasThe Texas electrician licence ladderThe Texas plumbing licence ladderTexas franchise tax for contractors
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