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Idaho |
The state of Idaho doesn't license general contractors working on private sector residential or commercial projects. That's done at the local level. However the state does license plumbers, electricians, well drillers, fire protection sprinkler contractors, and public works contractors.
To find out if an electrician
or plumber is licensed in Idaho, click https://www.dbs.idaho.gov/edbspublic.
To find out if a well driller is licensed in Idaho, click http://www.idwr.state.id.us/water/well/default.htm
or call (208) 327-7949. To find out if a
fire sprinkler contractor is licensed in Idaho, call (208) 334-4370.
Electrician's Licenses
Electrical work in Idaho requires a license. Idaho issues these licenses: contractor, journeyman, master journeyman, and specialty. To apply for a license, contact:
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Division of Building Safety Electrical Bureau, Licensing Section 1090 E. Watertower St. Meridian, ID 83642 (208) 334-2183 Fax: (208) 855-2165 http://www2.state.id.us/dbs/electrical/index.html |
The licenses have different requirements. Let's look first at the contractor's license. To qualify for a contractor's license you need to have two years of work experience (2,000 hours per year) as a licensed journeyman electrician or employ such a person at your company. The Bureau will review your application and if you're eligible they'll send you information on the exam they require. Exams are given once a month in Boise, Coeur D'Alene and Pocatello.
Now let's look at the journeyman's and master journeyman's license. To qualify for a journeyman's license you need to have four years of work experience in the trade and four years of approved electrical apprenticeship class room instruction. For the master license you need four years experience as a journeyman. Then the process is the same as for the contractor's license.
Electrician's license fees: It will cost you $15 to file the
application for a contractor's license, $60 for the exam, and $125 to get the license.
It's good until July 1 of the year after you got it. It will cost you $15 to file an application for the
journeyman or master journeyman license and $60 for either exam. The master license costs $65.
The journeyman license costs $55. Either license is good until July 1
of the year after you got it.
Idaho also licenses these specialty electrical trades:
| Elevator, dumbwaiter, escalator, or moving walk | Refrigeration, heating and air conditioning |
| Signs | Limited energy |
| Manufacturing or assembling equipment | Irrigation sprinkler |
| Well driller and water pump installer |
You need two years of experience in the trade to qualify for the exam. The exam has 30 to 50 questions and lasts two to two and one-half hours depending on the trade.
Fees and duration for specialty licenses are the same as those for electrical contractor and journeyman respectively.
With all these licenses, if you can prove you have a valid license in a state with qualifications at least equal to Idaho's, and you have the work experience Idaho requires, you can get an Idaho license without taking an exam. You still need to pay the fees, though.
Plumber's Licenses
To do most plumbing work in Idaho you need a license. The state licenses plumbing contractors, journeymen, specialty contractors, and specialty journeyman. There are two types of specialty plumbing licenses: mobile home hook-up contractor and mobile home hook-up journeyman. If you hold a contractor or journeyman license, you can do specialty work without getting a specialty license. To apply for a license, contact:
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Plumbing Bureau Division of Building Safety 1090 E. Watertower Street Meridian, ID 83642 (208) 334-3442 Fax: (208) 855-9339 http://www2.state.id.us/dbs/plumbing/index.html |
To qualify for a plumbing contractor license you need at least two and one-half years of work experience as a journeyman plumber in Idaho or another state. For a journeyman plumber's license you need at least four years experience as an apprentice supervised by a qualified journeyman plumber. For a specialty license you need two years of work experience in mobile home hook-ups. You'll have to pass an exam administered by the Bureau. Exams are given once a month in Couer D'Alene, Boise, and Pocatello.
Plumber's license fees:
It will cost 22.50 to apply. Contact the Bureau for the exam fee. The fee for a contractor's license is
$75
and $15 for a journeyman license. All plumbing licenses expire on December 31 each
year.
All plumbing contractors need to post a $2,000 compliance bond. You must do this before you can take the licensing exam. The bond expires on December 31 each year.
Idaho has a reciprocal agreement with Washington, Oregon, and Montana for the journeyman plumber license only.
If you plan to work as an apprentice plumber in Idaho you need to register and pay a $5 fee.
Well Drilling License
Any company or individual drilling a well in Idaho must be licensed. To get an application for a license, contact:
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Department of Water Resources 1301 North Orchard Street Statehouse Mall Boise, ID 83720-9000 (208) 327-7900 Fax: (208) 327-7866 http://www.idwr.state.id.us/water/well/default.htm |
The Idaho Water Resource Board is the agency handling well driller's licenses. Their application will ask you about your well drilling experience, what kind of well drilling rigs you use, what type of wells you intend to work on, and what references you can give. You'll also need to:
To be a qualified well drilling supervisor you must have been employed full time for at least 30 months under the supervision of someone who has a valid Idaho well driller's license (or its equivalent). You can substitute appropriate classroom work for 12 of the 30 months . You must also pass an exam given by the Director of the Idaho Water Resources Board. The exam is on:
All your operators must also be qualified by the Board before you can get a license. Operators are broken down into two classes. The operator I is not required to have drilling experience or take a test, but must submit the application and $25 fee and be under full time supervision while running the drill rig and related equipment. The operator II must have documentation of their drilling experience, take the exam and submit the application and $25 fee.
The board will give each one a written exam on Idaho laws on water and well drilling, land description, and well construction standards. Operators must pay a $25 application fee for the exam.
All well drilling licenses expire on March 31 every other year.
Fire Protection Sprinkler Contractor's License
To do fire sprinkler system work in Idaho you need a Fire Protection Sprinkler Contractor's License. To qualify for the license you need to:
To apply for a license, contact:
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State of Idaho Department of Insurance 700 West State Street, Third Floor P.O. Box 83720 Boise, ID 83720-0043 (208) 334-4370 Fax: (208) 334-4375 http://www.doi.state.id.us/sfm/firemars.aspx |
Fire protection sprinkler contractor's license fees: The license
expires December 31 each year. Your first license will cost $400, and renewal is $100. The
exam costs $25.
Idaho also licenses fitters who install and maintain fire sprinkler systems under the supervision of a licensed fire protection sprinkler contractor. To get this license you need to work 1,000 hours per year for three consecutive years as a fitter. Then you need to pass an exam given by the State Fire Marshal. The original license costs $50; renewal is $25. The exam costs $25.
Public Works Contractor's License
Basically, to bid or work on a public works project costing more than $10,000 in Idaho, you need a Public Works Contractor's License. To apply for a license, contact:
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Public Works Contractors State License
Bureau 1090 E. Watertower St. Meridian, ID 83642 (208) 334-4057 Fax: (208) 855-9666 http://www2.state.id.us/dbs/publicworks/index.html |
Idaho has six classes of licenses. Here are the classes and their fees:
| Class | Estimated cost not more than | Fee |
| D | $50,000 | $75 |
| C | $100,000 | $75 |
| B | $500,000 | $75 |
| A | $1,000,000 | $150 |
| AA | $3,000,000 | $150 |
| AAA | over $3,000,000 | $150 |
The Board will ask you for three references, information on your company structure, experience, equipment, and financial condition. You also need to specify what types of construction you want to be licensed in:
Heavy construction
Highway construction
Building construction
Specialty construction:
engineering scaffolding and shoring craning and erection construction zone traffic control temporary erosion and sediment controls excavation, removal and handling hazardous material removal of underground storage tanks environmental remediation, restoration and soil stabilization drilling demolition site clearing logging tree removal and trimming dewatering and subsurface drainage earth retention systems, mechanical stabilized earth walls and retaining wall slurry walls rockfall mitigation and high scaling excavation and grading dust control, dust abatement and dust oiling rock trenching hauling blasting dredging horizontal and directional earth boring, trenching and tunneling drilled piers, pile driving, caisson drilling, geopier and helical piers utilities well drilling installation of communication towers membrane liners for ponds and reservoirs crushing asphalt paving traffic marking and striping asphalt maintenance and repair, seal coating, crack sealing and chip sealing athletic and recreational surfaces sprinkler and irrigation systems fencing guard rails and safety barriers bridges and structures bridge crossings and box culverts installation of school playground equipment traffic signals and signs landscaping, seeding and mulching slope stabilization, hydroseeding, hydromulching, native plant revegetation for erosion control landscape maintenance pest control, sterilization and herbicide applications pipeline cleaning, sealing, lining and bursting cold milling, rumble strip milling, asphalt reclaiming and pavement grinding structural moving concrete reinforcing rebar installation concrete speciall placed concrete, concrete pumping and shotcreting post-tensioned concrete structures or structural members gypcrete concrete grouting pressure grouting and slab jacking concrete demolition, concrete sawing and cutting, core drilling, joint sealing and hydrocutting masonry chemical cleaning and masonry restoration welding steel fabrication, erection and installation ornamental metals bridge expansion joints and repair carpentry, framing and remodeling log and heavy timber construction docks - log and wood structures finish carpentry and millwork waterproofing and dampproofing thermal insulation stucco and eifs roofing and siding siding and decking sheet metal flashings, roof specialties and accessories sprayed on fireproofing caulking and joint sealants doors, gates, specialty doors and activating devices windows, glass and glazing steel stud framing lath and plaster drywall tile and terrazzo acoustical treatment flooring floor covering and carpeting painting and decorating sand blasting specialty coatings institutional equipment raised access flooring non-electrical signs specialty machinery and equipment installation and servicing petroleum and vehicle service equipment, installation and repair water/wastewater and chemical treatment climbing wall structures and products prefabricated equipment and furnishings window, wall coverings, drapes and blinds cathodic protection pre-manufactured components and modular structures pre-engineered building kits swimming pools and spas aquatic recreational equipment circular prestressed concrete storage tanks (liquid and bulk) hazardous material remediation radon mitigation instrumentation and controls alarm systems fire suppression systems (wet and dry-pipe sprinklers) fire extinguisher and fire suppression systems elevators, lifts and hoists pipe fitter and process piping plumbing boiler, hot-water heating and steam fitting chimney repair refrigeration air conditioning and warm-air heating testing and balancing of systems electrical communication electrical specialty contractor as defined by Electrical Bureau golf course construction underwater installation and diving develop gas and oil wells nonstructural restoration after fire of flood building cleaning and maintenance snow removal roadway cleaning, sweeping and mowing
If you're a plumber or electrician you must be licensed by the Plumbing or Electrical Board in Idaho before you can get a public works license for these trades.
You'll also need to take an exam which the Board sends with the application. The exam has questions on license law, finance, bonds funding and general information.
The license is good for one year.
Out-of-State Corporations
Out-of-state corporations must register with the Idaho Secretary of State. For information, contact:
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Idaho Secretary of State P.O. Box 83720 Boise, ID 83720-0080 (208) 334-2300 Fax: (208) 334-2847 http://www.idsos.state.id.us/ |
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