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West Virginia |
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Construction contractors have to be licensed in West Virginia.
To find
out if a contractor is licensed in West Virginia, go to http://www.labor.state.wv.us/search/default.asp
or call (304) 558-7890 or (877) 558-5134. To find out if an electrician is licensed in
West Virginia, call (304) 558-2191.
To get an application packet for a construction contractor's license, contact:
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West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board Building 6, Room B-749 State Capitol Complex Charleston, WV 25305 (304) 558-7890 http://www.labor.state.wv.us |
You can get the Contractor's License Affidavit online at http://www.labor.state.wv.us/contractor/forms.html. Send in the Affidavit and the $90 fee to the Licensing Board.
You'll need to have unemployment and workers' compensation coverage in your home state or West Virginia. You also have to post a wage bond unless you work only in residential contract work or have been doing construction work in West Virginia for at least five years before you apply for a license. The bond must equal the total of your gross payroll for four weeks at full capacity or production plus 15% for benefits.
It's possible to get the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board to accept your license in another state depending on the qualifications you passed to be licensed there. If so, you won't have to take any exam but you will have to pay West Virginia's licensing fees.
Construction Contractor's Licenses
The Licensing Board uses these contractor classifications:
| Electrical | HVAC |
| Piping | Multifamily |
| General building | Plumbing |
| General engineering | Residential building |
The Board specialty classifications are:
| Remodeling and repair | Manufactured home installation |
Contractor
license fees: A license is good for one year and costs $100.
But that doesn't include fees for the exams the Board requires for a license.
You have to pass a business and law exam and a trade exam to get a license. The exams are given by Thomson Prometric. You can contact them at:
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Thomson Prometric Oakwood Center 888 Oakwood Road, Ste. 230 Charlston, WV 25314 Phone: (866) 854-8570 http://www.prometric.com/westvirginia |
Contractor exam fee:
All exams are 42.40.
You will also need an individual electrician's license to do electrical work in West Virginia. To get an application, contact:
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State Fire Marshal Electrician's License Section 1207 Quarrier Street, 2nd Floor Charleston, WV 25301 (304) 558-2191 Fax: (304) 558-2537 http://www.wvfiremarshal.org E-mail: info@wvfiremarshal.org |
The Section issues master, journeyman, and specialty electrician's licenses. You have to pass an exam to get a license. To qualify for the master exam you need five years in residential, commercial, and industrial electrical work. To qualify for the journeyman exam you need to complete one of the following:
To qualify for a specialty exam you need at least two years of experience in the specialty. You can apply one year of approved education to the work requirement.
The exam is open book on the National Electrical Code and lasts four hours. Here's a summary that shows the number of questions on each exam:
| License | Questions on exam |
| Master | 50 multiple choice, 10 calculations (calculator and Ugly's book permissible) |
| Journeyman | 50 multiple choice, 5 calculations (calculator and Ugly's book permissible) |
| HVAC | Approximately 50 multiple choice |
| Electric sign | Approximately 50 multiple choice |
| Single family residence | Approximately 50 multiple choice |
| Low voltage | Approximately 50 multiple choice |
| Fiber optics | Approximately 50 multiple choice |
An exam will cost you
$25. A license costs $50 and it's good for one year.
All licenses expire on June 30.
The Section doesn't have any reciprocity agreements with other states for these licenses.
You can get the references listed below from:
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Contractors Book Service P.O. Box 8513 South Charleston, WV 25303 (800) 408-5754 or (304) 757-9630 Fax (304) 757-9635 E-mail: conbooksue@citynet.net |
Builder's Book Depot 1033 E. Jefferson, Ste. 500 Phoenix, AZ 85034 (800) 284-3434 or (602) 252-4050 http://www.buildersbookdepot.com |
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Professional Booksellers 2200 21st Avenue South Nashville, TN 3721 (800) 572-8878 www.protechsource.com |
| Recommended Reading for the Contractor's Trade Exam
Business and Law Exam West Virginia Contractor's Reference Manual, Experior Assessments, 1360 Energy Park Drive, MN, 55108 General Building Contractor's Exam BOCA National Building Code, Building Officials and Code Administrators Int. Inc., 405 West Flossmoor Road, Country Club Hills, IL, 60478-4900 Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29, Part 1926 (OSHA), Superintendent of Documents, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 Carpentry and Building Construction, Feirer, Hutchings & Feirer, McGraw-Hill Inc., Box 543, Blacklick, OH 43004-0543 The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction, American Concrete Institute Modern Masonry, C. E.
Kicklighter, The
Goodheart-Willcox Excavation & Grading Handbook, Nicholas E. Capachi, Craftsman Book Company, 6058 Corte del Cedro, P.O. Box 6500, Carlsbad, CA 92018 http://craftsman-book.com Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods, Edward Allen, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Gypsum Construction Handbook, United States Gypsum Company General Engineering Exam Code of Federal Regulations - Title 29, Part 1926 (OSHA), Superintendent of Documents, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 Construction Planning, Equipment and Methods, R.L. Peurifoy, McGraw-Hill Publishing, Inc. Design of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants, Water Environment Federation Hydraulic Dredging: Principles - Equipment - Procedures - Methods, John Huston, C.E. Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures, Portland Cement Association, 5420 Old Orchard Road, Skokie, IL 60077-1083 Cement Mason's Guide, William C. Panarese, Portland Cement Association Placing Reinforcing Bars, Recommended Practices, Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute, P. O. Box 6996, Alpharetta, GA 30239-6996 C-94-98- Standard Specification for Ready-Mixed Concrete, American Society for Testing & Materials B31.8- Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems, American Society of Mechanical Engineers Handbook of Rigging, W.E. Rossnagel, McGraw-Hill Publishing, Inc. AWWA Standard for Installation of Ductile Iron Water Mains, AWWA C-600-93, American Water Works Association Concrete Pipe Installation Manual, American Concrete Pipe Association MS-5- Introduction to Asphalt,Asphalt Institute, P. O. Box 14052, Lexington, KY 40512-4052 ES-11 Asphalt Surface Treatments- Specifications, Asphalt Institute ES-12 Asphalt Surface Treatments- Construction Techniques, Asphalt Institute Excavation & Grading Handbook, Nicholas E. Capachi, Craftsman Book Company, 6058 Corte del Cedro, P.O. Box 6500, Carlsbad, CA 92018 http://craftsman-book.com Manual of Steel Construction, American Institute of Steel Construction HVAC Contractor's Exam International Mechanical Code, BOCA International Code of Federal Regulations - Title 29, Part 1926 (OSHA), Superintendent of Documents, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 Contractor's Reference Manual, West Virginia Edition, 1999, Experior NFPA 54- National Fuel Gas Code, National Fire Protection Association Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, 1997, A.R.I., Prentice Hall Manual J- Load Calculation for Residential Winter and Summer Air Conditioning, Air Conditioning Contractors of America Pipefitter's Handbook, Forest R. Lindsey, Industrial Press, Inc. Trane Ductulator, Trane Company, 8929 Western Way, Ste. 1, Jacksonville, FL Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Prentice Hall, Order Processing Center, P.O. Box 11071, Des Mones, IA Trane Air Conditioning Manual, Trane Company, 8929 Western Way, Ste. 1, Jacksonville, FL Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning , Goodheart-Wilcox Company, 18604 W. Creek Drive, Tinley Park, IL 60477 ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals, American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, 1791 Tullie Circle, Atlanta, GA Multifamily Building Contractor's Exam BOCA National Building Code, Building Officials and Code Administrators Int. Inc., 405 West Flossmoor Road, Country Club Hills, IL, 60478-4900 Code of Federal Regulations- Title 29, Part 1926 (OSHA), Superintendent of Documents, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 Commentary & Recommendations for Handling, Installing & Bracing Metal Plate Connected Wood Trusses, HIB-91, Truss Plate Institute, 583 D'Onofrio Drive, Ste. 200, Madison, WI 53719 Carpentry and Building Construction, Feirer, Hutchings & Feirer, McGraw-Hill Inc., Box 543, Blacklick, OH 43004-0543 The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction, American Concrete Institute Modern Masonry, Kicklighter, Goodheart-Willcox Company, Inc. Fundamentals of Building Construction: Materials and Methods, Edward Allen, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Gypsum Construction Handbook, United States Gypsum Company Excavation & Grading Handbook, Nicholas E. Capachi, Craftsman Book Company, 6058 Corte del Cedro, P.O. Box 6500, Carlsbad, CA 92018 http://craftsman-book.com Roofers Handbook, William Johnson, Craftsman Book Company, 6058 Corte del Cedro, P.O. Box 6500, Carlsbad, CA 92018 http://craftsman-book.com Piping Contractor's Exam International Mechanical Code, BOCA International, 800-214-4231 Pipefitter's Handbook, Forest R. Lindsey, Industrial Press, Inc. Code of Federal Regulations - Title 29, Part 1926 (OSHA), Superintendent of Documents, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 Pipe Welding Procedures, 1973, H. Rampall, Industrial Press, Inc. NFPA 54- National Fuel Gas Code, National Fire Protection Association System Design Manual- Part III: Piping Design, Carrier, Carrier Air Conditioning Company Excavation & Grading Handbook, Nicholas E. Capachi, Craftsman Book Company, 6058 Corte del Cedro, Box 6500, Carlsbad, CA 92018 http://craftsman-book.com Plumbing Contractor's Exam International Plumbing Code, International Code Council Inc., Contact ICBO 800-284-4406 or BOCA 800-214-4231 Plumbing Technology, Design and Installation, Lee Smith, Del Mar/International Thomson Publishing, P.O. Box 6904, Florence, KY 41022 Plumbing, L.V. Ripka, American Technical Publishers, 1155 West 175th Street, Homewood, IL Residential Building Contractor's Exam BOCA National Building Code, Building Officials and Code Administrators Int. Inc., 405 West Flossmoor Road, Country Club Hills, IL, 60478-4900 Code of Federal Regulations- Title 29, Part 1926 (OSHA), Superintendent of Documents, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 Commentary & Recommendations for Handling, Installing, & Bracing Metal Plate Connected Wood Trusses, HIB-91, Truss Plate Institute Carpentry and Building Construction, Feirer, Hutchings & Feirer, McGraw-Hill Inc., Box 543, Blacklick, OH 43004-0543 The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction, American Concrete Institute Gypsum Construction Handbook, United States Gypsum Company Modern Masonry, C. E.
Kicklighter, The
Goodheart-Willcox Excavation & Grading Handbook, Nicholas E. Capachi, Craftsman Book Company, 6058 Corte del Cedro, P.O. Box 6500, Carlsbad, CA 92018 http://craftsman-book.com Manufactured Home Installation Contractor's Exam NCSBCS/ANSI Manufactured Home Installations, A225.1, National Conference on States on Building Codes and Standards, Inc. Code of Federal Regulations Title 29, Part 1926 (OSHA), Superintendent of Documents, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 Remodeling and Repair Contractor's Exam BOCA National Building Code, Building Officials and Code Administrators Int. Inc., 405 West Flossmoor Road, Country Club Hills, IL, 60478-4900 Carpentry and Building Construction, Feirer, Hutchings & Feirer, McGraw-Hill Inc., Box 543, Blacklick, OH 43004-0543 Code of Federal Regulations - Title 29, Part 1926 (OSHA), Superintendent of Documents, PO Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction, American Concrete Institute ASTM D-4756- Standard Practice For Installation of PVC Siding and Soffit, American Society for Testing & Materials Electrical Contractor's Exam National Electrical Code, National Fire Protection Association, 1 Batterymarch Park, P.O. Box 9101, Quincy, MA 02269 Alternating Current Fundamentals, Delmar Publishing/Thomson Learning, P.O. Box 6904, Florence, KY 41022 Industrial Motor Control, Delmar Publishing/Thomson Learning, P.O. Box 6904, Florence, KY 41022 American Electricians Handbook, 1996, 13th edition, Croft/Summers, McGraw-Hill Inc., Box 543, Blacklick, OH 43004-0543 |
Department of Transportation (DOT)
To bid on any contract let by the West Virginia Division of Highways, you must get a Certificate of Qualification. To apply for this certificate, contact:
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West Virginia Department of Transportation Division of Highways -- Construction Division Building 5 Capitol Complex 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East Charleston, WV 25305 (304) 558-2874 Fax (304) 558-2815 http://www.wvdot.com For the application call Mr. Jerry Fowler directly at: (304) 558-3304 E-mail: jfowler@dot.state.wv.us |
You'll be asked to fill out a Contractor's Prequalification Statement. It will ask you for:
West Virginia issues certificates in these fields:
| General construction | Pile driving, drilling |
| Signing | Tunneling |
| Portland cement concrete paving | Buildings |
| Sawing, sealing, curing, joint repair | Guardrail and fence |
| Bituminous paving | Grooving |
| Demolition | Seeding, sodding & mulching |
| Base courses, treated & untreated soil cement | Curb gutter, sidewalk, inlets, manholes, & |
| stabilization | concrete medians |
| Cleaning & painting bridges | Landscaping |
| Grading | Miscellaneous projects ( estimate cost less |
| Pavement markings | than $200,000) |
| Bridge construction | Traffic signals, electrical installations |
| Waterlines & sewers | & lighting |
| Drainage structures & culverts |
The Department will use this information to figure out how much you can be prequalified for. They'll round the amount to the nearest thousand dollars.
Once you get a Certificate of Qualification, it's good for no more than 16 months. The actual time will depend on your fiscal period and the date of the financial statement you submit on your Prequalification Statement.
Out-of-State Corporations
If your company isn't incorporated under the laws of West Virginia, you have to get Certificate of Authority from the Secretary of State to do business in West Virginia. Contact the Secretary of State at:
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Office of Secretary of State Building 1, Room W-139 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East Charleston, WV 25305 (304) 558-8000 Fax (304) 558-0900 http://www.wvsos.com/main.htm E-mail: wvsos@wvsos.com |
You can get the form online at http://www.wvsos.com/business/services/formindex.htm.
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