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State files updated Oct 27, 2026
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Home / General Contractors / Connecticut

How to become a general contractor in Connecticut

Most general contractors in Connecticut start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

34registered apprenticeship programs$44.36median an hour in Connecticut

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In CT
34 registered programs
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In CT
2 schools with programs
Compare 2 schools
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed general contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Work as a general contractor

    Median pay in Connecticut is $44.36 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Connecticut
  3. Run your own shop

    To bid and contract on your own you need a general contractor license or registration.

    Issued by
    Dept of Consumer Protection (DCP) - Home Improvement / Major Contractor registration
    Connecticut contractor license
Pay once you're working

$92,260

a year is the median for general contractors in Connecticut ($44.36 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. New Haven$45.68
  2. Waterbury–Shelton$44.88
  3. Bridgeport–Stamford$44.36
  4. Norwich–New London$44.33
  5. Hartford–West Hartford$43.51
Connecticut median $44.36 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a general contractor in Connecticut?

Check the Dept of Consumer Protection (DCP) before you bid work on your own.1

Are general contractors in demand in Connecticut?

Projections Central expects about 670 general contractor openings a year in Connecticut through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

34 registered programs in Connecticut. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for general contractors in Connecticut

Sources

  1. Dept of Consumer Protection (DCP) - Home Improvement / Major Contractor registration (portal.ct.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Connecticut, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)