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

How to become a general contractor in Hawaii

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

3registered apprenticeship programs$49.34median an hour in Hawaii

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 HI
3 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 HI
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 Hawaii is $49.34 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Hawaii
  3. Run your own shop

    The qualifying individual must show 4 years of supervisory experience in the classification applied for.

    Issued by
    Contractors License Board (DCCA PVL)
    Hawaii contractor license
Pay once you're working

$102,630

a year is the median for general contractors in Hawaii ($49.34 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Kahului–Wailuku$51.21
  2. Urban Honolulu$49.53
Hawaii median $49.34 an hour

Questions

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

Yes. Hawaii licenses general contractors through the Contractors License Board (DCCA PVL).1

Are general contractors in demand in Hawaii?

Projections Central expects about 280 general contractor openings a year in Hawaii through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for general contractors in Hawaii

Sources

  1. Contractors License Board (DCCA PVL) contractor licensing (cca.hawaii.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Hawaii, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)