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Home / General Contractors / Indiana

How to become a general contractor in Indiana

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

24registered apprenticeship programs$39.68median an hour in Indiana

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 IN
24 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 IN
8 schools with programs
Compare 8 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 Indiana is $39.68 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Indiana
  3. Run your own shop

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

    Issued by
    Indiana Plumbing Commission (Professional Licensing Agency)
    Indiana contractor license
Pay once you're working

$82,530

a year is the median for general contractors in Indiana ($39.68 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Indianapolis–Carmel$41.01
  2. Lafayette–West Lafayette$40.15
  3. South Bend–Mishawaka$39.65
  4. Fort Wayne$39.31
  5. Elkhart–Goshen$38.79
Indiana median $39.68 an hour

Questions

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

Check the Indiana Plumbing Commission (Professional Licensing Agency) before you bid work on your own.1

Are general contractors in demand in Indiana?

Projections Central expects about 1,470 general contractor openings a year in Indiana through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for general contractors in Indiana

Sources

  1. Indiana Plumbing Commission (Professional Licensing Agency) (in.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Indiana, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)