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Home / General Contractors / Kentucky

How to become a general contractor in Kentucky

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

11registered apprenticeship programs$35.33median an hour in Kentucky

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 KY
11 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 KY
5 schools with programs
Compare 5 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 Kentucky is $35.33 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Kentucky
  3. Run your own shop

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

    Issued by
    Dept of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) - HVAC
    Kentucky contractor license
Pay once you're working

$73,490

a year is the median for general contractors in Kentucky ($35.33 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Louisville/Jefferson County$38.07
  2. Lexington–Fayette$36.77
  3. Bowling Green$35.14
  4. Paducah$35.02
  5. Owensboro$34.34
Kentucky median $35.33 an hour

Questions

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

Check the Dept of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) before you bid work on your own.1

Are general contractors in demand in Kentucky?

Projections Central expects about 770 general contractor openings a year in Kentucky through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for general contractors in Kentucky

Sources

  1. Dept of Housing, Buildings and Construction (DHBC) - HVAC (dhbc.ky.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Kentucky, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)