Skip to content
State files updated Oct 27, 2026
Look up a contractor
MenuClose

Home / General Contractors / New Hampshire

Carpenter in a hard hat nailing floor framing with a hammer

Home / General Contractors / New Hampshire

How to become a general contractor in New Hampshire

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

10registered apprenticeship programs$39.05median an hour in New Hampshire

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 NH
10 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 NH
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 New Hampshire is $39.05 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in New Hampshire
  3. Run your own shop

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

    Issued by
    NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC)
    New Hampshire contractor license
Pay once you're working

$81,220

a year is the median for general contractors in New Hampshire ($39.05 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile

Questions

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

Check the NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) before you bid work on your own.1

Are general contractors in demand in New Hampshire?

Projections Central expects about 310 general contractor openings a year in New Hampshire through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

10 registered programs in New Hampshire. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for general contractors in New Hampshire

Sources

  1. NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) (oplc.nh.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, New Hampshire, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)