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State files updated Oct 27, 2026
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Home / General Contractors / New Jersey

How to become a general contractor in New Jersey

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

119registered apprenticeship programs$50.73median an hour in New Jersey

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 NJ
119 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 NJ
6 schools with programs
Compare 6 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 Jersey is $50.73 an hour.

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

    New Jersey has no state general contractor license. Check with the city or county where you work about local licenses for general contractors.

    Issued by
    City or county
    Licensing in New Jersey
Pay once you're working

$105,510

a year is the median for general contractors in New Jersey ($50.73 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Vineland$55.96
  2. Trenton–Princeton$50.15
  3. Atlantic City–Hammonton$48.22
New Jersey median $50.73 an hour

Questions

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

New Jersey has no state general contractor license.1

Are general contractors in demand in New Jersey?

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

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for general contractors in New Jersey

Sources

  1. NJ Division of Consumer Affairs - Home Improvement Contractor registration contractor licensing (njconsumeraffairs.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, New Jersey, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)