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

How to become a general contractor in New York

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

36registered apprenticeship programs$46.01median an hour in New York

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 NY
36 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 NY
19 schools with programs
Compare 19 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 York is $46.01 an hour.

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

    New York has no state general contractor license. Cities and counties license general contractors, so check with the building department where you work.

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

$95,700

a year is the median for general contractors in New York ($46.01 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. New York–Newark$50.00
  2. Albany–Schenectady$40.27
  3. Kiryas Joel–Poughkeepsie$39.89
  4. Buffalo–Cheektowaga$39.51
  5. Rochester$39.12
New York median $46.01 an hour

Questions

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

New York has no state general contractor license; cities and counties license contractors.1

Are general contractors in demand in New York?

Projections Central expects about 2,940 general contractor openings a year in New York through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for general contractors in New York

Sources

  1. New York contractor licensing (ag.ny.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 York, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)