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State files updated Oct 27, 2026
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Home / General Contractors / Oregon

How to become a general contractor in Oregon

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

6registered apprenticeship programs$49.55median an hour in Oregon

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 OR
6 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 OR
4 schools with programs
Compare 4 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 Oregon is $49.55 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Oregon
  3. Run your own shop

    Residential: none. Commercial (Level 1/2): key-employee years of experience required (2021 CCB guide; apprenticeship up to 3 years, construction bachelor up to 3, business degree up to 2, associate up to 1.

    Issued by
    Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB)
    Oregon contractor license
Pay once you're working

$103,070

a year is the median for general contractors in Oregon ($49.55 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Portland–Vancouver$54.08
  2. Salem$48.77
  3. Medford$45.40
  4. Bend$44.92
  5. Eugene–Springfield$43.41
Oregon median $49.55 an hour

Questions

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

Yes. Oregon licenses general contractors through the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB).1

Are general contractors in demand in Oregon?

Projections Central expects about 950 general contractor openings a year in Oregon through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for general contractors in Oregon

Sources

  1. Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB) contractor licensing (oregon.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Oregon, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)