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Home / General Contractors / Rhode Island

How to become a general contractor in Rhode Island

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

26registered apprenticeship programs$47.40median an hour in Rhode Island

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 RI
26 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 RI
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 Rhode Island is $47.40 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Rhode Island
  3. Run your own shop

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

    Issued by
    RI Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board (CRB)
    Rhode Island contractor license
Pay once you're working

$98,590

a year is the median for general contractors in Rhode Island ($47.40 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 Rhode Island?

Check the RI Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board (CRB) before you bid work on your own.1

Are general contractors in demand in Rhode Island?

Projections Central expects about 220 general contractor openings a year in Rhode Island through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

26 registered programs in Rhode Island. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for general contractors in Rhode Island

Sources

  1. RI Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board (CRB) (crb.ri.gov)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Rhode Island, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)