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

Home / General Contractors / Tennessee

Carpenter in a hard hat nailing floor framing with a hammer

Home / General Contractors / Tennessee

How to become a general contractor in Tennessee

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

13registered apprenticeship programs$35.81median an hour in Tennessee

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 TN
13 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 TN
26 schools with programs
Compare 26 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 Tennessee is $35.81 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Tennessee
  3. Run your own shop

    Experience is required to support the monetary limit; the application instructions say the Board prefers 3 years. A reference letter from a past client, employer or code official is required.

    Issued by
    TN Board for Licensing Contractors (Commerce & Insurance)
    Tennessee contractor license
Pay once you're working

$74,470

a year is the median for general contractors in Tennessee ($35.81 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Nashville–Davidson$37.90
  2. Memphis$36.47
  3. Chattanooga$36.10
  4. Clarksville$34.49
  5. Jackson$33.60
Tennessee median $35.81 an hour

Questions

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

Yes. Tennessee licenses general contractors through the TN Board for Licensing Contractors (Commerce & Insurance).1

Are general contractors in demand in Tennessee?

Projections Central expects about 1,720 general contractor openings a year in Tennessee through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for general contractors in Tennessee

Sources

  1. TN Board for Licensing Contractors (Commerce & Insurance) contractor licensing (tn.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Tennessee, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)