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

How to become a general contractor in Texas

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

71registered apprenticeship programs$35.83median an hour in Texas

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 TX
71 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 TX
15 schools with programs
Compare 15 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 Texas is $35.83 an hour.

    General Contractor pay in Texas
  3. Run your own shop

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

    Issued by
    TDLR - Electricians
    Texas contractor license
Pay once you're working

$74,520

a year is the median for general contractors in Texas ($35.83 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Midland$38.44
  2. Odessa$37.78
  3. Austin–Round Rock$37.40
  4. Beaumont–Port Arthur$36.72
  5. Dallas–Fort Worth$36.65
Texas median $35.83 an hour

Questions

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

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

Are general contractors in demand in Texas?

Projections Central expects about 8,780 general contractor openings a year in Texas through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

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

Find a program

More for general contractors in Texas

Sources

  1. TDLR - Electricians contractor licensing (gov.texas.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Texas, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)