New Mexico Contractor Licensing & Classifications
New Mexico licenses contractors through the Construction Industries Division and ties each license to a Qualifying Party. This chapter covers the CID, the GB-98 and GB-2 general building classifications, the open-book 75% exams, and why NASCLA is not accepted for the trade portion.
The Construction Industries Division and the Construction Industries Licensing Act
Contractors in New Mexico are licensed by the Construction Industries Division (CID), part of the Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD). Its authority is the Construction Industries Licensing Act, NMSA Chapter 60, Article 13, with rules in NMAC Title 14, Chapter 6. The CID sets qualification standards, administers the business/law and trade examinations through its testing vendor, issues licenses, and enforces the building codes statewide. A New Mexico license authorizes contracting throughout the state.
The Qualifying Party and the GB-98 / GB-2 classifications
Every New Mexico license is held through a Qualifying Party (QP) — an individual with the required experience who passes the examinations and is responsible for the licensee's construction work. General building contractors are classified as GB-98 (general building, the broad classification) and GB-2 (general building with a narrower scope). A candidate must pass both the Business and Law examination and the trade examination for the classification within a set period (generally one year) to be licensed.
Open-book exams and why NASCLA is not accepted
New Mexico's Business and Law examination is 50 questions over 130 minutes, open book, requiring 75% (38 of 50) to pass. The trade examination is a separate New Mexico classification exam. New Mexico does not accept the NASCLA Accredited Commercial General Building Contractor exam in place of its own GB-98 or GB-2 trade exam; the NASCLA guide may be used only as one of the allowed open-book references. Where the New Mexico code conflicts with a national reference on an open-book question, the New Mexico code controls.