Nevada Contractor Licensing & the State Contractors Board
Nevada licenses contractors statewide through the State Contractors Board under NRS and NAC Chapter 624. This chapter covers the classifications, the CMS Business & Law exam, the experience requirement, and when the Board waives an exam.
The Board and the three classifications
The Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) licenses and regulates contractors under NRS/NAC Chapter 624. Licenses fall into three broad classifications: Class A for engineering work, Class B for general building, and Class C for the many specialty trades. A contractor must hold the classification that matches the scope of work it performs, and fingerprints and a background check are part of licensure.
The CMS Business & Law exam and experience
Applicants (through a qualifying individual) must pass the CMS Business & Law examination: 60 scored questions plus 3 unscored questions, 120 minutes plus 6 minutes for the unscored questions, open book, with 45 correct answers (75%) required to pass (PSI Candidate Information Bulletin, updated 3/25/2026). The only reference allowed in the exam room is the Construction Business and Law Manual for Nevada. The qualifying individual must also show four full years of relevant experience within the preceding 15 years, with education substituting for up to three of those years.
The trade exam, waivers and retakes
Nevada requires each applicant to pass the CMS plus a trade examination specific to the classification applied for. The Board will waive the examination for a person who passed an approved exam in an endorsing state, meaning a state whose licensing requirements the Board finds substantially equivalent to Nevada's. It may also waive the examination when the person's experience and qualifications justify it (NAC 624.600(2)-(3)). The same regulation lists an exam accredited by NASCLA, but only if the Board determines that exam is substantially equivalent to Nevada's. The Board's License Examinations page adds that a person who actively served as a qualified employee on another license in the same classification within the last 4 years will in most cases not have to take an exam, and that licensure by endorsement can waive the trade exam. A failed exam may be retaken after a 2-week wait, and a third failure voids the application (PSI bulletin; NAC 624.600(4)).
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State-specific details
State exam facts
- State regulator
- Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB)
- Prelicensing education
- Four years of relevant experience within the last fifteen years
- Passing score
- 75%
- Scored questions
- 60
- Time limit
- 120 minutes
Does Nevada require a state contractor license?
Yes. The Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) licenses contractors under NRS/NAC Chapter 624, using Class A (Engineering), Class B (Building), and Class C (specialty). The Board sets a monetary limit on each license, and the financial statement an applicant files depends on the limit sought (NAC 624.593): for $1,000,000 or more it must be reviewed or audited by a CPA.
What is on the Nevada Contractor Management Survey (CMS) exam?
The CMS Business & Law exam has 60 scored questions plus 3 unscored, runs 120 minutes plus 6 for the unscored questions, and requires 45 correct (75%) to pass. It is open book, and the only reference allowed is the Construction Business and Law Manual for Nevada. Applicants must show four years of relevant experience within the last fifteen years. A separate trade exam for the license classification is also required.
How does Nevada protect residential customers?
Nevada maintains a Residential Recovery Fund, and under NRS 108.245 a Notice of Right to Lien may be given at any time after first furnishing, but the lien then reaches only the 31 days before the notice and what follows. Nevada has no personal or corporate income tax but does impose the Modified Business Tax.
Sources: https://www.nvcontractorsboard.com, https://test-takers.psiexams.com/api/content/bulletin/296
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