Hawaii: up to $1,500 a job without a contractor license (a bill may raise it)

The limit in Hawaii

The limit: Up to $1,500 per job; only if no building permit is needed · a bill may raise it. In short: $1,500 or less per project, labor + materials, and only if no building permit is needed.

What counts: Any project or operation for which the aggregate contract price for labor and materials is not more than $1,500. Materials count toward the limit, not just your labor.

Conditions: Does not apply to any job that requires a building permit, whatever the price; Not part of a larger or major project; Not a project split into contracts of $1,500 or less to evade the law; Even exempt persons may not advertise as a contractor without a license (HRS § 444-9.2)

Licenses in Hawaii

General contractors: State license. State license (general engineering 'A', general building 'B', or specialty 'C' classes) for any project over $1,500, or any project needing a building permit regardless of price.

Plumbing: State license. Journey worker / master plumber license from the Board of Electricians and Plumbers (HRS § 448E-9); contracting also needs a C-37 plumbing contractor license under HRS 444.

Electrical: State license. Electrician licenses from the Board of Electricians and Plumbers (HRS § 448E-9); contracting needs a C-13 electrical contractor license under HRS 444.

HVAC: State license · not fully confirmed. Contracting requires the C-52 Ventilating and air conditioning contractor classification (HRS 444 / HAR 16-77); no separate individual HVAC technician license was found. Whether an HVAC technician needs a personal license, beyond the contractor's classification, was not fully checked.

Your license number in Hawaii

Your license number: Contractors must show the number on written contracts with homeowners and advertising. None of these rules names invoices.

In the rule's words: “All contractors shall provide homeowners with a written contract involving home construction or improvements which shall provide the following: (1) The name, address, license number, and classification(s) of the contractor;” (HAR § 16-77-80(a)(1) (homeowner contracts); HAR § 16-77-83 and HRS § 444-9.2(b) (advertising/listings))

Hawaii's board, and when this was checked

The board: Contractors License Board (DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing Division). As of November 6, 2026. Dates on the state's pages: HRS § 444-2 last amended L 2019, c 283 and HAR 16-77 PDF uploaded 2026/02.

Worth knowing: A bill, HB 846, would raise the $1,500 limit to $2,500. Whether it passed could not be confirmed (the legislature's status page could not be opened), and the state's law on its own site still says $1,500, so check with the board.

This is a summary of each state's own pages as of November 6, 2026, not legal advice. Rules change, and cities and counties add licenses of their own. Check with your state's board, linked on this page, before you rely on it.

Compare Hawaii with every state's limit.

Official sources for Hawaii

9 of Hawaii's own pages, each quoted with its link:

• HRS § 444-2 Exemptions (HRS § 444-2(4)): “Any project or operation for which the aggregate contract price for labor and materials is not more than $1,500. This exemption shall not apply in any case where a building permit is required regardless of the aggregate contract price, nor where the undertaking is only a part of a larger or major project or operation”
• HRS § 444-9 Licenses required (HRS § 444-9): “No person within the purview of this chapter shall act, or assume to act, or advertise, as general engineering contractor, general building contractor, or specialty contractor without a license previously obtained”
• HRS § 444-9.2 Advertising (HRS § 444-9.2(a)): “It is a misdemeanor for any person, including a person who is exempt by section 444-2 from this chapter, to advertise with or without any limiting qualifications as a contractor unless such person holds a valid license”
• HRS § 444-9.2(b) (HRS § 444-9.2(b)): “A contractor may advertise in print or broadcast medium ... only if the contractor includes in the advertisement or listing the contractor's applicable and current license number”
• HAR ch. 16-77 Contractors — § 16-77-80 Homeowner contracts (HAR § 16-77-80(a)(1)): “All contractors shall provide homeowners with a written contract involving home construction or improvements which shall provide the following: (1) The name, address, license number, and classification(s) of the contractor”
• HAR § 16-77-83 Advertising through the media (HAR § 16-77-83): “A contracting entity advertising through any media shall be identified as a licensed contractor by listing the name under which the licensee is licensed or the licensee's trade name which has been filed with the board, and the licensee's license number.”
• HAR ch. 16-77 — specialty classifications (HAR ch. 16-77): “C-52 Ventilating and air conditioning contractor”
• HRS § 448E-9 Unlicensed activity (HRS § 448E-9(a)): “No person shall act or assume to act as a journey worker electrician, ... journey worker plumber, master plumber, ... or advertise or hold the person's self out as an electrician or plumber, without a license previously obtained”
• HB 846 (2025–2026 legislature) — proposed (HRS § 444-2(4) (proposed amendment)): “Any project or operation for which the aggregate contract price for labor and materials is not more than $2,500.”

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