Trades
Pick a trade to see licensing and reciprocity for all 10 covered states.
Electrical & power
Electrician
The most regulated trade on this list — and where you get licensed matters.
Electrical Lineman
Most states don't license linemen, and that's by design.
Low Voltage & Telecom Technician
First settle a stranger question: does your state even call it low voltage?
Solar PV Installer
NABCEP won't let you pull a permit anywhere in the country.
Sign Contractor
One question decides your licensing: are your signs energized?
Mechanical & piping
Plumber
The least portable license on this list.
HVAC Technician / Contractor
Two separate credentials — one federal, one state. Easy to mix up.
Pipefitter & Steamfitter
Only four states issue a pipefitter license as its own thing.
Fire Sprinkler Fitter
Regulated by the fire marshal, not the contractor board.
Sheet Metal Worker
Only contractors get licensed — not the people doing the work.
Boiler Operator & Stationary Engineer
Running a boiler and building one are separate trades with separate rules.
Elevator Mechanic
Licensed in 36 jurisdictions — almost never by the board you'd expect.
Structural & building
Carpenter
Nobody licenses carpenters. The license belongs to the business.
Mason & Bricklayer
Nobody licenses bricklayers. The business gets licensed, not you.
Concrete Contractor
The cement mason needs no license anywhere. The contractor is the question.
Roofer
"Licensed" means almost nothing until you name the state.
Ironworker
No state license — but New York City is a city-sized asterisk.
Glazier
It's the business credential that's state-bound, not you.
Millwright
No state licenses millwrights. Entry is the hard part, not paperwork.
Demolition Contractor
A gateway credential rather than a dead end.
Finishing & specialty
Painter & Decorator
The bigger issue isn't state licensing. It's federal, on any pre-1978 house.
Drywall & Plaster Contractor
Check whether your state treats drywall and plaster as one trade or two.
Tile & Flooring Contractor
A flooring license doesn't cover ceramic tile. That trips people up.
Pool & Spa Contractor
The pool license doesn't cover the whole job — and that costs builders money.
Landscape & Irrigation Contractor
Not one trade — three scopes handled by three different agencies.
Locksmith
Locksmith licensing is disappearing — thirteen states still require it.
Environmental & safety
Asbestos Abatement Worker
One of the few trades here with a real federal floor.
Lead Abatement Worker
Your course certificate works as interim certification for six months.
Water Well Driller
Licensed by environmental agencies, because the state is protecting the aquifer.
Septic & Onsite Wastewater Installer
Regulated county by county. Start with the county, not the state.
Water Treatment Operator
One of the few credentials that usually does travel.
Wastewater Treatment Operator
A separate certificate from water — often a separate agency too.
Metalwork & equipment
Welder
There's no such thing as a state welding license.
Boilermaker
You build boilers; a stationary engineer runs them. States license the operator.
CNC Machinist
The cleanest "no" on the entire site — no license anywhere.
Crane Operator
The one trade whose certification genuinely works in all fifty states.
No state license anywhere
These nine trades have the same answer in all fifty states, so they share one page instead of fifty near-identical ones.