1.3 License Classifications (A, B, C, AB) & Qualifying Party Requirements

Nevada Contractor License Classifications (NAC 624.140 - 624.574)

In Nevada, contractor licenses are classified according to the technical nature and scope of construction operations. The Nevada Administrative Code establishes four principal license branches:

1. Class A: General Engineering Contracting
2. Class B: General Building Contracting
3. Class C: Specialty Contracting (classifications numbered C-1 through C-42; not every number is in use)
4. Class AB: Dual General Engineering and General Building Contracting

Exam Warning: Under NRS 624.3015, acting in the capacity of a contractor beyond the scope of your assigned license classification or subclassification constitutes grounds for immediate disciplinary action, administrative citations, and license suspension.

---

Class A: General Engineering Contractor (NAC 624.140)

A Class A General Engineering license covers a contractor whose principal business is fixed works requiring specialized engineering knowledge and skill. NAC 624.140 adopts the scope in NRS 624.215(2), and NAC 624.150 lists the A subclassifications. The scope includes:

• Irrigation, drainage, water power, water supply, and flood control projects
• Harbors, docks, canals, inland waterways, and river control
• Highways, streets, roads, bridges, viaducts, tunnels, and overpasses
• Sewers, sewage disposal plants, and storm water systems
• Railroads, light rail systems, and airports
• Refineries, chemical plants, and heavy industrial foundation facilities
• Power generation plants, transmission lines, and substations
• Excavating, grading, trenching, paving, and earthmoving associated with civil infrastructure

---

Class B: General Building Contractor & Subclassifications (NAC 624.160 and 624.170)

Under NRS 624.215(3), a Class B General Building contractor's principal business is constructing or remodeling buildings or structures for the support, shelter and enclosure of persons, animals, chattels or movable property. The scope has three built-in limits:

• More Than Two Unrelated Trades: The construction must require the use of more than two unrelated building trades or crafts, and the Class B contractor must be the prime contractor where building construction or remodeling is the primary purpose.
• Specialty Work Only as Prime: Unless it holds the specialty license, a general building contractor may perform specialty contracting only when it is the prime contractor on the project.
• Four Restricted Specialties: A general building contractor shall not perform plumbing, electrical, refrigeration and air-conditioning, or fire protection work without a license for that specialty; that work goes to properly licensed specialty contractors.

Class B Subclassifications (NAC 624.170)

The unlimited Class B license carries no height limit. NAC 624.170 also defines seven subclassifications:

• B-1 (Premanufactured Housing): Fitting, assembling, placing and installing premanufactured units and modular parts for residential buildings no more than three stories above ground.
• B-2 (Residential and Small Commercial): Construction and remodeling of houses and other structures that do not extend more than three stories above the ground and one story below the ground.
• B-3 (Speculative Building): Construction, on property the contractor owns, of structures for sale or speculation.
• B-4 (Service Stations): Construction of structures and installation of equipment used to service vehicles.
• B-5 (Prefabricated Steel Structures): Construction with prefabricated steel of structures for the support, shelter or enclosure of persons, animals or chattels.
• B-6 (Commercial Remodeling): Remodeling and improvement of interior spaces, including in structures over three stories. A B-6 licensee may not perform, manage or supervise work on any structural member, mechanical system, fire protection system or other life safety system.
• B-7 (Residential Remodeling): Remodeling an existing, detached single-family residence, or a single-family unit in a structure no more than three stories above and one below ground. A B-7 licensee may not increase the existing enclosed space.

---

Class C: Specialty Contracting Classifications (NAC 624.190 - 624.574)

Class C classifications are numbered C-1 through C-42, although several numbers are no longer used. A specialty contractor's principal business uses specialized building trades or crafts (NRS 624.215(4)). Under NRS 624.220(4)(a), it may take a contract involving other crafts only when that other work is incidental and supplemental to its licensed craft. It cannot bid prime contracts for multiple unrelated trades outside its craft.

Key Class C classifications frequently tested on the Nevada examination include:

• C-1 (Plumbing and Heating Contracting): Subclasses include C-1a (Boilers), C-1b (Fire Sprinklers), C-1c (Insulation of Pipes and Ducts), C-1d (Plumbing, which includes medical gas piping), and C-1e (Sheet Metal).
• C-2 (Electrical Contracting): Subclasses include C-2a (Electrical Wiring), C-2c (Fire Detection), C-2d (Low Voltage), and C-2g (Photovoltaics/Solar).
• C-3 (Carpentry, Maintenance, and Minor Repairs): Covers framing, rough carpentry, finish carpentry, and general repairs.
• C-4 (Painting and Decorating): Painting, wallcovering, taping and finishing, sandblasting, drywall, sheet metal studs, and acoustical tile.
• C-5 (Concrete Contracting): Forms, placing reinforcement and embedded items, placing and finishing concrete, sealants, and sawing, cutting and coring concrete and asphalt paving.
• C-10 (Landscape Contracting): Covers exterior planting, irrigation systems, sod, and decorative rockwork.
• C-14 (Steel Reinforcing and Erection): Includes C-14a (reinforcing steel and post-tensioning), C-14b (structural steel), C-14e (doors and windows), and C-14g (prefabricated steel structures).
• C-21 (Refrigeration and Air Conditioning): Covers residential and commercial HVAC and cooling systems.

---

Class AB: Dual Engineering and General Building

A Class AB license (NAC 624.180) covers both general building and general engineering. NRS 624.215(1) treats the two branches as mutually exclusive, so a firm that wants both scopes needs the combined classification. NAC 624.180 limits Class AB to applicants who show enough experience and financial responsibility to support an unlimited license in both the A and B classifications.

---

Qualifying Party (QP) Requirements (NRS 624.260)

Every applicant for a Nevada contractor license must qualify through a natural person, often called the Qualifying Party (QP) or qualified individual. The QP proves the experience and knowledge required by NRS 624.260, passes the required examinations, and supervises construction for the licensee. The license belongs to the business, not to the QP.

Eligibility to Act as a Qualifying Party

Depending on the legal structure of the contracting business, the Qualifying Party must be:

• Sole Proprietorship: The individual owner or a bona fide employee.
• Partnership: One of the general partners or a bona fide employee.
• Corporation: A qualified corporate officer or a bona fide employee.
• Limited Liability Company (LLC): A manager, managing member, or a bona fide employee.

Verifiable Experience Requirements

Under NRS 624.260(6)–(8) and the Board's application requirements, the Qualifying Party must demonstrate:

1. Four (4) Years of Experience: At least four (4) full years of experience in the specific classification applied for.
2. Fifteen-Year Window: The four years must fall within the 15 years immediately preceding the application. The window does not apply to someone who previously qualified for a license in the same classification (NRS 624.260(7)).
3. Qualifying Levels of Experience: Experience must be as a journeyman, foreman, supervising employee, or contractor. A journeyman is fully qualified to work in the classification without supervision or has completed an approved apprenticeship (NRS 624.260(8)).
4. Education Credit: Training in a program at an accredited college or university, or an equivalent program accepted by the Board, may satisfy no more than 3 years of the requirement.
5. Verification Documentation: The Board accepts four Certification of Work Experience forms for each trade qualifier, a current master's certification from a government agency in a substantially similar discipline, or proof of transferable military experience. Each qualifier also submits a Resume of Experience.

---

Duties of the Qualifying Party: Direct Supervision & Control

Under NRS 624.260(3), the Qualifying Party is not a symbolic figurehead. The QP must be a bona fide member or employee of the licensee and, while the licensee is actively contracting, must:

• Make technical and administrative decisions for the contracting business
• Hire, superintend, promote, transfer, lay off, discipline or discharge employees and direct them, personally or through others, or effectively recommend those actions
• Devote himself or herself solely to the licensee's business and take no other employment that conflicts with those duties

NAC 624.640(4) adds that if a license was issued partly because of the employment of a particularly qualified person, the licensee must continue to employ such a person to keep the license.

The Prohibition of "Ghost" or "Rent-a-Qualifier" Practices

It is a severe violation of Nevada law for an individual to serve as a "ghost qualifier"—acting as the QP on a license application for compensation while exercising no day-to-day management or on-site supervision. When the Board discovers an absentee qualifier, it initiates disciplinary proceedings resulting in license revocation, civil fines, and permanent disqualification of the QP.

Qualifying Multiple Licenses (NRS 624.260(5))

A natural person may not qualify on behalf of another for more than one active license unless:

• The person owns at least 25% of each licensee for which he or she qualifies;
• One licensee owns at least 25% of the other licensee; or
• One licensee is a corporation for public benefit as defined in NRS 82.021.

---

Disassociation of a Qualifying Party (NRS 624.285)

When the person who qualified by examination resigns, is terminated, or otherwise stops being connected with the licensee, the licensee's authority to contract is at risk. NRS 624.285 sets a strict timeline:

[Qualified individual leaves]
       |
       +--> Within 10 days: licensee notifies the Board in writing
       |        |
       |        +--> No notice in 10 days: license AUTOMATICALLY SUSPENDED
       |
       +--> License stays in force for a period set by the Board, no more than 30 days
                |
                +--> Replace with a similarly qualified person approved by the Board
                +--> Board may extend the deadline for good cause
                +--> Not replaced in time: license MAY BE SUSPENDED OR REVOKED

1. 10-Day Notice: The licensee must notify the Board in writing within 10 days after the association or employment ends.
2. Up to 30 Days in Force: If notice is given, the license remains in force for a reasonable time set by the Board, not exceeding 30 days after the separation.
3. Replacement and Extensions: The licensee must replace the person with another natural person who is similarly qualified and approved by the Board within that time, unless the Board extends it for good cause.
4. Consequences: Missing the 10-day notice causes automatic suspension, which is lifted when an approved replacement is in place. Failing to replace within the 30-day period means the license may be suspended or revoked. Contracting while suspended is unlicensed contracting.

---

Examination Structure and NASCLA / Reciprocity Waivers

To be licensed, the Qualifying Party must pass the Contractor Management Survey (CMS), which is the business and law exam, and the trade examination for the classification. Section 1.1 covers both exam formats, the subject outlines, the open-book reference rules, and PSI logistics.

A candidate has three attempts at each exam, must wait two weeks after a failure, and must pass within 6 months after the application is filed. After a third failure the application is void, and a new application may be filed 30 days after the last exam (NAC 624.600(4)).

The NASCLA Commercial General Building Accredited Exam

Under NAC 624.600(2), the Board waives an examination accredited by the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA) when it finds that exam substantially equivalent. The NSCB states that if you passed the NASCLA Commercial General Building Contractor Examination, Nevada waives the state-specific trade exam for a general building classification. The transcript is sent through NASCLA's National Examination Database.

Licensure by Endorsement

Nevada also waives the trade exam, the experience certification, or both, for applicants licensed in states it finds substantially equivalent. Its equivalency chart lists Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia, by classification. The applicant must:

• Have held an active license in the endorsing state with the same qualified individual for the past four (4) years;
• Have no investigation for misconduct and no revocation, suspension or other discipline in any jurisdiction; and
• Have no disciplinary proceeding pending.

If the endorsing state has no equivalent trade exam, the Nevada trade exam is still required.

CRITICAL EXAM RULE: NASCLA and endorsement waivers apply only to the trade examination and/or experience certification. The NSCB states that the qualified individual must still pass the Nevada Business and Law (CMS) examination.