(A) Any individual who applies for a license shall file a written application with the appropriate specialty section of the Ohio construction industry licensing board, accompanied with the application fee as determined pursuant to section4740.09of the Revised Code. The application shall be on the form the section prescribes. The applicant shall provide information satisfactory to the section showing that the applicant meets the requirements of division (B), (C), or (D) of this section.
(B) To qualify to take an examination, an individual shall:
(1) Be at least eighteen years of age;
(2) Be a United States citizen or legal alien who produces valid documentation to demonstrate the individual is a legal resident of the United States;
(3) Either have been a tradesperson in the type of licensed trade for which the application is filed for not less than five years immediately prior to the date the application is filed, be a currently registered engineer in this state with three years of business experience in the construction industry in the trade for which the engineer is applying to take an examination, or have other experience acceptable to the appropriate specialty section of the board;
(4) Maintain contractor's liability insurance in an amount the appropriate specialty section of the board determines and only in one contracting company name;
(5) Not have done any of the following:
(a) Violated this chapter or any rule adopted pursuant to it;
(b) Obtained or renewed a license issued pursuant to this chapter, or any order, ruling, or authorization of the board or a section of the board by fraud, misrepresentation, or deception;
(c) Engaged in fraud, misrepresentation, or deception in the conduct of business.
(C) For an individual who holds an out-of-state occupational license, as defined in section4796.01of the Revised Code, that is substantially similar to the license for which the individual is applying under this chapter, to qualify to take an examination, an individual shall:
(1) Provide proof that the individual was issued at least five authorizations for construction, erection, equipment, alteration, or addition of any building by an authority with responsibility for enforcing building regulations in the jurisdiction where the individual holds the out-of-state occupational license;
(2) Provide at least one tax return that reflects income earned for services provided under the individual's out-of-state occupational license;
(3) Provide proof that the contracting company with whom the individual is employed in the jurisdiction where the individual holds the out-of-state occupational license is either of the following:
(a) Licensed as a foreign corporation under section1703.04of the Revised Code and has designated an agent in this state in accordance with section1703.041of the Revised Code;
(b) Registered as a foreign limited liability company under section1706.511of the Revised Code and has designated an agent in this state in accordance with section1706.09of the Revised Code.
(4) Meet the requirements described in divisions (B)(1), (2), (4), and (5) of this section.
(D)(1) For an individual who has been actively engaged in activities in the service of the uniformed services, as defined in section4796.01of the Revised Code, that are substantially similar to the activities for which the license the individual is applying under this chapter is required, to qualify to take an examination, an individual shall:
(a) Provide proof that the individual was actively engaged in the activities in the service of the uniformed services for at least three of the five years immediately preceding the date the application is submitted;
(b) Meet the requirements described in divisions (B)(1), (2), (4), and (5) of this section.
(2) Each specialty section of the board may adopt a rule in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to waive the requirement that an applicant under division (D)(1)(a) of this section has been actively engaged in the activity for three of the five years immediately preceding the date the application is submitted.
(E) The board secretary, or the secretary's designee, shall approve an application for examination submitted under division (C) or (D) of this section within thirty days after receiving a complete application that meets the requirements of that division.
(F) When an applicant for licensure as a contractor in a licensed trade meets the qualifications set forth in division (B), (C), or (D) of this section and passes the required examination, the appropriate specialty section of the board, within ninety days after the application was filed, shall authorize the administrative section of the board to license the applicant for the type of contractor's license for which the applicant qualifies. A specialty section of the board may withdraw its authorization to the administrative section for issuance of a license for good cause shown, on the condition that notice of that withdrawal is given prior to the administrative section's issuance of the license.
(G)(1) Except as provided in division (G)(2) of this section, if an applicant does not pass the required examination, the applicant may retake the examination not less than sixty days after the applicant's most recent examination.
(2) An applicant who does not pass the required examination after taking the examination five times under this section shall reapply for a license under division (A) of this section before retaking the required examination any subsequent time.
(H) All licenses a contractor holds pursuant to this chapter shall expire annually on the same date, which shall be the expiration date of the original license the contractor holds. An individual holding a valid, unexpired license may renew the license, without reexamination, by submitting an application to the appropriate specialty section of the board not more than ninety calendar days before the expiration of the license, along with the renewal fee the specialty section requires and proof of compliance with the applicable continuing education requirements. The applicant shall provide information in the renewal application satisfactory to demonstrate to the appropriate specialty section that the applicant continues to meet the requirements of divisions (B)(2), (4), and (5) of this section.
Upon application and within one calendar year after a license has expired, a section may waive any of the requirements for renewal of a license upon finding that an applicant substantially meets the renewal requirements or that failure to timely apply for renewal is due to excusable neglect. A section that waives requirements for renewal of a license may impose conditions upon the licensee and assess a late filing fee of not more than double the usual renewal fee. An applicant shall satisfy any condition the section imposes before a license is reissued.
(I) An individual holding a valid license may request the section of the board that authorized that license to place the license in inactive status under conditions, and for a period of time, as that section determines.
(J) Except for the ninety-day extension provided for a license assigned to a contracting company under division (D) of section4740.07of the Revised Code, a license held by an individual immediately terminates upon the death of the individual.
(K) Nothing in any license issued by the Ohio construction industry licensing board shall be construed to limit or eliminate any requirement of or any license issued by the Ohio fire marshal.
(L)(1) Subject to division (L)(3) of this section, no specialty section of the board shall adopt, maintain, renew, or enforce any rule, or otherwise preclude in any way, an individual from renewing a license under this chapter due to any past criminal activity or interpretation of moral character. If the specialty section denies an individual a license renewal, the reasons for such denial shall be put in writing.
(2) The section may refuse to issue a license to an applicant because of a conviction of or plea of guilty to an offense if the refusal is in accordance with section9.79of the Revised Code.
(3) In considering a renewal of an individual's license, the section shall not consider any conviction or plea of guilty prior to the initial licensing. However, the board may consider a conviction or plea of guilty if it occurred after the individual was initially licensed, or after the most recent license renewal.
(4) The section may grant an individual a conditional license that lasts for one year. After the one-year period has expired, the license is no longer considered conditional, and the individual shall be considered fully licensed.
(M) Notwithstanding divisions (H) and (L) of this section and sections4740.04and4740.05of the Revised Code, the board may establish rules that amend the continuing education requirements and license renewal schedule for licensees as provided in or adopted pursuant to those sections for the purpose of establishing a compliance incentive program. These rules may include provisions for the creation of the program and the qualifications, continuing education requirements, and renewal schedule for the program.
Last updated August 7, 2025 at 1:44 PM