Run The Work

A free guide for commercial general contractors

No License,
No Work

A Commercial GC's Guide to NASCLA and Getting Licensed in Multiple States.

A client will ask you to build somewhere you are not licensed. This 25-page guide shows what the exam is, what comes after it, and how to plan the paperwork so the license is not what holds up the job.

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Cover of No License, No Work, the free guide to NASCLA and getting licensed in multiple states. Charcoal cover with a map of the United States and yellow pins.
Photo of a compacted gravel pad with stockpiles and equipment at the far edge of a commercial site
On the job: a gravel pad being prepared on a commercial site

Who it is for

Owners, Estimators and Project Leaders at Commercial GCs

You are getting licensed in a second, third or tenth state, or someone told you to "just take the NASCLA exam" without telling you what comes after it.

The Rule

No license, no work.

Plan the license before you plan the job.

What is inside

The Exam, Then Everything the Exam Does Not Cover

13 chapters and an appendix. The first chapters cover why NASCLA comes first and the steps every state makes you go through. The middle chapters cover the exam, then what NASCLA does not replace: business and law exams, financials, the qualifier and the packet. Chapter 11 has four stories from one company's files, and Chapter 12 puts it all on a calendar. The appendix has a master checklist and a renewal calendar.

  1. Chapter 1. Why Get Licensed in Another State

    Plan the license before you plan the job.

  2. Chapter 2. What NASCLA Gets You

    NASCLA is a trade exam, not a license. You still apply to each state.

  3. Chapter 3. The Steps Every State Makes You Go Through

    The steps that show up everywhere, and where each one goes wrong.

  4. Chapter 4. Applying for NASCLA and Booking the Exam

    Apply once, schedule early, keep every email.

  5. Chapter 5. What Is on the Exam and What to Study

    Where the questions are and how to weight your study time.

  6. Chapter 6. How I Take an Open-Book Exam

    Tabbing your references and managing the clock.

  7. Chapter 7. Exam Day, Retakes and After You Pass

    What to expect, what happens if you miss, and what to do next.

  8. Chapter 8. Business and Law Exams

    What NASCLA does not replace.

  9. Chapter 9. Bonds Versus Audited, Reviewed and Compiled Financials

    The step most likely to stall an application.

  10. Chapter 10. The Qualifier, Experience, Insurance and the Packet

    What the board wants to see, and what brings deficiency letters.

  11. Chapter 11. Four Stories From Our Files

    Names taken out. One company's experience, not typical timing.

  12. Chapter 12. Timelines, Renewals and the Calendar

    Put every expiration and renewal on one calendar.

  13. Chapter 13. After the License

    Getting the license lets you bid the work. Running the job is a different problem.

Look inside

Pages From the Guide

These are pages from the PDF. Select one to see it full size.

  • Contents page of No License, No Work, listing 13 chapters and the appendix
    Page 3Contents
  • Chapter 6 opening page on how to take an open-book exam
    Page 11Chapter 6: open-book exam
  • Chapter 12 opening page on timelines, renewals and the calendar, with the master calendar table
    Page 20Chapter 12: the calendar
  • Appendix page with the master checklist and renewal items in ruled job-form style
    Page 23Appendix: checklist

Before you apply

Read This Before You Rely on It

Confirm with the state board before you apply, pay or bid. The guide is general information for construction professionals, not legal, accounting, insurance or tax advice. Requirements, fees and exam formats change. The stories are one company's path, not typical timing.

About the author

Jeff Newland

Jeff Newland has spent 25 years in construction. In 2023 he founded Bold Commercial Construction, a general contractor based in Longview, Texas, that builds commercial projects in several states.

Bold Commercial Construction builds commercial projects, including dental offices, a retail market building and structural steel commercial buildings.

The companion book

After the License Comes the Job

No Direction, No Work is the 64-page handoff-to-closeout playbook for the PMs and superintendents who run it.

See the Playbook

Cover of No Direction, No Work, the playbook for project managers and superintendents. Charcoal cover with a yellow job alignment plan road running from handoff to closeout.