Home Improvement Contractor License (NYC)

Who Needs This License

Anyone performing home improvement work on a residential building in New York City must hold a DCWP Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) license. The requirement covers remodeling, renovation, repair, painting, and any structural alteration to an occupied or unoccupied dwelling. Work requiring a DOB trade license — plumbing, electrical, gas — operates under a separate permit system; the HIC license does not substitute for those.

Fees and Bond Options

The license fee is $200 for a full two-year term. DCWP prorates the fee based on how much of the term remains when you apply:

• $200 — full two-year term
• $150 — up to 18 months remaining
• $100 — up to 12 months remaining
• $50 — up to 6 months remaining
• $250 — 30-month term

The license fee covers up to two exam attempts.

For the bond requirement, choose one:

• $20,000 surety bond — name DCWP as certificate holder; must remain in force through the end of the license period.
• DCWP Trust Fund — enroll for a $200 fee instead of posting a bond.

Workers' Compensation

Carry workers' compensation insurance, or file a Certificate of Attestation of Exemption from the New York State Workers' Compensation Board if you have no employees.

Exam Requirement

Pass the DCWP Home Improvement Contractor exam before a license is issued. The exam is 30 multiple-choice questions covering NYC home improvement business law; you must answer at least 21 correctly to pass. The license fee covers up to two attempts; if you fail twice, $50 buys two more attempts.

License Period and Renewal

All HIC licenses expire on February 28 of odd-numbered years — the same date, regardless of when you applied. The renewal cycle is every two years. Submit renewal paperwork before expiration to avoid a lapse; licenses do not auto-renew.

Penalties for Unlicensed Work

Operating without an HIC license is a misdemeanor carrying up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both, and each violation is a separate offense (NYC Admin. Code §20-401). A civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation applies on top of that. DCWP may seize vehicles used in unlicensed activity (§20-401.1).

If You Also Work in Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, or Yonkers

The DCWP HIC license only covers work inside the five boroughs. If your business also takes jobs in Nassau, Suffolk, or Westchester counties, or in the City of Yonkers, each of those jurisdictions runs its own separate home improvement contractor license — DCWP registration doesn't carry over, and none of them recognize each other's licenses either. This is the part most guides skip, and it's the fastest way to get hit with an unlicensed-work violation on a job just outside the city line.

Nassau County

Nassau's Department of Consumer Affairs issues a 2-year home improvement license for a $650 application fee, plus a one-time $50 restitution-fund contribution due only at initial application. There's no separate published renewal fee — renewing costs the same $650. A written exam isn't required. Renew more than 15 days late and Nassau adds a $110 late fee. More than 90 days after expiration, renewal requires an appointment with the Commissioner to seek permission, and after a year the license can't be renewed at all — you'll need to reapply from scratch. Operating without a Nassau license is a Class A misdemeanor, and the County may also impose a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation.

Suffolk County

Suffolk's Department of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs charges a $200 application fee plus a $200-per-year license fee (County Code §563-19). The license runs two years, so each renewal costs $400. Suffolk is also the one metro county in this group that requires a written exam — Nassau, Westchester, and Yonkers do not. Bond or liability insurance is required at the Director's discretion rather than a fixed statewide minimum, and home-elevation work carries a higher insurance floor. Suffolk's code doesn't publish a specific late-renewal fee; it states only that an expired license becomes void. Operating unlicensed is a misdemeanor, with fines up to $5,000 and up to a year in jail per violation.

Westchester County

Westchester's Department of Consumer Protection raised its home improvement license fee to $750 effective January 1, 2026, covering a 2-year term (the same fee applies to renewal). File more than 15 days before expiration to avoid a $50 late-renewal penalty; wait more than 60 days past expiration and Westchester won't accept a renewal at all — you'll have to file as a new applicant. No exam is required. Liability insurance is mandatory, in an amount the Director sets; a bond of up to $50,000 may also be required. Operating without a license is a Class A misdemeanor; Westchester's code doesn't publish a specific fine amount for this offense.

City of Yonkers

Yonkers requires its own separate license on top of (not instead of) any Westchester County registration — Westchester's own application materials explicitly flag this for contractors working in Yonkers. The license runs two years and the application fee is $400, non-refundable. Each additional place of business in Yonkers needs a $25 supplementary license, and each vehicle beyond the first three costs $10. Yonkers publishes no exam requirement, no bond requirement, and — unusually among these four jurisdictions — no separate published renewal fee or late-renewal penalty; confirm current renewal costs directly with the Yonkers Office of Licensing before your license expires. You need $500,000 in general liability coverage (with the City of Yonkers listed on the certificate), workers' compensation or a CE-200 exemption, and disability benefits insurance.

Bottom line: a Nassau- or Westchester-based remodeler who books a job in Yonkers, or a Queens contractor who picks up work in Nassau, needs a second license before starting — not just the NYC DCWP HIC license already covered above.

Practical Takeaway

Before scheduling your first NYC job, choose between the $20,000 surety bond and the $200 Trust Fund enrollment, arrange workers' compensation coverage, and file everything together with your $200 license fee, which also covers your exam. Book the exam as soon as DCWP schedules it. Your license will run through February 28 of the next odd year regardless of when you start — so applying early in the cycle gives you the most runway for the same fee.