After you pass - step 7
The Business and Law Exam You Still Have to Take
Updated September 2026
The NASCLA Commercial General Building Contractor exam is the trade exam. It does not test your state's lien law, payroll rules, licensing statutes or safety regulations - and most states want proof you know those before they hand over a license. That proof is the state's own business and law exam.
States that still require a business and law exam
From the board pages we verified for our state guides, these states run their own business-and-law (or law-and-business) exam on top of the NASCLA:
- Alabama - Alabama Business and Law exam
- Arkansas - Arkansas Business and Law exam
- California - California Law and Business exam
- Florida - Business/Finance exam (plus the Florida Building Code exam)
- Georgia - Georgia Business and Law exam
- Louisiana - Louisiana Business and Law exam
- Mississippi - Mississippi Law and Business exam
- Nevada - Nevada Business and Law (CMS) exam
- New Mexico - New Mexico Business and Law exam
- North Carolina - North Carolina Business and Law exam (PSI: 40 questions, 90 minutes, 70% to pass, open book)
- South Carolina - Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam
- Tennessee - Tennessee Business and Law exam
- West Virginia - West Virginia Business and Law exam
The exceptions
- Arizona runs a Statutes and Rules Exam (SRE) instead of a business-and-law exam.
- Oregon requires its own CCB licensing exam; the NASCLA satisfies the 16-hour pre-license training instead.
- Utah has business and law requirements and a pre-license course rather than a stand-alone exam.
- Virginia applies its own license class requirements; check the DPOR page in our state guides.
What these exams look like
Most are open book, computer-based, shorter than the NASCLA (often 50-90 questions, one to two hours) and built around the state's contractor law reference manual plus federal payroll, OSHA and lien-law basics. Pass marks sit around 70-75%. They are not hard in the way the NASCLA is hard - but they are unforgiving about state-specific details a builder from the next state over has never seen.
Each state sets its own exam fee, generally in the $60-$150 range, paid to the testing vendor. Confirm the current fee and scheduling steps on your board's page.
How to prepare
Our Business & Law prep is built for exactly this: a practice bank on the topics these exams share, a timed simulator, and state packs covering the details that differ. If you are applying in one of the thirteen states above, it is the next thing to study.
Prep for the business and law exam
Practice questions with explanations, a timed simulator, and state packs for the states that test their own rules. Free sample, no signup.
Keep reading
ForemanPrep is an exam-prep company, not a law firm, insurance agency or licensing service. Figures were checked in September 2026 against the sources named; your board's current page is the final word.