In North Carolina, what is the minimum cost of an undertaking that requires a person to hold a general contractor license?
Based on: N.C.G.S. § 87-1
Business and law exam · North Carolina · 2026
North Carolina Contractor Business and Law Exam Prep 2026
Study for the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors Business and Law exam with practice questions, full mock sittings and flashcards. Built on North Carolina's own public domain statutes and administrative rules, not on any copyrighted study guide.
1,000+ Study items
40 Mock exam
70% To pass
100% Offline
The exam
What the North Carolina contractor Business and Law exam involves
Every applicant for a North Carolina general contractor license must pass the Business and Law examination. It is a proficiency test administered by PSI Examination Services at any PSI test center, and it is scored separately from the trade knowledge exam.
How many questions are on the North Carolina Business and Law exam?
The exam has 40 scored multiple-choice questions and you have 90 minutes to answer them. You need 70 percent correct, which is 28 of the 40 questions, to pass.
- Questions: 40 scored, multiple choice, one best answer
- Time limit: 90 minutes
- Pass mark: 70 percent, which is 28 of 40 correct
Is the North Carolina Business and Law exam open book?
Yes. It is an open-book exam, so you may bring the approved bound references. Only permanent tabs are allowed, with no adhesive flags and no handwritten notes on the tabs, and a silent non-programmable calculator is permitted.
- Open book: approved bound references allowed
- Tabs: permanent tabs only, no sticky flags, no notes on tabs
- Calculator: silent, non-programmable only
What topics are on the North Carolina Business and Law exam?
The 40 questions are drawn from five subject areas set by the Licensing Board, weighted toward licensing law.
- Licensing: 21 questions, from Chapter 87 and the Board rules
- Liens and Bonds: 8 questions, from Chapter 44A
- One Call: 5 questions, the Underground Utility Safety and Damage Prevention Act
- Erosion and Sedimentation Control: 3 questions
- Subcontractor's Pay Requirements: 3 questions
When does a North Carolina general contractor license become required?
You need a North Carolina general contractor license once the cost of the undertaking reaches 40,000 dollars or more. This threshold was raised from 30,000 dollars on 1 October 2023, so any prep built on the old 30,000 figure is now out of date. Note that the separate requirement to designate a lien agent still starts at 30,000 dollars, which is exactly the kind of trap the exam sets.
How much does the exam cost and how many times can you retake it?
The exam fee is 79 dollars per attempt. You may retake it as many times as you need within a 12-month period, and your eligibility letter is valid for 120 days. If you fail, you are offered a 30-minute review of the items you missed.
Features
A complete study system, on one device
01 / PRACTICE
Practice mode
Work through 822 questions by topic, from licensing and the Board to liens, bonds, One Call, erosion control and subcontractor pay, with an explanation and a statute reference on every answer.
02 / MOCK
Mock exam
Sit full 40-question mocks scored at the real 70 percent pass mark, weighted just like the official exam: 21 licensing, 8 liens and bonds, 5 One Call, 3 erosion, 3 subcontractor pay.
03 / FLASHCARDS
Flashcards
Drill 209 flashcards on the deadlines, dollar thresholds and rules that the open-book exam expects you to find fast, so you know where the answer lives before you open the book.
What's inside
What to look for in an exam-prep app
| Based on the official public source | Yes, North Carolina's own enacted statutes and administrative rules: General Statutes Chapter 87 (Contractors, incl. the Underground Utility Safety and Damage Prevention Act), Chapter 44A (liens and bonds), Chapters 22C and 143 (subcontractor pay), and Chapter 113A Article 4 (the Sedimentation Pollution Control Act), with the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin for exam logistics |
|---|---|
| Timed mock exam | 40 questions, 90 min |
| Pass rule applied | 70% to pass |
| Answer explanations mapped to the source | Yes |
| Weak-area review | Yes |
| Flashcards (spaced repetition) | Yes |
| Works fully offline, no account | Yes |
| Ads | None |
| Payment | One-time purchase |
| Last content review | 2026-07-02 |
In the app
Calm, focused study, nothing else
Sample questions
Try 10 real practice questions
Tap an answer to see why it is right, mapped to the official source, exactly as in the app.
At what project cost must the owner of the property designate a lien agent in North Carolina?
Based on: N.C.G.S. § 44A-11.1
What is the minimum working capital for the Limited license classification?
Based on: N.C.G.S. § 87-10; 21 NCAC 12A
Within how many days after the last furnishing of labor or materials must a claim of lien on real property be filed in North Carolina?
Based on: N.C.G.S. § 44A-12
After the last furnishing, within how long must a lien claimant start an action to enforce the claim of lien?
Based on: N.C.G.S. § 44A-13
Before beginning most excavation in North Carolina, how far in advance must an excavator notify the NC811 notification center?
Based on: N.C.G.S. § 87-122
How long does an NC811 locate ticket remain valid before it must be renewed?
Based on: N.C.G.S. § 87-122
A land-disturbing activity of what size generally triggers the requirement for an approved erosion and sedimentation control plan?
Based on: N.C.G.S. § 113A-57
After receiving payment from the owner, within how many days must a contractor pay a subcontractor its share?
Based on: N.C.G.S. § 22C-3
What interest rate applies to a payment to a subcontractor that is wrongly withheld past the deadline?
Based on: N.C.G.S. § 22C-5
Source & accuracy
Where the questions come from, and when we last checked
Built from North Carolina's own enacted statutes and administrative rules: General Statutes Chapter 87 (Contractors, incl. the Underground Utility Safety and Damage Prevention Act), Chapter 44A (liens and bonds), Chapters 22C and 143 (subcontractor pay), and Chapter 113A Article 4 (the Sedimentation Pollution Control Act), with the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin for exam logistics (2026 edition (North Carolina law in force 2026, including the 40,000 dollar licensing threshold effective 1 October 2023)), the official public source, used under North Carolina statutes and administrative rules are uncopyrightable edicts of government (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 140 S.Ct. 1498 (2020)) and are published free by the General Assembly. This app uses the enacted law, not the copyrighted NASCLA study guide.. View the official source .
Last checked against the source: 2026-07-02.
- Study items
- 1,000+
- Questions
- 822
- Flashcards
- 209
- Mock exam
- 40
- Pass mark
- 70%
All questions are original and written from the public source. No official exam questions are copied.
Content audit trail
- 2026-07-02 Licensing threshold corrected to 40,000 dollars for G.S. 87-1 and 87-14, raised from 30,000 dollars by S.L. 2023-108 (House Bill 488), effective 1 October 2023. The separate 30,000 dollar lien-agent threshold under G.S. 44A-11.1 and the asbestos-specialty threshold are unchanged and were deliberately kept. Every question was cross-checked against its cited statute by a second, independent AI model over three review rounds.
- 2026-07-01 Initial build from North Carolina public-domain statutes and administrative rules: 822 questions and 209 flashcards. The copyrighted NASCLA study guide and any official examination questions were deliberately not reproduced.
FAQ
Common questions
Is this the official North Carolina contractor exam app?
No. This is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the State of North Carolina, the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors, or PSI. It is built from public domain North Carolina statutes and administrative rules.
How many questions are on the North Carolina Business and Law exam?
The exam has 40 scored multiple-choice questions and a 90-minute time limit. You need 70 percent, which is 28 of 40 correct, to pass.
When do I actually need a North Carolina general contractor license?
Once the cost of the undertaking is 40,000 dollars or more. That threshold was raised from 30,000 dollars on 1 October 2023, and our questions use the current 40,000 figure. The separate lien-agent requirement still starts at 30,000 dollars.
Is the exam open book?
Yes. You may use the approved bound references with permanent tabs only, no sticky flags and no notes on the tabs, plus a silent non-programmable calculator. This app trains you to know the rules and where to find them fast.
How much does the exam cost and can I retake it?
The fee is 79 dollars per attempt. You may retake the exam as often as needed within a 12-month period, and your eligibility letter stays valid for 120 days.
Does the app work offline?
Yes. Everything is stored on your device. There is no login and no internet connection is needed after you install it, so you can study anywhere.
Who writes these questions, and how do you check the answers are right?
Every question is written from North Carolina's public statutes and cites the section it comes from. Before it ships, a second, independent AI model from a different family confirms the cited statute supports the answer, and a human reviews anything the two models disagree on. Read the full process at rivermaplearning.com/how-we-build-questions.
How do I restore my purchase on a new phone?
Use the Restore Purchases option on the same app store account you bought it with, and the full question bank unlocks again at no extra charge.
Get the app
Walk into your test prepared.
One purchase. Every question. Yours offline, forever.