Indianapolis General Contractor License

Indianapolis contractor licensing is managed by the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services (BNS), which covers all of Marion County except four independent municipalities — Beech Grove, Lawrence, Speedway, and Southport. If your project falls within those four towns, you deal with their local offices instead. Everyone else goes through BNS.

The application process looks straightforward on paper. In practice, it trips up experienced contractors because BNS enforces strict name-matching rules and a bond format that most surety agents get wrong on the first attempt.

Indianapolis Contractor License Fees

General contractor licenses in Indianapolis run on a biennial cycle, always expiring on December 31 of even-numbered years. The initial registration fee is prorated based on when you apply:

• January 1 – June 30 of an odd-numbered year: $247
• July 1 – December 31 of an odd-numbered year: $185
• Any time during an even-numbered year: $124

The biennial renewal fee is $247 regardless of when you renew.

Each licensed contractor can list up to five authorized permit agents on their license at no additional charge. Every agent beyond five costs $63 per person. These agents are the individuals authorized to pull building permits under your company's name.

BNS also offers fee reductions for qualifying sole proprietors. If you or your spouse is an active-duty service member, a veteran, enrolled in a federal public assistance program, or your household adjusted gross income is at or below 185% of the federal poverty guidelines, you may qualify for a 50% or 100% reduction on the initial license fee.

The $10,000 Surety Bond

Indianapolis requires a $10,000 surety bond, and the formatting requirements are where most applications stall.

The bond must name "Consolidated City of Indianapolis and/or an Unknown Third Party" as the sole obligee. That exact phrasing matters — bonds with slightly different obligee wording get rejected.

Three more rules that catch contractors off guard:

1. No handwritten bonds. The entire document must be type-written.
2. No continuous bonds. The bond must carry a fixed expiration date matching the licensing cycle — December 31, 2026 or December 31, 2028. If your surety agent issues a continuous bond, BNS will reject it.
3. The bond must specify "General Contractor" or "General Contracting" as the covered work type.

Before you pay your surety agent, verify they understand these three requirements. Reissuance delays a bond by days to weeks.

Insurance Requirements

BNS requires a minimum of $500,000 per occurrence for combined bodily injury and property damage on your general liability policy. You can also structure this as separate limits — $500,000 for death/bodily injury and $100,000 for property damage — but the combined single-limit policy is simpler.

Your Certificate of Insurance must name "Consolidated City of Indianapolis and Marion County" as both the Additional Insured and the certificate holder. Declarations pages alone are not accepted — you need the full certificate.

For workers' compensation, you must either provide proof of an active policy or — if you're a sole proprietor, partner, or LLC member with no employees — sign the workers' comp waiver on page 2 of the company license application.

The 60-Day Orientation Deadline

This is the requirement that catches the most first-time contractors. After BNS issues your license, you must attend a mandatory Contractor Orientation class within 60 calendar days. If you miss that window, your license lapses automatically. It doesn't go dormant — it becomes invalid.

The orientation covers BNS permitting procedures, inspection scheduling, and local code requirements. BNS publishes the schedule on indy.gov. Slots fill up, so register as soon as your license is issued rather than waiting until week seven.

Exact Name Matching

BNS enforces exact name matching across every document in your application. Your business name must appear identically on your:

• State business registration (INBiz)
• Surety bond
• General liability certificate
• Workers' compensation policy or waiver
• License application

Sole proprietors and partnerships must format their name as "[Owner Name] DBA [Trade Name]." LLCs and corporations must use their full legal name as registered on INBiz — no abbreviations, no variations.

A single mismatch between any of these documents means your application gets returned. This is why the order matters: form your business entity first, lock in the legal name, and then ensure every subsequent document copies that name exactly.

How to Apply

The application packet is available on indy.gov. You cannot complete the process entirely online — documents must be submitted via email to the BNS licensing team. Confirm current processing times with BNS after all documents are accepted.

Before applying, make sure you've completed your state-level requirements: INBiz business registration, EIN, Form BT-1 tax registration, and workers' comp coverage or exemption.

Our Indiana General Contractor License Guide includes the full Indianapolis BNS application walkthrough, with the exact document sequence that prevents name-mismatch rejections and bond formatting errors.

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