Exam Requirements

A Fort Collins written exam is required in order to obtain a supervisor certificate for all general contractor licensing categories and many of the specialized trade contractor licensing categories. Testing is done on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month, at 9:00 a.m. at the Neighborhood & Building Services Department located at 281 N. College Avenue. Check in time is at 8:30 a.m. Tests are open-book and cover the applicable code, local amendments and contractor licensing information. If you wish to use a code book when taking the contractor test, you will need to provide your own. It is required that you pre-register for the test since seating is limited. If you do not pre-register and all seating is taken when you arrive to test, you will have to reschedule for the next test date. The format is a mix of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and true/false responses. Questions are not intended to be trick questions. All have only one correct response and should be read carefully and completely since there are many exceptions and conditions in the Code. Only basic mathematics is required and a simple calculator is useful.

The following exams are currently based on the 1997 Uniform Building Code, Volume 1, the 2003 International Residential Code, the City of Fort Collins Amendments to both code books and contractor licensing information:

• General Contractor Classes A, B, C1, C2 and E (4 hour exam)

The following exams are currently based on the 2003 International Residential Code, the City of Fort Collins Amendments and contractor licensing information:

• General Contractor Classes D & D2 (4 hour exam)
• Miscellaneous & Minor Structures (4 hour exam)

The following exams are currently based on the 1997 Uniform Building Code, Volume 1, the City of Fort Collins amendments and contractor licensing information:

• Cast-in-Place Concrete (2 hour exam)
• Roofing (2 hour exam)
• Wood Framing (4 hour exam)

The following exam is currently based on the 2003 International Mechanical Code, the 2003 International Fuel Gas Code, the Code amendments and contractor licensing information:

• HVAC (4 hour exam)

The following exam is currently based on the 2003 International Fuel Gas Code, the City of Fort Collins amendments and contractor licensing information:

• Gas Piping (4 hour exam)

The following exam is currently based on 2003 International Residential Code, 2003 International Mechanical Code, the City of Fort Collins amendments and contractor licensing information:

• Refrigeration (2 hour exam)

The Solar Energy exam is based on the ICBO’s Guideline for Solar Energy Installations.

No exams are required for the following specialized trade contractor licenses:

• Alarm Systems (requires a background investigation and police department approval)
• Awnings
• Demolition
• Fire Sprinkler Systems (requires fire department approval)
• Signs
• Special Fire Extinguishing (requires fire department approval)
• Flammable Fuel Facilities (requires fire department approval)
• Wireless Telecommunication Systems (WTS)

A first-time exam fee of $75 must be paid prior to taking an exam. The minimum passing score is 75%. An applicant who does not pass the exam on the first try may retake an exam covering the same license category at the next available test date. A fee of $50 is charged for any subsequent re-examination. An applicant is limited to two (2) attempts on exams covering the same license category within any six month period unless the applicant can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Building Official, that they have completed additional coursework covering the building code, or other applicable codes, or unless they receive approval from the Building Review Board.