HOME IMPROVEMENT SALESPERSON (101)

DCA Licensing Center
42 Broadway, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10004
For more information, call 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK outside of New York City). 

• If you engage in the construction, repair, remodeling, or addition to any land or building used as a residence, you must also obtain a Home Improvement Contractor license.
  

Note: New York City businesses must comply with all relevant federal, state, and City laws and rules. All laws and rules of the City of New York, including the Consumer Protection Law and Rules, are accessible using the Public Access Portal. For convenience, sections of the New York City Licensing Law (and Rules, if enacted) are available as a downloadable handout. 

Please note that businesses are responsible for knowing and complying with the most current laws, including any City Council amendments. The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) is not responsible for errors or omissions in the handout. The information is not legal advice. You can only obtain legal advice from a lawyer.

When You File Your DCA License Application:
Below are requirements when filing your license application:

• Basic Individual License Application   

Home Improvement Salesperson applicants can now submit new license applications online. Applying for the license online does not mean the license is automatically approved. A major credit card is required to submit applications online. Convenience fees apply. After reviewing application requirements, please click the Apply Online link at the bottom of this Web page to submit your application online.

For in-person application submission, applicants can download the Basic Individual License Application (in PDF)

• Child Support Certification Form (download) 

• Granting Authority to Act Affirmation (download)
  If this application will be filed by someone other than the license applicant, the license applicant must submit a Granting Authority to Act Affirmation.  

• Fingerprints and Processing Fee
  Home Improvement Salesperson applicants must be fingerprinted at the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Licensing Center. EXCEPTIONS: Any person who currently has fingerprints on file with DCA does not need to be fingerprinted. DCA has fingerprints on file for anyone who provided fingerprints within the last three years and for those who provided fingerprints for an active DCA license. You must visit the DCA Licensing Center, located at 42 Broadway, 5th Floor, in lower Manhattan, and pay a $75 processing fee by check or money order, payable to NYC Department of Consumer Affairs. 
  
  Your fingerprints will be checked for any criminal record that you may have. Note that a conviction will not necessarily prevent you from being granted a license. However, failure to reveal a conviction can constitute grounds for the denial of your application.

• Home Improvement Contractor Exam and Exam Fee 
  Home Improvement Salesperson applicants must visit the DCA Licensing Center, located at 42 Broadway, 5th Floor, in lower Manhattan, to take the Home Improvement Contractor Exam. The exam consists of 30 questions. You must answer a minimum of 21 questions correctly to pass. The exam is given between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday at the DCA Licensing Center. The fee is $50. The exam fee is separate from the license fee and is non-refundable. If you fail the exam twice, you must pay the exam fee again in order to retake the exam.
   
  You can take the exam in English or Spanish on computer. A paper exam is available in Chinese, Hindi, and Korean. Download the Home Improvement Business Examination Guide to help prepare for the exam. 
   
  IMPORTANT: Applicants are only required to pass the exam once, even when applying for a Home Improvement Contractor license which also has the exam requirement.  

• Current color passport-size photograph of License Applicant
  License Applicants can be photographed in the DCA Licensing Center at no cost. 
  
  Please note that you can upload an image file if you submit your license application online. 

• License Fee
  The License Fee must be paid by credit card, money order, or check. Cards accepted at the DCA Licensing Center include MasterCard, American Express, and Discover Card. Credit card payments are subject to a 2.49% convenience fee. Checks or money orders must be payable to NYC Department of Consumer Affairs. The chart below lists the amount due depending upon when your license application is filed. Note: An odd year is any year ending in an odd digit; for example, 2013, 2015, etc. An even year is any year ending in an even digit; for example, 2012, 2014, etc. 
  
  Please note that convenience fees apply if you submit your license application online. A major credit card is required to submit applications online. 

*Note: If you are applying for the license between May 1 in an odd year and October 31 in an odd year, you can pay the prorated fee for the license period about to end ($13) PLUS the fee for the new two-year license period ($50), for a total of $63. If you pay both fees, you will not need to renew the license until October 31 of the next odd year.

Online Applicants: If you submit your license application online between May 1 in an odd year and October 31 in an odd year, you will be required to pay the combined fee totaling $63. You will not need to renew the license until October 31 of the next odd year.

APPLICATION FILING PROCESS: 

ONLINE SUBMISSION:
Please make sure that you have reviewed and recorded the information required to submit a license application online before clicking the button below. Note: After successfully filing the application form online, Home Improvement Salesperson applicants must visit the DCA Licensing Center within five (5) business days to be fingerprinted and to take the Home Improvement Contractor Exam. As outlined in the “When You File” section, applicants must submit a Granting Authority to Act Affirmation (if applicable) and a photograph. If you do not upload required documents as part of the application form submission, you must fax, e-mail, or bring documents to the DCA Licensing Center within five (5) business days after successfully filing the application form online. Please note that the image file you upload must be digital passport photo quality. A digital camera with a resolution of 1 mega-pixel will be more than adequate. Applicants can be photographed at no cost in the Licensing Center. Applicants should follow instructions on the printed confirmation page. Your license application will not be complete without these requirements.

You will be routed to NYC Business Express.

IN-PERSON SUBMISSION:
You can file applications in person at the DCA Licensing Center, 42 Broadway, 5th floor, in Manhattan between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and on Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

IMPORTANT:
A home improvement contract must comply with the Laws and Rules of the City of New York. Download a Model Home Improvement Estimate and Final Contract and DCA’s Home Improvement Consumer Guide.