Contractor Licenses

The Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections offers two types of licenses for contractor work within the City, General Contractor licenses and Sign Contractor licenses. Most of the rules, regulations, requirements, and fees are the same and are listed below.

These licenses each allow the holder to perform one of two different types of work - there is no overlap between the two licenses as far as work that is allowed to be performed.

General Contractor License

The City of Pittsburgh requires a General Contractor License for all work performed under a Commercial Building Development Application. A General Contractor license is also required for the following permits:

Construction of new one or two family dwellings.
Renovations and/or additions to one or two family dwellings that are rental or investment property.
Demolition Permits for commercial structures or residential primary structures.

Sign Contractor License

The City of Pittsburgh requires a Sign Contractor License to erect, alter, repair, and/or maintain ground signs, wall signs, projecting signs, roof signs, post signs, or similar signs in the City of Pittsburgh. This license does not allow you to perform work requiring a General Contractor License.

Application Process

All Contractor applications must be submitted through the OneStopPGH platform linked below, or in-person at the OneStopPGH counter at 412 Boulevard of the Allies.

Fees

All Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections fees change annually. Consult the Current Fee Schedule for new applications, renewals, and late fees.

Required Documents

The following documents are required on submission of a Contractor License application:

Valid Government Issued Photo ID
General Liability Certificate of Insurance showing coverage for the applicant at the location where licensed activity will take place, and listing the City of Pittsburgh as the certificate holder and additionally insured. General liability insurance minimums as follows: $1,000,000 each occurrence, $2,000,000 general aggregate.
Worker’s Compensation Certificate of Insurance showing Worker's Compensation coverage for the applicant business and listing the City of Pittsburgh as the certificate holder. If the business does not have any employees, the department will accept a notarized statement attesting that there are no employees. (You can download that form here.)
Tax Compliance Letter from the City Department of Finance, which you can request via email at taxcompliance@pittsburghpa.gov
Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) certification (this is NOT required for a Sign Contractor license) showing EPA certification in lead-safe construction practices. The RRP certification is valid for 5 years. For more information about the RRP certification and how to obtain one, please visit the EPA's website.

Expiration, Grace Periods, and Late Fees

For all contractor licenses, grace periods will begin at the expiration of a license and continue for sixty (60) days. If the licenses is not renewed within thirty (30) days after the expiration date, per the fee schedule, a late fee is incurred on the thirty-first (31st) day following the expiration date. If the license is not renewed within sixty (60) days after the expiration date, then on the sixty-first (61st) day following the expiration date, the license automatically lapses.

All licensees that allow their license to lapse must apply for a new license and meet all new license requirements at the time of that new application. Permits related to the licensed activity will be suspended until a valid and current trade license is connected to the permitted work.

All licenses expire 365 days from the date of issuance unless renewed.

All applications must be fully completed to be processed. An incomplete application will be returned to the applicant.

Looking for additional info or clarification on your license requirements?

Check out the Rules and Regulations

last updated: 10/06/2026