How do I obtain a NC Irrigation Contractors’ License?

ATTENTION: READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS THOROUGHLY.  APPLICANTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SUBMITTING COMPLETE AND ACCURATE APPLICATIONS.

Information for Applicants requesting North Carolina Irrigation Contractors’ License

In order to obtain a NC Irrigation Contractors’ License you must first complete the application by following these instructions:

Section 1GENERAL INFORMATION:
Fill in all information completely and legibly. Incomplete applications will be rejected. Your Social Security number is required.

Section 2: CONFIDENTIAL REFERENCE FORMProvide the names and addresses of three references, at least one of whom is either a Licensed Irrigation Contractor, Licensed General Contractor, Licensed Plumber, Professional Engineer or Licensed Landscape ArchitectThese same individuals must complete and return the confidential reference form directly to the Board. Do not use Board members, relatives, fellow employees, or more than one employee of any single organization as a reference. Do not use the same individual for the Client Verification Form.

Section 3LICENSE BY RECIPROCITY:
If you are applying for license by reciprocity from another state or foreign country, that state or foreign country must submit license verification information directly to the North Carolina Irrigation Contractors’ Licensing Board. This Board will send a license verification form directly to the State where you are currently licensed/registered. You will be notified if the State requires a fee.

List your irrigation contractor license or other registration information by state indicating the method in which you were licensed: examination; grandfather; or reciprocity. If the license/registration is not current , indicate the reason in the comment section. If you were not required to take an examination for licensure/registration, please explain in the comment section.

§ 89G-8. Reciprocity.
The Board may issue a license, without examination, to any person who is an irrigation contractor licensed, certified, or registered in another state or country if the requirements for licensure, certification, or registration in the other state or country are substantially equivalent to the requirements for licensure in this State.

Section 4EDUCATION:
If you are qualifying by using educational experience, list institution(s) attended, length of time attended, and if graduated, the year of graduation and degree received. An official transcript from each institution listed will be required to substantiate the credits received. Official transcripts must come directly from the educational institute to the Board office. Two years of related education can be substituted for one year of experience.

Section 5LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS:
List all other licenses and certifications currently held relating to the green industry, water conservation or other employment.

Section 6PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:
List all professional organizations to which you are a member.

If you are applying for licensure through CIC certification answer the questions listed and submit with your application proof of CIC certification including the date of certification, your CIC exam score, and proof that CIC certification is still active.

Section 7PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT AND EXPERIENCE:
All applicants must show at least three (3) years of irrigation contracting or irrigation construction experience. The contacts listed in this section are the same individuals that should complete either the client verification form or employer verification form found on this site, and may be submitted separately by the person completing the verification form or may be included with the application. You must either have a minimum of three (3) clients complete a client verification form showing a minimum of three years irrigation experience, or you may have as many previous employers as it takes to show three (3) years of irrigation experience by having them complete an employer verification form. You may also use a combination of client verifications and employer verifications in order to show three (3) years of experience. Do not use the same individuals that you used for the confidential reference form. If providing an employer verification you may not use a fellow employee. The form must be completed by your direct supervisor. You may not use a family member for an employer verification.

Public Notice Statement:
You are required to indicate that you have read the public notice statement and if you have ever been investigated for employee misclassification.

Section 8: BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Section 9CODE OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT:
Pay special attention to the Code of Ethics in this section. By signing the application in Section 10, you are agreeing to adhere to the Code of Ethics.

Section 10AFFIDAVIT:
Have the affidavit notarized acknowledging your understanding of the Code of Ethics and accuracy of the information you are submitting.

Criminal Background Check:
Follow the instructions on the last page of the application for submitting to a criminal background check. Having a criminal record does not automatically eliminate your chances of approval to sit for the exam.

Additional Licensing Information
Once the application has been completed, mail it to the Board office along with a check made out to the NCICLB for payment of the $100 application fee. If the application is complete it will be submitted at the next regularly scheduled Board Meeting, at which time the Board will decide if the applicant has met the requirements of three years of irrigation experience. The applicant will receive notification from the Board office including information about the upcoming exam. Exam results will be mailed to the individual within 3-4 weeks. Once the individual passes the exam the Board will send notification of the final requirements for licensing. Following is a list of those items:

-A $10,000 Surety Bond and Power of Attorney from a bonding company, or $10,000 Irrevocable Letter of Credit from a bank. The Surety Bond must be signed and an ORIGINAL must be provided to the Board.  COPIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. (The Power of Attorney authorizes the agent to make restitution payments against the surety bond,  when directed by the licensing board in the event damages have occurred)

– A self-inking stamp and/or embossing seal with the name and license number of the individual. An order form will be provided by the Board.

-A Corporate Application and $100 application fee. A corporate license is required for those individuals that work for, or own a corporation, Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), partnership or other business entity that contracts irrigation through the business entity or advertises implying licensure. The corporate license is in addition to the individual license. Sole proprietors are not required to have a corporate license.

-For those individuals with a corporate license in addition to an individual license, a corporate self-inking stamp and/or embossing seal is available. It is NOT a requirement of the law. An order form will be provided by the Board.

LIST OF FEES (non-refundable)

  • $100 fee for application for irrigation contractor license
  • $340 exam fee and cost, due after applicant has been approved by the Board to sit for the exam
  • $100 individual license renewal fee, (due by December 31 each year)
  • $100 fee for application for corporate license (for any legal entity other than a sole proprietor)
  • $100 corporate license renewal fee, (due by December 31 each year)
  • $250 fee if applying for licensure through reciprocity (one time)
  • $75 seal order – self inking or embossing (one time)
  • $50 late renewal fee
  • $250 reinstatement fee (certain qualifications apply)
  • $25 for duplicate license card

Make checks payable to “NCICLB” (North Carolina Irrigation Contractors’ Licensing Board).
Return Check Policy:
Checks returned to the Board due to lack of funds are subject to a $25.00 service charge.

All applicants, except those applying for reciprocity are required to pass the licensing examination. A passing score is 64%. More details regarding the exam and exam dates can be found here.