Does a handyman need a license?

It depends entirely on your state and municipality, and on the type and value of the work. Many places license contractors above a dollar threshold or for specific trades. Check your local requirements before hiring.

Can a handyman do plumbing or electrical work?

It depends on your jurisdiction and the scope of the task. Rules about who may perform plumbing, electrical and gas work, and which jobs require a permit, vary by state and locality. Ask directly whether the person is licensed for that trade in your area and whether the work needs a permit, and verify rather than assume.

How is a handyman usually priced compared to a contractor?

Handymen commonly work by the hour or half day with a minimum, which suits a punch list of small tasks completed in one visit. General contractors typically price a project as a whole, including coordination, scheduling and subcontractors. Batch your small jobs into one handyman visit, and get a project scope in writing for anything larger.

Hiring Guides

Handyman or general contractor

How to tell whether your project is a punch list, a single trade job or a coordinated build, and what each type of professional is set up to handle.

By Elijah Canfield, Founder, Hire Best Pros · Updated August 26, 2026

Elijah Canfield is the founder of Hire Best Pros. He writes and edits the site's consumer guides, with a focus on how home service and moving projects are priced, scoped and compared.

A general contractor reviewing printed plans on a folding table in a partly demolished room

A handyman is the right call for small, self contained tasks that need no permit and no coordination between trades. A specialty trade contractor fits when the whole job is one trade. A general contractor earns their fee when the project involves several trades, a permit, structural work or a schedule that has to be sequenced.

Which one fits

Matching the professional to the project
Project type	Usual fit
Small repairs, mounting, patching, hardware, assembly	Handyman
One trade, defined scope, such as a water heater or a room of flooring	Specialty trade contractor
Multiple trades, permits, structure or a fixed deadline	General contractor
Anything that changes layout, structure or systems	General contractor, often with design input

What a general contractor is actually doing for the fee

Sequencing trades so nobody is waiting on somebody else
Pulling permits and managing inspections
Carrying insurance that covers the whole site
Handling material ordering and lead times
Owning the problem when something goes wrong between trades

Not sure which your project needs?

Find help for your project

Where people get this wrong

Hiring a handyman for licensed trade work such as panel changes or gas connections
Managing five separate trades yourself to save a coordination fee, then absorbing every delay
Assuming a permit is not required, and finding out at resale
Using a general contractor for a two hour job, which is expensive for both sides

Whichever you hire

Verify insurance directly, get the scope in writing, and keep payments tied to completed work. Our guide on hiring a remodeling contractor covers the full vetting process, and it applies in a lighter form to smaller jobs too.

Common questions

Does a handyman need a license?: It depends entirely on your state and municipality, and on the type and value of the work. Many places license contractors above a dollar threshold or for specific trades. Check your local requirements before hiring.
Can a handyman do plumbing or electrical work?: It depends on your jurisdiction and the scope of the task. Rules about who may perform plumbing, electrical and gas work, and which jobs require a permit, vary by state and locality. Ask directly whether the person is licensed for that trade in your area and whether the work needs a permit, and verify rather than assume.
How is a handyman usually priced compared to a contractor?: Handymen commonly work by the hour or half day with a minimum, which suits a punch list of small tasks completed in one visit. General contractors typically price a project as a whole, including coordination, scheduling and subcontractors. Batch your small jobs into one handyman visit, and get a project scope in writing for anything larger.