Do masonry and concrete contractors need a license in Pennsylvania?

Updated November 11, 2026 · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

Does Pennsylvania license masons?

No. The Department of Labor and Industry says the Commonwealth has no licensure or certification requirements for most construction contractors or their workers. Its short list of exceptions (manufactured housing installers, crane operators, asbestos and lead removal workers, and home improvement contractors, who register) does not include masonry or concrete.

Four other sets of rules do apply, depending on the job: state registration, building permits, local rules such as Philadelphia's, and the law on digging.

Does a masonry contractor have to register?

In most cases, yes. The Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires anyone who performs home improvements at a private residence to register with the Office of Attorney General, unless their home improvement work totals less than $5,000 a year. The Attorney General's definition of home improvement covers repair, replacement, installation, rehabilitation and sandblasting on jobs over $500, and it names driveways. The state's lookup tool lists Masonry - Brick or Stone, Concrete and Stucco among its types of work.

What registration brings with it:

• Insurance of at least $50,000 for personal injury and $50,000 for property damage.
• A registration number, PA followed by digits, on every ad, estimate and contract.
• A written, signed contract for any job over $500, with the work described, approximate dates, the total price and a notice of your right to cancel.
• The right to cancel within three business days of signing. The Attorney General reported in May 2026 that the state Supreme Court held you can cancel by any means, including by phone, as long as the contractor actually receives notice.

The law covers single-family homes, buildings of up to two units and individual condominium units. It does not cover building a new home. Since July 1, 2009, counties and towns may not license or register home improvement contractors separately. Check a number on the contractor search or at 1-888-520-6680.

When does masonry or concrete work need a permit?

Under the state's Uniform Construction Code regulation, an owner who intends to construct, alter, repair or demolish part of a home must get any required permit first. The regulation then lists work that needs no permit, as long as it breaks no other law or ordinance. For masonry and concrete the relevant lines are:

• Retaining walls no more than 4 feet high, measured from the lowest grade to the top of the wall, unless the wall supports a surcharge. The section does not define that term, so a wall holding up a driveway, a slope or a structure is one to ask about.
• Sidewalks and driveways 30 inches or less above the ground next to them and not built over a basement or story below.
• Ordinary repairs.

Cutting away part of a load-bearing wall, or removing a beam or other load-bearing support, is expressly not an ordinary repair. The regulation does not mention pointing, patios, steps or stucco by name, so ask your municipality about those.

Who you ask depends on where you live. The Department of Labor and Industry says over 90 percent of the state's 2,562 municipalities enforce the code locally, with their own staff or a certified third-party agency. In municipalities that have opted out, owners or their contractors hire a certified third-party agency for residential work.

What is different in Philadelphia?

Philadelphia sets its own lines. The city says that, as long as a property is not on its historic register, you often need no building permit for pointing masonry, for retaining walls up to 2 feet, or for sidewalks and driveways that stay out of the public right-of-way and do not include parking. That 2-foot line is half the state's.

Three more city rules matter for masonry:

• Historic properties. On a property listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, the Historical Commission must review masonry cleaning, painting, pointing, repair and replacement, as well as steps, walls, sidewalks and driveways. The review is free, and staff approve most applications. The historic review page lists what is covered.
• Who may do permitted work. For a permit on an existing one- or two-family house, the work may be done by a licensed Philadelphia contractor, an owner who lives there, or a registered state home improvement contractor holding a city Commercial Activity License.
• Sidewalks and curbs. The Streets Department says sidewalks, driveways and retaining walls belong to the property owner, who must keep them safe. Work on curbs and sidewalks in the public right-of-way requires a contractor with a city Curb Setter License.

More detail is in the Philadelphia masonry guide.

Do you have to call 811 before digging?

Yes. Pennsylvania 811 says it does not matter how deep or where you are digging in the state: you must contact 811 whenever you intend to dig. Its homeowner page asks for notice three to ten business days before work starts. If a contractor is digging, the contractor must place the call; a homeowner calling on its behalf does not protect the contractor. Ask to see the eleven-digit serial number that proves the call was made.

Can new paving trigger stormwater rules?

It can. Stormwater rules in Pennsylvania are written by each municipality, so the thresholds vary. As one example, Upper Darby Township's ordinance counts new and replacement impervious surface added since its adoption: 0 to 249 square feet is exempt from the listed requirements, 250 to 749 square feet follows a simplified approach, and 750 square feet or more must meet the full requirements. Ask your township or borough before a large patio or driveway goes in.

What about painted brick?

If the work will disturb paint on a home built before 1978, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires a paid contractor to be lead-safe certified, unless the exterior work disturbs 20 square feet or less or the paint has been tested and found lead-free.

Where do you complain?

The Attorney General takes complaints online and says it receives more than 50,000 complaints and referrals a year. Unregistered contractors can be reported on 1-888-520-6680. For what to check before you sign, see how to choose a masonry contractor. Contractors are listed on the masonry contractors page.

Sources

1. Contractor Licensing, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
2. Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
3. Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
4. PA Supreme Court Upholds Consumer Right-to-Cancel Home Improvement Contracts Within Three Days Regardless of Medium, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
5. 34 Pa. Code § 403.62. Permit requirements and exemptions., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
6. Uniform Construction Code, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
7. Get a Building Permit, City of Philadelphia
8. Get approval for work to a historic property, City of Philadelphia
9. Get a Curb Setter License, City of Philadelphia
10. Maintenance, City of Philadelphia, Department of Streets
11. Homeowners, Pennsylvania One Call System (Pennsylvania 811)
12. FAQs Homeowners, Pennsylvania One Call System (Pennsylvania 811)
13. Stormwater Management, Article I: General Provisions, Township of Upper Darby
14. Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Contractors, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
15. Submit a Complaint, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General