For almost any fence a company would build for you, yes. Arkansas requires a home improvement license for residential work costing more than $2,000, labor and materials included, and a commercial license for work of $50,000 or more on anything that is not a single family residence. Fencing and gates is a named specialty on both lists, so it is not enough for a company to hold a license. Fencing has to be on it. Thomas Fence holds a commercial Arkansas contractor's license, number 0155010427, classified for Fencing and Gates, held continuously since 2005.
The two thresholds
Arkansas runs two systems, and which one applies depends on the property rather than the fence.
Residential. The Residential Contractors Committee licenses work on single family residences, which the law defines as anything from one to four units built to live in. A home improvement license is required once the job costs more than $2,000, counting labor and materials together. Below that, no license is required.
Commercial. The Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board licenses everything else, and the number is $50,000 or more. An apartment building of five or more units is not a single family residence, so a fence around one is a commercial project no matter how residential it looks.
Both numbers count the whole job, and the law closes the obvious loophole. A project cannot be split into a string of smaller contracts to slip under the line.
What that means for an ordinary backyard
Two thousand dollars is a low bar for a fence. A privacy fence around a Springdale or Rogers backyard clears it comfortably, and so does most gate work. The practical answer for a homeowner is that if the job is big enough to hire a company for, it is almost certainly big enough to require that company to be licensed.
The exemptions are narrow. You can act as your own contractor on your own property. A subcontractor working under a properly licensed contractor is covered by that license. A company licensed by a different Arkansas board is covered for work inside the scope of that license. Nothing on that list helps a fence company that simply never got licensed.
Fencing is a specialty, not a general permission
This is the part almost nobody knows, and it is the reason "are you licensed" is only half a question.
The board does not hand out one license that covers all construction. Work is broken into classifications and specialties, and Fencing, Gates is one of them. It sits on the residential building contractor list, on the home improvement specialty list, and on the commercial classification list. A specialty goes on a license only when the applicant proves experience in that particular kind of work. The board's own instruction to applicants is blunt about it. A specialty will not be included on your license if you do not provide proof of experience for that specialty.
So a licensed contractor with no fencing specialty is licensed for something else. Ask whether fencing is on the license, not just whether there is one.
One more distinction worth knowing on a large job. A limited home improvement license restricts its holder to projects under $50,000. An unlimited license carries any size.
What it takes to get one
Greg Paschal passed the Arkansas contractor's exam in 2005. Before the board would let him sit for it, the business had to have been operating for a qualifying period, roughly a year and a half, and he had to send two customer references to the board.
The requirements today are of the same kind. An applicant files with the board and pays a fee, proves experience for every specialty requested, submits a financial statement showing positive net worth, provides workers compensation proof where the law requires it, discloses any criminal history, and waits for review at a scheduled committee meeting. The examination covers the licensing law, the building code, workers compensation, lien law and contracts, which is a fair summary of the ways a contractor can cost a homeowner money.
That explains a detail people ask about. Thomas Fence was founded in 1993 and the license dates from 2005. The company is older than its license because the license came when the requirements were met and the test was passed, not when the doors opened. It has been maintained without interruption since and it renews on a cycle.
How to read a license number
An Arkansas license number carries a date inside it, which most people never notice.
On the Thomas Fence license, 0155010427, the first six digits are the license itself and they never change. The last four are the month and year it is good through, so 0427 is April 2027. At renewal the last four change and the first six do not.
Ask for the full number, then verify it with the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board, which keeps a public search for exactly that purpose. Search by company name or license number and the board returns the legal entity, whether the license is valid, the type, the classifications on it and the expiration date. The board is the authority on all of it, not the contractor.
Run it on ours. Paschal Enterprises, Inc. DBA Thomas Fence, license 0155010427, type commercial, classification Fencing and Gates, valid, expiring April 30, 2027. Our credentials are listed at thomasfencear.com/licensing/.
One thing that search will show about a commercial license is worth knowing when you are comparing companies. A commercial license carries residential work with it in the same classifications, so the license behind a school fence in Bentonville is the license behind a backyard in Springdale.
If the contractor is not licensed
Below the threshold, an unlicensed contractor is doing nothing wrong. Above it, the law is not vague about the consequences.
Working without a required license carries a penalty of $100 to $400 per day, and it is a Class A misdemeanor with each day counting as a separate offense. On the commercial side a city building inspector is barred from issuing a permit for a job of $50,000 or more until the applicant proves the license.
The provision a homeowner should know is a different one. A contractor who works in violation of the licensing law cannot bring an action to enforce the contract. The agreement you signed is not something an unlicensed contractor can take to court, which is a strange kind of protection to be relying on, and it says plenty about the footing that job is on.
What a license does not tell you
It is not a grade on the work. It means the board's requirements were met, an exam was passed, and the license is current. It does not say the crew sets posts deep enough or that anyone answers the phone in year three.
So it belongs on a short list rather than at the end of one. Ask about insurance and bonding, and ask for the warranty in writing. Thomas Fence is bonded and insured, carries liability coverage on every job, and puts a one year craftsmanship warranty in writing, which is at thomasfencear.com/warranty/.
Permits are separate from licensing and they are not ours to pull. Seven cities in Northwest Arkansas require a fence permit, several do not, and in every one of them the permit is the homeowner's. What each city asks for is at thomasfencear.com/permits/.
Beyond the license, Thomas Fence is an AFA Certified Fence Contractor, the first in Arkansas, and holds the CGAT certification for automated gate work at thomasfencear.com/gates/automated-gates/. Those are voluntary. The license is not.
What to ask anyone bidding your fence
- What is your license number, and is fencing one of the specialties on it.
- Is your home improvement license limited or unlimited.
- Are you insured and bonded.
- What warranty do I get, and is it in writing.
- Who pulls the permit, and does my city require one.
Fence questions of every kind are answered at thomasfencear.com/faqs/.
Questions people ask
Do I need a licensed contractor to build a fence in Arkansas?
For almost any fence a company would build for you, yes. Arkansas requires a home improvement license for residential work over $2,000, labor and materials included, and a commercial license for work of $50,000 or more on anything that is not a single family residence. A backyard privacy fence clears $2,000 comfortably.
Is Thomas Fence licensed in Arkansas?
Yes. Paschal Enterprises, Inc. DBA Thomas Fence holds commercial Arkansas contractor's license 0155010427, classified for Fencing and Gates, held continuously since 2005 and expiring April 30, 2027. Anyone can verify it on the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board's public license search.
Does a contractor's license automatically cover fence work?
No. Fencing and gates is a named specialty on the residential, home improvement and commercial lists, and a specialty goes on a license only when the applicant proves experience in that work. A licensed contractor with no fencing specialty is licensed for something else. Ask whether fencing is on the license.
How do I read an Arkansas contractor license number?
The first six digits are the license itself and never change. The last four are the month and year it is good through. On the Thomas Fence license, 0155010427, the 0427 means April 2027. At renewal the last four digits change and the first six do not. Verify the full number with the licensing board.
What happens if a contractor builds a fence without a required license?
The penalty is $100 to $400 per day, a Class A misdemeanor with each day a separate offense. A contractor working in violation of the licensing law also cannot bring an action to enforce the contract, so the agreement you signed is not something an unlicensed contractor can take to court.
Does Thomas Fence pull the fence permit?
No. Permits are separate from licensing and are the homeowner's to pull. Seven cities in Northwest Arkansas require a fence permit and several do not. Thomas Fence tells you what your city asks for and lists each town's permit office at thomasfencear.com/permits/.
To talk about a fence in Northwest Arkansas, contact Thomas Fence at thomasfencear.com/contact/ or call (479) 636-4732. Thomas Fence, 653 Kawneer Dr, Springdale, AR 72764.