<P> In the United Kingdom and some British Commonwealth countries, the term' general contractor' was gradually superseded by' main contractor' during the early twentieth century . This was the term used by major professional, trade, and consumer organizations when issuing contracts for construction work, and thus the term' general contractor' fell out of use except in large organizations where the main contractor is the top manager and a general contractor shares responsibilities with professional contractors . </P> <P> General contractors that conduct work for government agencies are typically referred to as prime contractors . </P> <P> Licensing requirements to work legally on construction projects vary from locale to locale . In the United States, it is the states' responsibility to define these requirements . For example, in the state of California, the requirements are stated as follows: </P> <P> "With a few exceptions, all businesses or individuals who work on any building, highway, road, parking facility, railroad, excavation, or other structure in California must be licensed by the California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) if the total cost of one or more contracts on the project is $500 or more ." </P>

Who is responsible for work performed on a project