Where to verify a contractor's license, state by state
Contractor licensing in the United States is handled state by state, and in several states only at the city or county level. The table below points to the official authority for each state so you can look up a license number yourself. Always confirm on the state's own site — a license number on a business card, a website, or any directory is only a claim until you check it.
Last updated August 19, 2026
How to look up a license
- Ask the contractor for the exact license number and the name it is held under. It may be an individual's name rather than the business name.
- Open the authority for your state from the table below and use its license search.
- Match the legal name, the trade classification, and the status. A license for a different trade does not cover your job.
- Check the expiration date and any disciplinary history the state publishes.
- If your state licenses locally, call the city or county building department where the work will happen.
What a license record tells you
- Status
- Active, expired, suspended, or revoked. Only an active license is meaningful.
- Classification
- The scope of work the license permits — e.g. roofing, electrical, plumbing, general building.
- Qualifying individual
- The person whose qualification the license rests on. If they leave the business, the license can be affected.
- Bond and insurance filings
- Many states publish whether a required bond or insurance filing is on file.
- Complaint or discipline history
- Where published, this is the single most useful field on the page.
Licensing authority by state
| State | Where licensing is handled | Official site |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Licensing Board for General Contractors | genconbd.alabama.gov |
| Alaska | Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing | www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/cbpl |
| Arizona | Registrar of Contractors | roc.az.gov |
| Arkansas | Contractors Licensing Board | www.aclb.arkansas.gov |
| California | Contractors State License Board | www.cslb.ca.gov |
| Colorado | Trades licensed by DORA; general contracting licensed locally | dpo.colorado.gov |
| Connecticut | Department of Consumer Protection | portal.ct.gov/DCP |
| Delaware | Division of Professional Regulation | dpr.delaware.gov |
| District of Columbia | Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection | dlcp.dc.gov |
| Florida | Department of Business and Professional Regulation | www.myfloridalicense.com |
| Georgia | Secretary of State — Professional Licensing Boards | sos.ga.gov/georgia-professional-licensing-boards-division |
| Hawaii | DCCA — Professional and Vocational Licensing | cca.hawaii.gov/pvl |
| Idaho | Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses | dopl.idaho.gov |
| Illinois | Department of Financial and Professional Regulation | idfpr.illinois.gov |
| Indiana | Professional Licensing Agency | www.in.gov/pla |
| Iowa | Iowa Workforce Development — contractor registration | www.iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov |
| Kansas | Trades licensed by city or county; confirm locally | — |
| Kentucky | Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction | dhbc.ky.gov |
| Louisiana | State Licensing Board for Contractors | lslbc.louisiana.gov |
| Maine | Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation | www.maine.gov/pfr/professionallicensing |
| Maryland | Department of Labor — Occupational and Professional Licensing | labor.maryland.gov/license |
| Massachusetts | Division of Occupational Licensure | www.mass.gov/orgs/division-of-occupational-licensure |
| Michigan | Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) | www.michigan.gov/lara |
| Minnesota | Department of Labor and Industry | www.dli.mn.gov |
| Mississippi | State Board of Contractors | www.msboc.us |
| Missouri | Division of Professional Registration; contracting licensed locally | pr.mo.gov |
| Montana | Department of Labor and Industry — Business Standards | boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov |
| Nebraska | Department of Labor — contractor registration | dol.nebraska.gov |
| Nevada | State Contractors Board | www.nvcontractorsboard.com |
| New Hampshire | Office of Professional Licensure and Certification | www.oplc.nh.gov |
| New Jersey | Division of Consumer Affairs | www.njconsumeraffairs.gov |
| New Mexico | Regulation and Licensing Department — Construction Industries | www.rld.nm.gov |
| New York | Licensed by city or county; Department of State for some trades | dos.ny.gov |
| North Carolina | Licensing Board for General Contractors | nclbgc.org |
| North Dakota | Secretary of State — contractor licensing | sos.nd.gov |
| Ohio | Department of Commerce — Construction Industry Licensing Board | com.ohio.gov |
| Oklahoma | Construction Industries Board | cib.ok.gov |
| Oregon | Construction Contractors Board | www.oregon.gov/ccb |
| Pennsylvania | Attorney General — Home Improvement Contractor registration | www.attorneygeneral.gov |
| Rhode Island | Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board | crb.ri.gov |
| South Carolina | Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation | llr.sc.gov |
| South Dakota | No statewide contractor license; confirm with your city or county | — |
| Tennessee | Department of Commerce and Insurance — Board for Licensing Contractors | www.tn.gov/commerce |
| Texas | Department of Licensing and Regulation (trades) | www.tdlr.texas.gov |
| Utah | Division of Professional Licensing | dopl.utah.gov |
| Vermont | Office of Professional Regulation | sos.vermont.gov/opr |
| Virginia | Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation | www.dpor.virginia.gov |
| Washington | Department of Labor and Industries | lni.wa.gov |
| West Virginia | Division of Labor — Contractor Licensing Board | labor.wv.gov |
| Wisconsin | Department of Safety and Professional Services | dsps.wisconsin.gov |
| Wyoming | No statewide contractor license; confirm with your city or county | — |
How Kuldesac handles licenses
When a Kuldesac business claims a license, our team reviews the license documentation — issuing state, number, and expiration — during verification, and expirations are tracked. Businesses may choose to display their license numbers publicly on their Kuldesac page. Verification does not replace your own lookup on the state site.