Only here for the license lookup? Go straight to your state's official lookup, all 50 states and DC. In Washington, our free lookup shows the license, bond and insurance on one screen. Or email us one contractor's name and state and we will check the license for you, free. Asked for a deposit? See what the law allows. Would rather have all six checks done for you? See the report.
A contractor who is about to start a major project on your home will ask for a deposit before the first day on site. Before you pay it, six public records tell you most of what a reference call cannot: whether the license is real and current, what bond and insurance stand behind the work, whether the business exists in good standing, what the courts and the licensing board have on file, and whether the contractor's past permits were ever signed off. Each check below takes minutes once you know where to look. Searching for a contractor background check? Here is what one can and cannot cover.
1. The license, with the state board itself
Look the contractor up on the licensing board's own site, not on a badge in their proposal. Match three things exactly: the business name, the license number on the contract, and the classification for the work you are hiring (a roofing license does not cover an addition). Note the status and the expiry date. Some states do not license general contractors at all and leave it to the city or county; where that is the case, the table below says so, and the city's own license lookup is the check.
2. Bond and liability insurance
Several boards record the contractor's bond and insurance on the license page, with the insurer and the amounts. Where they do, read them; where they do not, ask the insurer (not the contractor) for a certificate naming you as certificate holder. A contractor bond is usually small next to a major project and is shared by every claimant, so treat it as a floor, not as protection for your deposit. Bonded vs insured, explained.
3. The business entity
Search the business on the Secretary of State's site for the state where it is registered: is it active, when was it formed, and do the names on file match the names on the license and the contract? A company formed a few weeks ago under a new name can be a fresh start or a way to leave an old record behind; the license history usually tells you which.
4. Courts
Federal civil and bankruptcy cases can be searched on PACER, and free of charge in the RECAP archive on CourtListener, which holds much of PACER but not all of it. State court cases sit in the county court's own portal where the county publishes one online. Search the business name and the names on its license, and read what a case is about before drawing anything from it: a contractor suing a client for an unpaid invoice is a different story from a client suing over abandoned work.
5. Board discipline and complaints
Many boards publish actions taken against a license: citations, suspensions, settlements, complaint history. California's CSLB shows a complaint disclosure on the license page, Arizona's Registrar shows complaint history, Washington's L&I shows citations and lawsuits against the bond, and Minnesota's DLI posts enforcement actions.
6. Permits
Most cities publish building permits online with the contractor's name on them. Look for two things: whether the contractor pulls permits at all for the kind of work you are hiring, and whether past permits reached a final inspection. A permit left Expired rather than Completed means the work was never signed off under that permit, and is worth a direct question.
Before you sign
- Match the license number and business name on the contract to the ones on the state board's license page, exactly.
- Ask the insurer, not the contractor, to send you a certificate of insurance naming you as certificate holder.
- Tie payments to completed, inspected milestones, and hold back a final payment until the permit is finaled.
- Check your state's deposit rule before paying one: California, for example, caps a home improvement down payment at 10% or $1,000, whichever is less.
- Ask who pulls the permits. The licensed contractor should, in the contractor's own name.
- Ask for written lien releases from subcontractors and suppliers with each payment.
- Get the start date, the completion date and what happens if either slips in the contract itself.
How much deposit can a contractor ask for?
It depends on the state. Some set a ceiling, some control what happens to the money, and some contractor laws give no figure at all. On a $60,000 job, the deposit can be no more than $1,000 in California and $20,000 in Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts or Pennsylvania, though the last two allow more for custom or special-order materials.
| State | The rule |
|---|---|
| California | No more than $1,000 or 10% of the price, whichever is less, with no exception for special-order materials. A handful of contractors with blanket bonds are exempt. After that, no payment ahead of the work done and materials delivered. CSLB's guide, CSLB's notice |
| Florida | No ceiling in this section, but a contractor who takes more than 10% up front on residential work must apply for permits within 30 days and start within 90 days of their issue, unless it has just cause or you agreed in writing to longer. Fla. Stat. 489.126 |
| Maine | On contracts over $3,000, no more than one-third of the price. 10 M.R.S. 1487 |
| Maryland | No more than one-third before or at signing, and nothing at all before the contract is signed. Bus. Reg. 8-617 |
| Massachusetts | On contracts over $1,000, no more than one-third of the price, or the actual cost of custom materials that must be ordered before work starts, if that is more. M.G.L. c. 142A, s. 2 |
| New York | Money paid before the work is substantially complete goes into an escrow account within five business days, unless the contractor gives you a bond, indemnity or letter of credit within ten. Lien Law 71-a |
| Oregon | No figure in the contractor law (ORS 701). The state board says a third to a fourth is common and warns that an unusually large one may be paying for other jobs. |
| Pennsylvania | On contracts over $5,000, no more than one-third of the price plus special-order materials named in the contract, and nothing before the contract is signed. Retailers that post a letter of credit are exempt. 73 P.S. 517.9 |
| Washington | No figure in the contractor law (RCW 18.27). L&I says a reasonable down payment, then pay as phases finish, and lists large deposits among its warning signs. |
These are the states whose rules we read at the source on October 31, 2026, not all 50. For any other, ask your state or local consumer agency, as the FTC advises. Wherever you are, do not pay the whole price up front or in cash, pay in stages as work is finished and passes inspection, and keep the final payment until the job is done. If a large sum is for materials, Washington's L&I suggests making the check payable to both the contractor and the supplier. This is general information, not legal advice.
Every state's official license lookup
The official lookup for each state and DC, with what it covers. Links checked October 31, 2026; boards move their pages, so if one fails, search the board's name. A clean license is one record of six; the Contractor Due Diligence Report runs all of them for you, in any state, within two business days.
| State | Official lookup | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | General Contractors Board / Home Builders Licensure Board | GC license for work of $100,000 or more; home builders and remodelers answer to hblb.alabama.gov |
| Alaska | Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing | construction contractor licenses and endorsements |
| Arizona | Registrar of Contractors | name or license number; complaint history |
| Arkansas | Contractors Licensing Board | Find a Licensed Contractor by name, number or city |
| California | Contractors State License Board | status, classification, bonds, workers' comp, complaint disclosure |
| Colorado | DORA Division of Professions and Occupations | no statewide GC license; electrical and plumbing licensed by the state; GC licensing is by city or county |
| Connecticut | Department of Consumer Protection eLicense | home improvement contractor registrations and trade licenses |
| Delaware | DELPROS | trade licenses with discipline; business licenses via revenue.delaware.gov |
| District of Columbia | Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection | business and occupational licenses |
| Florida | DBPR | state certified and registered contractors |
| Georgia | Secretary of State verification | residential and general contractors; license required over $2,500 |
| Hawaii | Professional and Vocational Licensing | Contractors License Board licensees |
| Idaho | Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses | contractor registration, public works, electrical, plumbing, HVAC |
| Illinois | IDFPR | no statewide GC license; roofing licensed statewide; GC by city or county |
| Indiana | Professional Licensing Agency | plumbers statewide; other trades by city or county |
| Iowa | DIAL contractor registration | registration for anyone earning $2,000+ a year from construction |
| Kansas | Attorney General roofing registration | roofing statewide; other trades by city or county |
| Kentucky | Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction | electrical, HVAC, plumbing, fire |
| Louisiana | State Licensing Board for Contractors | commercial and new homes $50,000+; home improvement $7,500-$50,000 |
| Maine | Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation | electricians, plumbers and other licensed occupations |
| Maryland | Home Improvement Commission | home improvement licenses; HVACR board separately |
| Massachusetts | Home Improvement Contractor registration | HIC registrations; construction supervisor licenses separately |
| Michigan | LARA | residential builder and maintenance and alteration contractor licenses |
| Minnesota | Department of Labor and Industry | residential building contractor and remodeler licenses; enforcement actions posted |
| Mississippi | State Board of Contractors | commercial $50,000+, new homes over $50,000, remodeling over $10,000 |
| Missouri | MOPRO | statewide electrical contractor license; other trades by city or county |
| Montana | Department of Labor and Industry | construction contractor licenses |
| Nebraska | Department of Labor contractor registration | contractor registration |
| Nevada | State Contractors Board | license number, company or principal name |
| New Hampshire | OPLC | electricians, plumbers and other trades |
| New Jersey | Division of Consumer Affairs | home improvement contractor registrations |
| New Mexico | Construction Industries Division (PSI search) | CID licenses |
| New York | NYC DOB / DCWP | no statewide GC license; NYC trades via DOB, home improvement via DCWP; elsewhere by county or town |
| North Carolina | Licensing Board for General Contractors | general contractors on projects of $40,000 or more |
| North Dakota | Secretary of State | contractor license for jobs over $4,000 |
| Ohio | Construction Industry Licensing Board | commercial electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics, refrigeration; residential by city |
| Oklahoma | Construction Industries Board | electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roofers |
| Oregon | Construction Contractors Board | every CCB license; bond, insurance, complaints |
| Pennsylvania | Attorney General HIC search | home improvement contractor registrations |
| Rhode Island | Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board | contractor registrations and licenses |
| South Carolina | Contractor's Licensing Board | general and mechanical contractors; residential builders commission separately |
| South Dakota | Electrical Commission | electrical; plumbers via the Plumbing Commission; GC by city |
| Tennessee | Board for Licensing Contractors | projects of $25,000 or more |
| Texas | TDLR / TSBPE | no statewide GC license; electricians and A/C via TDLR, plumbers via tsbpe.texas.gov |
| Utah | Division of Professional Licensing | contractor and trade licenses |
| Vermont | Office of Professional Regulation | residential contractor registration for homeowner jobs over $10,000 |
| Virginia | DPOR | Class A, B, C contractor and tradesman licenses |
| Washington | Labor & Industries Verify | registration, bond, insurance, lawsuits against the bond, citations, owners |
| West Virginia | Contractor Licensing Board | contractor licenses |
| Wisconsin | DSPS | Dwelling Contractor and Dwelling Contractor Qualifier |
| Wyoming | State Fire Marshal | electrical statewide; other trades by city or county |
Or have it done for you
The Contractor Due Diligence Report runs these checks on the contractor you are about to hire, in any state, and returns one document within two business days: every finding with its source, its link and the day it was checked, plus the questions to settle with that contractor before you sign. Read a real sample report (a Washington roofing contractor, names withheld). It is a public-record review of the business, not a background check on any person and not legal advice.
Not ready for a report? Email us one contractor's name and state and we will send back what the state board shows on their license, free.