Get carpentry leads in the US

Guide last checked September 14, 2026.

• Alaska

  If you suspect the person you hired is unregistered or uncertified, there is a direct route: the Mechanical Inspection section takes public complaints about unlicensed contractors, and forwards breaches of Alaska's electrical and mechanical administrator requirements to the state licensing division for further action.

  Sources: Alaska Mechanical Inspection – Contractor licensing enforcement · Alaska Labor Standards and Safety Division

• Arizona

  Above a contract value the statute sets, an Arizona home improvement contract must be in writing and must carry the contractor's name, business address and licence number, the jobsite address, the date the parties signed, the estimated completion date, a description of the work, the total to be paid, any deposit, and the stage of construction at which each progress payment is due. It must also state, prominently, that you may file a written complaint with the Registrar, and give the Registrar's phone number and website.

  Sources: Arizona Revised Statutes 32-1158 – Contract requirements

• Arkansas

  The same office lists what belongs in the written contract: a complete and detailed description of the work and the materials, including grade, quality and quantity; a provision requiring your written approval before any price increase or expansion of scope; start and completion dates; a statement of the contractor's guarantee; and both signatures. It warns against limited-time offers, out-of-town door-to-door solicitors and anyone who wants the price settled later.

  Sources: Arkansas Attorney General – Home improvements · Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board – Find a licensed contractor

• California

  CSLB's licence check shows complaint disclosure alongside the licence details, so you can see a contractor's record before you hire.

  Sources: CSLB – Check a license · CSLB – Hire a licensed contractor

• Colorado

  Check an electrician's or plumber's licence yourself in the state licence lookup, which covers every profession the Division regulates. The Electrical Board also publishes consumer guidance on hiring, including what to look for in a home improvement contract and how to avoid disaster-repair scams.

  Sources: Colorado DORA – Licence lookup · Colorado State Electrical Board – Consumer resources

• Connecticut

  Home improvement projects are required to have a written contract before the project starts, and DCP tells homeowners to look for five things in it: the verified HIC number, a summary of the work and materials, the start, completion and signing dates, the cost and payment schedule, and a notice of your right to cancel. You can cancel up to midnight on the third business day, and no work should start during that cooling-off period.

  Sources: CT Department of Consumer Protection – Home improvement projects require a contract and a registered contractor

• Delaware

  Two things are worth asking for before you hire: the contractor's registration, which the statute requires before they perform construction services or maintenance, and their Delaware business licence, which the Division of Revenue requires of any contractor conducting business activity in the state. The Department of Justice also publishes home improvement regulations covering contracts with consumers.

  Sources: Delaware Title 19 chapter 36 – Contractor registration · Delaware Division of Revenue – Contractors, resident and non-resident · Delaware Department of Justice – Home improvement regulations

• District of Columbia

  Check the licence before you sign. DLCP points the public at Scout, its consolidated online database, where licences, enforcement actions and regulatory information on District businesses can be searched by street address, business name, person name, permit or licence number, and it also runs a separate search for occupational and professional licences.

  Sources: DC DLCP – Online resources and licence verification

• Florida

  Unlicensed contracting is a crime in Florida: it is an offence to act as a contractor, or to advertise as available to do so, without being duly registered or certified, and the penalties rise for repeat offences and during a declared state of emergency. Contracts must also carry the Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund notice.

  Sources: Florida Statutes 489.127 – Unlicensed contracting prohibited · Florida Statutes 489.1425 – Recovery fund notice in contracts

• Georgia

  Georgia's mandatory codes apply to all construction whether or not the local government enforces them, so a project can be subject to a code even where no one inspects it. Confirm with your local building office which codes and permits apply.

  Sources: Georgia Department of Community Affairs – Mandatory and permissive state codes

• Hawaii

  Verify the licence yourself rather than accepting a card. The Department publishes a free online licence search where you can see the original licence date, expiration date, licence status and any disciplinary action, and it also takes licence checks by phone.

  Sources: Hawaii DCCA – Hire a licensed contractor · Hawaii Contractors License Board

• Idaho

  Check both things before you sign: the contractor's registration and any trade licence the job needs. The Division's public search covers contractor registrations and trade licences in the same place, and it is where formal actions against registered contractors are published.

  Sources: Idaho DOPL – Licence search · Idaho Contractors Board

• Indiana

  If your project is a Class 1 structure, the plans must be filed with the state and released before construction, and filing is electronic. Since July 2026 some plans can be released without a review, including a remodel, renovation or repair of a structure that is not changing use and is located in Indianapolis, but they still have to be submitted and may still be selected for review.

  Sources: Indiana Department of Homeland Security – Building Plan Review

• Iowa

  An out-of-state contractor must file a bond before registering, and having a branch office in Iowa does not exempt them, so ask where the business is actually based. The department lists every building, construction and trade credential it issues in one place if you are not sure which one your job needs.

  Sources: Iowa DIAL – Contractor registration · Iowa DIAL – Building, construction and trades licences

• Kansas

  Roofing is the one trade with a state-level check anywhere in Kansas: a roofing contractor must hold a registration certificate from the Attorney General to provide roofing services for a fee, and the office maintains a public registry of registrants. Ask for the certificate before any storm-damage work begins.

  Sources: Kansas Attorney General – Roofing Registration

• Kentucky

  Zoning is a local issue in Kentucky and the requirements vary substantially from place to place, so the state's own advice is to contact your local county clerk, city clerk or planning and zoning office. Do that before you commit to a design, not after the drawings are paid for.

  Sources: Kentucky Business One Stop – Building and zoning permits

• Louisiana

  The Board's own line is that verifying licensure greatly reduces your chances of becoming a victim of contractor fraud and can save you time, money and damages in the long run. Its search lets you look a firm up by name, licence number, city, parish, type of contractor or qualifying party, so a half-remembered company name is usually enough.

  Sources: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors – Verify licensure

• Maine

  A home construction contract above the value the statute sets must be in writing and signed by both the contractor and the homeowner. It must name the parties and the property, give the start and substantial completion dates, state the price, the payment method and the down payment terms, describe the work and materials, carry a warranty statement and a dispute resolution option, and say that change orders must be in writing.

  Sources: Maine Title 10 section 1487 – Home construction contracts · Maine Title 10 section 1486 – Definitions

• Maryland

  Your contract must be in writing and legible, and it must carry the contractor's name, address and MHIC licence number, a description of the work and the materials, and the approximate dates when work will start and be substantially complete. You must be given a signed copy before the work starts.

  Sources: Maryland Home Improvement Commission – Home improvement contracts

• Michigan

  Check any Michigan builder, electrician, plumber or mechanical contractor by name, business name or licence number in the state's licensee search before you sign anything. The bureau also investigates consumer complaints against the people and businesses it licenses, so there is somewhere to take a problem.

  Sources: Michigan LARA – Licensee search · Michigan LARA – About the Bureau of Construction Codes

• Minnesota

  Check a contractor, remodeler, roofer, electrician or plumber in the department's licence and registration lookup before you sign. The department publishes contractor enforcement and licensing actions, runs a contractor recovery fund for homeowners and hosts a home warranty dispute resolution process.

  Sources: Minnesota DLI – License and registration lookup · Minnesota DLI – Residential contractors, remodelers, roofers

• Mississippi

  The board's own advice is blunt: for your protection you should always hire a licensed contractor, get proof the contractor is licensed, and contact the licensing board to check the status. It warns that unlicensed contractors may suggest you pull your own permit to save money, and then do shoddy work, or in some cases no work at all, costing you far more in the long run.

  Sources: Mississippi State Board of Contractors – Hire a contractor

• Missouri

  The division's licensee search covers every board it administers, including electrical contractors, so a statewide electrical licence can be checked in seconds. For any other trade the check has to happen with your city or county, because that is where the licence is issued.

  Sources: Missouri Division of Professional Registration – Licensee search · Missouri Division of Professional Registration – Listings of boards

• Montana

  The Licensee Lookup System is the state's primary source for verifying the credentials of Montana licensees, and it is free. The Department notes that it relies on licensees to keep their information accurate and that some disciplinary actions may not be posted immediately, so it is worth asking the board directly if something looks unclear.

  Sources: Montana – Licensee Lookup System · Montana State Electrical Board

• Nebraska

  The energy code reaches ordinary renovations, not just new houses. Nebraska's residential energy provisions apply to new buildings, additions and renovations of detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses, and the state enforces them itself where the town or county has adopted no energy code.

  Sources: Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment – Energy codes

• Nevada

  The Board publishes a Home Improvement Bill of Rights: you have the right to hire only licensed contractors and to check the licence, to see past work and references, to get at least three bids, to pay as work is completed, not to pay cash, to withhold the final payment until the contracted work is done, to one project price covering all labour and materials, to a written payment schedule and completion date, and to require your contractor to obtain a building permit.

  Sources: Nevada State Contractors Board – Home Improvement Bill of Rights

• New Mexico

  Verify the licence through the Regulation and Licensing Department's own verification page, which routes Construction Industries Division licences to the division's public search. Doing that before signing is the single most useful check, because an unlicensed contractor is outside the division's enforcement reach in the way a licensed one is not.

  Sources: New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department – Verify a licence

• New York

  Before you hire in New York City, check the contractor's licence status with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, which licenses tens of thousands of businesses across dozens of industries.

  Sources: NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection – Check licence status

• North Dakota

  Whether a building inspector ever sees your project depends on your jurisdiction. Adoption of the State Building Code is a local choice; a jurisdiction that adopts it must adopt and enforce the state code, and may add local amendments. Ask your city or county whether it has adopted the code before you assume an inspection is coming.

  Sources: North Dakota Department of Commerce – Building codes

• Ohio

  Check an electrical, HVAC, hydronics, plumbing or refrigeration contractor in the board's eLicense Center, which searches by licence type and can also look up licensees by employer. For residential work, ask your local building department which registration or licence it requires, because that is where the residential rule lives.

  Sources: OCILB eLicense Center – License lookup · Ohio Department of Commerce – Construction Industry Licensing Board

• Oklahoma

  The board tells homeowners to ask for the licence or registration number and verify it is current, to request to see the building permit, and to get a written contract setting the start date, a detailed description of what will and will not be done, and a completion date. It also warns that it has no authority over workmanship or general business practices, including financial disputes, insurance disputes or unfinished work, unless state law grants it.

  Sources: Oklahoma Construction Industries Board – Home repair tips · Oklahoma Construction Industries Board – Roofing

• Oregon

  Homeowners can apply for a building permit online through Oregon ePermitting, but participation is voluntary: each participating city or county decides which permits are sold online. Check whether your jurisdiction takes part before you plan around it.

  Sources: Oregon ePermitting – Online building permit application for homeowners

• Pennsylvania

  The registration that does apply is the home improvement contractor registration with the Office of Attorney General, required of anyone whose home improvement business reaches the threshold the Act sets. Under the Act a home improvement contract must be in writing, signed by both parties, and carry the contractor's registration number, the start and completion dates, a description of the work and materials, the price, any subcontractors, proof of liability insurance and your right to rescind.

  Sources: Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (Act 132 of 2008) · PA Business One-Stop Shop – Home improvement contractor registration

• Rhode Island

  Registration is enforced at the permit counter. A city, town or the state shall not issue a building permit to anyone required to be registered who does not have a current, valid registration or licence, and where a homeowner pulls the permit themselves the building official must find out the registration number of every contractor on site and report unregistered ones to the board.

  Sources: RI General Laws 5-65-3 – Registration for work on structures; building permit restrictions

• South Carolina

  Everything above sits inside one agency, the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, which runs a single public licence lookup. Check the licence before the deposit, not after, and note whether the record shows a licence or only a registration, because they mean different things in South Carolina.

  Sources: South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation

• South Dakota

  Because the state leaves general contracting unlicensed, your city's permit process is the main check on the work. Sioux Falls reviews construction documents against the International Codes it has adopted, including the International Building, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes, and inspects plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems.

  Sources: Sioux Falls – Building Services

• Tennessee

  Smaller residential remodeling falls under a separate home improvement licence, which covers a value band below the contractor threshold. The Board applies it only in the counties it lists: Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Haywood, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford and Shelby. Outside those counties the home improvement licence does not apply, so check the contractor licence instead.

  Sources: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors – Home improvement license

• Utah

  Lending and borrowing a licence are both criminal offences in Utah: the lender for aiding and abetting, the borrower for contracting without a licence. Paying an unlicensed worker as a 1099 contractor exposes both of you, because the Division can act against the worker for unlicensed contracting and against you for hiring them.

  Sources: Utah DOPL – Contractor licensing frequently asked questions

• Vermont

  A registrant must execute a written contract before taking a deposit or starting residential construction above the statutory value, and that contract has to state the price on one of the permitted bases, the estimated start and completion dates, a description of the services and materials, and how amendments are approved and documented. Registrants must also carry liability insurance to the minimum the statute requires.

  Sources: Vermont 26 V.S.A. 5509 – Requirements of registrants · Vermont Secretary of State – Residential contractor FAQs

• Virginia

  DPOR says regulatory boards set the minimum competency standards needed to practise without harming the public, and it runs a recovery fund for consumers. Filing a claim does not guarantee payment, and the fund is supported entirely by assessments paid by licensees rather than by tax revenue.

  Sources: Virginia DPOR – Consumers · Virginia DPOR – Recovery funds

• Washington

  L&I advises hiring a registered construction contractor and using its verification tool to confirm the registration is active and the contractor is bonded and insured, along with the job-site safety record and licence history.

  Sources: Washington L&I – Hiring a contractor · Washington L&I – Verify a contractor, tradesperson or business

• West Virginia

  Check the credential in the state's own database before you sign — the Division of Labor publishes separate searches for contractor licences, certified HVAC technicians and certified plumbers. An expired state contractor licence is not a technicality: Charleston lists it as a reason a permit application is denied.

  Sources: West Virginia Division of Labor – Licence database search · Charleston – Applying for licences

• Wisconsin

  Check any trades credential in the state licence search before you sign. Wisconsin's standard electronic building permit form for a new one- or two-family dwelling requires contractor licence numbers and their expiry dates, so a contractor who cannot give you a number is a problem before the permit stage, not after.

  Sources: Wisconsin – Licence search · Wisconsin DSPS – One- and two-family (Uniform Dwelling Code)

• Wyoming

  In Casper a permit is required before new construction, an addition, or the remodel, alteration or repair of any existing structure, with a short list of exceptions such as small unheated sheds, fences under a set height and finish work like painting and flooring. Permits are issued to a licensed contractor, to a homeowner working on their primary residence, or to a commercial owner or lessee, and lapse after a set period.

  Sources: Casper – Permit requirements · Casper – Building and fire codes

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