How do I check a contractor's licence in my state?

Every US state runs its own licence register, they do not licence the same trades, and a few do not licence contractors at all, so here is the official lookup for all 51 jurisdictions and what each one will actually tell you.

Where do I look up a contractor's licence?

Search your own state's official register, never a directory that reprints it. The table below links the official lookup for all 51 US jurisdictions, run by that state's own board or department. A licence number printed on a truck, a website or an advert is a claim until you have seen it in the register.

What am I looking for once I find them?

Check three things: that the status reads current and active, that the expiry date is in the future, and that the NAME OF RECORD matches the company on your contract. A licence held by a different legal entity is the commonest mismatch, and it is the one that matters if you ever need the board's help.

How does bidding from photos actually work?

Contractors who take part estimate from your photos and a written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices. Homeowners pay InstaBids nothing. Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection. The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.

Does every state licence contractors the same way?

No, and this is the part no portal tells you: across 51 jurisdictions the 51 registers resolve into 9 different arrangements. Some licence every trade from one board; some split electrical to its own board; some register rather than licence; some licence nothing at state level and leave it to the county.

What does it mean if my state licenses nothing?

Four other checks carry the weight instead: the written contract, the deposit rule, proof of insurance and the lien notice. A state with no contractor licence is not a state with no contractor law, and several without a licence have the strictest contract rules in the country.

What if the state's portal will not load for me?

Phone the board rather than trusting a third-party copy. Two of the 51 portals refused our automated checks entirely, which is noted in their rows below, and a portal that blocks a script may still work fine in a browser. A directory that reprints licence data is never the source.

The official licence lookup for all 51 jurisdictions

Checked 22 September 2026. Each link goes to that jurisdiction's own official register.

Before you ask anyone for a quote

Look the licence up yourself, in the register linked above, before money or a signature changes hands. Check the status, the expiry and the name of record against the contract. If your state licences nothing, read the contract rules instead. Ten minutes there is worth more than any directory, including this page.

Start a bid card

Describe the job once, add photos, and use the written scope to describe the work. Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

InstaBids is in an early pilot in Broward and Palm Beach counties. We are still building our contractor network, so a job may not get bids yet. Your request page shows whether any bids have come in.

Start a bid card

Last checked: 22 September 2026 · How it works · What not to tell a contractor