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How do you check a contractor license in New York?

In New York, the state Attorney General lists the places where home improvement contractors must hold a license: New York City, Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties, and the City of Buffalo. New York City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection runs an online Search Business service; Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester run their own county searches.

Source: Office of the New York Attorney General, contractors and home maintenance, read 22 October 2026.
Source: New York City DCWP, consumer search page, read 22 October 2026.
Source: Nassau County Department of Consumer Affairs, business search, read 22 October 2026.
Source: Suffolk County Department of Consumer Affairs, search page, read 22 October 2026.
Source: Westchester County license search (westchestercountyny.gov), read 22 October 2026.

The license lookup is yours to run on the local office's site.

InstaBids is an AI-run marketplace for homeowners and property managers: describe a home job once, by chat or through your own AI assistant, add photos, and get multiple written quotes on the same scope, compared apples to apples, with no phone calls or home visits before you pick.

By InstaBids editorial team with AI research agents. Sources last read: 22 October 2026

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  1. Describe it onceBy chat, or through your own AI assistant, and add photos.
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  3. Compare line by lineEvery quote is written against the same scope.
  4. You chooseContact details stay hidden until you pick and they confirm.
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Key facts

Trade license pages

Who licenses home improvement contractors in New York?

A local office, in the places the state Attorney General lists. Its page on hiring a contractor, read 22 October 2026, names them: New York City, Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties, and the City of Buffalo.

Source: Office of the New York Attorney General, contractors and home maintenance, read 22 October 2026.

The Attorney General's page links a search for each place it lists, saying: "Before you hire a contractor, use these links to check whether the contractor is licensed or registered in your county:"

Source: Office of the New York Attorney General, contractors and home maintenance, read 22 October 2026.

This page covers the New York City, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester searches. For a job in Putnam or Rockland counties or the City of Buffalo, use the link the Attorney General's page gives for that place. The Attorney General's page lists licensing only for these places.

Source: Office of the New York Attorney General, contractors and home maintenance, read 22 October 2026.

How do you search a New York City contractor license?

The city agency is the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, or DCWP for short, and its online Search Business service needs no login or account.

Source: New York City DCWP, consumer search page, read 22 October 2026.

The agency's consumer search page says: "Use our online service Search Business to see if an individual or business holds a DCWP license*."

Source: New York City DCWP, consumer search page, read 22 October 2026.

The note that goes with that asterisk reads: "Not all businesses/individuals require a DCWP license to operate in NYC."

Source: New York City DCWP, consumer search page, read 22 October 2026.

It adds: "You do NOT need to log in or create an account to search business."

Source: New York City DCWP, consumer search page, read 22 October 2026.

The agency's checklist for the business side sets out who needs the city license: "A person or business must have a Home Improvement Contractor license to do construction, repair, remodeling, or other home improvement work to any residential land or building in New York City."

Source: New York City DCWP, checklist for home improvement contractors, read 22 October 2026.

The same checklist names a money condition for applicants: "If you do not enroll your business in the Trust Fund, you must submit a copy of a $20,000 Surety Bond (or Third Party Bond), properly signed."

Source: New York City DCWP, checklist for home improvement contractors, read 22 October 2026.

What do the Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester searches show?

Nassau's is a search of businesses with valid licenses, Suffolk's covers license and complaint violation information, and Westchester's covers home improvement contractors and landscapers.

Source: Nassau County Department of Consumer Affairs, business search, read 22 October 2026.
Source: Suffolk County Department of Consumer Affairs, search page, read 22 October 2026.
Source: Westchester County license search (westchestercountyny.gov), read 22 October 2026.

Suffolk's search page says: "Use the form below to search for License and Complaint Violation information."

Source: Suffolk County Department of Consumer Affairs, search page, read 22 October 2026.

It also warns: "Please note: Specific License Type search will only show license data, no complaint or violation data."

Source: Suffolk County Department of Consumer Affairs, search page, read 22 October 2026.

In Suffolk County, the consumer affairs department also takes complaints. Its department page says: "Consumer Affairs is dedicated to resolving complaints, enforcing Suffolk County Code, and obtaining restitution for Suffolk consumers."

Source: Suffolk County Department of Consumer Affairs, Consumer Affairs and Weights and Measures page, read 22 October 2026.

Westchester's search page says: "Search here to see if a home improvement contractor or landscaper is licensed to work in Westchester County."

Source: Westchester County license search (westchestercountyny.gov), read 22 October 2026.

Nassau's search page sets a limit on what it covers: "The Department of Consumer Affairs does not license electricians or plumbers."

Source: Nassau County Department of Consumer Affairs, business search, read 22 October 2026.

For those trades it points elsewhere: "Please contact your local building department to learn more about an electrician or plumber you are interested in working with."

Source: Nassau County Department of Consumer Affairs, business search, read 22 October 2026.

What contract and deposit rules apply in New York?

The Attorney General's page says New York state law requires a written contract above the amount quoted below, and that contractors must put your deposit in an escrow account, or prove they have bond insurance.

Source: Office of the New York Attorney General, contractors and home maintenance, read 22 October 2026.

On the contract, it says: "New York state law requires that consumers receive a written contract for home-improvement work that exceeds $500."

Source: Office of the New York Attorney General, contractors and home maintenance, read 22 October 2026.

On the deposit, it says: "Keep in mind that contractors are required to put your deposit in an escrow account and notify you within five days where the funds are being held or prove they have bond insurance."

Source: Office of the New York Attorney General, contractors and home maintenance, read 22 October 2026.

Which local office should you search for your New York job?

Start from where the job is, then ask the contractor for the details that local search needs; the search itself is an optional public-record step. These are practical suggestions, not agency rules.

  1. Find out whether the job's address is in New York City, the City of Buffalo, or a county the Attorney General lists. If it is in none of them, the Attorney General's page lists no home improvement license for that place.

    Source: Office of the New York Attorney General, contractors and home maintenance, read 22 October 2026.

  2. Ask for the business name, and the license number the contractor holds with that local office.
  3. In New York City, use the city's Search Business service; in Nassau, Suffolk or Westchester, use that county's own search.
  4. For a job in Putnam or Rockland counties or the City of Buffalo, use the link the Attorney General's page gives for that place.
  5. For electrical or plumbing work in Nassau, ask your local building department, as the county's page directs.
  6. Keep a copy of what the search showed, and the day you searched, with your written contract.

Who sees your contact details when you post a job on InstaBids?

One point about InstaBids follows. Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection.

Source: InstaBids process and privacy, live-page excerpts, read 22 October 2026.

Post your job on InstaBids, and contractors can bid in writing on one written scope.

Homeowners anywhere in the US can post a job; once you send it, InstaBids finds contractors to bid on it.

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