How to Verify Your Contractor's License & Insurance in Any US State, Canada, or Internationally (2026)

An unlicensed contractor in California cannot recover payment even for completed work — California Business & Professions Code section 7031(b) lets a homeowner recover 100 percent of paid amounts through disgorgement, regardless of workmanship quality. Most US states have parallel statutes: Florida CILB chapter 489, Texas Occupations Code chapter 1051, New York General Business Law article 36-A, Washington RCW 18.27. The statutes vary but the principle is universal: hiring an unlicensed contractor means you are potentially liable for every injury on-site, every sub-contractor the unlicensed operator stiffs, and every code violation the finished work embeds.

Beyond licensing, uninsured work is a separate catastrophic risk. A single crew member injury on an uninsured job site can trigger a six-figure personal-injury claim against the homeowner's property insurance, which typically excludes contractor worker claims. A general liability policy carried by the contractor transfers that risk. Workers' compensation insurance handles crew injuries specifically. Bond coverage provides a last-resort recovery path when the contractor disappears mid-project.

The 2026 baseline across AskBaily's operating regions: minimum $500,000 to $2,000,000 general liability, $5,000 to $25,000 surety bond (where required), workers' compensation (required in 42 of 50 US states for crews). Exact figures per region live at /for-pros/requirements.

Any licensed general contractor must disclose their license number in their contract, on business cards, in advertising, and on their invoices. California B&P 7159 requires the license number to appear on every home-improvement contract or the contract is voidable by the homeowner. Most other states have equivalent disclosure rules.

If a contractor refuses to provide the license number or claims they are 'exempt' or 'working on a handyman exemption,' stop the process. Handyman exemptions in California apply only to single jobs under $500 including labor and materials; in Texas, no state GC license exists but municipal jurisdictions (Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio) require local registration for larger projects. Similar municipal layering exists in Illinois (Chicago BACP), Colorado (Denver BEP), and other states without a state-level GC license.

Ask for the license number in writing (email, text, or contract draft). Save it — this is the document trail if a later dispute requires a filing with the state licensing authority.

Each jurisdiction publishes a public license-lookup portal. AskBaily maintains direct links to all 76 active authorities at /for-pros/requirements — click through to your specific state, province, or international region. Examples: California CSLB at cslb.ca.gov, Arizona ROC at roc.az.gov, Texas TDLR at tdlr.texas.gov, Florida DBPR at myfloridalicense.com, New York DOB + DCWP for NYC or DOS Division of Licensing for the rest of state, Washington L&I at lni.wa.gov, Ontario HCRA at hcraontario.ca, UK composite register (CIOB + Gas Safe + NICEIC), NSW Fair Trading at fairtrading.nsw.gov.au.

When a homeowner is considering a contractor whose license was issued in a different state from the project location, verify both. A GC licensed in California cannot legally contract for construction in Arizona unless they hold an Arizona ROC license or partner with an Arizona-licensed GC. This applies reciprocally everywhere — licensing is jurisdictional.

Every public license lookup tool shows status. The only acceptable status is 'Active' (CSLB), 'Registered' (Washington L&I), 'In Good Standing' (NY DOS), or the jurisdictional equivalent. Other statuses to reject: Expired, Suspended, Revoked, Inactive, Cancelled, Pending Revocation, Probation.

Probation or recent disciplinary action is a conditional red flag. Look for the underlying violation — a missed renewal is forgivable, while a prior disgorgement order or consumer-complaint pattern indicates elevated risk. Most authorities publish the disciplinary action details; read them before deciding.

Screenshot the status page on the date the contract is signed. This is legal evidence if the contractor's status later changes and a dispute emerges.

Every jurisdiction sets a minimum general liability coverage and (usually) a minimum surety bond. AskBaily's /for-pros/requirements/{region} page lists the current 2026 minimum for each of 76 authorities. Examples: California requires $25,000 contractor's license bond plus $1 million general liability. Arizona requires up to $15,000 bond plus $1 million GL. Washington requires $12,000 bond plus $200,000 combined bodily-injury and property-damage. Nevada's bond varies $1,000 to $500,000 based on the monetary-limit tier the contractor operates under.

The license lookup portal shows the bond amount on file. Compare it to the minimum the state requires for the project-size tier you're hiring for. A contractor with a $5,000 bond who quotes a $200,000 project either has the wrong bond tier or is not legally allowed to bid at that size. Either way, the contract is a red flag.

General liability insurance is separate from the bond and is verified via Certificate of Insurance in Step 5.

A legitimate Certificate of Insurance (COI) is a standardized one-page document issued by the contractor's insurance carrier, listing the policy numbers, coverage amounts, coverage period, and a Certificate Holder field. Request the COI before the contract is signed and verify the following five items.

One: the policy period covers the entire project window from first day of demolition through final inspection and any post-completion warranty period. Mid-project policy lapses leave the homeowner exposed.

Two: the Certificate Holder field names the homeowner and the project address. Generic COIs listing only 'Homeowner' or blank Certificate Holder are weaker than those specifically naming you — a properly named Certificate Holder receives notification if the policy lapses or is cancelled.

Three: the coverage amounts meet or exceed the state minimum for general liability, typically $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. Workers' compensation is separate and must be listed if the contractor has any crew.

Four: the insurance carrier is rated A-minus or better by AM Best. A COI issued by an unrated or obscure carrier is a red flag — some bad actors form sham insurance subsidiaries that issue COIs with no actual coverage.

Five: verify the COI independently by calling the insurance carrier's verification line printed on the COI and confirming the policy is active and the contractor is actually the insured. Forged COIs exist; a 5-minute phone call eliminates the forgery risk.

Workers' compensation is mandatory in 42 of 50 US states for contractors with any paid crew. The exceptions (Texas being the largest) make workers' comp optional but expose the homeowner to direct liability for any crew injury on-site. The per-state list is at /for-pros/requirements/{state}.

The Certificate of Insurance should show workers' compensation as a separate line item with a policy number and coverage amount, typically the state's statutory minimum. Request the workers' compensation certificate separately if not included on the GL COI.

If the contractor claims 'I work solo' and provides no workers' compensation, walk around the job site weekly. Any other person working — helpers, sub-contractors, apprentices — must be covered or the homeowner is exposed. Some states (California, Washington, New York) enforce this aggressively; others leave enforcement to the homeowner.

AskBaily maintains a full per-region page with the minimum general liability, bond amount, workers' comp requirement, and authority URL for every jurisdiction we operate in. The complete directory lives at /for-pros/requirements with 76 regions covered: 50 US states plus DC plus NY-NYC as distinct from NY state; 13 Canadian provinces and territories; 11 international regions including UK, NSW Australia, Victoria Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Israel, EU-generic, and others.

Each page lists: the licensing authority, minimum general-liability coverage, minimum bond (or 'none required'), workers' comp mandate, and the public lookup URL. Click the authority link to perform Step 3 verification directly.

The single most common homeowner mistake is assuming the state licensing authority is the same across jurisdictions — it is not. California's CSLB, Texas's TDLR, Florida's DBPR, and New York's DOB + DOS + DCWP composite are each structurally different. The /for-pros/requirements directory compacts these differences into a single page per jurisdiction.

Cash-only or cash-preferred payment: legitimate contractors accept checks and increasingly electronic payment. Cash-only operations indicate tax evasion and often license fraud.

Contract deposit over 10 percent or $1,000: California B&P 7159.5(a)(8) caps the home-improvement down payment at 10 percent of the contract price or $1,000, whichever is less. Most other states have parallel caps — Nevada, Washington, and Oregon are stricter. A contractor demanding 30 to 50 percent up front is either unaware of the statute or intentionally overreaching.

No written contract or a contract that omits the license number: as covered in Step 1, most jurisdictions require license-number disclosure in writing. A missing license number makes the contract voidable — but it also signals either inexperience or intent.

COI without homeowner as Certificate Holder: covered in Step 5. Generic COIs offer weaker protection than properly named ones.

Quoted price 20 percent below other licensed bids: unlicensed operations save 15 to 25 percent by evading license fees, bond premiums, workers' comp, general liability, and payroll taxes. The savings are the contractor's liability — which transfers to the homeowner when something goes wrong.

Refusal to provide references for completed projects in the same state: state-specific experience matters. A contractor with a Washington license and a Washington project history is a different risk profile than one newly arrived from out of state. Verify recent completed projects in the state where you are hiring.

Can I trust a general contractor to verify their own subs? Only partially — the general contractor is liable for the subs' work product but not necessarily for the subs' licensing status. For major trades (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing), ask the GC to provide the subs' license numbers and verify them independently against the relevant state-level trade registries. California licenses electricians (C-10), plumbers (C-36), HVAC (C-20), and roofers (C-39) as separate specialty contractors under CSLB. Other states use state-level certifications for trade licenses.

What if the contractor is licensed in one state and my project is in another? Licensing is jurisdictional. A California CSLB license does not authorize work in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, or any other state. A legitimate contractor working cross-state either holds a license in the project state or partners with a locally licensed GC who serves as the prime contractor. If the contractor claims reciprocity, verify it — most reciprocity agreements cover trade licenses (electrical, plumbing) not general-contracting licenses.

How often should I re-verify? At contract signing, at every major change order, and annually for long-duration projects (ADU new-construction, full home renovation, multi-phase projects). Status can change mid-project — a license suspension or insurance policy cancellation invalidates the original contract protections.

What does AskBaily do? Every contractor matched to a homeowner project on AskBaily has been verified against the relevant state licensing authority at signup and re-verified at each lead routing. We check license status, bond amount, insurance certificate authenticity, and disciplinary history. Homeowners in the 17 jurisdictions with automated verification (California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, New York, Washington, Nevada, Georgia, Illinois, Ontario, UK, NSW, Victoria, New Zealand, Singapore, Dubai) see real-time verification at match time. Homeowners in the 59 other jurisdictions see manual verification completed within 72 hours of a contractor submitting an application.

Can I do verification myself instead of using AskBaily? Absolutely. This guide describes the exact process. If you have the time and comfort working through each state authority's portal, nothing requires a marketplace intermediary. AskBaily's value for homeowners is compressing the process to one conversation instead of six steps and letting us match you with a pre-verified pro. For contractors, AskBaily's value is a pre-qualified homeowner instead of twelve cold leads. Either way, the verification baseline is the same.

When you chat with Baily and get matched with a contractor, the verification chain behind the scenes includes: active license status confirmed against the state authority at match time, bond amount matching the state minimum for the project-size tier, certificate of insurance on file showing general liability at state minimum or higher, workers' compensation coverage where applicable, disciplinary history reviewed and cleared, and project-state jurisdiction match (we do not route a Nevada project to a California-licensed GC).

This verification happens before you speak to the contractor. If a match fails verification, you never see them in the match pool. For the 17 jurisdictions with automated validators live (per /for-pros/requirements, these are the 'live' validator status rows), verification is real-time. For other jurisdictions, our ops team verifies applicants within 72 hours of signup; contractors are flagged 'pending verification' in the match pool and only appear to homeowners after the check completes.

AskBaily does not route projects to contractors whose insurance or bond is below the state minimum. We also do not route projects across state lines unless the contractor holds the receiving state's license. This is policy, not best-effort — a match that fails these checks is suppressed at the routing layer.