You are about to hand someone $30,000 to tear apart your house and put it back together. You have seen their truck, their website, maybe a few Google reviews. But the information that actually changes your negotiating position — the stuff that separates a trustworthy contractor from a liability in work boots — is sitting in public databases right now. Free. Searchable. About 30 minutes of your time, total. And the contractors who get nervous when you mention this research? Those are exactly the ones who need it most.

How do I verify a contractor's license status?

Every state maintains a free contractor license lookup portal. For the three largest markets: California uses CSLB.ca.gov, Texas uses TDLR.texas.gov, and Florida uses MyFloridaLicense.com. Check whether the license is active or expired, the classification (electrical, plumbing, general building), whether disciplinary actions are on file, and whether the contractor is operating under a handyman exemption (project caps range from $500 to $5,000 by state).

Every state maintains a contractor license lookup, and the search takes under two minutes. Start with these portals for the three largest contractor markets:

  • California — CSLB.ca.gov (Contractors State License Board)
  • Texas — TDLR.texas.gov (Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation)
  • Florida — MyFloridaLicense.com (Department of Business and Professional Regulation)
What to check: Is the license active or expired? What classification does it cover (electrical, plumbing, general building, specialty)? Are there complaints or disciplinary actions on file? A "general contractor" license does not exist in all states — some contractors operate under a handyman exemption with dollar limits that range from $500 to $5,000 depending on the state. That distinction matters enormously when the quote on your table is $28,000.
Example: You get a $28,000 quote for a kitchen remodel in Texas. You search the contractor's name on TDLR.texas.gov and find no license on file. Texas does not require a general contractor license at the state level, but many municipalities do. You check your city's business license portal and find the contractor registered as a handyman with a project cap of $5,000. They are legally ineligible to perform a $28,000 project in your jurisdiction. This is not a technicality — it means your homeowner's insurance may not cover claims arising from their work.

How do I look up a contractor's permit history?

Your county building department’s online portal lets you search every permit by contractor name and by address. Search “[your county] building permit search” or “[your county] online permit portal” — most counties including Harris (Houston), Los Angeles, and Maricopa (Phoenix) are free; others charge $0–$5 for detailed records. A contractor claiming 10 years of local experience with only 3 permits on record is a red flag for unpermitted work or unlicensed subcontracting.

Your county building department's online portal shows every permit pulled at your address and every permit pulled by the contractor. Two searches, both revealing in different ways.

Red flag: A contractor claims 10 years of experience in your area but has only 3 permits on record with the county. Where is the other work? Either unpermitted (exposing you to the same risk if they do it again on your project) or subcontracted under another contractor's license (meaning they may not carry their own insurance). Neither answer inspires confidence.

Search your own address while you are at it. Previous owners may have done unpermitted work that your new contractor will discover and be obligated to report. A permitted kitchen remodel in a house with an unpermitted addition can trigger a code enforcement review of the entire structure. Finding that out before the project starts is worth more than any line item on the quote.

Where to look: Search "[your county] building permit search" or "[your county] online permit portal." Most counties offer free lookup by address or contractor name. Some charge $0-$5 for detailed permit records. Harris County (Houston), Los Angeles County, and Maricopa County (Phoenix) all have fully searchable online portals at no cost.

How do I verify a contractor's insurance coverage?

Request a current Certificate of Insurance (COI) naming you as additional insured, then call the insurance company directly to confirm the policy is active. Minimum coverage should be $1,000,000 general liability, plus workers’ compensation for employees (or separate certificates for each subcontractor). The additional insured endorsement costs the contractor $0–$50 to add — any refusal or 24-hour delay typically indicates lapsed coverage.

Ask the contractor for a Certificate of Insurance (COI) naming you as additional insured. Then — and this is the step most homeowners skip — call the insurance company directly and verify the policy is current. A piece of paper proves nothing if the policy behind it lapsed two months ago.

Example: A contractor provides a COI dated six months ago showing $1M in general liability coverage through State Farm. You call the agent listed on the certificate. The policy lapsed 60 days ago for non-payment. The contractor is currently uninsured. If a worker falls through your floor tomorrow, your homeowner's policy is the one that gets the claim — and your premiums are the ones that spike.
  • Minimum coverage — $1,000,000 in general liability. Non-negotiable.
  • Workers' compensation — Required in most states if the contractor has employees. If they use only subcontractors, each sub should carry their own workers' comp. Ask for certificates for every sub who will be on your property.
  • Additional insured endorsement — This names you on the contractor's policy for the duration of the project. It costs the contractor $0-$50 to add. If they refuse, they are either uninsured or carrying a policy that does not cover residential work.
Red flag: A contractor who says "I am bonded and insured" but will not provide a current COI within 24 hours. The certificate takes 5 minutes to generate from any insurance portal. Delays mean they are either scrambling to reinstate a lapsed policy or the coverage does not exist. "Bonded and insured" is the contractor equivalent of "trust me" — worthless without documentation.

How do I check for mechanic's liens against a contractor?

Search your county recorder or county clerk’s website for “mechanic’s lien” or “construction lien” with the contractor’s business name and the owner’s personal name (sole proprietors often file under their own). Liens reveal whether the contractor pays suppliers and subs — if they don’t, those parties can lien your house even after you pay the contractor in full, making you liable for the same materials twice.

This one is overlooked constantly, and it is the search that can save you from paying for the same materials twice. Your county recorder's office tracks mechanic's liens filed by or against the contractor. These liens reveal whether the contractor actually pays their suppliers and subcontractors — because if they do not, those unpaid parties can file a lien against your property, even after you have paid the contractor in full.

Example: A county recorder search shows three mechanic's liens filed against the contractor by a lumber supplier, an electrical supply house, and a drywall subcontractor in the past 18 months. Total: $47,000 in unpaid materials and labor. This contractor is not paying their bills. If you hire them and they stiff their suppliers on your project, those suppliers can lien your house. You could end up writing checks for lumber that is already nailed to your walls.
How to search: Go to your county recorder or county clerk's website. Search for "mechanic's lien" or "construction lien" with the contractor's name or business entity name. Also search the contractor's personal name — sole proprietors often file under their own name rather than a business name.

How do I check BBB and Attorney General complaints on a contractor?

Search bbb.org by business name and ignore the letter grade — focus on complaint volume and resolution rate, since 47 complaints in 12 months indicates a problem regardless of an A+ rating. Then search “[your state] attorney general consumer complaint search” for the state AG portal; AG complaints tend to be more serious because those consumers already tried and failed to resolve issues directly.

Neither database is perfect on its own. Together, they surface patterns that reviews alone never will.

  • BBB — Search bbb.org for the business name. Ignore the letter grade. Look at complaint volume and resolution rate. A company with an A+ rating and 47 complaints in 12 months is not a well-run business — it is a business that responds to BBB complaints specifically to maintain its rating. The grade is gamed. The complaint count is not.
  • State AG — Your state Attorney General's consumer protection division tracks complaints filed directly by consumers. These tend to be more serious than BBB complaints because the people who contact the AG have usually already tried to resolve the issue on their own and failed. Search "[your state] attorney general consumer complaint search" for the portal.

How do I find lawsuits filed against a contractor?

Your county court's online docket shows small claims and civil suits — the disputes that escalated past angry emails and demand letters into actual litigation. This is where the real story lives.

Red flag: One lawsuit is not damning. Contractors who do volume work will occasionally have a dispute reach court. Five lawsuits in two years is a pattern. Ten or more, with multiple plaintiffs alleging similar issues (incomplete work, refusal to return deposits, property damage), tells you everything you need to know about how this contractor handles problems.
Example: A county court search for "ABC Remodeling LLC" returns seven small claims filings in 24 months. Four are from homeowners claiming unfinished work with amounts ranging from $3,200 to $8,500. Two are from material suppliers seeking payment of $4,100 and $6,800. One is from a subcontractor for $12,000 in unpaid labor. The contractor's Google reviews are 4.6 stars. The court record tells a very different story.

How do I use public record findings when hiring a contractor?

This is not an investigation. It is the same due diligence you would do before hiring an employee, signing a lease, or buying a used car — except the amount at stake is $15,000-$50,000 and the person you are vetting is about to have unsupervised access to the inside of your walls. Thirty minutes of public record searches is not paranoia. It is proportionate.

If the searches come back clean, you have confirmation that the contractor is legitimate, insured, and not drowning in disputes. That is worth knowing — it lets you negotiate on price and scope with confidence instead of anxiety. If the searches surface problems, you have just saved yourself from a contractor who was going to create those same problems on your project. Either outcome justifies the half hour.

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