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How to check a contractor's license in New Jersey

New Jersey requires every home improvement contractor to register each year with the Division of Consumer Affairs and to carry $500,000 of liability insurance; check the registration, and an electrician's, plumber's or HVACR contractor's license, on the state's License Verification site. Registration is not a skills exam, but the trade licenses are. Newark issued 2,535 remodel permits from August 2024 through July 2026, and Newark's permit checklist asks for these registrations and licenses with each application.

By Contractor Records · data through October 23, 2026

Who registers or licenses what in New Jersey

Work Credential Profession to pick on License Verification
Remodeling, roofing, siding, windows, decks and other home improvement Home improvement contractor registration, renewed yearly Home Improvement Contractors
Electrical Electrical contractor license (exempt from HIC registration within scope) Electrical Contractors
Plumbing Master plumber license (exempt from HIC registration within scope) Master Plumbers
Heating, air conditioning, refrigeration HVACR license HVACR
New homes New home builder registration; exempt from HIC registration only while building a new home (ask for the builder's registration number)

Profession names are the ones in the License Verification drop-down, read 25 October 2026. Newark's Construction Check List 2026 lists the licenses the city wants by project: home improvement, new home builder, state electrical business, state plumbing and HVAC.

How to look a contractor up, step by step

  1. Get the home improvement registration number from the contract.
  2. Open License Verification, choose the profession, and search by name or number.
  3. Check that the registration is current. It is renewed every year, so a number on an old flyer may have lapsed.
  4. For electrical, plumbing or HVAC work, look up the trade license too. The electrician on your kitchen job is exempt from HIC registration only "within the scope" of the electrical license.
  5. Ask for the certificate of insurance and check it shows at least $500,000 per occurrence in the contractor's own name.
  6. Look up the address's permits in the state's construction permit register, as the Newark and Hoboken permit-search guides show.

Penalties

The Division's FAQ lists civil penalties of "up to $10,000 for the first offense and up to $20,000 for each subsequent offense" for unregistered contractors who keep working, and a knowing violation is "a crime of the fourth degree". The FAQ describes no homeowner guaranty fund; the insurance is your protection.

Our permit data in New Jersey

Place Permits Period Remodel Electrical Plumbing
Newark 6,725 Aug 2024 – Jul 2026 2,535 906 478
Hoboken 1,661 Jul 2025 – Jul 2026 981 118 222

These are permit counts from the state's construction permit data, not contractor lists. Newark's remodel rules are in the Newark remodel permit guide.

Red flags on a New Jersey job

  • No registration number on the contract, or one that does not appear on License Verification.
  • A registration that lapsed at the last annual renewal.
  • An electrician or plumber doing work outside their trade (a plumber framing walls) without HIC registration.
  • A certificate of insurance under $500,000 per occurrence, or in someone else's name.

How we know this

Registration rules, exemptions, the insurance minimum and penalties are quoted from the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs' Home Improvement Contractors FAQ, and the profession names from the state's License Verification site, read 25 October 2026. Newark's license checklist is from its Construction Check List 2026, read 24 October 2026. Counts come from the NJ Department of Community Affairs' construction permit data, read 23 October 2026; we have not matched New Jersey contractor names to registration or license records.

Numbers come from public permit records in 57 cities, data through October 23, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.

Questions

  • Who must register as a home improvement contractor in New Jersey?

    Under the Contractors' Registration Act, "any contractor engaging in the business of making or selling home improvements" must register every year with the Division of Consumer Affairs unless exempt, including part-time and out-of-state contractors.

  • Do New Jersey electricians and plumbers need home improvement registration?

    No, as long as they work within their license. Electrical contractors and master plumbers are exempt "as long as the licensee is acting within the scope of his or her profession". New home builders are exempt while building a new home but must register for additions or renovations.

  • How much insurance must a New Jersey home improvement contractor carry?

    Commercial general liability of at least $500,000 per occurrence, in the contractor's own name.

  • Where do I look up a New Jersey contractor?

    On the state's License Verification site at newjersey.mylicense.com/verification. Choose Home Improvement Contractors, Electrical Contractors, Master Plumbers or HVACR as the profession.

  • What is the penalty for an unregistered home improvement contractor in New Jersey?

    Civil penalties "up to $10,000 for the first offense and up to $20,000 for each subsequent offense", and knowing violations are "a crime of the fourth degree".

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Related guides

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Sources
  1. Home Improvement Contractors FAQ — NJ Division of Consumer Affairs, Regulated Business Section (2026-10-25)
  2. License Verification — State of New Jersey (Division of Consumer Affairs) (2026-10-25)
  3. Construction Check List 2026 — City of Newark (2026-10-24)
  4. NJ Construction Permit Data — NJ Department of Community Affairs (data.nj.gov) (2026-10-23)