Who licenses what in New York City
| Work | Credential | Agency | Where to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renovation of a house or apartment | Home Improvement Contractor license, for "construction, repair, remodeling, or addition to any land or building used as a residence" | DCWP | Search Business |
| Alterations to a 1–4 family building | DOB General Contractor registration ("AC 28-401.18 requires General Contractors (GC) to register with the department"), in addition to the HIC license | DOB | DOB license search |
| Plumbing, gas | Licensed Master Plumber | DOB | Plumbers look-up |
| Electrical | Master Electrician | DOB | Electricians look-up |
| Sprinklers, oil burners, rigging, signs and others | One of DOB's "more than 30 types" of license | DOB | Other licensees |
The HIC license does not cover new home construction, plumbing or "purely electrical work" (DCWP), and jobs under $200 are exempt (exam guide). So a bathroom remodel usually involves three credentials: the renovator's HIC license and DOB registration, and the plumber's DOB license.
How to look a contractor up, step by step
- Ask for every number on the job: DCWP HIC license, DOB GC registration, master plumber and master electrician licenses. DOB says a written contract should carry "the company name, a New York City company address, and license numbers".
- Open DCWP's Search Business and check the HIC license by business name or number. DCWP says it is updated daily.
- Open DOB's license search, choose the license type, and check the GC registration and the trade licenses.
- Check DOB's disciplinary actions look-up (records from 1998) and the unlicensed or unregistered individuals list.
- Check DCWP's Wall of Shame of unlicensed home improvement contractors, updated monthly.
- Ask how the contractor is covered: an HIC licensee either posts a $20,000 surety bond or pays $200 into DCWP's Trust Fund (NYC Business).
What the status words mean
DOB's public license file, which we read, uses five status words: Active, Review Pending, On Hold, Inactive and Expired. DOB does not define them on the pages we read, so treat anything other than Active as a question to put to the contractor, and to DOB, before work starts.
For electricians the open file lags behind reality: in our match, many electrical firms with permits in the last 12 months are listed Expired. So for electrical work we show the license number but not its status, and you should check the electrician on DOB's own look-up page or its PDF list of licensed master electricians.
DCWP's search answers a simpler question, licensed or not. If the business name on your contract is not in Search Business under that name or a listed trade name, ask why before you pay anything.
Penalties for unlicensed home improvement work
Working without a DCWP license is a misdemeanor, with "up to six (6) months imprisonment and/or $1,000 in fines", each violation a separate offence, plus civil "fines of up to $100 per day for engaging in unlicensed activity" (DCWP exam guide).
The Home Improvement Contractor Trust Fund
| Route | Most paid | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Standard process | $40,000 | A court judgment, arbitration award, administrative decision or breached settlement against a DCWP-licensed contractor |
| Claim process | $20,000 (was $10,000 until 18 July 2025) | A complaint filed on or after 1 January 2015 and full participation in DCWP mediation without settling |
Either way, "the contractor held a DCWP-issued license at the time you contracted with them" (DCWP Trust Fund). An unlicensed renovator leaves you with nothing to claim against.
What the license does not tell you
A DOB license is the right to file. It does not say whether the work the firm filed was signed off. That is in the permit record, which in NYC we can join to the license exactly, because each permit names the license number.
- Renovation: 11,805 permits from 3,139 firms; 83.1% filed under an Active DOB license or registration, 502 firms under one that is now inactive, expired or on hold. 65.1% of permits reached sign-off, usually in 433 days.
- Plumbing: 96.5% Active, 25 firms with a problem license; 77.5% finished.
- HVAC: 86.9% Active, 181 firms with a problem license.
- Structural work: 6,279 permits, 89.9% filed under an Active license, but only 43.6% reached sign-off, usually after 805 days.
- Electrical: 50,479 permits from 1,252 firms, 75.1% finished; license number shown, status not.
The DOB license on a renovation permit is not the DCWP HIC license. We match HIC licenses by business name, which misses some, so check DCWP yourself.
Red flags
- No DCWP HIC number on a residential renovation contract of $200 or more.
- An HIC license but no DOB GC registration on an alteration that needs a permit.
- A plumber or electrician whose DOB license is in another company's name.
- Any entry on DOB's disciplinary list or DCWP's Wall of Shame.
- A contractor outside the city who says they are "New York State licensed". There is no such license.
How we know this
DOB license status comes from DOB's public license file, joined to each NYC permit by the license type and number the permittee filed, so no name matching is involved. Electrical contractor status is withheld because that file lists many active electricians as Expired. DCWP Home Improvement Contractor licenses are matched by business and trade name. "Finished" is the share of residential permits with a recorded sign-off. Rules and figures are quoted from NYC DOB, DCWP and NYS Department of State pages, read 20 October 2026.
Numbers come from NYC Department of Buildings permits and DOB NOW filings on one- and two-family homes (NYC Open Data), data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
See every NYC renovation contractor by their permit record →
Questions
- Does New York State license general contractors?
No. The Department of State says "New York State does not license home improvement contractors"; New York City, Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and the City of Buffalo license them locally.
- Where do I check a New York City home improvement contractor?
DCWP's Search Business at a866-dcwpbp.nyc.gov/search. No account is needed. A Home Improvement Contractor license is required for residential work of $200 or more; jobs under $200 are exempt (DCWP exam guide).
- Where do I check a New York City plumber or electrician?
The Department of Buildings license search (a810-bisweb.nyc.gov) and DOB's Licensed Plumbers and Electricians look-up pages, which also link to disciplinary actions from 1998 on.
- How much can the NYC Home Improvement Trust Fund pay?
Up to $40,000 with a court judgment, arbitration award, administrative decision or breached settlement; up to $20,000 through DCWP's claim process after mediation (raised from $10,000 on 18 July 2025). The contractor must have held a DCWP license when you signed.
- What is the penalty for unlicensed home improvement work in NYC?
DCWP says it is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and/or $1,000 in fines per violation, plus civil fines of up to $100 a day.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- New York City contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- Chicago contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- Austin contractor license lookup: which license, where to search, and what the permits show
- How to check a contractor's license in Florida
- Consumer alert: hiring a home improvement contractor — NYS Department of State, Division of Consumer Protection (20 May 2026) (2026-10-20)
- Know Your Construction Professional — NYC Department of Buildings (2026-10-20)
- Registrant Project Requirements: Alteration, 1-2 family buildings — NYC DOB (2026-10-20)
- Home Improvement Contractor License — NYC Business (2026-10-20)
- Check License — NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (2026-10-20)
- Wall of Shame: Unlicensed Home Improvement Contractors — NYC DCWP (2026-10-20)
- Home Improvement Contractor Trust Fund — NYC DCWP (2026-10-20)
- Home Improvement Business Exam Guide — NYC DCWP (2026-10-20)