How to check a contractor's license in Oregon

Which license does the contractor need in Oregon?

Oregon licenses nearly everyone. The CCB's Do You Need a License page: "anyone who works for compensation in any construction activity involving improvements to real property", with examples that include roofing, siding, painting, carpentry, floor covering, concrete, heating, air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, tree service, handyman work and chimney sweeps. The exemptions are gutter cleaning, pressure washing "for the purpose of cleaning", debris clean-up, and the small-job rule in ORS 701.010(4): a job where "the aggregate price of all of that person's contracts for labor, materials and all other items is less than $1,000" and the work is "of a casual, minor or inconsequential nature".

The license carries an endorsement, and the endorsement sets the bond (CCB Licensing, amounts since 1 January 2024):

Electricians and plumbers also hold a trade license from the Building Codes Division on top of the CCB license; BCD's license search covers "Plumbing, Electrical, and MDI". The CCB record shows the endorsement, not the BCD trade license, so ask for both numbers.

How to look a contractor up, step by step

1. Ask for the CCB number. The CCB's hiring guide: "Contractors must put this number on their advertising, including brochures, websites, and business cards." No number on the card is your first answer.
2. Open the License Search and enter the number; "The most accurate way to look up a license is with a CCB license number." If you have only a name, search it and expect near-duplicates.
3. Read the License Summary. Per the guide it "shows whether the contractor has any unpaid claims, unpaid civil penalties" and "history of complaints or disciplinary sanctions".
4. Open the business detail, which "shows the type of endorsements or specialty licenses the contractor holds", "how long the contractor has been in business and the amount of bond and insurance".
5. Check that the endorsement covers your job: a Residential Limited contractor on a $200,000 remodel is outside their license.
6. For pre-1978 houses, confirm the lead-based paint renovation license is on the record.
7. Check again on the day work starts. The guide says to verify the license is "valid, active" and to check it again then.

What "active", "inactive" and "lapsed" mean on the CCB record

• Active: the license is current with bond and insurance on file. Only an active license lets the CCB help you: "If you used a licensed contractor, the CCB can help you resolve the dispute or potentially obtain money for damages from improper workmanship" (hiring guide).
• Inactive or lapsed: the contractor let the license or bond go. Using "an inactive, lapsed, invalid, or misleading license number" is treated as working unlicensed and draws the $5,000 penalty (OAR 812-005-0800(5)).
• Unpaid claims or civil penalties on the summary: the bond may already be spoken for. The bond exists "to provide payment to a customer who suffers damage from poor workmanship"; if earlier customers have claimed it, there is less for you.
• Complaints and disciplinary actions: shown for the past 10 years.

Penalties for unlicensed contracting in Oregon

The CCB's rule OAR 812-005-0800 sets the civil penalty for "performing work as a contractor in violation of ORS 701.021": "$1,000 per offense" when the board "has no evidence that the person has worked previously without having a license" and "no consumer has suffered damages from the work"; "$5,000 per offense" when "an owner has filed a complaint for damages caused by performance of that work", when there have been prior violations, or when a lapsed or misleading license number was used. ORS 701.098(3) is the authority to assess it, and the Contractor Compliance page says "A field investigator may follow up on the reported activity" at active jobsites. The hiring guide lists what an unlicensed contractor costs you: "No source (bond) to reimburse you for poor workmanship", "CCB mediation services unavailable", "Cannot pull required building permits", and "you could be considered the employer of the contractor".

What the license does not tell you

Whether the permits on their last jobs were finaled. That is the city's record, and we read it for Bend and Medford. Bend HVAC: 4,427 permits, 93.4% finished; electrical 3,938 permits from 190 firms, 76.8% matched Active, 88.1% finished; new homes 97.9% finished, the usual build 220 days to final. Medford HVAC: 1,507 permits, 79.4% finished; plumbing 83.6% matched Active. One of our gaps: Medford irrigation backflow testers match a CCB license only 37.1% of the time; most of those firms are not in the CCB list under the name on the permit, and we have not resolved why, so treat it as our gap. Each firm page links to the firm's CCB number so you can run the live check from there.

Red flags on an Oregon license record

• No CCB number on the card, website or bid.
• Status anything but active, or a bond or insurance line that has lapsed.
• Unpaid claims or unpaid civil penalties on the summary.
• Complaints or disciplinary sanctions in the last 10 years, especially more than one.
• A Residential Limited or Specialty endorsement on a whole-house job.
• "In business" date measured in months on a firm claiming decades.
• No lead-based paint license on a pre-1978 house.
• A quote carefully kept "under $1,000" to dodge the license. The exemption also requires the work to be "casual, minor or inconsequential".

See every Bend HVAC contractor by their permit record →