That is what no state license looks like, and it is why the permit record is the main check on a Texas builder.
Which license does the contractor need in Texas?
| Work | State license | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical, EV chargers, generators, solar wiring | Electrical Contractor license from TDLR; "Anyone who performs electrical work in the state of Texas must be licensed", and the firm must hold or employ a Master Electrician | TDLR License Search |
| AC, heat pump, furnace | Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor license from TDLR; even a mini-split "requir[es] a Air Conditioning Contractor's License to perform any contracting work for the public" | TDLR License Search |
| Plumbing, water heaters, gas lines | Responsible Master Plumber and plumbing licenses from the State Board of Plumbing Examiners | TSBPE public search |
| New home, addition, remodel, roofing, fence, foundation, pool, driveway | None. TDLR's regulated industries are "Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors", "Electricians", "Boiler Safety", "Elevator / Escalator Safety" and others; "general contractor", "home builder" and "roofing" do not appear | City permit record |
So on a remodel the general contractor cannot be license-checked, but the electrician, AC contractor and plumber working under them can. Check those three.
How to look a contractor up, step by step
- Ask for the license number and the name of the master electrician, licensed AC contractor or responsible master plumber. In Texas the license is tied to that person, not just the company.
- For electrical or AC: open TDLR License Search. Choose the license type ("Inquire by License Type") and enter the number, or use "Inquire by Name (Last, First) or by Business Name". You can also filter by city, county or ZIP.
- Results show "Name, License Number, Expiration Date, Type, and Address information" (search help). The database holds "Active Licenses only", so a name that does not come up is either unlicensed, expired or spelled differently. "If license not found, please contact Customer Service at 800-803-9202."
- Check the expiry date against your start date.
- For plumbing: open the plumbing board's search and look for the responsible master plumber, whose record shows "the last known company name associated with the Licensee". The board says "Activities allowed by a specific license/registration type shall not be performed with an expired license/registration."
- Search TDLR's disciplinary actions database, "a searchable database of issued sanctions and administrative orders", for the company and the licensee.
- For the general contractor, skip to the permit record. There is nothing else to check.
What "active" and "expired" mean on the Texas lookups
- TDLR: the search returns active licenses only, with an expiry date. A license past that date does not appear; the firm cannot legally contract until renewed. A new licensee cannot start early either: "There is no grace period that allows you to work while waiting for your license to be issued."
- Plumbing board: the lists are "current as of the previous work day", and an expired license may not be used to perform the licensed work.
- Suspended or revoked: appear in TDLR's disciplinary database, not in the license search. A revoked license simply vanishes from the search. That is why step 6 matters.
Penalties for unlicensed contracting in Texas
TDLR's penalty schedules set the sanction. For electrical work, "Performed or offered to perform electrical work without the appropriate license" is a Class C violation: "$2,000 to $5,000 and/or plus one-year probated suspension up to revocation", citing Occupations Code 1305.151 (Electricians Penalties and Sanctions). For air conditioning, "Performed or offered to perform air conditioning or refrigeration contracting without a license" is likewise "$2,000 to $5,000 and/or 1-year probated suspension up to revocation", citing 1302.251(a) and 1302.252(a) (ACR Penalties and Sanctions). There is no penalty for unlicensed general contracting, because there is no license to lack.
What the license does not tell you
In most states the license is the first check and the permit file the second. In Texas, for anything but electrical, AC and plumbing, the permit file is the only check. We read it for four cities. Austin: 7,109 remodel permits from 837 firms, 82.5% finished, the usual job 67 days to final; electrical 90.4% finished. Denton: 216 HVAC firms, 68.1% matched to an Active TDLR license; roofing 595 permits, no state license to match. Sugar Land: electrical 76.9% matched, 30.3% finished, with most of the busiest firms closing under a fifth of their permits, so compare Sugar Land electricians with each other; roofing 3,045 permits from 604 firms, none licensed by the state. Tyler: HVAC 69.4% matched, electrical 73.2%. Our Texas plumbing match is partial: TDLR's file does not include plumbers, and we have matched the plumbing board's list for Austin only, so a low plumbing license share in Denton, Sugar Land or Tyler is our gap, not the plumber's.
Red flags on a Texas license record
- An electrical or AC firm that does not appear in TDLR's active search under any spelling.
- A license in the name of a master electrician or AC contractor who no longer works there.
- An entry in TDLR's disciplinary database, especially for unlicensed activity or working on a revoked license.
- A plumber whose responsible master plumber record shows a different company.
- A roofer, builder or remodeler who claims a "Texas state license". There is none.
- Expiry within weeks of your start date.
- A general contractor with no permits in the city file for the kind of work they are quoting. With no license to check, that is the record.
How we know this
License status comes from TDLR's public license files (electrical and air-conditioning contractors) and, for Austin, the State Board of Plumbing Examiners' licensee list, matched to contractor names on City of Austin, City of Denton, City of Sugar Land and City of Tyler permits by business name. TDLR publishes no license start date, so years licensed is not shown. A firm we could not match is shown as unmatched, not as unlicensed; for trades Texas does not license, no match is expected. "Finished" is the share of permits with a recorded final; Denton's is estimated from permit age and status because the city does not publish final dates. License rules and penalties are quoted from TDLR's and the plumbing board's pages, fetched 20 October 2026.
Numbers come from City of Austin issued construction permits; City of Denton Building Safety permits on homes (the city's yearly permit reports); City of Sugar Land building permits on homes (the city's EnerGov permit exports); City of Tyler TRAKiT building, mechanical, electrical and plumbing permits on homes, from three city GIS exports of the permit table, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
See every Austin electrician by their permit record →
Questions
- Does Texas license general contractors?
No. TDLR's list of regulated industries has air conditioning, electricians, boilers and elevators; general contractor, home builder and roofer are not on it. The permit record is usually the only public record of a Texas GC.
- Where do I look up a Texas electrician or AC contractor?
TDLR's license search at tdlr.texas.gov/LicenseSearch, by license type, number, name, city, county or ZIP. It lists "Active Licenses only".
- Where do I look up a Texas plumber?
The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners' public license search, linked from tsbpe.texas.gov/free-licensee-list, which also publishes daily CSV lists of every licensed plumber.
- What is the penalty for unlicensed electrical or AC work in Texas?
A Class C sanction of "$2,000 to $5,000 and/or" a one-year probated suspension up to revocation, under Occupations Code 1305.151 (electrical) and 1302.251 (air conditioning), per TDLR's penalty schedules.
- My roofer says he is "licensed". By whom?
Not by the State of Texas; there is no state roofing license. Ask what they mean. It may be a city registration, a trade association card or nothing.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- License Search — Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (2026-10-20)
- License Search Help — TDLR (2026-10-20)
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — home (regulated industries list) (2026-10-20)
- Electrical Safety and Licensing FAQs — TDLR (2026-10-20)
- Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors FAQs — TDLR (2026-10-20)
- Electricians Penalties and Sanctions — TDLR (2026-10-20)
- Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors Penalties and Sanctions — TDLR (2026-10-20)
- Complaints and Enforcement — TDLR (2026-10-20)
- Free Licensee List and Public License Search — Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (2026-10-20)