Pittsburgh contractor license lookup: HIC registration, City trade licenses and the permits

Which license each job needs in Pittsburgh

The state side: the Department of Labor & Industry says "The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania currently has no licensure or certification requirements for most construction contractors" (L&I). The Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act instead requires registration, leaving out only a person whose home improvements came to "less than $5,000 during the previous taxable year". The Attorney General's fee is "$100 every two years" (AG); there is no exam.

The City side, from PLI's Licensing Rules and Regulations (amended through 12 March 2026): "Contractors with current and valid Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor ("HIC") registration may provide their HIC registration/license information in lieu of obtaining a general contractor license", while the General Contractor page says the City license "is required for all work performed under a Commercial Building Permit". An HVAC/Mechanical Trade License "is required in order to install, erect, enlarge, repair, alter, remove, convert or replace any mechanical system in the City of Pittsburgh", and "Trade licensees must carry a copy of their PLI-issued trade license at all times while performing work under permits issued by PLI."

Plumbers answer to the county: the Plumbing Program "issues licenses for Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master Plumbers upon passage of the exam", and plumbing permits are filed through its Citizen Access portal (read 22 October 2026).

How to run the lookup in five minutes

1. Ask for the PA number, and for electrical or HVAC work, the name and number on the tradesperson's City license.
2. HIC registration: search hicsearch.attorneygeneral.gov by the registration number. Only active registrations appear, and each has a downloadable business report. Nothing found: call 1-888-520-6680.
3. City trade license: ask to see the card the tradesperson must carry, note the name and number, and confirm with OneStopPGH on 412-255-2175. We found no public trade-license search on PLI's pages.
4. Plumber: call the County Plumbing Program on 412-578-8123 with the master plumber's name.
5. Track record: open the firm on our Pittsburgh electrician list, HVAC list or remodeler list.

How to search Pittsburgh permit records

The City's permit status page sends anyone who is not the applicant, "even if the work is on a property you own", to OneStopPGH Insights, a record of current and historic permits, applications and enforcement actions searchable by address or record type. Applicants log in to OneStopPGH to track their own. Plumbing permits are on the County's portal, not the City's.

Insights is organised by address. Ours is organised by firm: each firm's Pittsburgh permits, its City license match and the share completed, on the Pittsburgh permit statistics page and the compare lists.

What 9,673 Pittsburgh permits show

"Completed" is the share of permits a year or more old that reached completion; days are our estimate from status and permit age. The remodel column is the one to read: 123 remodel firms matched a City license that is no longer active, and only 62.3% of remodel permits a year or more old were completed. Among the 104 electrical firms with 10 or more permits, the 10th-percentile firm completed 72.7% and the 90th 96.3%.

See every Pittsburgh electrician by permits completed →

Red flags in Pittsburgh

• No PA number on the quote. The Act requires it in advertisements and on every contract, estimate and proposal (73 P.S. § 517.6).
• An electrician or HVAC mechanic who cannot show a City trade license card.
• A plumber who is not a county-licensed master, or who asks you to file the plumbing permit.
• A remodeler whose City license is no longer active: 123 in our file.
• A firm that has gone quiet: 52 remodelers and 28 electrical firms with 5+ permits filed none in the last 12 months of our data.

What this lookup does not tell you

Since mid-2024 the City has filed most residential building permits without a contractor name, so our remodel and new-home rankings mostly reflect earlier work. Our license status is a name match against the City's contractor and trade license files: trade licenses are held by people and permits are often filed under a company, so 75.1% of electrical firms did not match. That is our gap, not proof a firm is unlicensed. HIC registrations are not matched. Plumbing permits are issued by the County and are not in our file. Statewide rules, the three-day cancellation right and penalties are in How to check a contractor's license in Pennsylvania.