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Waco contractor license lookup: which state license, where to search, and what the permits show

Waco has no city contractor license, and Texas licenses only some trades: electricians and air-conditioning contractors through TDLR, plumbers (gas lines included) through the State Board of Plumbing Examiners, and irrigators through TCEQ. Roofers, remodelers and home builders hold no state license at all. In our Waco file, 80.0% of the 205 electrical firms that pulled permits from June 2023 to May 2026 matched an active state license, against 1.2% of 259 roofing firms, which is what no license looks like.

By Contractor Records · data through June 9, 2026

Which license each job needs in Waco

Work Who licenses it Where to check Waco firms matched to an active license
Electrical, solar wiring TDLR (Electrical Contractor, with a Master Electrician) TDLR License Search 80.0% of 205
A/C, heat pump, furnace TDLR (Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor) TDLR License Search 80.4% of 138
Plumbing, water heaters Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE), responsible master plumber TSBPE public search 74.2% of 132
Gas lines TSBPE: Texas law counts piping that supplies "water, other liquid, or gas" as plumbing (Occ. Code 1301.002) TSBPE public search 78.5% of 93
Lawn sprinklers and backflow TCEQ licensed irrigator TCEQ license search not matched by us
Roofing, remodeling, new homes, pools Nobody at state level The permit record 1.2% (roofing), 1.5% (new homes): a handful of matches, likely firms that also hold a trade license

Waco's own rule ties the two together. Trade permits require registration, and contractors "must show proof of their state licensing for mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and irrigation work"; subcontractors "must be licensed and are required to permit their own work", and the City charges no registration fee (City of Waco, Construction Permits, read 21 October 2026). To register, a trade contractor emails permits@wacotx.gov its license, the license holder's driver's license and a certificate of insurance naming the City of Waco (City of Waco, Registering & Applying). The City's list of license types also includes propane and electrical sign contractors.

How to run the lookup in five minutes

  1. Get the license number and the license holder's name from the quote. In Texas the trade license belongs to a person (the master electrician, the A/C contractor, the responsible master plumber), so ask whose license the permit will be pulled under.
  2. Electrician or A/C: search TDLR License Search by number or business name. It shows active licenses only, with the expiry date. Then search TDLR's disciplinary actions for the company.
  3. Plumber or gas line: search the TSBPE public license search for the responsible master plumber and check the company name on the record matches the one on your quote.
  4. Sprinkler system: search the TCEQ license database. TCEQ says nobody may "sell, design, install, maintain, alter, repair, service or inspect an irrigation system" in Texas without its license; our Waco sprinkler guide has the City's irrigation permit rules.
  5. Roofer, remodeler or builder: there is nothing to search at the state. Open the firm on our Waco list and read its permits instead: how many, how recent, and how many reached final.
  6. Check the permit itself on the City's Citizen Self Service portal, where permits are applied for and inspection results posted.

What Waco's permits show

Trade Permits Firms Finished Usual days to final Busiest firm, last 12 months
Electrical 3,683 205 89.1% 121 In Charge Electrical (348)
Plumbing 2,718 132 89.6% 127 J & S Plumbing (309)
HVAC 2,247 138 93.8% 112 Haught Air Conditioning, Inc (163)
Gas line 854 93 93.6% 3 Cornerstone Plumbing (28)
Roofing 2,843 259 70.1% 41 Cen-Tex Roofing Systems (86)
Remodel and repair 262 99 58.8% 300 GL Hunt Foundation Repair (16)
New home 1,571 134 97.2% 174 D. R. Horton (164)

"Finished" is the share of permits a year or more old that reached final; days to final count open permits as unfinished.

Two things stand out. The licensed trades close: 93.8% of HVAC and 93.6% of gas permits reached final. The unlicensed ones are where the spread is. Among the 43 roofing firms with 10 or more permits, the 10th-percentile firm finished 18.0% and 22 finished under 70%, against a 90th percentile of 97.0%. With no license to check, that finished share is the closest thing to a track record. The usual Waco roofing permit was filed at $10,000 (middle half of firms $9,000 to $16,111).

See every Waco roofer by finished share →

Where to complain

Electrical and A/C: TDLR's complaints page. Plumbing and gas: TSBPE's General Complaint Form, (512) 936-5200. Irrigation: TCEQ, whose irrigation inspectors "investigate complaints". Roofers, remodelers and builders have no state board; the step-by-step route, including Texas justice court up to $20,000, is in Contractor didn't finish the job.

What this lookup does not tell you

We match firms to TDLR's A/C and electrical contractor file and TSBPE's responsible master plumber list by company name, so a firm that permits under a different name shows as unmatched, not unlicensed. We do not match TCEQ irrigator licenses. A license says the firm may do the work; it says nothing about how its last job went. Waco's file in our data runs June 2023 to May 2026, so a firm that started this summer will not appear yet. For statewide rules and penalties, see How to check a contractor's license in Texas.

How we know this

Source: City of Waco building permits on homes, 2023-06 to 2026-05, snapshot 9 June 2026, classified by us into trades from the City's permit type and description. License status is our name match against the TDLR public license file (A/C and electrical contractors) and the TSBPE responsible master plumber company list. "Finished" is the share of permits 365+ days old with a final; days to final count open permits as unfinished. Licensing rules are quoted from TDLR, TSBPE, TCEQ, the Texas Occupations Code and the City of Waco's Inspection Services pages, read 20 and 21 October 2026.

Numbers come from City of Waco EnerGov building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits on homes (the city's June 9, 2026 permit extract), with the contractor taken from each permit's public contact list on the city's Citizen Self Service site, data through June 9, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.

Questions

  • Does Waco license general contractors?

    No, and neither does Texas. Waco asks trade contractors (plumbing, electrical, mechanical, irrigation) to show their state license when they register for permits; TDLR's list of regulated industries has no general contractor, home builder or roofer. For those, the permit record is the record.

  • How do I look up a Waco electrician or A/C contractor?

    On TDLR's License Search (tdlr.texas.gov/LicenseSearch), by license number or business name. It lists active licenses only, so a firm that does not come up is unlicensed, expired or spelled differently; call TDLR on 800-803-9202 to check.

  • Who licenses gas line work in Waco?

    The Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. Texas law defines plumbing to include piping used to supply "water, other liquid, or gas" (Occupations Code 1301.002), and Waco requires a gas permit for the service line from the meter or for gas piping in the house.

  • Can a Waco homeowner pull their own permit?

    For electrical, plumbing, mechanical and irrigation work, only on their own homestead and only if they do the work themselves; otherwise those permits "must be pulled by a licensed trade contractor" (City of Waco).

  • How do I see a contractor's permits in Waco?

    Search the address or permit on the City's Citizen Self Service portal (selfservice.wacotx.gov), or open the firm's page here, which lists its Waco permits from June 2023 to May 2026 with the share that reached final.

Build your own list

Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.

Waco, TX electricalWaco, TX plumbingWaco, TX gas lineWaco, TX HVACWaco, TX irrigation & backflowWaco, TX roofingWaco, TX remodel & repairWaco, TX new home

Related guides

All guides →

Sources
  1. License Search — Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (2026-10-20)
  2. Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation — home (regulated industries list) (2026-10-20)
  3. Complaints and Enforcement — TDLR (2026-10-20)
  4. Free Licensee List and Public License Search — Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (2026-10-20)
  5. File a Complaint — Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (2026-10-21)
  6. Texas Occupations Code § 1301.002 Definitions (plumbing) (2026-10-21)
  7. Landscape Irrigation licensing — Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (2026-10-21)
  8. Registering & Applying for a Permit — City of Waco Inspection Services (2026-10-21)
  9. Construction Permits — City of Waco Inspection Services (2026-10-21)
  10. Do I Need a Permit? — City of Waco Inspection Services (2026-10-21)