How we check

Every fact on a state page comes from an official source: a state licensing board, a state agency, a city or county government, or the state's own published laws. Each page lists those sources at the bottom.

If we can't confirm something from an official source, we say so instead of guessing. You'll see it marked Not confirmed.

How often we recheck

We recheck every state at least every 90 days, and we test every link to an official site on a regular schedule. Each state page shows the date it was last checked.

Contractor lookup

For Florida, Texas and Washington you can look up a contractor on this site. Those results come straight from each state's own published license data: Florida's weekly licensee files from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and the open-data services run by Texas's Department of Licensing and Regulation and Washington's Department of Labor & Industries. We don't edit the records.

What we don't do

• We're not the official record. The state's own license search is, so confirm there before you hire.
• We're not a government agency and aren't affiliated with any licensing board.
• We don't rate, rank or recommend contractors.
• This isn't legal advice. When in doubt, call the agency.