All states Indiana

1. Get the license number from the contractor

   Ask for the license number before anything else. A licensed contractor has it on the bid, the contract, the business card and often the truck. If someone says "we're licensed and insured" but can't produce a number on the spot, treat that as your first answer.

   Write down the exact business name as well as the number. In Indiana the license may be held by a company or by an individual, and the name on your contract has to match the name on the license.

2. Search the number on the official site

   Search the number on the official site. In Indiana that is the Indiana Plumbing Commission (Professional Licensing Agency) (opens official site) license search at mylicense.in.gov. Search by the number first; a name search can miss a business that is licensed under a different legal name.

3. Read the record: status, name, expiration

   Three things have to line up. The status should say active, current or valid, not expired, inactive, suspended or revoked. The name on the license should be the business or person on your contract. The expiration date should be after the day the work finishes, not just after the day you sign.

   Look for a complaints or discipline section on the record. Most Indiana license searches show open complaints, past discipline and sometimes bond claims. One old complaint on a long-running license is normal; several recent ones are not.

4. Check that the license covers your job

   Indiana licenses plumbing work at the state level. A license covers one kind of work, so a roofer's license doesn't cover your electrical panel, and a specialty license doesn't cover a whole remodel. Check that the classification or license type on the record matches the job you are hiring for.

   Hiring for one trade? Indiana may license it through a different board. See electricians in Indiana , plumbers in Indiana or HVAC contractors in Indiana .

5. Check the city or county license too

   This is the main check in Indiana. Cities and counties issue the contractor licenses, so search the building department for the place where the work will happen, not where the contractor's office is.

   Local searches we've confirmed: City of Indianapolis (Marion County) (opens official site) (Department of Business and Neighborhood Services); Allen County (Fort Wayne) (opens official site) (Allen County Building Department). Not listed? Call the building department for your city or county.

6. Know the small-job line

   Because licensing is local in Indiana, the small-job threshold is set by each city or county. Ask the building department what the limit is where you live.

7. Ask for proof of insurance

   Whatever the state requires, ask for a certificate of insurance made out to you, and call the insurer on the certificate to confirm it is current. A license search tells you the contractor met the requirement when the license was issued or renewed, not that the policy is still paid.

8. Make sure the permit is pulled in the contractor's name

   Any job that needs a permit should have the permit pulled by the contractor, under the contractor's license. A contractor who asks you to pull the permit as the homeowner is usually hiding a license problem. Permits come from the building department for your city or county.

9. If something goes wrong, file with the board

   If the contractor stops showing up, does work the permit doesn't cover, or the license turns out to be wrong, put it in writing to them first, stop paying, then file a complaint in Indiana (opens official site) . Boards can suspend licenses, which gets attention a lawsuit doesn't.