All states North Dakota

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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota that is the North Dakota Secretary of State, Contractor Licensing (opens official site) license search at firststop.sos.nd.gov. Search by the number first; a name search can miss a business that is licensed under a different legal name.

   North Dakota splits licensing across more than one board: North Dakota Secretary of State, Contractor Licensing; North Dakota State Electrical Board; North Dakota State Plumbing Board. Electrical, plumbing or HVAC work may be licensed by a different board than general construction, so make sure you are searching the right one.

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 North Dakota 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

   North Dakota licenses general, electrical and 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? North Dakota may license it through a different board. See electricians in North Dakota , plumbers in North Dakota or HVAC contractors in North Dakota .

5. Know the small-job line

   North Dakota lets unlicensed people do small jobs under $4,000. A contractor license is required when the cost, value, or price per job exceeds $4,000. Above that line, the person doing the work needs a license, and the exemption doesn't cover someone who splits a big job into small invoices.

6. Ask for proof of insurance

   North Dakota requires insurance to hold a license: Certificate of liability insurance plus workers compensation (WSI) coverage proof.

   A bond is also required: No license bond; the statutory contractor bond (NDCC 43-07-11) was repealed in 1995.

   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.

7. 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. Building permits in North Dakota (opens official site) .

8. 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 North Dakota (opens official site) . Boards can suspend licenses, which gets attention a lawsuit doesn't.