All states Virginia

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.

   Virginia DPOR license numbers are ten digits that start with the board and license type, like 2705 123456 for a contractor or 2710 123456 for a tradesman. The class (A, B or C) and specialties are on the record.

2. Search the number on the official site

   Search the number on the official site. In Virginia that is the Virginia Board for Contractors (Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation) (opens official site) license search at dpor.virginia.gov. Search by the number first; a name search can miss a business that is licensed under a different legal name.

   You can also look the contractor up here . Our results come from Virginia's own published license file, so they are a fast first check, but the official record is live and also shows complaints and discipline.

   Virginia splits licensing across more than one board: Virginia Board for Contractors (Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation); Virginia Tradesmen Program (Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation). 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 Virginia 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

   Virginia licenses general, residential, commercial, electrical, plumbing and HVAC 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? Virginia may license it through a different board. See electricians in Virginia , plumbers in Virginia or HVAC contractors in Virginia .

5. Know the small-job line

   Virginia lets unlicensed people do small jobs under $1,000. A Class C license applies to single contracts over $1,000 and under $30,000 (or under $250,000 total in 12 months), so jobs of $1,000 or less do not require a contractor license. 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

   A bond is also required: Class B firms must show $15,000 net worth or post a $50,000 surety bond; Class C has no financial requirement listed.

   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. Permits come from the building department for your city or county.

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