How do I verify my Dallas contractor's TDLR trade cards?
Answered by AskBaily Editorial · Updated
Short answer
Go to tdlr.texas.gov, select the trade type (TECL for electrical, HVAC for mechanical, AC contractor, irrigator), and search by license number or business name. For plumbing, go to tsbpe.texas.gov — plumbing is licensed by a separate Texas board, not TDLR. Verify active status, expiration date, any disciplinary history, and bond/insurance-on-file. Verification is free and takes under two minutes per trade.
In detail
Verification in Texas is split across two state agencies, and homeowners who only check one will miss half their trades. Electrical, HVAC, air-conditioning, and irrigation licenses are administered by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). Plumbing is administered separately by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE), which is a standalone board, not a TDLR division.
For TDLR-administered trades, go to tdlr.texas.gov and use the License Search tool. Select the trade — Electrical Contractor or Master Electrician (license type TECL or TECM), Air Conditioning Contractor (ACR), HVAC Mechanical Contractor, or Licensed Irrigator (LI) — and search by license number, business name, or individual name. The result page shows current status (Active, Inactive, Expired, Revoked), expiration date, registered business address, the responsible Master licensee tied to the contractor license, any disciplinary or enforcement action history, and confirmation that the required surety bond and certificate of insurance are on file. The Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1305 governs electrical licensing and Chapter 1302 governs HVAC.
For plumbing, go to tsbpe.texas.gov and use the Look Up a Licensee tool. Plumbers are licensed under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1301 as Master Plumbers (M-license), Journeyman Plumbers (J-license), Tradesman Plumber-Limited (TPL), or Plumbing Inspectors. The TSBPE record shows status, expiration, endorsements (medical gas, multipurpose residential fire protection, water supply protection specialist), and any disciplinary history. Texas plumbing licensing is genuinely separate — a TDLR search will return zero results for a plumber, and that is not a red flag, it is the wrong database.
Both searches are free and run in under two minutes per trade. The minimum verification before signing a Dallas remodel contract should cover the General Contractor's Dallas registration plus separate license lookups for each subcontractor on each trade — electrician, plumber, HVAC, irrigator. Save screenshots of the active-status pages with the search timestamp; that record is the cleanest defense you have if a license lapses mid-project and a permit gets pulled.
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