How to verify a New York contractor's license in 2026 (3-minute guide)
New York is the hardest state to verify because licensing is split across three boards: NYC DCWP for Home Improvement Contractors in the five boroughs, NYC DOB for plumbing and electrical trades, and NY State DOS for residential work outside NYC. This guide walks all three — in under four minutes.
Which board covers your contractor?
- NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) — residential GC work in NYC (all 5 boroughs) over $200. License type: HIC (Home Improvement Contractor).
- NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) — trade licenses for NYC plumbing (LMP), electrical (LME), sprinkler, rigging.
- New York State Department of State, Division of Licensing Services — residential GC work OUTSIDE NYC. License type: HIC. Several counties (Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland) additionally require a county-level license.
Six steps to verify
- Step 1
Figure out which board your contractor should be licensed with
If the project is residential renovation in NYC (all five boroughs) and the contract is over $200, the contractor needs a DCWP Home Improvement Contractor license. If the project is plumbing or electrical in NYC, they also need a DOB Licensed Master Plumber (LMP) or Licensed Master Electrician (LME) license for the trade work. If the project is residential in NY State OUTSIDE NYC (Long Island, Westchester, upstate), the contractor needs a NY DOS Home Improvement Contractor registration (county-level rules vary).
- Step 2
For NYC residential work: check DCWP HIC
Navigate to the DCWP license search. HIC numbers are 7 digits with a '-DCA' suffix (e.g. 1234567-DCA). Enter the number or business name. Look for Status = ACTIVE. The record shows business name, borough, expiration, and any actions. DCWP is strict — suspensions and revocations are published in real time.
- Step 3
For NYC plumbing or electrical: check DOB BIS (Building Information System)
Navigate to a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb. This portal is older and more navigation-heavy. Under 'Licensees' search by license type (Plumber — LMP, Electrician — LME) and number. The record shows licensee name, status, and any DOB violations or disciplinary actions. Note: DOB BIS is JavaScript-heavy and sometimes requires a patient second page-load.
- Step 4
For work outside NYC: check NY State DOS
Navigate to appext20.dos.ny.gov/lcns_public/chk_load. Select 'Home Improvement Contractor' and enter the registration number. NY State DOS registers HICs for residential work outside the five boroughs — Long Island, Westchester, upstate. Note that several counties (Suffolk, Nassau, Rockland, Westchester) have separate COUNTY registries on top of state registration; ask the contractor for both.
- Step 5
Verify insurance and bonding
New York requires a $250,000 minimum general liability policy for residential contractors, plus workers' compensation if employees are on payroll. DCWP separately requires a $25,000 surety bond for HIC licensees (waived when a larger bond is posted in lieu). Ask the contractor for ACORD 25 and confirm the expiration dates on both policies line up with your project schedule.
- Step 6
Check disciplinary history on all applicable boards
DCWP, DOB, and DOS each maintain separate disciplinary records. A DCWP HIC can be clean while that same contractor is under DOB violation for unpermitted work, or vice versa. For a full-picture check, look at all boards the contractor touches. NYC also publishes building violations by address at dobnow.nyc.gov — cross-check any addresses the contractor claims as past work.
Red flags specific to New York
- DCWP HIC but the contractor is bidding plumbing or electrical work (needs LMP / LME sub)
- Licensed in NYC but working in Nassau or Westchester (wrong jurisdiction)
- NY State DOS HIC claimed but no county-level license when working in Nassau/Suffolk/Westchester/Rockland
- Open DCWP complaint or DOB violation history
- Insurance below the $250,000 minimum GL
- No DCWP surety bond posted for HIC license
Use AskBaily's free tool
Our /tools/contractor-check handles DCWP HIC and DOB LMP fully via the NYC Open Data Socrata feed. For LME (electrical) and NY State DOS, the tool deep-links to the official portals since those boards have not yet published open-data feeds. Either way, trust the board portal as the source of truth.
Frequently asked questions
My contractor only has a DCWP license. Do they also need DOB?
A DCWP HIC license covers scope, contract terms, and consumer protection. It is NOT a construction skill license. Actual plumbing, electrical, gas, and sprinkler work inside a building must be performed (or supervised) by a person holding the relevant DOB trade license (LMP for plumbing, LME for electrical, etc.). A DCWP-licensed GC coordinating subcontractors is fine — the subcontractors must each hold the appropriate DOB trade license.
What does '-DCA' mean in HIC numbers?
DCA is the historical name of the agency — Department of Consumer Affairs, which was renamed Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) in 2020. The HIC number suffix remained '-DCA' for continuity. A license number 1234567-DCA is the same license as HIC 1234567.
I'm in Nassau County — do I check NY State DOS or the county?
Both. NY State DOS issues the Home Improvement Contractor registration. Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs additionally requires a county-level HIC license for residential work in the county. Suffolk County is similar. Westchester County and Rockland County each have their own consumer-protection offices. Ask the contractor for both the NY State DOS number AND the county license number.
The DOB BIS portal is confusing. Is there an easier way?
DOB BIS is notoriously 1990s. The newer DOB NOW portal (a810-dobnow.nyc.gov) is prettier but doesn't cover every license lookup yet. For trade licenses (LMP, LME), BIS is still the most reliable. Our /tools/contractor-check queries the NYC Open Data Socrata feed for LMP licenses, which is the same underlying database BIS renders.
Can I use AskBaily's tool for New York?
Yes — partially. Our /tools/contractor-check handles DCWP HIC lookups fully via the NYC Open Data Socrata feed. It also handles LMP (Licensed Master Plumber) lookups. For LME (Licensed Master Electrician) and NY State DOS HIC registrations, our tool routes to manual-verify mode with deep-links to the official portals — because those boards have not opened their data as Socrata feeds yet. The links go to the same boards you'd visit anyway, just pre-filled with your license number.