How to Read a Contractor License Record: Number, Status, Expiry and Issuer

A license record is the entry an agency keeps for one licensee: who holds the license, what it covers, whether it is in good standing, and when it runs out. Every GroundRoster listing shows the fields from the public licensing roster it came from, worded the way the roster words them, with the date we last checked and a link to the issuing agency. This guide explains each field so you can read a record in a minute and know which questions to take to the agency or the contractor.

The fields, one at a time

Name on the license record

This is the name the agency licensed. It is often a person, not a business, because many agencies license the individual who passed the exam or holds the experience. A company may operate under a trade name that appears nowhere on the record. That is normal, but it means you should ask which named person holds the license for your job and how that person is connected to the business sending the crew.

License number

Each agency has its own numbering, so a number from one state tells you nothing in another. The number is the fastest way to find the current record at the agency, since names are misspelled and businesses change hands. Some rosters are simple lists with a certificate number rather than a license number; our listings label those "Certificate or license number".

License type

The type is what the license covers: installer, pumper or hauler, inspector, designer or soil evaluator, well driller, pump installer, and so on. Names differ by agency, and a few rosters give a category rather than a type, which our listings label "Listed as". A couple of rosters add a credential beside the name, such as the Texas sanitarian and engineer designations, which we show as "Credential (as the roster lists it)". The type is the field people skip and should not: a pumper's license does not cover installation, and an installer's license may not cover inspection or design.

License status

The status is the agency's own word for where the license stands. Wordings such as Active, Current, Clear, Valid, Licensed or In effect mean the license is in good standing with that agency, and our listings mark those with a "Licensed" pill. Any other wording is printed as the roster gives it, because the same word can mean different things at different agencies. If you see a status you do not recognize, ask the agency what it means.

Issued, expiry and renewal dates

Most records carry an issue date and an expiry date, and some add the date of the last renewal. Two things make expiry dates easy to misread.

• Cycle-wide dates. Some agencies renew every license on the same day and stamp that one date on every record. On GroundRoster the Kansas, Michigan and Georgia rosters and Kentucky's septic roster work this way, and the listing says so. A cycle date tells you when the whole roster renews, not how long this licensee has been licensed.
• A passed date in a copy. Our listings come from roster copies with a last-checked date. If the expiry date in our copy has passed, the agency may already have renewed the license since. The listing says "the expiry date in our copy has passed" and points you to the agency, and that is exactly what to do. A passed date in a copy is not the same as an expired license.

Licensed by

The issuer is usually a state agency: a department of health or environment, a licensing board, or a natural resources department. In some states the county health department issues the license for these trades. On GroundRoster, listings from Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, New York, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming name a county as the issuer. A county license may not be valid one county over, so if your home sits near a county line, ask whether the contractor is licensed where the work will happen.

Based in

The address on a record is whatever the licensee gave the agency. It may be a home address or a post office box rather than a shop, and it may be far from where the contractor actually works. Use it as a rough guide to service area, not as proof of one.

Source and last checked

Every listing ends with the roster it came from, the date we last checked it, and a link to look the license up at the issuing agency. Rosters change daily and our copy does not, so the agency's record is the current one and ours is the pointer to it.

Check it at the source

1. Open the listing and note the license number and the issuing agency.
2. Follow the "Look it up at the issuing agency" link, or search the agency's site for its license lookup.
3. Search by number first. If the agency's lookup finds nothing by number, try the name, and expect spelling differences.
4. Compare status, type and expiry with what the contractor told you. The agency's record wins any disagreement with ours.

If you only have a name or a number and no listing yet, the license lookup searches the rosters we hold by name, business name or license number, and each result links to its agency. If there is no match, the contractor may be licensed in a state or trade we do not yet carry, or under a different name, so go to the agency directly before drawing a conclusion.

Mismatches worth a question

• The license type does not cover the work you are hiring for.
• The name on the record is not the person or business on the quote, and no one can explain the connection.
• The status is anything other than a good-standing word, and the contractor cannot say why.
• The expiry date has passed and the agency's current record shows no renewal.
• The issuer is a county other than the one where the work will happen.
• The contractor cannot produce a license number at all. Our guide to choosing a septic company lists the other red flags.

What a license record does not tell you

A license shows the agency's minimum requirement was met and the license is current. It does not tell you how good the work is, whether the contractor carries insurance or a bond, or whether complaints have been filed. Some agencies publish disciplinary actions and some do not, so ask the agency. Ask the contractor for a certificate of insurance, and ask for references on jobs like yours. For a home purchase, pair the license check with the inspection steps in our guide to buying a house with a well and septic.

Where to go next

You can search licensed contractors near you, and each listing shows the fields above as its roster lists them. State pages, linked at the foot of every page, describe who issues licenses in each state and link to the agencies. Licensing rules vary by state, so the agency named on the record is the authority on what its license means.

Common questions