How to check a contractor license in Oregon and Washington

In Oregon, search the contractor's name or CCB number at the Construction Contractors Board's free license search and confirm the license is active, has a residential endorsement and a bond. In Washington, use L&I's Verify tool to confirm an active registration, bond and insurance, and check for lawsuits against the bond.

Checking takes two minutes and is worth doing before any contractor goes on your list. Here's how, step by step, with links to the official state tools.

How do you check a contractor license in Oregon?

In Oregon, it's illegal to remodel, repair, build or inspect homes for pay without a license from the Construction Contractors Board (CCB). That covers carpenters, roofers, painters, handymen, window installers, tree services, chimney cleaners, home inspectors and many more.

Get the CCB number. Oregon contractors must put their CCB number on business cards and advertising. If you can't find it, ask.
Open the CCB license search at search.ccb.state.or.us/search and search by license number or business name.
Confirm the license is active. A contractor with an inactive license can't bid on or do work on a home.
Check that the name matches. The business or person you're dealing with should match the license record exactly.
Look for a residential endorsement. Work on homes requires one. Without the right endorsement, the homeowner has no access to CCB mediation or the contractor's bond.
Check the lead-based paint license if the home was built before 1978. It's required to bid and work on those homes.
Note whether the contractor is exempt or non-exempt. Only non-exempt contractors can have employees, because exempt contractors don't carry workers' compensation coverage. A one-person exempt contractor showing up with a crew is a red flag.
Open the license history. The CCB shows 10 years of complaints and disciplinary actions on each license.

Not sure what you're seeing? Call the CCB at 503-378-4621. The CCB also publishes a Realtors Guide to Working with Contractors in Oregon (PDF) that's worth keeping on hand.

What about handymen in Oregon?

According to the CCB, any handyman doing work valued at $1,000 or more must be licensed, and so must any handyman who advertises, including with business cards. In practice, most handymen you'd put on a list need a CCB license.

Which other Oregon boards should you check?

Electricians and plumbers need a CCB license and an electrical or plumbing license from the Building Codes Division (BCD). Search at the BCD license search by name, business or license number.
Landscapers are licensed by the Landscape Contractors Board (LCB), which requires both an individual and a business license for landscaping work. Use the "Verify a License" link on the LCB consumer guide.

How do you look up a contractor license in Washington?

In Washington, contractors register with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), and electricians, plumbers, elevator installers and manufactured home installers must also be certified. One tool covers all of them.

Get the contractor's license number or UBI number, or the full business or owner name.
Open L&I's Verify tool at secure.lni.wa.gov/verify and search by L&I account ID, contractor license number, UBI number, or a full or partial business or owner name.
Confirm an active contractor registration. Check the business name and owners match who you're dealing with.
Check the bond and insurance. L&I says the tool helps you make sure the contractor is bonded and has liability insurance.
Look for lawsuits against the bond. These show up on the record and say a lot about past disputes.
Check the workers' comp account if the contractor has employees. The record shows whether the account is active and paid to date.
Review violations. Safety citations and other infractions appear on the record, along with whether they were corrected.
For electrical or plumbing work, confirm the tradesperson's certification in the same tool.

L&I's page on verifying a contractor, tradesperson or business explains the results, and its Hire Smart step-by-step guide covers bids, contracts and lien releases. A useful link to send clients before a big project.

What does a license lookup not tell you?

A clean record is a minimum, not a recommendation. Keep these limits in mind:

It says nothing about the quality of the work. Plenty of licensed contractors are slow, hard to reach or sloppy. Only your clients' experience tells you that.
Insurance may not be current today. In Oregon, the CCB records whether proof of liability insurance was submitted at licensing and at renewal. For a big job, ask the contractor for a current certificate of insurance.
A bond is limited. It pays up to its amount, which can be small next to the cost of a remodel or roof. It's a backstop, not full protection.
Complaints only show if they were filed with the board. A spotless record can mean unhappy customers just never filed.
Records can lag. Washington says its data updates on weekday mornings and that portions may not be current. When it matters, call the board.
It doesn't confirm who's at the door. Make sure the person on site works for the business on the license.

One more Oregon detail worth knowing: when a seller hires a contractor for repairs during escrow, the buyer may have no claim against that contractor later. The CCB suggests including a "contingency of sale for the benefit of the buyer" in the repair contract so the buyer can use CCB mediation.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm details with the state board or your broker.

How often should you recheck licenses on your list?

Licenses lapse, bonds get cancelled, and endorsements change. Check every vendor before they go on your list and at least every few months after. Recheck right away if a client reports a problem. Here's what to do when a vendor you referred does a bad job. For the rest of the upkeep, see what to put on a realtor vendor list.

Let Proferral watch Oregon and Washington licenses

Proferral is a free app that keeps your list and remembers every referral. License checks against state rosters are available in Oregon and Washington today. For providers licensed there, Proferral checks the license against the state roster every night, and on Pro you get an email when a license on your list changes. Add your providers on the Providers tab or import your existing list.

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