How to check a contractor license in Colorado

No. Colorado doesn't license general contractors or roofers at the state level, so check with the city or county where the house is, since many run their own contractor licensing. The state Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) does license electricians and plumbers, and its online lookup shows their license status and any discipline.

Does Colorado require a general contractor license?

No. DORA's own consumer page on home repair says that not all occupations are licensed, such as roofers and general contractors. It tells homeowners to check with their city before hiring an unlicensed professional, because county laws may add consumer protections.

That puts the first check with the local building department, not the state. Whether a remodeler or roofer needs a local license depends on the town or county, so ask the office where the house is. If you're checking contractors in more than one state, the state-by-state list covers the rest.

How do I check a contractor in Colorado?

Start with the city or county where the house is, then check any electrician or plumber with DORA. Colorado keeps no state record for a general contractor or roofer, so the local building department and the permit for the job are what you have to go on.

Call or search the building department in the city or county where the house is, and ask whether it licenses or registers contractors.
If it does, get the contractor's local license number and confirm it with that office.
Ask the building department whether the job needs a permit, and ask the contractor who will pull it.
Ask the contractor for a current certificate of insurance before any work starts.
For any electrician or plumber on the job, open DORA's license lookup at apps2.colorado.gov/dora/licensing/lookup and search by first and last name.
Confirm the license is active, and check whether the board has taken any disciplinary action.

We last checked this lookup on 2026-10-19. DORA's search may need to be opened in a regular web browser, because it blocked our test request that day. If it won't load for you, start from the State Electrical Board page or call the Division of Professions and Occupations at 303-894-7800. DORA says the license data behind the search is updated nightly.

What should you check where no license exists?

Check the paperwork the job leaves behind. Without a state license to look up, these are the records you have:

Ask the building department whether a permit was pulled for the work, and in whose name.
Get a current certificate of insurance from the contractor before work starts, not after.
Put the scope, price, payment schedule and start date in a written contract.
Ask the local building department whether it has anything on file about the contractor.

Who licenses electricians and plumbers in Colorado?

DORA's Division of Professions and Occupations does, through the State Electrical Board and the State Plumbing Board. Electrical contractors must also register with the state, and DORA runs a separate registration for plumbing contractors.

To register, an electrical contractor has to hold or employ a licensed master electrician who serves as the responsible individual. So the owner of a small electrical company may not be the licensed electrician, and that can still be legitimate. DORA's lookup covers both licensed people and businesses, so search the company name and the electrician's name.

What does a Colorado license lookup not tell you?

It tells you nothing about a general contractor or roofer, because the state doesn't license them. For the electricians and plumbers it does cover, it has other limits too:

It says nothing about the quality of the work. An active license with no discipline means the board hasn't acted against that person. It doesn't tell you whether past clients were happy.
Insurance is a separate question. Ask for a current certificate of insurance before a big job.
Discipline only shows if the board acted. A complaint that was never filed, or never led to action, won't appear.
Local licenses aren't in it. A city contractor license lives with that city, so DORA's search won't find it.

A job near a state line can involve a contractor based next door, so check that state's records too. The lookups for Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Utah are on their own pages.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm details with your city or county building department or DORA.

Sources

Agents can keep these contractors in Proferral

Proferral is a free app real estate agents use to keep a go-to list of the providers they trust and to remember every referral they send. Its license checks cover Oregon and Washington only, so for Colorado you still run the lookup above by hand. Here's how Proferral's license checks work.

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It's free, no credit card needed, and you're never charged unless you choose Pro.