How to check a contractor license in Connecticut

Search the contractor on Connecticut's eLicense lookup, run by the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). Home improvement contractors must register with DCP before advertising or starting work on a home, and new home builders hold a separate registration. Electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors need their own trade licenses, which the same lookup also shows.

How do I check a contractor license in Connecticut?

Search the contractor on DCP's eLicense lookup and confirm an active Home Improvement Contractor or New Home Construction Contractor registration. DCP says the data in its License Lookup is maintained by the state, updated instantly and considered a primary source of verification.

Get the registration number, or the business name and the owner's first and last name.
Open the eLicense lookup at elicense.ct.gov/Lookup/LicenseLookup.aspx. You can search by license type, license number, business name, first and last name, or city.
Pick the right license type. Someone working on an existing home should hold a Home Improvement Contractor registration, and someone building a new home should hold a New Home Construction Contractor registration.
Confirm the status is active. If a common name returns a long list, filter it by License Status.
Check that the name and address on the record match the business you're dealing with.
If a salesperson pitched the job, look that person up too, since home improvement salespeople must register as well.

We last checked this lookup on 2026-10-19. The search page loaded normally that day. DCP's home improvement page for consumers tells homeowners to check licenses and registrations there before they hire anyone.

Does a home improvement contractor need to be registered in Connecticut?

Yes. Anyone who contracts with a homeowner to do work on residential property has to register with the Department of Consumer Protection, unless an exception applies.

The exceptions matter when you read a lookup result. A job with a contract under $200 doesn't need a registration, and neither does work covered by a trade license, such as an electrician doing electrical work. Building a new home falls under the separate New Home Construction Contractor registration instead. Work on commercial property and routine upkeep like mowing or snowplowing are outside it too.

Who licenses electricians and plumbers in Connecticut?

The Department of Consumer Protection does, through its occupational examining boards. The Electrical Work Examining Board covers electricians, the Plumbing and Piping Work Examining Board covers plumbers, and the Heating, Piping, Cooling and Sheet Metal Work Examining Board covers heating and cooling work.

Check each trade separately. A remodeler's home improvement registration says nothing about the electrician or plumber it brings in, and DCP warns that electrical, plumbing and HVAC work will likely need a more specific license. Look up the subcontractor's own name in the same eLicense search.

What is the Connecticut Home Improvement Guaranty Fund?

It is a state fund that can pay a homeowner up to $25,000 when a home improvement contractor doesn't pay a court judgment. You need a judgment against the contractor first, the contractor must have been registered with DCP, and the job had to cost more than $200.

The registration timing is looser than it sounds. DCP counts a contractor who was registered when you signed the contract, within two years of that date, or when the court judgment came in. Hiring a contractor who was never registered can cost you this protection, which is one more reason to run the lookup before anyone signs. DCP asks homeowners to apply within two years of the judgment.

What does a Connecticut license lookup not tell you?

It doesn't tell you whether the work will be any good. An active registration shows the contractor is on file with DCP, and the record has other limits too:

It says nothing about the quality of the work. Ask past clients, and look at finished jobs if you can.
Insurance is a separate question. Ask for a current certificate of insurance before a big job.
It won't show the subcontractors. Each electrician, plumber or HVAC contractor needs a lookup of their own.
The Guaranty Fund has a ceiling. It pays only after a court judgment, and $25,000 can be far less than a failed remodel costs.

A job near a state line can involve a contractor based next door, so check that state's records too. The lookups for New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are on their own pages.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm details with the Department of Consumer Protection.

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 Connecticut you still run the lookup above by hand. Here's how Proferral's license checks work.

Start your list, free

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