How to check a contractor license in Delaware

Delaware has no statewide general contractor license. Every contractor working in the state needs a business license from the Division of Revenue, which you can confirm in its free business license search. Electricians, plumbers and HVACR contractors also need a state license from the Division of Professional Regulation, and you can check those in DELPROS.

How do I check a contractor license in Delaware?

Look the business up in the Division of Revenue's business license search, then check any electrician, plumber or HVACR contractor in DELPROS. The first search tells you the business holds a Delaware business license, and the second tells you a tradesperson holds a state license.

Get the exact business name the contractor uses on its estimate or contract.
Open the Division of Revenue's business license search at revenue.delaware.gov/business-license-search and search by business name. You can narrow it by business activity, address, city, state or ZIP code.
Find the matching result and note the license number and the business activity.
Check the Valid From and Valid To dates, and make sure today falls between them.
Confirm the location on the result matches the business you're dealing with, since two companies can have similar names.
For electrical, plumbing or HVACR work, look the tradesperson up in DELPROS as well.

We last checked this lookup on 2026-10-19. Both searches loaded normally that day. If you get stuck, the Division of Revenue's business tax line is (302) 577-8780, and the Division of Professional Regulation answers at (302) 744-4500.

Does Delaware require a general contractor license?

No. Delaware has no state license that tests a general contractor's skill, but every contractor doing business in the state must register with the Division of Revenue and hold a business license.

The Division of Revenue has separate registration packages for resident and nonresident contractors, so a roofer based in Maryland who takes a job in Delaware still needs the Delaware license. That license is about registering the business and its taxes, not about training. The town or county where the house is may have rules of its own, so ask the local office as well.

Who licenses electricians and plumbers in Delaware?

The Division of Professional Regulation does, through two boards. The Board of Electrical Examiners licenses electricians, and the Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners licenses plumbers and HVACR contractors.

The electrical board issues apprentice, journeyperson, master electrician, master electrician special, limited electrician and limited electrician special licenses. The special and limited licenses restrict the holder to a specialty such as elevators or HVAC systems, so check that the license type fits the job. The plumbing board issues master plumber, master HVACR and master restricted HVACR licenses, and a restricted license is limited to a specialty such as air conditioning.

Search either kind in DELPROS by name, profession, license type or license number, or search a company by facility name. If the Discipline column says Yes, click it to see the history and open each document.

What does a Delaware business license not tell you?

It doesn't tell you the contractor passed any test or carries insurance. A business license shows the business is registered for tax, and the record has other gaps too:

It isn't a skills check. The Division of Revenue's contractor page describes registration and a business license, not training or an exam.
It doesn't show insurance. The result lists a license number, business activity, dates and location. Ask for a current certificate of insurance before a big job.
It doesn't show complaints. For tradespeople, the DELPROS Discipline column is the closest thing, so ask a general contractor for references from recent jobs.
It says nothing about the quality of the work. Only past clients can tell you whether the work held up.

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

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm details with the Division of Revenue or the Division of Professional Regulation.

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

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