How to check a contractor license in Iowa

Iowa registers contractors instead of licensing them. Anyone who earns $2,000 or more a year from construction work must register with the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), and its public search shows whether a registration is current. Electricians and plumbers hold separate state licenses, so check those in their own searches too.

How do I check a contractor license in Iowa?

Look up the contractor's registration in DIAL's public search, then check any electrical or plumbing license in that trade's own search. DIAL links the registration search from its contractor registration page under the label Check a contractor license.

Get the business name or the contractor registration number from the bid, or ask the contractor for it.
Open DIAL's contractor registration page and click Check a contractor license. That link opens the public registration search on Iowa's labor portal.
Search for the business and confirm that its registration is current.
Check that the business name on the record matches the name on the bid and the contract.
If the job includes electrical, plumbing or HVAC work, look up that license too, using the searches described below.

We last checked this lookup on 2026-10-19. The registration search is a web app that didn't load when we tested it outside a browser that day, so open it in a regular web browser. If it still won't load, call DIAL's contractor registration line at 515-242-5871 and ask them to look up the business.

Does Iowa require a general contractor license?

No. Iowa requires contractors to register with DIAL instead of holding a license, and the rule applies to anyone who earns $2,000 or more a year from construction work. People who earn less than that, or who work only on their own property, don't have to register.

A registration tells you the business is on file with the state, and that's about all it tells you. DIAL's page describes an application and a fee but says nothing about an exam, so don't read a registration as proof of skill. The requirement comes from Iowa Code chapter 91C.

Who licenses electricians and plumbers in Iowa?

Electricians get their licenses through DIAL's electrical licensing program, and plumbing and HVAC contractors get theirs from the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (PMSB). Each has its own search, separate from the contractor registration search.

The electrical license search takes a first or last name, a business name, a licensing status, a city, a state or an Iowa county. You can also search by the six-digit license number. License types on the record include Electrical Contractor, Master, Journeyman, Residential Electrician and Residential Electrical Contractor, so check that the type fits the job.

The PMSB licenses contractors who provide plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, refrigeration, sheet metal or hydronic systems work. Its single application covers both the board license and the DIAL contractor registration, so a plumbing or HVAC contractor normally holds both. DIAL lists the PMSB license search on its record searches page, and the PMSB line is 866-280-1521.

What should you check when Iowa has no general contractor license?

Treat the registration as a starting point. It shows the contractor is on file with the state, but it says nothing about the quality of the work or whether the insurance is current.

Ask the city or county building department whether the job needs a permit and whether the city has its own rules for contractors.
Ask for a current certificate of insurance, and check the dates on it.
Get a written contract that names the business exactly as the registration search shows it.
Look up the electrical or PMSB license of anyone doing that trade work on the job.

A job near a state line can involve a contractor based next door, so check that state's records too. The lookups for Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota are on their own pages.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm details with DIAL.

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 Iowa 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.