How to check a contractor license in Kansas

Kansas has no statewide general contractor license, so what a contractor needs depends on the county or city. Roofers are the exception, because they must register with the Kansas Attorney General, and you can look them up in its online roofing registration search. In Johnson County, search the county's contractor license lookup by company or person.

How do I check a contractor license in Kansas?

Start with the county or city where the house is, because that's where Kansas contractors get licensed. Then check any roofer separately with the Kansas Attorney General.

Find out which county and city the home is in, and ask that building department whether it licenses contractors.
In Johnson County, open the county's contractor license search. You can search by company name or number, by a person's last and first name, or by license class.
Confirm the license class fits the job. Class C covers single-family homes and duplexes, and a trade job needs the matching trade class.
Check that the company name on the record matches the bid and the contract.
For any roof work, look the roofer up in the Attorney General's roofing registration search.

We last checked this lookup on 2026-10-19. The Johnson County search loaded normally that day, but the Attorney General's site refused our test request outside a browser, so open the roofing search in a regular web browser. If it won't load, start from the Attorney General's main site at ag.ks.gov. For a Johnson County license, you can call Contractor Licensing at 913-715-2233.

Does Kansas require a general contractor license?

No, not at the state level. Kansas leaves general contractor licensing to counties and cities, so the rules can change when you cross a county line.

Johnson County shows how a local program works. Its general classes are A for any structure, B for structures up to three stories and C for single-family and two-family homes, and none of the three lets the holder do HVAC, plumbing, electrical or fire protection work. In Sedgwick County, the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD) licenses roofing companies and handles roofing permits and inspections. Other places set their own rules, so ask the local building department.

How do I check if a roofer is registered in Kansas?

Search the Kansas Attorney General's roofing registration database for the company. Roofers must hold a registration certificate from the Attorney General under the Kansas Roofing Contractor Registration Act, and the office keeps a public database so consumers can check it.

Don't treat a listing as a recommendation, because the Legislature's summary of the law says the database is not an endorsement of any roofer. A missing name isn't always a problem either. Under K.S.A. 50-6,122, a general contractor can be exempt when roofing is less than half the project cost, or when it hires a registered roofer for the roof, as long as it doesn't sell door to door. That's why a builder handling a whole remodel may not show up in the search.

Who licenses electricians and plumbers in Kansas?

Counties and cities do, in the places that require a license. In Johnson County, electricians hold a DE license, plumbers hold a DP license and mechanical contractors hold a DM license, and each of those classes allows only that one trade.

Outside Johnson County, call the building department for the city or county where the work happens. Ask what license the job needs and how to look one up. A license from one county doesn't tell you what the next county requires.

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

Check the local license first, then cover what a license search can't show you. A license record says nothing about the quality of the work.

Ask the local building department whether the job needs a license and a permit.
Ask for a current certificate of insurance, and check the dates on it.
Get a written contract that names the company exactly as the license or registration record does.
For roof work, check the Attorney General registration even when the county license looks fine.

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

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

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 Kansas 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.