How to check a contractor license in Michigan

In Michigan, home builders and remodelers are licensed by LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes as residential builders or maintenance and alteration contractors. Search the contractor's name or license number in LARA's online license search, confirm the license is active and the type fits the job, and check LARA's disciplinary action report before you hire.

How do I check a contractor license in Michigan?

Use Search for a Licensee in the Bureau of Construction Codes portal run by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). You can search by license number, license type, first and last name, business name, city or state, and then check the license status and type on the record.

Get the license number from the contract or the estimate, and ask for it if it isn't there.
Open the LARA Bureau of Construction Codes portal and choose "Search for a Licensee." We last checked this lookup on 2026-10-19.
Enter the license number, or the person's name or the business name. If a common name brings back too many results, narrow it by license type or city.
Check the license status. If the license isn't active, ask the contractor about it before anyone signs.
Check the license type. The list includes Residential Builder Company, Residential Builder Individual, Residential Builder M and A Company and Residential Builder M and A Individual, and the next two sections explain what each kind covers.
Match the business name on the record to the name on your contract.
Look for the contractor in LARA's disciplinary action reports. They sit on michigan.gov, which turned away our script on 2026-10-19, so open them in a regular web browser.

Does Michigan require a general contractor license?

Yes, for work on homes. Michigan's Occupational Code says no one may practice a regulated occupation without a license, and it defines a residential builder as anyone paid, other than wages for their own labor, to build, replace, repair, alter, add to, improve or demolish a residential structure.

The definition itself sets no dollar threshold. A separate section exempts a single project with a total contract price under $600, as long as the job wasn't split up to get under that amount. Owners working on a structure for their own use are exempt too. The license covers residential work, so for a commercial project, ask the local building department what applies.

What is a maintenance and alteration contractor license in Michigan?

It is the license for contractors who repair, alter, add to, improve or demolish a home, which is narrower than the residential builder license. The law's definition also names building a garage and laying concrete on residential property.

The same definition reaches people who buy homes, substantially rehabilitate them and resell them more than twice in one calendar year, with some exemptions. When you hire a remodeler, look at whether the record shows a residential builder license or an M and A license. If you aren't sure the license fits the job, ask the contractor what it covers.

Who licenses electricians and plumbers in Michigan?

LARA does, under the Skilled Trades Regulation Act, Act 407 of 2016. The act has separate articles for electricians and electrical contractors, mechanical contractors, and plumbers and plumbing contractors.

Those trade licenses are separate from the residential builder license, and the builder law exempts licensed electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors who stick to their own trade. They show up in the same LARA portal under types such as Electrical Contractor, Mechanical Contractor and Plumbing Contractor. If a job includes new wiring, plumbing or mechanical work, look up the person doing it too.

What should you check beyond the license?

Check what the record can't show: the quality of the work and whether the contractor's insurance is current today. A license search only tells you what the state has on file.

Ask the contractor for a current certificate of insurance.
Ask who will pull the permit, and confirm it with the local building department before work starts.
Ask past customers about the work itself, since the state doesn't track quality.

Every state has its own license rules and its own search. If the contractor works outside Michigan too, the guide on how to check a contractor license, state by state covers the other lookups.

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

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm details with LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes.

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

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