How to check a contractor license in Tennessee

Tennessee's Board for Licensing Contractors requires a contractor's license for any project of $25,000 or more. In nine counties, including Davidson, Knox and Shelby, remodeling jobs from $3,000 to $24,999 need a home improvement license. Search the contractor's name or license number at verify.tn.gov to confirm the license is active before the job starts.

How do I check a contractor license in Tennessee?

Search the contractor's name or license number at verify.tn.gov, the state's Verify a License search. The search may need to be opened in a regular web browser, because it sends you on to the Department of Commerce and Insurance's search page.

Ask the contractor for the license number. A Tennessee contractor's license comes with a classification and a monetary limit, so ask about those too.
Open verify.tn.gov in a regular web browser.
Choose the Board for Licensing Contractors and search by name or license number.
Confirm the license is active and that the name on it matches the business you're dealing with.
Check that the price of your job fits under the license's monetary limit. Going over that limit is one of the complaint types the board lists.
For a job under $25,000, ask the county or city building office whether a home improvement, electrical or plumbing license applies there.

We last checked this lookup on 2026-10-19. If the search won't load, start from the board's page at tn.gov/commerce/regboards/contractors, which has its own Verify a License link. You can also call the Department of Commerce and Insurance at (615) 741-2241.

When does Tennessee require a contractor license?

Tennessee requires a contractor's license for any project of $25,000 or more. The Board for Licensing Contractors issues it, and the board has regulated contractors since 1931.

Subcontractors are usually exempt, with a few exceptions. Electrical, plumbing, mechanical, HVAC and roofing subcontractors must be licensed for work of $25,000 or more. Masonry subcontractors must be licensed when the total project is $100,000 or more. Those numbers come from the board's written answers for its 2020 sunset review, so ask the board if a number matters to your job.

Do I need a home improvement license in Tennessee?

Only in nine counties. In Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Haywood, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford and Shelby counties, residential remodeling jobs from $3,000 to $24,999 need a home improvement license from the state board.

Outside those counties, a remodel under $25,000 may need no state license at all unless a limited electrical or plumbing license applies. The Board for Licensing Contractors issues home improvement licenses too, so you can look one up through the same Verify a License search.

Who licenses electricians and plumbers in Tennessee?

The Board for Licensing Contractors does, through its Limited Licensed Electrician and Limited Licensed Plumber licenses for jobs under $25,000. Only the counties that adopted them require them, and the board last reported about 65 counties for electricians and about 50 for plumbers.

Electrical and plumbing work of $25,000 or more falls under the regular contractor's license instead. The county list can change, so ask the local building office which license applies to your job. The board also lets a homeowner do electrical and plumbing work on their own home without either limited license.

What does a Tennessee lookup not tell you?

A license record shows whether the license is active, not the quality of anyone's work. It also doesn't show insurance on file for your particular job, so ask for a current certificate of insurance and for references. A job under the thresholds may involve no state license at all, which leaves you with references and the local building office.

For complaint history, ask the board, which handles complaints through the department's centralized complaints section. If the contractor also works in another state, the state-by-state guide has the lookup for each one.

A job near a state line can involve a contractor based next door, so check that state's records too. The lookups for Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri are on their own pages.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm details with the Board for Licensing Contractors.

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

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