How to check a contractor license in West Virginia

In West Virginia, search the contractor's name or WV license number in the Contractor Licensing Board's free License Lookup. State law requires a contractor license for residential work costing $5,000 or more. The Division of Labor certifies plumbers and HVAC technicians, and the State Fire Marshal licenses electricians, so check those trades in their own searches.

How do I check a contractor license in West Virginia?

Search the Contractor Licensing Board's License Lookup by a license number that begins with WV, or by classification, company name, DBA, city or county. Each result lists the license's classification and its expiration date, so you can see whether it fits the job and whether it's still current.

Ask the contractor for the license number. West Virginia numbers begin with WV, and the search accepts part of a number as long as it starts that way.
Open the board's License Lookup. If you don't have a number, search by company name or DBA instead, or narrow by city or county.
Check that the company name and DBA match the name on your bid.
Read the classification and make sure it fits the kind of work you're hiring for.
Check that the expiration date hasn't passed.

The board says its lookup updates in real time from its licensing database. We last checked this lookup on 2026-10-19. If a record looks wrong or you can't find the contractor, call the board at (304) 558-7890 on a weekday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Does West Virginia require a contractor license?

Yes. West Virginia Code section 30-42-3 defines a contractor by the cost of the job, and the line is $5,000 or more for residential work and $25,000 or more for commercial work.

A home repair that costs less than $5,000 falls outside that definition, so the person doing it may have no license on record. You may see a $2,500 figure in older summaries online. The Code as published today says $5,000 for residential work.

Who licenses electricians and plumbers in West Virginia?

Two other state agencies do. The Division of Labor certifies plumbers and HVAC technicians, and the State Fire Marshal licenses electricians.

The Division of Labor's database search page links separate lists of currently certified plumbers and HVAC technicians. The State Fire Marshal's Regulatory and Licensing Division, which also licenses home inspectors, runs an online licensee search by name, city or license number. The Division of Labor also handles administration and enforcement for the Contractor Licensing Board, so its staff can answer questions about either record.

What does a West Virginia license lookup not tell you?

It doesn't tell you whether the contractor does good work. The record shows a classification and an expiration date, and nothing about how past jobs went.

The board doesn't stand behind the data. Its lookup page says the board makes no warranty about the accuracy or reliability of the site's content. When a record matters, call the board.
The trades are separate. A contractor license doesn't show whether the plumber, HVAC technician or electrician on the job holds a certification or license of their own.
Small jobs may have no record. Residential work under $5,000 falls outside the state's definition of a contractor.
It doesn't confirm who's at the door. Make sure the person on site works for the business named on the license.

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

This article is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm details with the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board.

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

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