Before you hire a plumber, electrician or contractor
This page does not tell you who to hire. It tells you how to check the person you are about to hire, which is the part that transfers between neighbours without anyone having to vouch for anyone.
Three different agencies license three different things
- PlumbersLicensed Master Plumber, issued by the Department of Buildings. Generally seven years of experience in the prior ten, plus a written and a practical exam.
- ElectriciansMaster Electrician or Special Electrician, also Department of Buildings. A Special Electrician's licence is limited to specific premises, which is worth knowing if someone shows you one.
- Everyone else doing residential workHome Improvement Contractor, issued by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Different agency, different lookup.
Where to check
- DOB licencesa810-dobnow.nyc.gov/publish — search by licence number, surname or business name. Shows the licence and the insurance information.
- DCWP licencesa866-dcwpbp.nyc.gov/search — verifies a Home Improvement Contractor or salesperson licence.
- Permits at an addressa810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/bispi00.jsp — jobs, filings, complaints, violations, inspections, by address.
- Night and weekend workThere is a map of active after-hours variances at nyc.gov/assets/buildings/html/active-after-hour-variance.html. If the noise has no variance, that is a complaint with a basis.
The $200 line, and a discrepancy worth knowing about
The Administrative Code, section 20-397, exempts a home improvement from the contractor licensing requirement where the total price of labour and materials is under $200 — and says explicitly that the exemption does not apply if the work is part of a larger job, or if a contract is split up to get under the number.
NYC's own 311 page states $250 in two places. The codified law says $200. We are citing the law. If you are relying on this to decide whether someone needs a licence, assume $200 and check the current code text yourself.
What the law puts in your hands
- A written contract, alwaysThe rule says every home improvement agreement shall be evidenced by a written contract signed by all parties. There is no dollar minimum on that requirement.
- What it has to containDate, contractor's name, address, phone and licence number, a work schedule, itemised description and pricing, lien-law notices, deposit handling, a progress payment schedule tied to milestones, and a workers' compensation certificate.
- Three business days to cancelUnless you initiated the contract and asked for immediate work because of an emergency, in writing, in your own hand. If you cancel, all payments come back within 10 business days.
- A trust fund if a licensed contractor takes your money and goesAdministered by DCWP. Up to $40,000 through the standard process, which needs a judgment, award or breached settlement; up to $20,000 through a simplified claim after DCWP mediation. That second cap was raised from $10,000 on 18 July 2025. Both require a DCWP complaint first.
- Complaintsa866-dcwpbp.nyc.gov/consumer-complaint/file-complaint, or 311. Give your contact details: without them, it is logged as a tip and nobody follows up.
Why an unpermitted job matters even when the work is fine
Work done without a permit generates violations against the property, and the Department of Buildings presents the permit and violation history as something a tenant or a buyer needs in order to make a safe decision. The consequences land on the address, not on the contractor who left.
What no official source will tell you
Who is good. Who is fairly priced. Who showed up. That is the whole reason this page exists — the verification above is the floor, and the names are the part only neighbours have.
Where this came from
Checked 1 August 2026 against nyc.gov Department of Buildings licensing pages, New York City Administrative Code section 20-397, Title 6 of the Rules of the City of New York section 2-221, the DCWP Home Improvement Contractor Trust Fund page, DCWP licence and complaint pages, and NYC311.