A license lookup, state rules, and warning signs
Is your bathroom contractor actually licensed?
Run the check yourself, in a couple of minutes, with the same tool the state runs. Below it: what a real license looks like, and the signs that something is off before you hand over a deposit.
Browse by state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
One official lookup per state
Washington's L&I, California's CSLB and Florida's DBPR each run their own public search tool, and each one covers a different piece of information about a contractor's standing.[1],[2],[3]
Our guide below walks through what to search for and what the result actually tells you in each of the three.
A clean license is not the whole picture
A bond, liability insurance and, in two of the three states, a state recovery fund sit behind every license, with very different limits depending on where the work is happening.[4],[5],[6]
Our bonds and insurance guide breaks down what each one actually covers, and what it does not.
The warning signs repeat across state lines
A demand for cash, a discount that expires today, and a contractor who wants you to pull your own permit show up on consumer-protection warning lists again and again, regardless of which state is doing the warning.[7]
Check licenses by city
Active bath remodeling licenses, grouped by the city on the record; each state page lists the rest.
A city marked top-rated has no license file here to search, so it ranks contractors by Google rating; every other city stays searchable by name.
- Tampa, FL53 listings
- Seattle, WA111 listings
- San Diego, CA183 listings
- Columbus, OHtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- Charlotte, NCtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- Minneapolis, MN45 listings
- Pittsburgh, PAtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- Philadelphia, PAtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- Chicago, ILtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- Houston, TXtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- Dallas, TXtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- Colorado Springs, COtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- San Jose, CA96 listings
- Las Vegas, NV34 listings
- Cincinnati, OHtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- Los Angeles, CA114 listings
- Austin, TXtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- Phoenix, AZtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- San Antonio, TXtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- Jacksonville, FL38 listings
- Denver, COtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- Sacramento, CA58 listings
- Kansas City, MOtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
- Atlanta, GAtop-rated10 top-rated businesses
Before you sign
- How to Check a Bathroom Contractor's License in Washington, California or FloridaThree states, three lookup tools, three different things the result actually shows you. Here is how to use each one.
- Warning Signs of an Unlicensed or Risky Bathroom RemodelerA handful of warning signs show up over and over in complaints against bad bathroom remodelers. None of them require a license lookup to catch.
- Contractor Bonds and Insurance: What Actually Protects YouA bond is not insurance, insurance is not a recovery fund, and none of the three works the same way in every state. Here is what each one covers.
- Deposit and Payment-Schedule Rules for Bathroom Remodels, by StateOnly one of the three states caps a deposit by law. All three have something to say about how the rest of the payments should go.
- What to Do If a Bathroom Contractor's License Check Turns Up a ProblemA search that turns up something wrong is more useful before you hire than after. Here is what different results mean and what recourse looks like.
Questions people ask
Does a license number on a truck door prove anything?
No. A number painted on a door is only a claim. Look it up with the state licensing agency to confirm it is active and that it matches the company you are dealing with.[5]
What if the contractor is licensed in a different state than the job?
A license from one state does not carry over to work performed in another. Check the license against the state where the job is actually happening.
Sources
- Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, accessed 2026-09-30
- Check a Contractor License or Home Improvement Salesperson (HIS) Registration, Contractors State License Board, accessed 2026-09-30
- Licensing Portal: License Search, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, accessed 2026-09-30
- Register as a Contractor, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, accessed 2026-09-30
- How do I find the right licensed contractor?, Contractors State License Board, accessed 2026-09-30
- Florida Statutes 489.115: Renewal of certificates and registrations; requirement, Florida Legislature, accessed 2026-09-30
- Hire Smart Step-by-Step, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, accessed 2026-09-30