Posted by mel on 20. August 2010 14:50
Looking to hire a contractor can be a daughting task--I know. I work with the companies and had to find these resources myself. A big part of that task is finding the information you need to know. (Please do NOT assume you know, that is how people get into trouble.) A step-by-step process is available in my book, Hiring a Contractor which is available on Amazon. Links to finding your local information are listed here. The information is listed by state, click on the link that corresponds to your state.
Good luck and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
If you find other information that needs to be included / updated please contact Mel DePaoli at mel [at] omicle.com. Thanks for your help and good luck!
Last updated: August 2010
General Resources:
Angie’s List: www.AngiesList.com
Contractor’s License Reference Site: http://contractors-license.org/
EPA’s Requirements: http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm
http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?sectionID=715&genericContentID=121061
Federal Trade Commission’s Cooling-Off Rule: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro03.shtm
National Contractor License Service (State List): http://clsi.com/state_contractor_license_board.htm
Service Magic: http://www.servicemagic.com/
United States Department of Labor on Construction: http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs003.htm
What Is A Lien?: http://www.remodelingmyspace.com/legal-issues/contractor-laws/what-is-a-lien-and-are-you-at-risk.htm
States:
Tennessee
Department of Labor and Workforce Development
220 French Landing Drive
Nashville, TN 37243
Phone: (615) 741-6642
http://tennessee.gov/labor-wfd/lsques.html
City and County List—Online
http://www.tennesseeanytime.org/local/index.html
Attorney General
P.O. Box 20207
Nashville, TN 37202-0207
Phone: (615) 741-3491
Fax: (615) 741-2009
http://tn.gov/attorneygeneral/index.html
Board for Licensing Contractors
500 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-1150
Phone: (615) 741-8307
Fax: (615) 532-2868
http://tn.gov/commerce/boards/contractors/index.shtml
License Verification—Online
http://verify.tn.gov/
Board of Architectural and Engineering Examiners
500 James Robertson Pkwy
Nashville, TN 37243-1142
Phone: (615) 741-3221
Fax: (615) 532-9410
http://tn.gov/commerce/boards/ae/index.shtml
Texas
Texas Workforce Commission
101 E. 15th Street, Rm. 651
Austin, TX 78778-0001
Phone: (512) 463-2236
http://www.twc.state.tx.us/
City List—Online
http://proagency.tripod.com/ttxcities.html
Attorney General
PO Box 12548
Austin, TX 78711-2548
Phone: (512) 463-2100
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
P.O. Box 12157
Austin, Texas 78711
Phone: (512) 463-6599
Fax: (512) 475-2871
http://www.license.state.tx.us/
License Data Search—Online
http://www.license.state.tx.us/LicenseSearch/
Electrician Licensing
P.O. Box 13489
Austin, TX 78711
electricians@license.state.tx.us
http://www.license.state.tx.us/electricians/elec.htm
Residential Construction Commission
311 E. 14th Street
P.O. Box 13509
Austin, TX 78711-3509
Phone: (877) 651-8722
http://www.trcc.state.tx.us/default.asp
Utah
Department of Workforce Services
P.O. Box 45249
Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0249
Phone: (801) 526-9675
Fax: (801) 526-9211
http://jobs.utah.gov/
City & County Resources—Online
http://www.utah.gov/government/citycounty.html
Attorney General
Utah State Capitol Complex
350 North State Street Suite 230
SLC UT 84114-2320
Phone: (801) 366-0260
Fax: (801) 538-1121
http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/my_mission.html
Licensee Lookup & Verification System—Online
https://secure.utah.gov/llv/search/index.html;jsessionid=91e7ce18aae9203c8bb8a7d209ad
Labor Commission—Online Workers’ CompCheck
http://www.laborcommission.utah.gov/IndustrialAccidents/POC.html
Vermont
Department of Labor
http://labor.vermont.gov/
Buildings and General Services
2 Governor Aiken Avenue
Montpelier, VT 05633-5801
Phone: (802) 828-3314
http://bgs.vermont.gov/
Attorney General
109 State Street
Montpelier VT 05609-1001
Phone: (802) 828-3171
http://www.atg.state.vt.us/
Electrical Licenses—Online Verification
http://www.dps.state.vt.us/fire/licensing/elicenses.htm
Housing, Utilities, and Property Resources—Online
http://www.vermont.gov/portal/residents/index.php?id=48
Verify Workers’ Compensation Insurance—Online
http://labor.vermont.gov/InfoCenter/WorkersCompensationInsuranceCoverageVerificat/tabid/1473/Default.aspx
Virginia
Department of Labor and Industry
13 South Thirteenth Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219-4101
Phone: (804) 371-2327
http://www.doli.virginia.gov/
Regions, Counties, Cities & Towns—Online
http://www.virginia.gov/cmsportal3/mapping_virginia_4096/index.html
Attorney General
900 East Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: (804) 786-2071
http://www.oag.state.va.us/
Board for Contractors
9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 400
Richmond, Virginia 23233-1463
Phone: (804) 367-8511
http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/con_main.cfm
License Lookup and Disciplinary Actions—Online
http://www.dpor.state.va.us/regulantlookup/selection_input.cfm?CFID=2034906&CFTOKEN=40284639
Consumer Information—Online
http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/servicesconsumers.cfm
Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects (APELSCIDLA Board)
9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 400
Richmond, Virginia 23233-1463
Phone: (804) 367-8506
http://www.dpor.virginia.gov/dporweb/ape_main.cfm
Washington
Labor & Industries/Check that your contractor is registered—Online
PO Box 44450
Olympia, WA 98504-4450
Phone: (360) 902-5226
Fax: (360) 902-5812
http://www.lni.wa.gov/TradesLicensing/Contractors/HireCon/default.asp
Verify Workers’ Compensation—Online
http://www.lni.wa.gov/TradesLicensing/Contractors/HireCon/Uninsured/default.asp
Before You Hire a Contractor—Online
http://www.lni.wa.gov/TradesLicensing/Contractors/HireCon/Checklist/before1.asp
Report Fraudulent Contractors—Online
http://www.lni.wa.gov/Main/Fraud/
List of Local Building Departments—Online
http://www.bookmarki.com/Articles.asp?ID=201
WA State Attorney General
1125 Washington Street SE
PO Box 40100
Olympia, WA 98504-0100
Phone: (360) 753-6200
http://www.atg.wa.gov/SafeguardingConsumers/default.aspx
Electrical Board
http://lni.wa.gov/Main/ContactInfo/TradesLicensing/Electrical.asp
West Virginia
Division of Labor
749 B Building 6, Capitol Complex
Charleston, WV 25305
Phone: (304) 558-7890
http://wvlabor.com/newwebsite/pages/index.html
Attorney General
State Capitol Complex, Bldg. 1, Room E-26
Charleston, WV 25305
Phone: (304) 558-2021
Fax: (304) 558-0140
http://www.wvago.gov/consumers.cfm
Contractor Licensing Verification—Online
http://www.wvlabor.com/newwebsite/Pages/contractor_searchNEW.cfm
Consumer Information About Contractors—Online
http://www.wvlabor.com/newwebsite/Pages/Contractor_licensing_consumer_info.html
WorkForce WV Labor Market
Research, Information and Analysis
112 California Avenue
Charleston, WV 25305-0112
Phone: (304) 558-2660
Fax: (304) 558-1343
http://workforcewv.org/lmi/
County List—Online
http://www.wv.gov/local/Pages/default.aspx
Home Improvement Tips—Online
http://www.wvago.gov/faqs.cfm?fx=view&id=129
Wisconsin
Labor and Industry Review Commission
PO. Box 8126
Madison WI 53708-8126
Phone: (608) 266-9850
Fax: (608) 267-4409
http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/lirc/
County List—Online
http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/core/wisconsin_counties.html
Attorney General
P.O. Box 7857
Madison, WI 53707-7857
Phone: (608) 266-1221
Fax: (608) 267-2779
http://www.doj.state.wi.us/
Department of Workforce Development
201 East Washington Avenue
P.O. Box 7946
Madison, WI 53707-7946
Phone: (608) 266-3131
Fax: (608) 266-1784
http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/
Wyoming
Department of Employment
Phone: (307) 777-5476
Fax: (307) 777-6552
http://doe.wyo.gov/Pages/default.aspx
County List Contact Information—Online
http://soswy.state.wy.us/Elections/CountyClerks.aspx
Attorney General
123 Capitol Building
200 W. 24th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: (307) 777-7841
Fax: (307) 777-6869
http://attorneygeneral.state.wy.us/
Professional Licensing Boards
1800 Carey Avenue, 4th Floor
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Fax: (307) 777-3508
http://governor.wy.gov/boards-and-commissions.html
Verify Architects and Landscape Architects License—Online
http://searcharchitects.state.wy.us/
Department of Fire Prevention & Electrical Safety
Herschler 1 West
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: (307) 777-7288
Fax: (307) 777-7119
http://wyofire.state.wy.us/