Hiring a contractor in Indiana
Only specific trades are licensed. This state licenses individual trades such as electrical, plumbing and HVAC, but issues no general contractor or remodeler licence. Anyone can call themselves a general contractor here. Licensing for the rest happens at city level, if at all.
Who licenses
Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA), which staffs the Indiana Plumbing Commission, Home Inspectors Licensing Board, Manufactured Home Installer program, Architect/Engineer/
In our directory
Not yet listed.
There is no statewide register to draw from, so coverage here depends on city data.
What to do before you hire in Indiana
- There is no general contractor licence to ask for here, so the licence question moves to the specific trades. Anyone doing electrical, plumbing or HVAC work should still hold a state licence for that trade.
- Ask for proof of liability insurance and workers' compensation in writing. With no licensing board standing behind the work, insurance is most of your protection.
- Your city may register contractors even though the state does not. See below.
- Get the full scope and price in writing before any money changes hands, and never pay the full amount up front.
What the big cities in Indiana do
Where the state does not license, the city sometimes does. We checked each of these directly.
| City | Registers contractors? | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis | Yes | VERDICT: Indianapolis is a strong municipal source. It licenses contractors itself and publishes complete rosters as downloadable files, not a lookup form. |
Sourced from Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (PLA), which staffs the Indiana Plumbing Commission, Home Inspectors Licensing Board, Manufactured Home Installer program, Architect/Engineer/ and checked against the state's published information. Licensing rules change; verify with the authority before you hire.