Hiring a contractor in New York
Licensed by city or county. There is no statewide licence. Whether your contractor needs one depends on which city or county you live in, and the rules differ between neighbouring towns.
Who licenses
No statewide GC/home-improvement licensure. Primary source is NYC Dept of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP); secondary City of Buffalo Dept of Permit & Inspection Services; NYS
What to do before you hire in New York
- Check with your city or county building department directly, since requirements change between neighbouring towns.
- Ask for proof of liability insurance and workers' compensation in writing.
- 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 New York do
Where the state does not license, the city sometimes does. We checked each of these directly.
| City | Registers contractors? | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| New York City | Yes | VERIFIED BY FETCH. Both bulk CSVs downloaded successfully, HTTP 200, and all counts below came from live SODA aggregate queries, not from documentation. |
Sourced from No statewide GC/home-improvement licensure. Primary source is NYC Dept of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP); secondary City of Buffalo Dept of Permit & Inspection Services; NYS and checked by downloading the state's own published file. Licensing rules change; verify with the authority before you hire.