HomeProFax.com guides for homeowners
These guides explain how to check a contractor before you hire: what a license, permit history and board discipline record actually tell you, where the gaps are, and what the public records show when you count them. We start with Colorado, where licensing is split between the state and dozens of city and county building departments, so the rules really do change at the city line.
Every guide links the official pages we checked and says when. Where our own data adds something, such as how many Colorado electrical licenses are expired or who pulls Boulder's roofing permits, we show the numbers and where they came from.
The shortest path is the same everywhere. Ask the contractor for their verified HomeProFax report before you sign or pay a deposit. It puts their license, permits, discipline flags and business registration on one page, so you don't have to dig through government websites.
19 guides · 12 for Colorado · last updated
Colorado guides
Colorado has no state license for general contractors, remodelers or roofers. Electricians and plumbers are licensed by the state (DORA), and everyone else by the city, county or regional building department where the house is. These guides cover the rules in the biggest Front Range cities and what the records show.
There is no credit bureau for contractors. Here is how homeowners check a contractor themselves: license, discipline, court cases, permits, OSHA, insurance and BBB, with the Colorado sites for each step.
Colorado · Read guide →Hail damage roof replacement in Colorado: from storm day to final inspection
A step-by-step Colorado hail roof guide: what to do the day of the storm, how the insurance claim works per the Division of Insurance, your rights under C.R.S. 6-22, who licenses roofers in each Front Range city, and how to check a roofer before you sign.
Colorado · Read guide →Denver contractor licensing explained: certificates, license classes and what to check before you hire
How Denver licenses contractors: supervisor certificates, Class A–D licenses, roofing certificates, state licenses for electricians and plumbers, homeowner permits, plus what Denver’s demolition permit log and our 7,151 Denver profiles show.
Colorado · Read guide →Hiring an electrician or plumber in Colorado: what 94,295 state license records show
Colorado licenses electricians and plumbers through DORA. What the license types mean, why 5,402 active electrical licenses still show a September 30, 2026 expiry, how many records carry board action, and how to check a pro quickly.
Colorado · Read guide →Frozen or burst pipes in Colorado: what to do first and how to check an emergency plumber
What to do when a pipe freezes or bursts in Colorado: Denver Water’s prevention and thawing advice, the first hour after a burst, what the Division of Insurance says homeowners insurance covers, and how to check a plumber’s state license in five minutes.
Colorado · Read guide →Furnace and HVAC contractor licensing in Colorado: who licenses them, permits and carbon monoxide rules
Colorado has no state HVAC license. Here’s who licenses furnace and air-conditioning contractors in Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Arvada and Thornton, when a furnace replacement needs a permit, Colorado’s carbon monoxide alarm law, and what to do if you smell gas.
Colorado · Read guide →How contractor licensing works in Colorado Springs: a PPRBD guide (and the quick way to check)
Who licenses contractors in Colorado Springs: PPRBD license classes A through E, roofing, insurance and the six-to-eight-week licensing timeline, plus DORA for electricians and plumbers and what our 5,307 Colorado Springs profiles show.
Colorado · Read guide →Reading Denver and Boulder permit records: what 347,000 permits say about a contractor
Denver and Boulder publish building permits as open data. What 337,482 Boulder permits and 9,812 Denver demolition permits show, how HomeProFax matches them to contractors, and how to use permit history before you hire.
Colorado · Read guide →Do roofers need a license in Colorado? The city-by-city answer
Colorado has no state roofing license. Roofers are licensed by cities and building departments, including Denver, PPRBD (Colorado Springs), Aurora, Lakewood, Arvada, Thornton, Littleton, Boulder and Fort Collins. The rules for each, what state law requires in every roofing contract, and what our roofer license data shows.
Colorado · Read guide →Hiring a roofer after hail in Colorado Springs: your rights and the red flags
After a hailstorm in Colorado Springs, how to avoid storm-chaser roofers: PPRBD licensing, Colorado’s roofing contract law (C.R.S. 6-22) and the one thing to ask every roofer for.
Colorado · Read guide →A contractor took my deposit in Colorado. What now?
What Colorado homeowners can do when a contractor takes a deposit and doesn’t show: a demand letter, roofing deposit rules, the construction trust fund law, small claims up to $7,500, where to complain, and how to check a business before you pay.
Colorado · Read guide →Colorado Contractor License Lookup: DORA and City Licenses
Colorado has no statewide general contractor license. The state licenses electricians and plumbers, and cities license builders and roofers. Here is how it works and how a HomeProFax report pulls Colorado license records together.
Colorado · Read guide →
Colorado quick links
Contractors by city: Denver · Colorado Springs · Aurora · Lakewood · Boulder · Fort Collins · Arvada · Thornton · Westminster · Littleton · Longmont · Loveland · All Colorado
By trade: Denver electricians · Denver plumbers · Colorado Springs electricians · Colorado Springs plumbers · Aurora electricians · Aurora plumbers · Aurora roofers · Aurora general contractors · Aurora HVAC · Boulder plumbers · Arvada roofers · Thornton roofers · Arvada general contractors · Thornton general contractors
City pages list the building department that licenses contractors there, with a link to its official page.
From the HomeProFax data
Numbers we computed from the public records behind HomeProFax.com profiles. They're as of , and each one links to the guide that explains it.
57.9% of Colorado electrical license records are expired (37,803 of 65,254), and 59.6% of plumbing records (17,301 of 29,041). The state roster keeps decades of history, so always check the status, not just the number.
Source: DORA electrical and plumbing rosters as held in HomeProFax profiles, deduplicated by license number and type. Read the guide →
5,402 active Colorado electrical licenses still showed a September 30, 2026 expiry, inside the renewal window DORA says runs through November 30, 2026. Another 21,529 had already renewed to 2029.
Source: DORA electrical roster in HomeProFax data; renewal dates from the DORA State Electrical Board page. Read the guide →
2,112 Colorado electrical and plumbing license records carry a board-action flag, and 1,132 of those licenses are still active.
Source: DORA rosters in HomeProFax data (1,312 electrical, 800 plumbing). Read the guide →
634 different contractor names pulled Boulder’s 5,084 roofing replacement permits from January 2021 through October 19, 2026. The ten busiest pulled 32%, and the median estimated cost was $10,728.
Source: City of Boulder Open Data (construction permits), pulled October 20, 2026. Read the guide →
172 of 933 roofing contractors on the Aurora, Arvada and Thornton license lists are licensed in two or more of those cities. Only 3 list an out-of-state address.
Source: City of Aurora, Arvada and Thornton contractor license lists as matched to HomeProFax profiles. Read the guide →
89% of Denver demolition permits issued before 2024 show a final date (7,286 of 8,162). An open permit that never got a final inspection is worth asking about.
Source: City and County of Denver Open Data Catalog (demolition permits, CC BY 3.0). Read the guide →
HomeProFax.com currently holds 501,894 contractor profiles and 2,011,488 matched building permits nationwide. Counts are recomputed when the data is rebuilt, so they can change between visits.
Homeowner guides
A real roofer license, permit and complaint check covers license status, board discipline, permit history and complaints. Here is what each one tells you, and why asking for a verified HomeProFax report is the fastest way to get all of it.
Homeowner guides · Read guide →Contractor license, permit and complaint check: the five records that matter, in one report
What a contractor license, permit and complaint check should include (license, discipline, permits, complaints and outside reviews), what each record proves, and why the fastest route is asking for a verified HomeProFax report.
Homeowner guides · Read guide →Is My Contractor Licensed? How to Check in Your State
Everyone says they are licensed. Here is what active, expired, inactive and suspended mean, which trades need a license in California, Texas and Colorado, and the one question that gets you a real answer.
Homeowner guides · Read guide →Contractor permit history: why pulled permits tell you more than reviews
Building permits show where a contractor has done real, inspected work. Here is what permit history tells you, what “no permits on file” does and does not mean, and how a HomeProFax report shows it.
Homeowner guides · Read guide →How to Verify a Contractor’s License in Any State
How to verify a contractor’s license the easy way: ask for a verified HomeProFax report, search the name free in one place, and read license status, discipline and permits without hunting state boards.
Homeowner guides · Read guide →Permits, discipline records and red flags, explained
What building permits and board discipline records actually show, why missing permits may mean missing coverage, and which red flags should pause a hire.
Homeowner guides · Read guide →
Comparisons
How HomeProFax.com differs from other places homeowners check a contractor, and when each one is the better fit. Details about other companies come from their own public pages, linked and dated in each article. Product names are trademarks of their owners; HomeProFax is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. See all comparisons side by side →
BuildZoom is a contractor directory and matching service paid by contractor fees; HomeProFax is a free contractor report from public records. How each is paid, how the scores work, and when to use which.
Comparison · Compare →HomeProFax vs BBB: complaints and ratings vs licenses and permits
The BBB tells you how a business treats customers who complain; HomeProFax shows what license boards and permit offices have on file. For a contractor, you usually want both.
Comparison · Compare →HomeProFax vs Angi: where to hire vs how to check
Angi is a marketplace where you find and book a pro; HomeProFax is where you check one. How they differ, and a five-step routine for using both.
Comparison · Compare →
Browse contractor reports
By state: Colorado · California · Texas · Florida · Arizona · All states
Elsewhere by trade and city: Electricians in Los Angeles · Plumbers in Los Angeles · Roofers in San Diego · Electricians in Houston · Plumbers in Austin · Plumbers in Dallas
Search any contractor free on the homepage, or read how the HomeProFax score works.