Contractor license, permit and complaint check: the five records that matter, in one report

Before you let someone tear out your kitchen, rewire your house, or take a deposit for a new roof, you want to know one thing: does their record back up their pitch? That is what a free contractor license, permit and complaint check is for. Not a look into someone’s personal life, but a look at the business’s public record with the agencies that license and inspect construction work.

This guide covers the five records that matter, what each one can and cannot tell you, and why the fastest way to get all five is to ask the contractor for one report.

The shortcut: ask the contractor, “Can you send me your verified HomeProFax report?” Good contractors share it. If they have not claimed a profile yet, search their business name free on HomeProFax.com and read the report that already exists.

The five records in a real contractor license, permit and complaint check

1. License status

Licensing is the base layer. A license shows that the business met a state or local standard and, in many states, carries a bond and workers’ compensation coverage. A HomeProFax report shows each matched license record: the issuing board, type, status, and issue and expiry dates.

What the data shows varies a lot by state. HomeProFax has 228,992 California profiles, built from CSLB’s current license file. That file lists licenses that are on the books today, so nearly all of our California profiles show an active license (227,866), and expired California licenses are mostly not in our data. That reflects our source, not how often California licenses lapse. Texas is different: of 168,090 Texas profiles, 131,427 are active and 34,742 are expired. In Colorado, the split is close to even: 31,273 active and 30,831 expired. An expired license is not always a problem (some people retire or change trades), but it is always a question to ask before money moves.

2. Discipline and legal flags

Licensing boards publish actions against licenses: citations, suspensions, revocations and legal actions. Across all profiles, 4,033 carry a board discipline or legal-action flag, including 1,907 in California and 1,921 in Colorado. A flag is a prompt to read the record and its date, not a verdict.

3. Permit history

Permits show real, inspected work. HomeProFax has matched 2,011,488 building permits to 42,873 contractor profiles from city and county open-data portals, including Austin, Chicago, Boulder, San Antonio, San Diego County, San Jose, Dallas and New York City. Permit coverage depends on which local portals publish data, so “no permits on file” can simply mean no coverage. See contractor permit history for more.

4. Complaints

Where it has been researched, the report shows the BBB rating and complaint count and links to BBB for the full details.

5. Outside reviews

The “Around the web” panel on each report links out to Google Maps, Angi, Yelp, BBB and HomeAdvisor, so you can read reviews without searching each site. These ratings are for context only and are not part of the HomeProFax Score.

Why doing it yourself takes so long

Every one of those records is public, but none of them live in the same place. The license board has one search form, each city’s permit portal has another, discipline is published differently by each board, and reviews are spread across several sites. Spelling matters everywhere. “ABC Construction Inc.” and “A.B.C. Construction” can return completely different results.

For one contractor, that is a half hour of tabs. For three bids on one project, it is an evening. Most homeowners give up partway through and decide on gut feel, which is exactly when problems slip through.

The shortcut: ask for their verified HomeProFax report

HomeProFax does that legwork once, for every contractor, and keeps it in one report. So the best check is a single question:

“Can you send me your verified HomeProFax report?”

It costs you nothing. Reports are free to read.
It shifts the work to the right person. A contractor who wants your job can send one link. You read it in two minutes.
Their reaction is information. Good contractors are glad to share a clean record. Hesitation, excuses or a change of subject are worth noticing.
It ties the name to the license. The report is linked to a specific business and license number, so you can confirm it matches your contract.

A Verified badge means the contractor claimed the profile, confirmed their email, passed a license match and was approved by an admin. If a contractor has not claimed their profile, you can still search their name free on HomeProFax.com and read the report built from public records. See what one looks like in this sample HomeProFax report (Fox Service Company, Austin).

Reading the report: what each part means

The HomeProFax Score v2 is a 0–100 summary with its working shown: license status (up to 35 points), discipline and legal flags (20), permit history (20), and BBB and homeowner reviews (25). When a source does not publish data, the score treats it as neutral instead of punishing the contractor. The score measures the public record, not the quality of anyone’s work.

For a section-by-section guide, read how to read a HomeProFax report.

When to pause a hire

No license found, or an expired license, for work that requires one.
A recent discipline flag you cannot get a clear answer about.
A business name that does not match the report or the license.
A request to pull permits in your name, or a large cash deposit up front.
A refusal to share their report or license number.

More on these in permits, discipline and red flags, explained, and on licensing specifically in is my contractor licensed?

Start with your state or trade

Browse reports in California, Texas and Colorado, or by trade and city, such as electricians in Denver, plumbers in Austin and roofers in Los Angeles. Hiring a roofer? See the roofer license, permit and complaint check guide.

Figures are counts of HomeProFax profiles and matched permits as of October 26, 2026. HomeProFax organizes public records, is not a consumer reporting agency, and does not provide consumer reports. Verify license status with the issuing board before you hire. See data sources and the disclaimer.

Common questions

What does a contractor license, permit and complaint check include?

For a business you are hiring, the useful records are license status, board discipline or legal flags, building permit history, BBB rating and complaints, and outside reviews. A HomeProFax report brings these together on one page from public sources.

Does a HomeProFax report look into a contractor’s personal or criminal history?

No. A HomeProFax report covers a business’s public record with licensing boards, building departments and complaint sources. It does not cover anyone’s personal or criminal history and is not a consumer report under the FCRA.

How long does it take to check a contractor?

Checking every source separately can take 30 minutes or more per contractor. Reading a HomeProFax report takes a couple of minutes, and asking the contractor to send their verified report takes no research time at all.

What if a contractor does not have a HomeProFax report?

Most profiles are built from public records, so the contractor probably has one even if they have never heard of it. Search the business name free on HomeProFax.com. If they have not claimed it, no Verified badge is not proof of a problem.

Which states does HomeProFax cover?

HomeProFax has 501,894 contractor profiles. Coverage is deepest in California, Texas and Colorado, where license data comes directly from the state licensing boards.

Keep reading

Search any contractor free on the homepage, read how the HomeProFax score works, or see a sample HomeProFax report → (Fox Service Company, Austin).