License check
How to check a foundation contractor's license in Suffolk or Nassau
A license number takes a minute to check and tells you the company can legally do the work. Here is who issues it in each county, where to look it up, and what else to ask, from the official pages we read on 2026-11-03.
In Suffolk County
- Suffolk's home improvement law covers any repair to residential property and home raising, which it defines as any service that separates a house, or part of one, from its foundation. Doing either as a business takes a county license, barring an exemption.
- Foundation repair is not a separate entry on Suffolk's home improvement list, though basements are.
- 1Step 1To see whether a foundation repair contractor holds a Suffolk license, search the License and Complaint Violation Look Up under Home Improvement License.
- 2Step 2Suffolk Consumer Affairs, reachable at (631) 853-4600, verifies a foundation repair contractor's license by phone.
In Nassau County
- Repairing a home's foundation is repair work on a building, which Nassau's Administrative Code counts as home improvement, and no one may run a home improvement business there without a county license.
- 1Step 1The Company Name field in Nassau's Valid Business License Search is one way to check a foundation repair contractor's county license.
Towns with a license of their own
- Town of Southampton: Southampton requires its own Home Improvement Contractor's License for home improvement work, and its licensing covers every village except the Village of Westhampton Dunes. A builder of a new home needs no town license for now, but the builder's subcontractors must be licensed.
- Town of Southampton: A Southampton home improvement license is valid for one year. A new application costs $250.00 by cash or check or $257.50 by credit, and an on-time renewal costs $175.00, or $180.25 by credit.
- Town of Shelter Island: Shelter Island requires home improvements to be performed by a licensed contractor holding a Shelter Island license.
- Town of Shelter Island: Shelter Island's notice to contractors says every contractor or subcontractor working on the island, landscapers included, needs a town license.
- Town of Shelter Island: Shelter Island takes home improvement license applications online, and a new license needs a $250 check to the town, a liability certificate naming the town as certificate holder and, if applicable, a workers' compensation certificate.
Beyond the license
- Ask for a certificate of insurance sent to you by the insurer, naming you as the certificate holder.
- Ask who files the permit and books the inspections, and get it in the contract.
- Get the price, the scope, the start and finish dates and the payment schedule in a written contract.
Related
Questions homeowners ask
Do I need an engineer for foundation repair?
For structural repairs, often yes. A licensed professional engineer can evaluate the cause and design the fix, and many towns ask for sealed drawings.
Does foundation repair need a permit on Long Island?
Structural work usually does. The town pages below quote each town's rules.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these official pages. Rules and fees change, so confirm with the office before you file anything.
- Suffolk County Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement License Law (PDF) (read 2026-11-03; page dated 5/25)
- Suffolk County Consumer Affairs, Licensing and Enforcement (read 2026-11-03)
- Suffolk County, License and Complaint Violation Look Up (read 2026-11-03)
- Nassau County, Administrative Code (PDF) (read 2026-11-03; page dated January 1, 2026)
- Nassau County Consumer Affairs, Valid Business License Search (read 2026-11-03)
- Town of Southampton, contractor licensing questions (read 2026-11-03)
- Town of Southampton, Licensing Applications and Forms (read 2026-11-03)
- Town of Shelter Island, FAQs (read 2026-11-03)
- Town of Shelter Island, Notice to All Contractors (read 2026-11-03)
- Town of Shelter Island, Building Department (read 2026-11-03)
Checked 2026-11-03. Facts come only from the official pages listed, read on that date.
Talk the job through before you call anyone
Tell us about the house and the job in about four minutes. Revival calls you, free, to go over the scope, the budget, the timing and your town's permit office. Contractor matches open as our first licensed partners sign.