How to check a Nassau County contractor license

Check it in three steps

1. 1Find the license numberNassau's regulations require the county license number on the contract and in display advertising and promotional literature, so it should be easy to find.
2. 2Search the county's databaseThe county's Valid Business License Search searches by license, company name, street address or insurance coverage. The county says the database is updated daily.
3. 3Match it to the contract and the insuranceThe company on the license should be the one on your contract and on the certificate of insurance its agent sends you.

What a Nassau license requires

According to the county, a licensed Nassau home improvement contractor:

• Has been fingerprinted.
• Furnished certificates of liability and property damage insurance, and workers' compensation to cover employees.
• Is 18 or older, with 5 years of recent, relevant, verifiable experience.
• Paid $650 for a two-year license plus a one-time $50 contribution to the Home Improvement Restitution Fund, and may have been required to post a bond.
• Proved good moral character, financial responsibility and ownership of the business.
• Keeps an actual establishment in New York State. An answering service does not count.

The county also says a contractor must wait until it is approved and receives the license before it starts working.

What your Nassau contract must show

• The contractor's name, address, phone number and license number.
• The name of any salesperson involved.
• The completion date.
• A notice of your right to cancel, when the contract is signed away from the contractor's principal place of business.

New York's home improvement contract law adds more, including the approximate start date and how payments made before completion are protected.

Complaints and unlicensed work

For a complaint about work on your home, the county asks you to download and mail its Consumer Complaint Form. Its Department of Consumer Affairs is at 240 Old Country Road, 3rd Floor, Mineola, and lists (516) 571-2600 for licensing. The county also has an online form to report suspected unlicensed activity.

Revival checks the county license of every contractor in its network before the first introduction and again on the day of each introduction. See our vetting standards.