How to check an insulation contractor's license in Suffolk or Nassau

What New York State and federal rules say

• Pipe and boiler insulation is one of the examples the state Department of Labor gives of building materials that might contain asbestos.
• Under 12 NYCRR Part 56, licensed asbestos contractors using certified asbestos workers must abate asbestos materials. The exception is an owner-occupied single-family home where the homeowner alone does the work.
• Insulation work is home improvement under New York's General Business Law, whose section 770 lists insulation by name.

In Suffolk County

• Suffolk Consumer Affairs counts insulation as home improvement work, and contractors working without a license there are subject to arrest and prosecution.
• Home Energy Audit Certificates are a separate license type issued through Suffolk Consumer Affairs.

1. 1Step 1Suffolk's License and Complaint Violation Look Up finds an insulation contractor from its license number when Home Improvement License is the chosen type.
2. 2Step 2Suffolk's main Consumer Affairs number, (631) 853-4600, handles questions on open complaints and proper licensing, insulation contractors included.

In Nassau County

• Nassau's Department of Consumer Affairs licenses insulation contractors, who appear by name on its list of home improvement trades.

1. 1Step 1Type an insulation contractor's company name or license number into Nassau's Valid Business License Search, which the county updates every day.

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.