How to check a painter's license in Suffolk or Nassau

What New York State and federal rules say

• Under the EPA's lead rule, anyone paid for work that disturbs paint in housing built before 1978 generally must be certified in lead-safe work practices, and that includes every firm, even a sole proprietor.
• Homeowners doing renovation, repair or painting projects in their own pre-1978 homes are generally outside the EPA lead rule.

In Suffolk County

• The painting of residential structures is part of how Suffolk's law defines home improvement, and Consumer Affairs licenses the businesses that law regulates.
• Painting is one of the areas of work on Suffolk Consumer Affairs' list of what home improvement includes.
• A separate Commercial Painting license also appears among Suffolk Consumer Affairs' license types.

1. 1Step 1Suffolk's License and Complaint Violation Look Up checks a house painter once you pick the Home Improvement License type and enter a business name or license number.
2. 2Step 2The same Suffolk lookup has a separate Commercial & Industrial Painting License search for commercial painters.
3. 3Step 3Painting contractors' Suffolk licenses can be checked by calling Consumer Affairs, (631) 853-4600.
4. 4Step 4The EPA's lead-based paint professional locator finds lead-based paint professionals in your area, and renovation, repair and painting is one of the kinds of work it searches.

In Nassau County

• Nassau County Consumer Affairs names painting contractors on its Who Must Be Licensed list.
• Interior and exterior painting are both part of the home improvement definition in Nassau's Administrative Code.
• Nassau's license application requires home improvement contractors whose work could touch surfaces at a home previously painted with lead paint to complete an EPA approved lead safety course for renovation, repair and painting.
• When painters submit RRP certificates, Nassau Consumer Affairs accepts only those issued by an EPA accredited training program under 40 CFR Part 745.225.

1. 1Step 1Nassau's Valid Business License Search finds painting contractors with valid licenses by license number, company name or street address.
2. 2Step 2Each result in Nassau's search shows the license category and insurance coverage.
3. 3Step 3For lead-safe painting firms, Nassau homeowners can turn to the EPA's lead-based paint professional locator, which includes renovation, repair and painting among its searches.

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.