How do I check a general contractor's license in Iowa?

Iowa does not require a statewide general contractor license. Iowa has no statewide general contractor license; electrical and plumbing are licensed at the state level. Construction contractors performing over $2,000/year must register with the Division of Labor.

When a state doesn't license a trade at the state level, verification leans on three things: (1) the local city or county building department's licensing or permit registry, (2) Secretary of State entity registration at Iowa Secretary of State, and (3) the contractor's public-record history — court judgments, liens, OSHA citations, and BBB complaints.

Step 1: Check whether the city or county where the work will be performed has a local contractor license. In Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, many general contractors are required to register with the city building department.

Step 2: Confirm the business is registered with the Iowa Secretary of State (https://sos.iowa.gov/search/business/) and that the filing status is active or in good standing. A dissolved or administratively revoked entity is a red flag — especially if the same address has a new entity registered.

Step 3: Run a free Groundcheck at earthmove.io/trust. The report pulls entity registration, court judgments, OSHA inspection history, and BBB complaints into one verdict. For unlicensed-at-state-level trades like general contractors in Iowa, the public-record history is where the trust signal lives.

The detailed Iowa general contractor rules are documented at earthmove.io/trust/license/general-contractor/iowa.