How can I tell if my general contractor is licensed in New York?

In New York, there is no statewide general contractor license to verify. New York has no statewide general contractor license. NYC requires Home Improvement Contractor licensing through DCWP; other municipalities have their own registrations. This means "is my general contractor licensed" has a different answer here than in states like California or Florida, where every general contractor must hold a state license.

What to verify instead: (1) Local jurisdiction. Many New York cities and counties require general contractors to register or hold a local contractor license. New York City, Buffalo, and Rochester typically have local building-department registration requirements. Check the city's building department website.

(2) Business entity status. Even without a trade-specific license, the general contractor's business should be registered with the New York Department of State (https://appext20.dos.ny.gov/corp_public/). The entity status should be active or in good standing — not dissolved, withdrawn, or administratively revoked.

(3) Public-record history. Court judgments, mechanics' liens, OSHA citations, and BBB complaints are the strongest trust signals when there's no state license to anchor verification. A general contractor with multiple recent judgments or an unresolved lien is a hard stop.

Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) pulls all three categories in under 90 seconds. For trades without statewide licensing like general contractors in New York, the public-record verdict is the trust verdict. The contractor is never notified.

Detailed New York general contractor rules: earthmove.io/trust/license/general-contractor/new-york.