How do I check a handyman's license in Kentucky?

Kentucky does not require a statewide handyman license. Kentucky does not license handymen at the state level. Louisville and Lexington may require local registration. Trade-licensed work (HVAC, plumbing, electrical) requires the appropriate state license regardless.

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 Kentucky 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 Louisville and Lexington, many handymen are required to register with the city building department.

Step 2: Confirm the business is registered with the Kentucky Secretary of State (https://sosbes.sos.ky.gov/) 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 handymen in Kentucky, the public-record history is where the trust signal lives.

The detailed Kentucky handyman rules are documented at earthmove.io/trust/license/handyman/kentucky.