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

Texas does not require a statewide handyman license. Texas does not license handymen at the state level. Trade-licensed work (HVAC, plumbing, electrical) requires the appropriate TDLR license regardless of project size; pure handyman tasks are unregulated statewide.

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 Texas 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 Houston and Dallas, many handymen are required to register with the city building department.

Step 2: Confirm the business is registered with the Texas Secretary of State (https://mycpa.cpa.state.tx.us/coa/) 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 Texas, the public-record history is where the trust signal lives.

The detailed Texas handyman rules are documented at earthmove.io/trust/license/handyman/texas.