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

In New York, there is no statewide hvac contractor license to verify. New York does not license HVAC contractors at the state level. NYC, Buffalo, and other municipalities issue local HVAC licenses — check the local building department. This means "is my hvac contractor licensed" has a different answer here than in states like California or Florida, where every hvac contractor must hold a state license.

What to verify instead: (1) Local jurisdiction. Many New York cities and counties require HVAC 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 hvac 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 The entity status should be active or in good standing — not dissolved, withdrawn, or administratively revoked.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 hvac 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 HVAC contractors in New York, the public-record verdict is the trust verdict. The contractor is never notified.

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