What does a Michigan roofer license lookup show?
A Michigan roofer license lookup from Michigan LARA — Residential Builders and Maintenance & Alteration Contractors returns: license number, status (Active/Suspended/Expired/Revoked), classification (Maintenance & Alteration Contractor — Roofing), business name and address, bond status, expiration date, and any disciplinary history. Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) cross-references this with court records, OSHA citations, and BBB complaints.
The Michigan LARA — Residential Builders and Maintenance & Alteration Contractors public lookup is the authoritative source for Michigan roofer verification. It's at https://www.michigan.gov/lara/. A successful lookup returns six core fields.
Field 1 — License number and status. Status values: Active (legal to operate), Inactive (license exists but holder is not currently practicing), Suspended (disciplinary), Expired (renewal lapsed), or Revoked (terminated). Only Active is acceptable for hiring.
Field 2 — Classification. Michigan roofers are licensed under Maintenance & Alteration Contractor — Roofing. This determines what kind of work the license authorizes. A roofer with the wrong classification for your project is operating outside their license, even if "Active."
Field 3 — Business name, owner, and address. Verify these match what the roofer gave you on their proposal. Mismatch means the roofer may be operating under a different DBA or using someone else's license.
Field 4 — Bond status. Michigan requires a contractor bond as a condition of licensure. The lookup shows the bond amount and surety company. A lapsed bond means the license is technically out of compliance.
Field 5 — Expiration and renewal status. License terms vary by state (1-2 years typical). A license that expires next month and shows no renewal in progress is a risk for projects that extend past the expiration date.
Field 6 — Disciplinary history. The lookup shows past board actions: citations, fines, suspensions, and any open complaints under investigation. One historical citation 10 years ago is different from three open complaints filed last quarter.
What the lookup does NOT show: liability insurance and workers' compensation status (usually separate carriers, ask for COIs), court judgments and liens in civil court, OSHA inspection history at the federal level, BBB complaints, and "phoenix" patterns where a dissolved entity reopens under a new name at the same address. Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) adds all of these to the picture.
Detailed Michigan roofer licensing including class and threshold rules: earthmove.io/trust/license/roofer/michigan.
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Free Groundcheck cross-references Michigan LARA — Residential Builders and Maintenance & Alteration Contractors licensing with court records, OSHA history, and BBB complaints. Under 90 seconds. The contractor is never notified.