How do I check a contractor's license in North Carolina?

North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors (NCLBGC, nclbgc.org) regulates general contractors performing work valued at $30,000 or more. Below that threshold, no GC license is required — though trade-specific licensing (electrical, plumbing, HVAC) is required regardless of project size.

License classes:

- Limited: projects up to $750,000. - Intermediate: projects up to $1,500,000. - Unlimited: no project size limit.

Specialty endorsements:

- Building (B): general building construction. - Residential (R): one- and two-family residential. - Highway (H), Public Utilities (PU), Specialty (S). - Various sub-specialties: Insulation, Swimming Pool, Concrete, Masonry, Roofing.

What to check at nclbgc.org:

1. License number, business name, qualifying party. 2. Status: must be Active. 3. License class authorizes the project size. 4. Endorsements cover the work type. 5. Disciplinary actions and complaints.

Other North Carolina state boards:

- North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Electrical Contractors (ncbeec.org): electrical licenses. - North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors (nclicensing.org): plumbing, HVAC, fire sprinkler. - North Carolina State Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors: PE licensing for design.

North Carolina-specific protections:

- General Contractors Recovery Fund: up to $15,000 per claim against licensed contractors. - 3-day right to cancel home improvement contracts. - Mechanics' lien filing window: 120 days from last furnishing. - Contractor must be licensed BEFORE submitting a bid on a project over $30,000 — bidding without a license is itself a violation.

How to verify a North Carolina contractor:

1. License at nclbgc.org. 2. Trade licenses at ncbeec.org (electrical), nclicensing.org (plumbing/HVAC). 3. Secretary of State entity check at sosnc.gov. 4. County court records. Wake County (Raleigh): wakegov.com/courts. Mecklenburg County (Charlotte): mecklenburgcountync.gov/courts. Durham, Guilford (Greensboro), Forsyth (Winston-Salem). 5. Federal court (PACER). 6. OSHA: North Carolina has a state OSHA plan (NCDOL). 7. BBB.

Common North Carolina contractor issues:

- $30,000 threshold gaming. Contractors bidding multiple smaller phases to stay under $30,000 per phase, avoiding licensing. If the total project is over $30,000, the contractor must be licensed regardless of how the work is structured. - License class undersized. Limited class ($750k cap) used for projects above the cap — violation. - Out-of-state contractors. Must obtain North Carolina licensure; reciprocity is limited.

Hurricane and coastal-storm risks:

- North Carolina coast experiences seasonal hurricane and tropical storm activity. Roofers and exterior contractors are major storm-fraud targets. Verify entity age, in-state physical address, and licensing before signing post-storm.

Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) verifies NCLBGC licenses, NC electrical and plumbing/HVAC board licenses, NC Secretary of State entity status, major-county court records, NCDOL OSHA data, BBB, and phoenix-pattern. North Carolina has comprehensive public records and is one of the highest-fidelity states for verification.