How do I check a contractor's license in Oregon?
Search at oregon.gov/ccb (Oregon Construction Contractors Board). All Oregon construction contractors must be licensed by the CCB, regardless of project size. Status must show Active, bond current ($10,000-$20,000 residential), and insurance current.
Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB, oregon.gov/ccb) requires every construction contractor to be licensed before performing any work in Oregon — there is no dollar threshold. This makes Oregon one of the most rigorous states for contractor verification.
License endorsements:
- Residential General Contractor (RGC). - Residential Specialty Contractor (RSC). - Residential Limited Contractor (RLC): smaller projects only. - Commercial General Contractor (CGC). - Commercial Specialty Contractor (CSC). - Home Inspector, Locksmith (separate licensing). - Lead-based paint, asbestos endorsements.
What to check at oregon.gov/ccb:
1. License number, business name, RMI (Responsible Managing Individual). 2. Status: Active, Inactive, Expired, Lapsed, Revoked, Suspended. 3. License endorsement covers the work. 4. Bond status: $20,000 RGC, $10,000 RSC, $15,000 RLC, $20,000 CGC. Bond on file is mandatory. 5. Insurance: minimum $500,000 general liability for residential, $1M for commercial. 6. Workers' compensation: current account required if employees. 7. Disciplinary actions.
Oregon-specific consumer protections:
- CCB Dispute Resolution Service: free for consumers, can issue final orders requiring contractor to pay restitution. - Bond payouts up to $20,000 residential, $25,000 commercial — paid directly to consumers from the bond. - Lead-based paint renovation: contractors must hold separate EPA RRP certification AND Oregon-specific lead endorsement for pre-1978 residential work. - 3-day right to cancel home improvement contracts.
Plumbing, electrical, and HVAC in Oregon:
- Building Codes Division (oregon.gov/bcd) issues separate plumbing and electrical licenses. - Plumbing: Licensed Plumber (LP), Limited Plumber Specialty (LPS). - Electrical: Licensed Electrician across several class designations. - HVAC: Limited Maintenance Electrician (LME) for HVAC + mechanical contractor registration with CCB.
How to verify an Oregon contractor:
1. License at oregon.gov/ccb. 2. Trade licenses at oregon.gov/bcd for plumbing and electrical. 3. Secretary of State entity check at sos.oregon.gov/business. 4. County court records. Multnomah County (Portland): courts.oregon.gov. Washington County (Beaverton), Lane County (Eugene), Marion County (Salem), Deschutes County (Bend). 5. Federal court (PACER). 6. OSHA: Oregon has a state OSHA plan (OR-OSHA). 7. BBB.
Common Oregon contractor issues:
- Lead paint endorsement missing on pre-1978 work. Federal RRP + Oregon endorsement both required. Violation can result in $37,500+ penalties per violation. - Bond expiration. Bonds can lapse without immediate license revocation; consumers lose first-dollar recovery. - Out-of-state operators working without Oregon CCB licensing. CCB actively enforces. - Inactive status mid-project. Contractor goes Inactive to save fees; work performed during Inactive period is unlicensed.
Wildfire reconstruction risks:
- Oregon experienced major wildfires in 2020 and 2026. Reconstruction creates storm-chaser-equivalent fraud — out-of-state contractors descending on fire-affected regions. CCB enforcement increased post-2020. Verify Oregon CCB license and entity formation date before signing.
Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) verifies Oregon CCB licenses, BCD trade licenses, Oregon Secretary of State entity status, major-county court records, OR-OSHA data, BBB, and phoenix-pattern. Oregon has unusually clean public-records data and a strong CCB enforcement record, making Groundcheck verification highly reliable here.
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