Which states don't require contractor licensing?

Roughly one-third of US states do not have a statewide general contractor license. In these states, "is the contractor licensed" is a misleading question — you need to ask "is the contractor licensed in the right trade and in the right jurisdiction?"

States without statewide GC licensing:

- Colorado: no state GC license. Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, and most counties require local licenses. Electrical, plumbing, HVAC licensed at state. - Illinois: no state GC license. Chicago requires General Contractor licensing from the Department of Buildings. Roofers must be licensed statewide. Electrical and plumbing licensed at state. - Indiana: no state GC license. Plumbing licensed at state. Electrical at local level. - Iowa: no state GC license. Electrical and plumbing licensed at state. - Kansas: no state GC license. Roofers must register with the AG. Wichita and Overland Park have local registration. - Kentucky: no state GC license. HVAC, plumbing, electrical licensed at state. - Maine: no state GC license. Electrical and plumbing licensed at state. - Missouri: no state GC license. Kansas City and St. Louis require local. Electrical at local level. - Nebraska: no state GC license. Electrical and plumbing licensed at state. - New Hampshire: no state GC license. Electrical and plumbing licensed at state. - New York: no state GC license. NYC requires Home Improvement Contractor license through DCWP. Suffolk and Nassau counties have local licensing. Electrical at local. Plumbing at local. - Ohio: no state GC license. HVAC, plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, hydronic licensed at state. - Pennsylvania: no state GC license, but Home Improvement Contractors must register with the AG (HICPA). Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have additional local licensing. - South Dakota: no state GC license. Electrical at state. - Texas: no state GC license. HVAC, plumbing, electrical, irrigation, refrigeration licensed by TDLR. Roofers must register in storm-affected counties. - Vermont: no state GC license. Electrical and plumbing licensed at state. - Wyoming: no state GC license. Electrical at state.

What this means for homeowners in these states:

1. Cannot rely on "state license check" as your primary verification. State board lookup will not return a meaningful result.

2. Check local jurisdiction first. Denver, Chicago, NYC, Philadelphia, Kansas City, St. Louis, and many other major cities require local contractor licensing. The municipal building department or business license office is the right database.

3. Verify Secretary of State entity registration. This is your equivalent of the license-board check — does the LLC exist, is it in good standing, and how long has it been registered?

4. Heavily weight court records, OSHA, and BBB. Without a state license to lose, the contractor's only public-record signals are court history and federal records.

5. Verify trade-specific licenses (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing) at the state level. These almost always exist even when GC licensing does not.

6. Permit history matters more in unlicensed-GC states. The contractor's record of pulling and closing permits with the local building department is your strongest experience signal.

Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) handles all 51 jurisdictions, including unlicensed-GC states. In these states, Groundcheck's report leans heavily on Secretary of State + court + OSHA + BBB + phoenix detection, and notes "no statewide GC license required" so you understand why the license-board field is empty.