What does a handyman license check show?

A handyman license check is fundamentally different from a license check on any other trade, because most states define "handyman" as the work allowed BELOW a state-specific dollar threshold without a contractor license. There is no "handyman license" in most jurisdictions. There is a contractor license, and there is an unlicensed-work exemption with a dollar cap.

State thresholds for unlicensed handyman work:

- California: $500 total for labor and materials per project (CSLB rule). Above $500, a B-General Building contractor license or trade-specific license is required. - Arizona: $1,000 total per project (ROC). - Nevada: $1,000 total per project (NSCB). - Oregon: $1,000 total per project (CCB). - Texas: no state cap; municipal rules vary (Houston, Dallas, Austin have their own). - Florida: no state cap for cosmetic handyman work; structural, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and roofing require trade licenses regardless of dollar amount. - Washington: $0 — Washington requires registration for ALL contracting work; no unlicensed exemption.

What "the threshold" means: the entire project, not "per visit." A handyman who quotes $400 to repair drywall and then "discovers" $300 more in scope is now $700, over the California $500 line, and the entire project is unlicensed contracting — a misdemeanor for the handyman and a permit-fail liability for the homeowner.

What the lookup returns when a handyman holds a contractor license: the same six fields as any other contractor — license number, status, classification (typically B-General Building or specialty), bond, workers compensation, qualifying party, disciplinary history.

What the lookup returns when a handyman does NOT hold a contractor license: nothing useful from licensing boards. The relevant checks become: Secretary of State entity registration (is the business legally registered?), county court records (any prior fraud or breach-of-contract judgments?), BBB record, and direct insurer verification of general liability and workers compensation.

The biggest handyman risk is scope creep into licensed-work territory: any electrical (panel work, new circuits, light fixtures hard-wired), any plumbing (water heater, gas line, drain reroute), any HVAC, any structural framing, any roofing, any work requiring a permit. A handyman who agrees to do these tasks is operating outside the unlicensed exemption regardless of project dollar amount, and the homeowner inherits the permit-fail and insurance-denial risk.

Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) shows when a quoted project exceeds the state's unlicensed threshold and whether the handyman holds a contractor license that would cover the work. The matching state page at earthmove.io/trust/license/handyman/[state] documents the exact dollar threshold and scope rules.