How to check a contractor's license in Oregon

Before anyone works on your house, spend two minutes on the state's own record. In Oregon, contractors who build, remodel or repair homes for pay are licensed by the Construction Contractors Board (CCB). The record is public and free to look up.

The check, step by step

1. 1Get the CCB numberAsk for it, or find it on their ads, truck or website — Oregon rules require contractors to show their license number in their advertising, including websites.
2. 2Look it up at the CCBSearch the number or the business name on the CCB's license search. Every listing on this site links straight to that record.
3. 3Read what the record showsThe CCB says to check that the license is active and to look at the business's complaint history, disciplinary actions and the size of its bond. On this site, every listing also shows the bond and liability insurance amounts in the state's data on the day we checked.
4. 4Electrician or plumber? Check the second licenseOregon's Building Codes Division issues the state's electrical and plumbing contractor licenses, on top of the CCB license. Listings here show the BCD license when we matched one by business name.
5. 5Can't find them? Ask before you assumeNames on the record don't always match the name on the truck. The CCB's own search page says: if you can't find the contractor by name, don't assume they're unlicensed — search by number or ask them.

What a license doesn't promise

A license means the business met the CCB's licensing requirements on file. It isn't a grade, a review or a recommendation — and that's true of every listing on this site too. Check references and get more than one bid.

Then get it in writing

The CCB says construction agreements over $2,000 must be in writing, and recommends a written contract with a detailed description of the work, the materials, the costs, and start and end dates. It also says never to pay the full amount up front, and not to pay in cash.

The CCB notes that contractors usually get the permits, because they know which ones a job needs. If someone offers to skip a required permit, or asks you to pull a permit for work they'll do, that's a reason to slow down.