Step 1 — License lookup, by state
Know your state's threshold first: below it, "no license" is legal and normal.
| STATE | LICENSE REQUIRED | OFFICIAL LOOKUP |
|---|---|---|
| NC | GC license required for projects of $40,000 or more | portal.nclbgc.org → |
| SC | Residential Builder license required over $5,000 | verify.llronline.com → |
| GA | Residential contractor license required over $2,500 | verify.sos.ga.gov → |
| TN | Contractor license required at $25,000 and up | verify.tn.gov → |
| VA | License required from $1,000 (Class C/B/A tiers) | www.dpor.virginia.gov → |
On the record, check three fields: status (must say active — "invalid", "expired" and "revoked" are different problems, all yours), expiration date (must clear your project timeline), and the exact licensed name — you'll need it for step 3.
Step 2 — Insurance certificate
Ask for a COI (certificate of insurance) sent directly from the agent, not a PDF forwarded by the contractor — forged COIs are the most common fraud we encounter. Check the policy dates, general-liability limits (at least $1M per occurrence for this trade) and, if they have employees, workers' comp. No workers' comp + an injury under your house can become your homeowner's-policy problem.
Step 3 — The three cross-checks
- Name match. Licensed entity = insured entity = the name on your contract. "Doing business as" chains that don't resolve to the same legal entity are where liability disappears. This single check fails more contractors than any other in our reports.
- Address & phone consistency. The address on the license, the website and Google Maps should agree, and the address should be a real premises. Storm-chasing crews rent virtual offices; a five-minute street-view look catches most.
- Discipline history. Both Carolina boards publish disciplinary actions. Search the company AND the qualifying individual — problem operators dissolve companies and keep the person.
What certification adds (IICRC)
IICRC WRT (Water Damage Restoration) and ASD (Applied Structural Drying) are the certifications that matter for moisture work; verify at iicrc.org. In low-threshold states like NC and TN — where a legal contractor may hold no license at all — certification plus insurance is the strongest available signal.
Or skip the 30 minutes: every CrawlCred listing runs these exact checks, shows the date each one ran, and re-checks periodically. Browse the directory →