Contractor Licensing
A contractor is a person or company that you hire to do construction or repair work on your home or building in New York City. In NYC, a contractor who works on a residence (house, small building, or apartment building) must be properly licensed by the city. This applies when the contractor builds, repairs, or changes any part of the property, including structures and surrounding areas.
Examples of work that usually require a licensed contractor include: roofs and roof replacement, extensions or additions, new walls or structural changes, basements and garages, driveways and fences. It also covers many outdoor projects, such as porches, patios, terraces, decks, swimming pools, sidewalks, and landscaping next to a home or apartment building. Exact requirements can depend on the type of building and current NYC rules.
Important information
In New York City, most home improvement work on houses and residential buildings requires a Home Improvement Contractor License from the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP). The NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) also registers contractors and issues permits for construction work, and it allows you to check a contractor’s license or registration status online.
Before you sign a contract or pay a large deposit, check if your contractor is licensed and in good standing in New York City, and verify them in the DOB online system.
NEXT STEP
Contractor checkup on NYC DOB website
Good to know
This page is for general education only and is based on public New York City sources when available. Some technical and legal terms are simplified into plain English to help homeowners and ESL readers. It is not legal advice and does not replace advice from a licensed professional. NYC construction and safety requirements can change, and a project may have additional DOB*, zoning, floodplain, utility, or local requirements. Before starting work, verify current requirements with a New York State licensed design professional or directly with the NYC Department of Buildings.
If you see any capital letter abbreviations on this page or in an official letter you received from the city and you do not understand them, you can try to look them up on our NYC Violation Codes HUB page with the search tool.
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