How to check a Texas contractor’s license: HVAC, electrical, plumbing and roofing

The air conditioner quits on a July afternoon. The first company that calls back says it can be there tonight. A hailstorm rolls through Tarrant County, and by the next morning there are three flyers on the door and a truck parked across the street. In both cases the homeowner has about ten minutes to decide whether the person on the phone is who they say they are.

A license check takes less time than that. Texas licenses air conditioning contractors, electricians and plumbers through state agencies. Each one runs a public lookup. Roofing works differently, because Texas has no statewide roofing license, so this guide also covers what to check instead.

This page is general consumer information, not legal advice. Licensing rules change, and agency websites move their pages. Confirm what applies to your job with the licensing agency and your city before you hire, and talk to your own lawyer if a contract or a dispute is involved.

Who licenses what in Texas

Before you search: get the details in writing

Ask the company for its legal business name and the license number of the person or company doing the work. A real license number is quick to share. A plumber should be able to show a card on the job, because the plumbing board’s consumer sheet says licensed or registered plumbers in Texas must carry their license cards while on a job site.

Write the name and number down before you search. A search by number is usually cleaner than a search by name, since names repeat and businesses often trade under a shorter name than the one on file.

How to check an HVAC contractor’s license

Heating and air conditioning contractors are licensed by TDLR through its Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors program. The program page says that work installing, repairing or maintaining these systems needs a TDLR license. It also says ACR companies must employ a licensed ACR contractor in each permanent location. Individual technicians hold their own registration or certification, which is separate from the contractor license.

1. Go to TDLR’s Search / Verify page and choose the search for individuals and businesses.
2. On the license data search, pick how to search. You can search by license type, license number, expiration date, name or business name, city, county or ZIP code.
3. If you have the number, search by number. If not, choose the air conditioning license type and narrow by name or city.
4. Open the result and compare the name, license type and expiration date with what the company told you.

Note the title of that search: it covers active licenses only. If a license has expired or lapsed, it will not show up at all. The search page says that if a license isn’t found, you can call TDLR customer service at 800-803-9202.

Insurance is part of this license. TDLR’s certificate of insurance form for air conditioning contractors (revised October 2025) lists minimum general liability coverage for each license class. It’s still reasonable to ask the company for a current certificate of insurance of its own before work starts.

How to check an electrician’s license

Electricians are also licensed by TDLR, through its Electricians program. The state licenses individuals at several levels, from apprentice through journeyman and master. Businesses hold a separate electrical contractor license. TDLR’s program page says people doing non-exempt electrical work must be licensed and must perform that work through a licensed electrical contractor.

The steps match the HVAC search. Use the same TDLR license search, choose the electricians license type and search by number or name. Check two things: that the company holds an electrical contractor license, and that the person who shows up holds a license of their own. A company license alone doesn’t tell you who is turning the screwdriver.

How to check a plumber’s license

Plumbers are licensed by a different agency, the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. Its search runs on a separate state licensing site, which you can reach from the “Find a license/registration” link at the top of tsbpe.texas.gov. The board’s how-to guide walks through it:

1. Open the Public License Search and choose a search type. Search by name is the common choice. The board suggests searching by license number when you have it.
2. In the Board dropdown, choose “Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners.” Then choose “Plumbing – Licensed or Registered.”
3. If you search by number, enter the digits only, without the letter for the license rank.
4. Click the plumber’s name in the results. Some numbers appear more than once because they repeat across license types, and the guide says that isn’t an error.
5. Read the license page. The guide says it shows license status and expiration date. It also shows insurance certificate status, disciplinary actions with documents and a contact phone number.

The board registers apprentices and licenses plumbers at several ranks, including tradesman, journeyman and master. Its consumer sheet says apprentices must always work under a licensed plumber’s supervision. A responsible master plumber handles the supervision and management of plumbing work done under contracts secured under their license. The board says that person must keep at least $300,000 of commercial liability coverage. Ask the company who its responsible master plumber is, and who will pull the permits.

How to search TDLR enforcement and administrative orders

A current license doesn’t mean a clean record. TDLR posts its enforcement actions in a separate penalties and administrative orders search, linked from the Enforcement Actions section of its Search / Verify page.

1. Pick the license program. The air conditioning program is listed as “Air Conditioning Contractors and Technicians” in this search. Electricians are listed as “Electricians.”
2. Add another detail, such as license number, last name, company name, city, county or ZIP code. The page needs at least one search field and recommends using more than one for faster results.
3. Read any orders that come back, including the date and what the order says happened.

This search covers orders issued in the current fiscal year and the two before it, and TDLR’s fiscal year starts September 1. Older history won’t appear here. For plumbers, disciplinary actions show on the license page itself in the plumbing board’s search.

Roofers: Texas has no statewide roofing license

Texas has no statewide roofing license, and bills to create one have not passed. In 2013, SB 311 would have set up roofing contractor licensing at TDLR. In 2025, HB 3344 dealt with the licensing of reroofing contractors by TDLR. The last action on its bill history is a committee report sent to the House Calendars committee on May 8, 2025. The history shows nothing after that. Recheck after the 2027 legislative session, since the next bill could change this.

Some roofers hold credentials from trade groups. The Roofing Contractors Association of Texas runs its own voluntary licensing program, separate from the state. Treat that kind of credential as one more data point, not as a state license.

Without a state lookup, the checking falls to you. The Texas Department of Insurance’s storm repair checklist gives a general starting list for picking a contractor:

• Verify the contractor’s name, address, phone number and references.
• Check that the contractor has insurance or a bond.
• Get at least three written bids to compare.
• Get a copy of all written, signed agreements and warranty terms.
• Avoid contractors going door to door for damage repair work.

That same TDI page also covers a windstorm inspection certificate. Those steps belong to TDI’s windstorm program on the coast, so they don’t apply to a typical Dallas–Fort Worth roof.

TDI’s fraud resources page adds warnings that matter after a North Texas hailstorm. If a roofer asks you to sign something before going on the roof to estimate repairs, TDI says to make sure it isn’t a contract. It says not to sign a contract with blank sections, and never to sign one that ties the repairs to “the value of the insurance proceeds.” It says not to pay in full up front and to be careful with large down payments. TDI also states that it is illegal for a contractor to offer to waive a deductible or promise a rebate for it. If a contractor raises any of this, talk to your insurance company and your own lawyer before you sign.

Check the city permit, too

State licenses cover the person. City permits cover the job. Permits and inspections go through your city, and some cities, such as Fort Worth, also have contractors register with them.

Fort Worth is a good example. The city’s residential permit descriptions list a residential reroof permit for re-roofing and replacing decking, and say shingle-only replacements do not need a permit. The city’s residential permit brochure says replacing decking, sheathing boards or rafters needs a building permit. It also says changing or repairing a central heating and air system needs a mechanical permit. Electrical and plumbing work need their own permits too. The city’s contractor registration application includes building, mechanical, master electrical and master plumbing contractors.

Those Fort Worth documents are a few years old, so call Fort Worth Development Services or check its website before you rely on them. If you live in Dallas, Arlington or a smaller city, ask that city’s building department what your job needs. Then ask the contractor, in writing, who will pull the permit.

A short checklist before you hire

• Get the business name and license number in writing.
• Look up the license with TDLR or the plumbing board, and check that it’s active.
• Search TDLR’s administrative orders, or read the disciplinary section of the plumbing license page.
• Ask for a current certificate of insurance.
• For roofing, follow TDI’s checklist: references, insurance or a bond, written bids and a signed contract with no blanks.
• Confirm with your city whether the job needs a permit, and who will pull it.

A note for contractors

The same lookups work in reverse. Homeowners who check you will find whatever is on file, so keep your license, insurance certificate and city registrations current. A clean record only helps if the homeowner reaches you, though. Automation Results helps Dallas–Fort Worth home-service companies make sure the homeowner who just looked them up and called after a hailstorm reaches a booked inspection instead of a voicemail.