Texas Contractor Licensing
Texas contractor licensing works trade by trade: the state licenses electricians, HVAC, plumbers, and irrigators, but not general contractors.
Texas contractor licensing works trade by trade: there is no statewide license for general contractors, home builders, remodelers, or roofers. TDLR licenses electricians and HVAC contractors, TSBPE licenses plumbers, and TCEQ licenses landscape irrigators. Cities add their own rules: Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, and Fort Worth require contractor registration, while Houston does not license general contractors.
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Find what you need in Texas
- Become a ContractorWhich trades need a state license, what TDLR, TSBPE, and TCEQ require, and city registration.
- Hire a ContractorA 60-second checklist before you sign with a Texas contractor.
- Verify a LicenseWhich official Texas lookup to search for each type of work.
Official sources
- Texas Sunset Advisory Commission: sunset.texas.gov/reviews-and-reports/agencies/texas-residential-construction-commission
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR): tdlr.texas.gov/LicenseSearch/
- Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE): tsbpe.texas.gov/
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ): tceq.texas.gov/goto/irrigator
- City of Austin Development Services: austintexas.gov/development-services/contractor-registration
- City of Houston Permitting Center: houstonpermittingcenter.org/media/1731/download
- City of Dallas Development Services: dallascityhall.com/departments/sustainabledevelopment/DCH%20documents/pdf/building/GeneralContractor_RegistrationForm.pdf
- City of San Antonio Development Services: sa.gov/Directory/Departments/DSD/Contractor/Building-Home-Improvement
- City of Fort Worth Development Services: fortworthtexas.gov/departments/development-services/permits/contractor-registration
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Independent reference. Not a government agency. A valid license does not guarantee quality of work, insurance coverage, or the absence of complaints.