The short version
- Search by the CCB license number first, because a name search can miss a record over one apostrophe.
- The record shows whether the license is active, the bond, the insurance, workers' comp, a lead paint license, and 10 years of complaints.
- Look up your own record before a homeowner does, and fix the name, insurance, and RMI details that are out of date.
Oregon calls it a license, and the Construction Contractors Board issues it. To hold one, a business has to carry a surety bond and liability insurance (opens in a new tab), and most endorsements also need a Responsible Managing Individual, the RMI, who took the CCB training and passed the test. All of that sits behind one number, and that number is what a homeowner types into the state search.
I build sites for contractors in Washington and Oregon, and the CCB number goes on every Oregon site. Homeowners look it up. Contractors should look it up first.
Where to search
The tool is the CCB's Contractor License Search (opens in a new tab). It is free and needs no account. You can search three ways.
- The CCB license number. The CCB calls this the most accurate search. It is also why the number belongs on your site, your cards, and your bids.
- Part of the business name, or the owner's last name. Shorter works better. Search "Cascade" instead of "Cascade Roofing and Gutters LLC," because an apostrophe, an ampersand, or a missing "Inc." can hide the record you want.
- The business phone number, in some cases. Type the digits only.
The search has a switch for all records or active records only. Active only is the quick check. All records shows the history too, including licenses that are no longer active, which matters when a business has changed names.
Two more notes from the CCB on that page. If a name search comes up empty, do not assume the contractor is unlicensed. Try one word, try the number, or call the CCB at (503) 378-4621. And the records update every six hours, so a change made this morning may not show until later in the day.
The same page links the other searches. Electricians and plumbers hold trade licenses from Oregon's Building Codes Division, which has its own lookup, and the CCB keeps separate searches for lead safe contractors, home inspectors, and locksmiths.
If you work both sides of the Columbia, I built a lookup at llcsearchwa.com (opens in a new tab) that searches Oregon CCB licenses and Washington L&I registrations together. It copies the state files and links every record back to the agency, so the CCB page stays the final word.
What the record shows
The CCB spells out what checking a license tells a homeowner (opens in a new tab). Here it is in plain terms, plus the endorsement, which decides what kind of work the license covers.
| Part of the record | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| License status | Whether the license is active today |
| Endorsement | Whether the license covers residential work, commercial work, or both |
| Bond | Whether a surety bond is on file |
| Liability insurance | Whether proof of insurance was filed at licensing and at each renewal |
| Lead paint | Whether the business is licensed for work on homes built before 1978 that may contain lead paint |
| Workers' comp | Whether the business carries workers' compensation insurance |
| Complaints and discipline | Complaints or disciplinary actions filed with the CCB in the past 10 years |
Active status
Read this first. An active license is what you want to see, and the CCB gives homeowners two practical reasons to insist on it. The CCB only mediates disputes with licensed contractors, and only licensed contractors can get the required building permits. Without an active license, a contractor can offer the homeowner neither.
The endorsement
The CCB says contractors must carry the endorsement for the type of structures they work on, whether residential, commercial, or both. A residential specialty contractor who wants to bid a large commercial project has to change the license to carry both. The endorsement also sets the bond and the insurance, so the record tells you what the contractor had to post.
| Residential endorsement | Bond | Liability insurance |
|---|---|---|
| General contractor | $25,000 | $500,000 per occurrence |
| Specialty contractor | $20,000 | $300,000 per occurrence |
| Limited contractor | $15,000 | $100,000 per occurrence |
Commercial endorsements carry larger numbers, up to an $80,000 bond and $2,000,000 in aggregate coverage for a level 1 commercial general contractor.
Bond and insurance
These two get confused, and neither one is a warranty. The bond is a promise by a bonding company to pay all or part of a CCB order if the contractor does not pay it. The liability insurance pays a third party for damage or injury the contractor causes, like a ladder falling through a window. The CCB is clear that it does not pay for the poor work itself. A homeowner who knows that reads the record with the right expectations.
Workers' comp
Oregon requires workers' comp once a business has employees. A business with no employees is exempt, and so are some family companies where every partner, officer, or member is family. A one person roofing company with no workers' comp on the record is normal. A crew of six with none is a question.
Lead paint
For a house built before 1978, this line matters. It shows whether the contractor holds the CCB license for work on homes that may contain lead paint. Painters, remodelers, and window installers who work older neighborhoods should expect homeowners to look for it.
Complaints and discipline
This is the section homeowners read slowly. It covers the past 10 years. One complaint that settled years ago is a different story from three filed this spring, so read the dates and how each one ended before drawing a conclusion.
For contractors, one detail from the CCB's complaint process. Before a homeowner can file against a licensed contractor, they have to send the contractor a notice by certified mail and wait 30 days. If that letter arrives, answer it inside those 30 days.
What a homeowner should check before hiring
If you are a homeowner reading this, five minutes on the search covers most of the risk.
- The name on the record matches the name on the bid and the contract.
- The license is active, and the endorsement fits the job. A house calls for a residential endorsement.
- The bond is on file, and insurance was filed at the last renewal.
- The complaint section is empty, or the entries are old and resolved.
- For a house built before 1978, the lead paint license shows.
The CCB adds a point worth repeating. Oregon does not require construction training for most trades, with plumbers, electricians, and a few others as the exceptions, so the license speaks to the business, not the skill. References and photos of past work cover the rest.
What a contractor should check on their own record
Homeowners are not the only readers. General contractors hiring subs read it, and so do suppliers opening an account. Twice a year, pull up your own license and check these.
- The name matches everywhere. The CCB wants the bond and the insurance certificate in your full legal name, and an LLC or corporation has to match its filing with the Oregon Secretary of State's Corporation Division. Use that same name on your site, your truck, your Google Business Profile, and your invoices.
- The insurance never has a gap. The CCB requires the insurance for the whole licensing period and can suspend the license or fine you without it. When you switch carriers, the new certificate has to list the Construction Contractors Board as certificate holder.
- The RMI is current. If your RMI leaves, the CCB wants written notice right away, and a temporary RMI only covers you for 14 days. The CCB suggests naming more than one RMI so a single departure does not stop work.
- Your workers' comp status matches your crew. If you are licensed as exempt and you hire your first employee, you need coverage, and the CCB has a form to change your status.
- The expiration date is on your calendar. A license runs two years and renews for $400. If it lapses more than 24 months, you retake the training and the test.
Most of this can be updated through your CCB online account, or by calling the licensing line at (503) 378-4621.
Putting the number where homeowners look
The CCB's search page tells homeowners that contractors must put the license number on their advertising, websites and business cards included. So put it where they look, in the footer of every page, on the about page, and next to the quote form. On the sites I build, it goes in all three places by default. DWV Construction, a Portland remodeler, shows Oregon CCB 208048 across the whole site, so a homeowner on any page is one search away from the record.
I wrote a separate guide on where the license number goes on a contractor website and how to write it. If you also work in Washington, the L&I record reads differently, and I cover it in how to look up a contractor license in Washington. For what an Oregon build includes, see Oregon contractor websites.
A homeowner who types your number and finds an active license, current insurance, and a quiet complaint history is most of the way to calling you. Check that page before they do.
