A:  Sure, he (or she) can.  A piece of paper does not a contractor make.

In fact, many states do not even license contractors.  Surprising, huh?  They may have licenses for specialized trades–electrical, asbestos removal, HVAC, plumbing, and so on–but not for contractors.  So, if you live in such a state, then obviously the contractor will not be licensed.

Not only that, but many homeowners believe that a contractor who is licensed and in good standing is a “good contractor.”  Not necessarily.  Being licensed–and not running afoul of the conditions of licensing–is just the bare minimum.  It just says:  This person is a contractor.  It is no reflection of his/her ability.

However, what if the contractor is not licensed?  Think about it.  What does this say?  He may have excuses (”Oh, I’ll get to it.” etc.), but this does not cut the mustard.  If the contractor cannot fulfill this bare minimum of licensure, you probably do not want to deal with this person.

Bottom line:  don’t go there.

Alabama

http://www.genconbd.state.al.us

Alaska

http://www.dced.state.ak.us/occ

Arizona

http://www.rc.state.az.us

Arkansas

http://www.state.ar.us/clb

California

http://www.cslb.ca.gov

Colorado

http://www.dora.state.co.us/registrations/index.htm

Connecticut

http://www.dcp.state.ct.us/licensing/

Delaware

http://www.state.de.us/revenue

District of Columbia

N/A

Florida

http://www.state.fl.us/dbpr/pro/cilb/cilb_index.shtml

Georgia

http://www.sos.state.ga.us/plb/construct

Hawaii

http://www.state.hi.us/dcca/pvl

Idaho

http://www.2.state.id.us/dbs/dbs_index.html

Illinois

http://www.dpr.state.il.us

Indiana

http://www.IN.gov/pla/

Iowa

http://www.iowaworkforce.org/labor/index.html

Kansas

http://www.ksrevenue.org/

Kentucky

http://hbc.ppr.ky.gov/

Louisiana

None

Maine

http://www.state.me.us/dep/index.shtml

Maryland

http://www.dllr.state.md.us

Massachusetts

http://www.state.ma.us/bbrs/hic.htm

Michigan

http://www.michigan.gov/cis

Minnesota

http://www.state.mn.us/cgi-bin/portal/mn/jsp/home.do?agency=Commerce

Mississippi

http://www.msboc.state.ms.us/

Missouri

http://www.sos.state.mo.us/

Montana

http://erd.dli.state.mt.us/

Nebraska

http://www.dol.state.ne.us/

Nevada

http://nscb.state.nv.us/

New Hampshire

http://www.state.nh.us/sos/

New Jersey

http://www.state.nj.us/dca/index.html

New Mexico

http://www.rld.state.nm.us

New York

http://www.dos.state.ny.us/

North Carolina

http://www.nclbgc.org

North Dakota

http://www.state.nd.us/sec

Ohio

http://www.com.state.oh.us/ODOC/dic/dicocieb.htm

Oklahoma

http://oktax.state.ok.us/oktax/

Oregon

http://www.ccb.state.or.us

Pennsylvania

http://www.dgs.state.pa.us/

Rhode Island

http://www.crb.state.ri.us

South Carolina

http://www.llr.state.sc.us/POL/ResidentialBuilders/

South Dakota

http://www.state.sd.us/sos/sos.htm

Tennessee

http://www.state.tn.us/commerce/boards/contractors/index.html

Texas

http://www.license.state.tx.us/

Utah

http://www.commerce.state.ut.us

Vermont

http://www.sec.state.vt.us

Virginia

http://www.state.va.us/dpor/indexie.html

Washington

https://wws2.wa.gov/lni/bbip/contractor.asp

Wisconsin

http://www.commerce.state.wi.us/SB/SB-DivProgramsListed.html

Wyoming

http://wyofire.state.wy.us/