Pennsylvania does not issue a general contractor license. Most home improvement contractors must register with the Attorney General's Office under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, and jobs over $500 need a written contract that carries the registration number. Registration is a baseline check, not a guarantee of quality, so ask questions too.
Key takeaways
- The state issues no general contractor license. The Attorney General's Office registers home improvement contractors under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, known as HICPA.
- A written contract is required when the price is more than $500, and it must carry the contractor's registration number, approximate start and completion dates and the signatures of owner and contractor.
- Registration is a baseline. It is not an endorsement, a quality rating or a warranty, so you still need references, a written scope and a clear payment schedule.
- In Philadelphia a contractor does not need a city contractor license for work on one- and two-family houses, but must hold the Pennsylvania registration, and plumbing and electrical work still need a city trade license.
- Whether emergency water extraction and drying alone counts as home improvement is a legal question this guide does not answer, so ask every company for its registration number and check it yourself.
Does Pennsylvania license general contractors?
No. There is no general contractor license in the state. Instead, the Attorney General's Office registers home improvement contractors under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act. Registration is mostly a consumer-protection tool, and it works differently from a state license that tests skills. Specific trades, such as plumbing, may carry their own local rules.
People often search for a contractor's license number, and in Pennsylvania the thing to look for is a registration number. The two are not the same. A license usually means a government body has tested a person's skills or qualifications. A registration means the contractor has signed up with the state, shown insurance and agreed to follow the rules about contracts.
That distinction matters when you read advertising. A company that says it is licensed in Pennsylvania should be able to explain what it means, and the honest answer for most home improvement work is registration. This guide uses the word registered only to describe the law, and it says nothing about any one company, including the business behind this website.
There is also no Pennsylvania license classification specific to water mitigation, meaning extraction, drying and moisture monitoring. Do not trust a claim of a state-certified water damage technician. The industry body IICRC certifies individual technicians, but it is not a government agency.
Who has to register under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act?
Anyone who owns or operates a home improvement business, or offers or performs home improvements in Pennsylvania, must register unless the law exempts them. The Act's registration requirement is tied to contractors who perform at least $5,000 of home improvements a year. An unregistered contractor may not perform home improvements in the state.
The Act defines home improvement broadly: repair, replacement, remodeling, demolition, removal, renovation, installation, alteration, conversion, modernization, improvement and rehabilitation of residential property, with a cost of $500 or more. Rebuilding after water damage, such as flood cuts, drywall, flooring and framing, fits that language, and the water damage restoration page shows where drying ends and rebuilding begins.
Whether emergency extraction and drying by itself counts is a legal question, and this guide does not answer it. The Attorney General's current FAQ is the place to check. For you the practical answer is simple: before any repair work starts, ask the company for its Pennsylvania registration number.
Unregistered work can bring civil and criminal penalties for the contractor and a contract that is voidable. What a voidable contract means for you in practice is a question for the Attorney General's Office or a lawyer, and it is little comfort in the middle of a flooded house. Check first.
What must a written contract include for jobs over $500?
When the price is more than $500, Pennsylvania requires a written contract. It must carry the contractor's registration number and the approximate start and completion dates, be signed by the owner and the contractor, and contain the entire agreement. The registration number must also appear in advertisements, estimates and proposals.
The point of the contract is that nothing important stays verbal. The scope of work, the price, the payment schedule and the materials all belong in the document, because anything not written is hard to prove later.
After a water loss, scopes are easy to get vague. 'Repair the basement' is not a scope. A good one lists what comes out, what goes back in, which finishes and what is excluded, and it separates the emergency stage from the repairs afterward.
Do not sign a blank or partly blank form, and keep a copy of everything you sign, including change orders. If a crew starts on the emergency stage before a full contract exists, ask that the emergency price be written down and approved before work begins.
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Contractor's registration number | Lets you check the registration yourself |
| Approximate start and completion dates | Gives you a basis if work stalls |
| Signatures of owner and contractor | Makes the agreement binding |
| The entire agreement in writing | Keeps verbal promises out of dispute |
| Scope, materials and finishes | Defines what the price covers |
| Price and payment schedule | Shows when money is due and for what |
What does registration guarantee, and what does it not?
Registration shows that a contractor has signed up with the Attorney General's Office, and registered contractors must show liability insurance of at least $50,000 for personal injury and $50,000 for property damage. It does not guarantee quality, price, timeliness or that a dispute will be resolved in your favor. It is a floor, not a rating.
Registration is a useful filter. It tells you the person is on record, has shown insurance and is covered by the Act's rules about contracts. A contractor who will not give a registration number has told you something.
It does not tell you whether the work will be good. For that, you need references, photographs of similar completed work, a clear scope and an honest conversation. It also does not replace permits, which come from the municipality.
Insurance on the contractor's side is separate from insurance on yours. The contractor's liability coverage protects against injury or damage caused by the contractor. It does not pay for your original water damage, and your own insurer decides that claim under your own policy.
How do you check a Pennsylvania contractor?
Ask the company for its registration number, then look it up on the Attorney General's home improvement contractor registration site at hic.attorneygeneral.gov. Confirm that the name and number match, that the registration is current and that the company that signs the contract is the company that will do the work.
The last part is worth repeating. A phone line or a website can send a different company to your door. Ask who will actually perform the work, ask that company for its number and check that number yourself, whoever answered the phone. That applies to every company you call, including this one.
Take five minutes to write down the name as it appears on the registry, the number and the date you checked. If anything differs from what you were told, stop and ask why before you sign.
The Attorney General's Office can tell you how to raise a problem with a contractor. If something goes wrong, a complaint is easier to make when the contract, the registration number and your photographs are in one folder.
What questions should you ask before you sign?
Ask for the registration number, proof of insurance, a written scope, a payment schedule, references and the names of anyone who will subcontract. For water damage, also ask what moisture readings will be taken, when drying is considered done and what the company does if walls must be opened and materials may contain asbestos or lead.
A short list is more useful than a long one. Use the list below as a checklist, and write down the answers.
- What is your Pennsylvania home improvement registration number, and can I see proof of liability insurance?
- Who will do the work, and will anyone be subcontracted?
- What exactly is included in the price, and what is excluded?
- How much is due before work starts, and when are the other payments due?
- What moisture readings will you take, and how will I know when drying is complete?
- If walls are opened in a house built before the 1980s, will the materials be checked for asbestos, and what is the plan for lead-safe work if the house was built before 1978?
- Which IICRC certifications do your technicians hold? (IICRC certifies individual technicians, and it is not a licensing agency.)
- Will you pull the permits that the work needs, or am I expected to?
How do Philadelphia and the suburbs differ?
Under state law a contractor does not need a Philadelphia contractor license to do home improvement work on one- and two-family houses and condominium units, but must hold the Pennsylvania registration. Plumbing, electrical and fire-suppression work still need a city trade license. In the suburbs, the township or borough issues permits.
In Philadelphia, the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) handles permits and trade licenses. It publishes a page on submitting as a Pennsylvania home improvement contractor, and it is worth reading if your house is in the city.
In Montgomery and Bucks counties, building, plumbing and electrical permits are handled by each township or borough, not the county. Say 'your township or borough building office' when you call, and ask what the repair needs before it starts. The homeowners insurance guide explains how repairs and claims fit together.
Mold inspectors and remediators are not licensed by the state in the way they are in some other states. EPA guidance and industry standards such as IICRC S520 apply, but they are not licensing programs. Ask what standard a mold contractor follows, and see the mold remediation page for how that work is handled.
| Place | Home improvement contractor | Trades such as plumbing and electrical |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania (statewide) | Registration with the Attorney General | Local rules; a licensed plumber or electrician for the work itself |
| Philadelphia | Pennsylvania registration; no city contractor license for one- and two-family houses | City trade license from L&I |
| Montgomery and Bucks suburbs | Pennsylvania registration; permits from the township or borough | Township or borough rules |
| New Jersey (Camden) | Annual registration with the Division of Consumer Affairs | New Jersey rules, which differ from Pennsylvania's |
What changes for a house in Camden, New Jersey?
New Jersey contractors who do home improvements must register annually with the state Division of Consumer Affairs, and registration numbers begin with 13VH. The rules differ from Pennsylvania's. If your house is in Camden, ask for a New Jersey registration number and check it with the Division.
The two states are different systems, and a Pennsylvania registration is not a New Jersey one. Camden is the one New Jersey place covered by this site, and nothing on this page implies service or registration anywhere else in New Jersey.
New Jersey registration requires proof of liability insurance. The amount should be confirmed with the Division of Consumer Affairs, since it is not quoted here. The Division publishes a quick-start guide for home improvement contractors.
Whichever side of the river you are on, the habits are the same: ask for the number, look it up, get a written scope and keep copies.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Pennsylvania contractor license required for home repairs?
A general contractor license does not exist in Pennsylvania. Most home improvement contractors must instead register with the Attorney General's Office. Specific trades, such as plumbing and electrical, may have their own local rules, so use a licensed plumber or electrician for that work.
How do I look up a contractor's registration?
Use the Attorney General's home improvement contractor registration site at hic.attorneygeneral.gov. Ask the company for its number first, then check that the name and number match and that the registration is current. Keep a note of the date you checked.
When do I need a written contract?
Pennsylvania requires a written contract when the price is more than $500. It must carry the registration number, approximate start and completion dates, both signatures and the entire agreement. Do not sign a blank or partial form.
Does registration mean the work will be good?
No. Registration shows the contractor is on record and has shown insurance. It is not a quality rating or a warranty, so check references, get a written scope and keep photographs. Call (833) 490-5225 with questions about a water damage job.
What if a company will not give me a registration number?
Treat that as a warning and do not sign. Unregistered contractors may not perform home improvements in Pennsylvania, and an unregistered contract can be voidable. Ask again in writing, and if you do not get an answer, find another company.
Sources
- Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General: Home Improvement Contractor Registration
- Pennsylvania Attorney General: Home improvement contractor registration site
- Pennsylvania Attorney General: HICPA instructions (PDF)
- City of Philadelphia: Submit as a PA home improvement contractor
- New Jersey Business Action Center: Home improvement contractor quick-start guide (PDF)
This guide is general information for Montgomery County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.