How to Check a Contractor's License and Insurance in BC

If you searched "contractor license BC" expecting a government website where you type in a name and get a green checkmark, here's the uncomfortable truth: that tool doesn't exist. There's no single provincial registry for general contractors the way there is for real estate agents or lawyers.

That gap is exactly why "fully licensed and insured" gets printed on so many trucks and quotes with nothing behind it. The good news is that real verification is still possible — it's just spread across a few specific places. Below is exactly what to ask for and where to check it, before anyone starts work on your home. It pairs well with our broader list of questions to ask a contractor before you hire, which covers pricing and communication as well as paperwork.

Does BC Even Have a General Contractor License?

Not in the way most people assume. British Columbia does not require general contractors renovating an existing home to hold a single, province-wide "contractor license."

Key Insight: What BC does require is a patchwork of separate credentials — a municipal business license, WorkSafeBC registration, liability insurance, and, in specific situations, licensing through BC Housing. A trustworthy contractor holds all the pieces that apply to your project. A vague "we're licensed" is not an answer — it's a prompt for "licensed for what, exactly, and can I see it?"

That distinction matters because it reframes the question. You're not looking up one license number. You're confirming four or five separate things, each with its own place to check.

The Credentials You Can Actually Verify

1. Municipal Business License

Every legitimate contractor needs a valid business license in the municipality where they're registered — and, often, in the municipality where your project is located, if it's different.

In Metro Vancouver, six cities (Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Richmond, Delta, and New Westminster) participate in the Metro-West Inter-Municipal Business Licence, which lets a contractor operate across all six under one license. The City of Vancouver also publishes an open business licence dataset and a name-based license search tool, so you can independently confirm a business is registered rather than relying on a photo of a certificate.

Ask for the exact legal business name and license number, then check it against the municipality's own records.

2. Liability Insurance

A certificate of insurance (COI) tells you the contractor carries commercial general liability coverage — the policy that protects your home if something goes wrong on site. This is not the same as your own homeowner's insurance, and it will not cover you if the contractor doesn't carry it.

A PDF alone isn't proof. Anyone can edit a document. Call the broker or insurer named on the certificate directly and confirm the policy is active and covers the dates of your project. A legitimate contractor won't blink at this request — it takes their broker a two-minute phone call.

3. WorkSafeBC Clearance Letter

This is the one homeowners skip most often, and it's arguably the most important. If a worker is injured on your property and the contractor isn't registered and in good standing with WorkSafeBC, that liability can land on you, not just them.

WorkSafeBC runs a free online clearance letter tool where you can search any registered business by its WorkSafeBC account number or legal/trade name and see its current standing in seconds. Ask your contractor for their account number, run the search yourself, and keep a copy for your file.

4. BC Housing Licensed Residential Builder (LRB) Status

This one applies to fewer projects than people expect. Under the Homeowner Protection Act, a Licensed Residential Builder designation through BC Housing is required for new home construction, and for larger building envelope renovations (broadly, projects replacing 60% or more of a building's cladding at a cost above set thresholds) — work that's also required to carry third-party home warranty insurance.

Most kitchen, bathroom, basement, and interior renovations don't trigger this requirement. But if your project involves full exterior recladding, a major addition, or new construction, ask directly whether LRB licensing applies — and check BC Housing's public Licence Registry yourself rather than taking a verbal "yes."

Where to Verify Each One

Credential	Required For	How to Verify	Applies To
Municipal business license	Operating legally in that city	Ask for the license number; check the municipality's business license search or open data portal	Every contractor
Liability insurance (COI)	Protecting your property from damage claims	Call the broker/insurer listed on the certificate to confirm it's active	Every contractor
WorkSafeBC clearance letter	Protecting you from worker-injury liability	Free online clearance letter search by account number or business name	Any contractor with employees or subs
Licensed Residential Builder (BC Housing)	New homes and qualifying building envelope renovations	BC Housing's public Licence Registry	New construction, major envelope/recladding work
Trade certification (electrical, gas)	Legally performing compulsory-trade work	Ask for the certified tradesperson's name and the permit's Field Safety Representative (FSR)	Electrical, gasfitting subcontractors

Trade-Specific Licensing: Electrical, Gas, and Plumbing

A general contractor's own credentials cover the business itself — but certain trades on your project need their own, separate certification.

Electrical and gasfitting are compulsory trades in BC, regulated through Technical Safety BC and SkilledTradesBC. That means only a certified electrician or gasfitter can legally perform that work, and a Field Safety Representative (FSR) must be named on the permit. Ask which certified electrician is doing the work and check that their name is actually on the pulled permit — not just promised.

Plumbing isn't a compulsory trade in BC the same way, but that doesn't lower the bar. A contractor managing plumbing work should still be using certified, insured plumbers and pulling the plumbing permit your municipality requires. If you want the full picture on when permits are needed at all, our guide to permits and strata approval in Vancouver walks through it in plain language.

People Also Ask

Do I need to check a contractor's license myself, or can I trust what they tell me? Verify it yourself. Business licenses, WorkSafeBC clearance, and (where relevant) BC Housing licensing all have public, free lookup tools. A contractor who's telling the truth won't mind you double-checking — it takes a few minutes and it's your home on the line.

What's the difference between a business license and being "insured"? A business license confirms a company is legally registered to operate. Insurance is a separate policy that covers damage or injury on your project. A contractor can hold one without the other, so ask for both, not just one.

Is a WorkSafeBC clearance letter really necessary for a small renovation? Yes, if anyone other than the owner is swinging a hammer. Even on a modest bathroom or kitchen job, an uninsured, uncleared worker getting hurt in your home can become your financial and legal problem.

Red Flags When You Ask

• Hesitation or delay. A legitimate contractor can produce a business license number and insurance certificate on the spot, or within a day. Radio silence is your answer.
• A certificate with no live contact. If you can't reach the broker or insurer listed, the document isn't verifiable.
• Subcontractors with no credentials of their own. A general contractor's license doesn't cover an electrician who isn't separately certified.
• "We've never needed a permit for that." Especially paired with a suspiciously fast, cheap quote — that's a pattern, not a coincidence. We cover more of these patterns in our guide to choosing a renovation contractor in BC.

Key Takeaways

• BC has no single "contractor license" lookup — verification means checking several separate credentials.
• Confirm a municipal business license, a current liability insurance certificate, and a WorkSafeBC clearance letter before any work begins.
• BC Housing's Licensed Residential Builder rules apply mainly to new construction and larger building envelope projects, not most kitchen or bathroom renovations.
• Electrical and gas work must be performed by certified tradespeople with a permit naming a Field Safety Representative.
• A contractor who produces every document without hesitation is telling you something important about how they'll handle the rest of the project too.

FAQ

Is there an official BC contractor license number I can search? No single number covers general contractors. Instead, verify the business license (municipal), insurance (via the broker), and WorkSafeBC standing (via their free online tool) separately.

What license do I need to check for a kitchen or bathroom renovation? For most interior renovations, focus on the business license, liability insurance, and WorkSafeBC clearance. BC Housing's builder licensing typically doesn't apply unless the project involves new construction or major exterior envelope work.

Can a contractor legally work without WorkSafeBC coverage? They can register as a sole proprietor with no employees in some cases, but if they use any subcontractors or crew, coverage should be in place — and you should confirm it directly rather than take their word for it.

How long does it take to verify a contractor's credentials? Realistically, 15 to 20 minutes: a quick municipal license lookup, one phone call to the insurance broker, and a search on WorkSafeBC's online clearance tool.

A Contractor Who's Ready for the Question

None of this should feel like an interrogation. Asking to see a contractor's license and insurance is a completely normal, expected part of hiring one in BC — and how easily they answer tells you almost as much as the documents themselves.

It's also part of the reason we price the way we do. When we say a quote is fixed — that what we quote is what you pay — it comes from the same place as being upfront with our paperwork: nothing to hide, nothing to find out later. If you'd like to see our credentials for yourself while we walk through your project, reach out for a fixed-price estimate and ask us anything.