Does a home improvement contractor need a license or registration?

It depends on the state. Seayora holds a published statute for 3 states. The table below gives the figure for each, with the statute it comes from.

Home improvement contractors, state by state

StateHome improvement contractorsSource
ConnecticutRegistration, above $1,000 of contracts a yearConn. Gen. Stat. §§ 20-419, 20-420, 20-427, 20-428
MassachusettsRegistration; written contract over $1,000M.G.L. c. 142A, §§ 2, 9
New JerseyAnnual registration with the Division of Consumer AffairsN.J.S.A. 56:8-138

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

Only states where Seayora holds a published statute appear above. Where no statute is recorded, no figure is shown rather than a guess.

The answer in full, for the biggest rental markets

Does a home improvement contractor need a license or registration in New Jersey?

Yes, a registration. In New Jersey, a contractor business may not offer, sell or perform home improvements unless it is registered with the Division of Consumer Affairs, and it must renew the registration every year. An amended registration is due within 20 days of any change. A 2023 amendment will also require a registered business to employ a licensed home improvement contractor, but that part takes effect only six months after the new State Board of Home Improvement and Home Elevation Contractors adopts its rules. This is N.J.S.A. 56:8-138.

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Does a home improvement contractor need a license or registration in Massachusetts?

Yes, a registration. In Massachusetts, a contractor or subcontractor may not undertake, offer or agree to perform residential contracting services unless registered with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. Every agreement for residential contracting over $1,000 must be in writing, with the contractor’s registration number and the owner’s three-day cancellation rights, and work may not begin before it is signed. This is M.G.L. c. 142A, §§ 2, 9.

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Does a home improvement contractor need a license or registration in Connecticut?

Yes, a registration. In Connecticut, anyone who owns a home improvement business, or offers or agrees to perform home improvements, must hold a certificate of registration from the Department of Consumer Protection, unless all of their home improvement contracts together come to no more than $1,000 in any twelve months. A registered contractor must show the certificate on request and state the registration and its number in every advertisement; working without one can bring a civil penalty of up to $1,500 per violation. A licensed tradesperson doing only the work of that license is exempt. This is Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 20-419, 20-420, 20-427, 20-428.

More on Connecticut

How Seayora uses this rule

A contractor on Seayora keeps each license with its issuing state, its expiry date and the last four digits of its number, and the business is warned before one lapses — on the website and both phone apps. A customer finding a pro on Seayora sees whether a license is on file.

Other rules compared across states

Every rule for one state

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