Does Delaware require a contractor license?

Yes. Delaware requires a state registration for general contractors. The Delaware Division of Revenue (contractor business license) issues it as one of several credentials, such as Resident Contractor, Non-Resident Contractor or Construction Transportation Contractor. Registration is not a test of skill.

How do I look up a contractor license in Delaware?

The Delaware Division of Revenue (contractor business license) keeps the record for general contractors in Delaware. Use the official lookup linked in the Look up a license table, and treat the board's own record as final.

How do I look up an electrician license in Delaware?

The Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners, Division of Professional Regulation keeps the record for electrical contractors in Delaware.

How do I look up a plumbing license in Delaware?

The Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners, Division of Professional Regulation keeps the record for plumbing contractors in Delaware.

Does Delaware have an HVAC license?

The Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners, Division of Professional Regulation keeps the record for HVAC contractors in Delaware.

Do roofers need a license in Delaware?

The Delaware Division of Revenue (contractor business license) keeps the record for roofing contractors in Delaware.

Delaware contractor license lookup

Delaware requires state registration for general contractors and roofing contractors. It issues state licenses for electrical contractors, plumbing contractors and HVAC contractors. Delaware Division of Professional Regulation lists 6,140 active contractor registrations and licenses as of September 29, 2026.

Look up a license

Trade	Credential	Board	Official lookup
General contractor	State registration (no competency license)	Delaware Division of Revenue (contractor business license)	Search general contractor licenses
Electrical	State license	Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners, Division of Professional Regulation	Search electrical licenses
Plumbing	State license	Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners, Division of Professional Regulation	Search plumbing licenses
HVAC	State license	Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners, Division of Professional Regulation	Search HVAC licenses
Roofing	State registration (no competency license)	Delaware Division of Revenue (contractor business license)	Search roofing licenses

Verify a contractor

For homeowners hiring in Delaware.

Open the official Delaware lookup run by contractor business license and search the contractor by name or number.
Open the official lookup
For electrical work, also check the electrical contractor lookup from Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners.
Open the lookup
For plumbing work, also check the plumbing contractor lookup from Delaware Board of Plumbing.
Open the lookup
For HVAC work, also check the HVAC contractor lookup from Delaware Board of Plumbing.
Open the lookup
Check electricians, plumbers and HVACR licensees on the DPR DELPROS license look-up. source Check a contractor's Division of Revenue business license, activity type and valid-to date on the Delaware Business Licenses Search. source It is illegal to do plumbing or HVACR work in Delaware on an expired license. source
Confirm the record is active and the class matches the job (Resident Contractor or Non-Resident Contractor or Construction Transportation Contractor or Non-Resident Const Transport Contractor). The board's own record governs.
Check the bond and insurance on the record against the state minimums: Non-resident contractors only: surety or cash bond to the Division of Revenue equal to 6% of all contracts over $20,000 for construction in Delaware (it guarantees state tax payment, not homeowner claims). source Certificate of workers' compensation insurance (or a qualified self-insurer certificate) required before the license is issued; no general liability minimum stated. source
DPR does not license general contractors or home builders, so complaints about them do not go to DPR. source DPR refers consumer fraud and billing disputes to the Delaware Department of Justice Consumer Protection Division, and contract disputes to the Justice of the Peace Court. source Complaints about licensed electricians, plumbers and HVACR contractors go to the DPR Investigative Unit and must name the person or business and its location. source

Get licensed

For a general contractor working in Delaware.

Register with contractor business license as a Resident Contractor or Non-Resident Contractor or Construction Transportation Contractor or Non-Resident Const Transport Contractor.
Board page
Post a non-resident contractors only: surety or cash bond to the Division of Revenue equal to 6% of all contracts over $20,000 for construction in Delaware (it guarantees state tax payment, not homeowner claims). source
Carry certificate of workers' compensation insurance (or a qualified self-insurer certificate) required before the license is issued; no general liability minimum stated. source
Pay the contractor business license fee of $75: $75. source
Renewed every year, expiring December 31; a three-year license is optional after the first year. source

Other trades

Electrical: state license, $203 fee. Requirements
Plumbing: state license, $173 fee. Requirements
HVAC: state license, $173 fee. Requirements
Roofing: state registration, $75 fee. Requirements

Requirements by trade

General contractorSources checked October 6, 2026
Exam	Not found on an official source. No exam appears among the conditions for the Division of Revenue contractor business license, which is a tax and business license rather than a competency license.
Experience	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Bond	Non-resident contractors only: surety or cash bond to the Division of Revenue equal to 6% of all contracts over $20,000 for construction in Delaware (it guarantees state tax payment, not homeowner claims). source
Insurance	Certificate of workers' compensation insurance (or a qualified self-insurer certificate) required before the license is issued; no general liability minimum stated. source
Renewal	Renewed every year, expiring December 31; a three-year license is optional after the first year. source
Reciprocity	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Fees	Contractor business license fee of $75. source Annual renewal of $75 plus the gross receipts license fee. source 0.65% (Gross receipts license fee of 0.6472% of gross receipts after a $100,000 monthly deduction (statute rate; the Revenue tax tips sheet states a different rate)). source

ElectricalSources checked October 6, 2026
Exam	Written standardized exam for master, master special, journeyperson, limited and limited special electricians, given by the vendor ProV. source
Experience	Master electrician: 6 years of full-time experience under a licensed master electrician (or 8,000 hours plus 576 hours of instruction, or 4 years plus 2 years of technical training). source
Bond	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Insurance	General liability insurance of at least $300,000 (your name must be on the policy document, even an employer's policy). source
Renewal	Renewed every two years; licenses expire June 30 of even year. source
Reciprocity	License by reciprocity for holders in good standing from a state with substantially similar standards; otherwise 5 years of practice after licensure is required. source
Fees	Master Electrician application fee of $203, assuming the master license is the contracting-level credential. source Master Electrician Special application fee of $200. source Limited Electrician application fee of $127. source Journeyperson Electrician application fee of $105. source Residential Electrician application fee of $105. source Late renewal fee of 50% of the renewal fee (the renewal amount itself is set at renewal time). source

PlumbingSources checked October 6, 2026
Exam	Written standardized master plumber exam given by the vendor ProV, plus an apprenticeship by-pass exam for applicants without a journeyman certificate. source
Experience	7 years of work under a master licensee, or 2 years after a journeyman apprenticeship certificate. source
Bond	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Insurance	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Renewal	Renewed every two years; Plumbing and HVACR licenses expire October 31 of even year. source
Reciprocity	License by reciprocity for holders in good standing from a state with substantially similar standards; otherwise 7 years of practice after licensure is required. source
Fees	Master Plumber application fee of $173. source Temporary Plumber or HVACR license fee of $40. source Late renewal fee of 50% of the renewal fee (the renewal amount itself is set at renewal time). source

HVACSources checked October 6, 2026
Exam	Written standardized master HVACR exam given by the vendor ProV, plus an apprenticeship by-pass exam for applicants without a journeyman certificate. source
Experience	7 years of work under a master licensee, or 2 years after a journeyman apprenticeship certificate. source
Bond	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Insurance	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Renewal	Renewed every two years; Plumbing and HVACR licenses expire October 31 of even year. source
Reciprocity	License by reciprocity for holders in good standing from a state with substantially similar standards; otherwise 7 years of practice after licensure is required. source
Fees	Master HVACR application fee of $173. source Master Restricted HVACR application fee of $173. source Commercial Hood System examination fee of $50. source Late renewal fee of 50% of the renewal fee (the renewal amount itself is set at renewal time). source

RoofingSources checked October 6, 2026
Exam	Not found on an official source. No exam appears among the conditions for the Division of Revenue contractor business license, which is a tax and business license rather than a competency license.
Experience	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Bond	Non-resident contractors only: surety or cash bond to the Division of Revenue equal to 6% of all contracts over $20,000 for construction in Delaware (it guarantees state tax payment, not homeowner claims). source
Insurance	Certificate of workers' compensation insurance (or a qualified self-insurer certificate) required before the license is issued; no general liability minimum stated. source
Renewal	Renewed every year, expiring December 31; a three-year license is optional after the first year. source
Reciprocity	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Fees	Contractor business license fee of $75. source Annual renewal of $75 plus the gross receipts license fee. source 0.65% (Gross receipts license fee of 0.6472% of gross receipts after a $100,000 monthly deduction (statute rate; the Revenue tax tips sheet states a different rate)). source

Licenses on record

6,140 active records in Professional and Occupational Licensing, Delaware Division of Professional Regulation, as of September 29, 2026. 1,359 expire within the next year.

Active by trade
Trade	Active
General contractor (business)	13,349
Electrical (individual)	3,962
Plumbing (individual)	940
HVAC (individual)	1,238

Active by license type
License type	Active
Journeyperson Electrician (individual)	2,052
Master Electrician (individual)	1,656
Master Plumber (individual)	940
Master HVACR (individual)	928
Master HVACR Restricted (individual)	310
Limited Electrician (individual)	174
Residential Electrician (individual)	76

Contractor business licenses by category
Category	Active
Resident Contractor	8,705
Non-Resident Contractor	4,644

Contractor business licenses by city
Category	Active
Wilmington	1,406
Newark	850
Dover	673
Millsboro	440
Georgetown	416
New Castle	403
Lewes	375
Seaford	315
Middletown	303
Bear	278
Frankford	265
Milford	255
Laurel	233
Selbyville	177
Milton	170
Hartly	166
Bridgeville	160
Dagsboro	160
Smyrna	157
Lincoln	141
Townsend	136
Greenwood	131
Harrington	126
Ocean View	126
Felton	124
Hockessin	115
Clayton	100
Delmar	87
Rehoboth Bch	82
Rehoboth Beach	81
Claymont	76
Camden Wyo	72
Magnolia	58
Ellendale	57
Harbeson	52
Camden	43
Frederica	38
Camden Wyoming	32
Marydel	32
Bethany Beach	30
Hst Newcastle	25
Millville	25
Houston	21
Wyoming	21
Newport	19
Historic New Castle	17
Delaware City	12
Viola	11

Individual licenses by status
Category	Active
Expired	7,099
Active	6,140
Closed	448
Deceased	122
Inactive	113
Suspended	94
Revoked	43
Expired Inactive	35
Non-Disciplinary Suspension	14

Top cities
City	Active
Wilmington	525
Newark	407
Middletown	218
New Castle	174
Dover	168
Bear	125
Smyrna	113
Millsboro	105
Georgetown	102
Lewes	102
Townsend	95
Seaford	87
Laurel	85
Clayton	83
Harrington	71
Milford	69
Milton	65
Hockessin	60
Felton	54
Frankford	50

Show more cities

City	Active
Magnolia	46
Greenwood	42
Selbyville	41
Lincoln	40
Hartly	37
Dagsboro	35
Ocean View	35
Bridgeville	34
Delmar	30
Claymont	29
Frederica	29
Rehoboth Beach	27
Ellendale	23
Harbeson	22
Camden	20
Camden Wyoming	18
Houston	12

A snapshot of the Professional and Occupational Licensing, Delaware Division of Professional Regulation as of September 29, 2026. The board's live lookup may differ.
Electrician, plumber and HVACR counts are individual licenses held by people, from the Division of Professional Regulation (6,140 active). They are not companies.
General contractor counts are Division of Revenue business licenses in the resident and non-resident contractor categories (13,349). A business license is not a test of skill, and it comes from a different dataset, so the two groups are never added together.
The plumbing license types in this dataset are master level only, so plumbing counts master plumbers only (940). No roofing license exists in either dataset, so roofing is not shown.
Cities come from the address on file, not where the work is done. 2,776 active individual licenses, and the contractor business licenses with an out-of-state address, are left out of the city tables.
Discipline is not shown: the state's discipline flag reads N on every license here, even the 43 revoked and 94 suspended ones.
Data is a snapshot as of September 29, 2026. Check the state lookup for a single license.

How these counts are defined

Contractor business licenses by category: Current Division of Revenue business licenses in the resident and non resident contractor categories. This dataset lists current licenses only. A business license is not a test of skill and is never added to the individual license counts.
Contractor business licenses by city: Current contractor business licenses by the city on the business address, Delaware addresses only, top 50 cities with at least 10 licenses.
Individual licenses by status: Every individual license in the included trade license types, grouped by the status the state shows, active or not. Statuses with fewer than 10 licenses are not shown.
Rows Total: Rows in both source files: individual licenses in the included trade license types, any status, plus current contractor business licenses.
Active Total: Individual trade licenses the state shows as active. Every other status is left out.
Active by license type: Active individual licenses by license type. Types with fewer than 10 are not shown.
Active by trade: General contractors are counted from business licenses, which are not a test of skill. Electricians, plumbers and HVAC are counted from individual licenses. The two sources are never added together. No roofing license exists in either source.
Cities: Active individual licenses by the city on the address on file, Delaware addresses only, top 50 cities with at least 10 licenses.
Expiring within the next year: Active individual licenses whose expiration date falls within one year after the snapshot date.
Active Out Of State: Active individual licenses with an address outside Delaware. They are left out of the city table.
Discipline Actions: Not shown. The state's discipline flag reads no on every included license, even revoked and suspended ones, so the flag is not reliable.

Counts only, no personal data. Small groups are left out. Rows marked business, individual or mixed count different holders and are never added together.

Source: Professional and Occupational Licensing (pjnv-eaih), Delaware Division of Professional Regulation, as of September 29, 2026. Data license: Public Domain. Department of State, Division of Professional Regulation.
Source: Delaware Business Licenses (5zy2-grhr), as of September 29, 2026. Data license: Public Domain. Department of Finance, Division of Revenue.

Questions

Does Delaware require a contractor license?: Yes. Delaware requires a state registration for general contractors. The Delaware Division of Revenue (contractor business license) issues it as one of several credentials, such as Resident Contractor, Non-Resident Contractor or Construction Transportation Contractor. Registration is not a test of skill.
How do I look up a contractor license in Delaware?: The Delaware Division of Revenue (contractor business license) keeps the record for general contractors in Delaware. Use the official lookup linked in the Look up a license table, and treat the board's own record as final.
How do I look up an electrician license in Delaware?: The Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners, Division of Professional Regulation keeps the record for electrical contractors in Delaware.
How do I look up a plumbing license in Delaware?: The Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners, Division of Professional Regulation keeps the record for plumbing contractors in Delaware.
Does Delaware have an HVAC license?: The Delaware Board of Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Examiners, Division of Professional Regulation keeps the record for HVAC contractors in Delaware.
Do roofers need a license in Delaware?: The Delaware Division of Revenue (contractor business license) keeps the record for roofing contractors in Delaware.
How many contractors are registered or licensed in Delaware?: The Professional and Occupational Licensing, Delaware Division of Professional Regulation lists 6,140 active records as of September 29, 2026.

Sources

This is not a government site. The licensing board's own record governs; always confirm on the official lookup. Information as of October 6, 2026.