Does Vermont require a contractor license?

Yes, in most cases Vermont requires a state registration for general contractors. Registration required before contracting with a homeowner for residential construction worth more than $10,000, labor and materials included. The Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation issues it as the Residential Contractor (individual) or Residential Contractor (business organization) credential. Registration is not a test of skill.

How do I look up a contractor license in Vermont?

The Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation keeps the record for general contractors in Vermont. 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 Vermont?

The Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (Electricians' Licensing Board) keeps the record for electrical contractors in Vermont.

How do I look up a plumbing license in Vermont?

The Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (Plumber's Examining Board) keeps the record for plumbing contractors in Vermont.

Does Vermont have an HVAC license?

The Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety keeps the record for HVAC contractors in Vermont.

Do roofers need a license in Vermont?

The Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation keeps the record for roofing contractors in Vermont.

How many contractors are registered or licensed in Vermont?

The DFS Licensing MasterList, Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety lists 9,637 active records as of October 6, 2026.

Vermont contractor license lookup

Vermont requires state registration for general contractors and roofing contractors. It issues state licenses for electrical contractors, plumbing contractors and HVAC contractors. Division of Fire Safety lists 9,637 active contractor registrations and licenses as of October 6, 2026.

Look up a license

Trade	Credential	Board	Official lookup
General contractor	State registration (no competency license)	Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation	Search general contractor licenses
Electrical	State license	Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (Electricians' Licensing Board)	Search electrical licenses
Plumbing	State license	Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (Plumber's Examining Board)	Search plumbing licenses
HVAC	State license	Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety	Search HVAC licenses
Roofing	State registration (no competency license)	Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation	Search roofing licenses

Verify a contractor

For homeowners hiring in Vermont.

Open the official Vermont lookup run by Vermont Secretary of State and search the contractor by name or number.
Open the official lookup
For electrical work, also check the electrical contractor lookup from Electricians' Licensing Board.
Open the lookup
For plumbing work, also check the plumbing contractor lookup from Plumber's Examining Board.
Open the lookup
For HVAC work, also check the HVAC contractor lookup from Vermont Department of Public Safety.
Open the lookup
OPR's Find a Professional search shows a residential contractor's registration status, dates and any disciplinary action. source Electricians, plumbers and gas and oil installers are checked on Division of Fire Safety lists linked from each trade page. source The Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program keeps a home improvement fraud registry homeowners can check. source Vermont OPR Find a Professional searches Residential Contractors and shows name, location, license number and type, dates and status, with discipline where applicable. source
Confirm the record is active and the class matches the job (Residential Contractor (individual) or Residential Contractor (business organization)). The board's own record governs. A registration is required for jobs above Registration required before contracting with a homeowner for residential construction worth more than $10,000, labor and materials included. source
Check the bond and insurance on the record against the state minimums: Liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. source
Complaints about unprofessional conduct or unregistered work go to OPR online. source OPR cannot award money damages or judge work quality; the Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program handles issues beyond OPR. source Suspected home improvement fraud can also be reported to local police, since it is a crime in Vermont. source

Homeowner protections in Vermont

A registered contractor must sign a written contract before taking a deposit or starting work on any residential job over $10,000. source
The contract must state the price terms, estimated start and completion dates, the scope of work and materials, and how changes are approved. source
On a fixed or capped price contract, the down payment is limited to half the labor cost or half the materials price, whichever is greater. source
Registered residential contractors must carry liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. source

Get licensed

For a general contractor working in Vermont.

Register with Vermont Secretary of State as a Residential Contractor (individual) or Residential Contractor (business organization).
Board page
Carry liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. source
Pay the registration fee for an individual with no employees, paid at application and each biennial renewal: $75. source
Registration renews every two years. source

Other trades

Electrical: state license, $150 fee. Requirements
Plumbing: state license, $120 fee. Requirements
HVAC: state license, $60 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 requirement found; the statute says registration is not meant to set qualification standards.
Experience	Not found on an official source. No experience requirement found; eligibility rests on legal compliance and paying any homeowner judgment.
Bond	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Insurance	Liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. source
Renewal	Registration renews every two year. source
Reciprocity	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Fees	$75 (Registration fee for an individual with no employees, paid at application and each biennial renewal). source $250 (Registration fee for a business organization with employees, paid at application and each biennial renewal). source Optional state certification fee, $75 for the first certification and $25 for each additional one. source

ElectricalSources checked October 6, 2026
Exam	Written exam with a practical skills portion required for master and journeyman license. source
Experience	2 years (Master electrician: licensed as a journeyman electrician for at least two years, or comparable experience accepted by the Board). source
Bond	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Insurance	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Renewal	3 years (License is valid for three year). source
Reciprocity	License without exam for electricians licensed in good standing in another US jurisdiction for at least three years, or from states with equivalent standard. source
Fees	$150 (Master electrician license fee, three-year term, same for initial and renewal). source $115 (Journeyman electrician license fee, three-year term, same for initial and renewal). source $80 (Exam fee paid to the testing vendor Prov, per exam). source $25 (Late renewal fee added to the renewal fee for a license renewed within one year after it lapse). source

PlumbingSources checked October 6, 2026
Exam	Written exam covering plumbing theory and practice and Vermont rules required. source
Experience	Master plumber: held a journeyman plumber license for at least 12 months, or equivalent training and experience accepted by the Board. source
Bond	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Insurance	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Renewal	2 years (License is valid for two year). source
Reciprocity	License without exam for plumbers licensed by another state or municipality, subject to the conditions in 26 V.S.A. 2194. source
Fees	$120 (Master plumber license fee). source $90 (Journeyman plumber license fee). source $120 (Master plumber renewal fee). source $80 (Exam fee paid to the testing vendor Prov, per exam). source $15 (Reinstatement fee added to the renewal fee for a license reinstated within 90 days after it expire). source

HVACSources checked October 6, 2026
Exam	Oil burner installers must pass the NORA Silver certificate exam (Bronze for the limited certificate); gas installers qualify by completing AGA or propane association training. source
Experience	Not found on an official source. No experience hours found; gas and oil certifications are based on completing required training or exams.
Bond	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Insurance	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Renewal	3 years (Gas and oil installer certifications run three year). source
Reciprocity	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Fees	$60 (Gas installer certification, initial application fee). source $60 (Gas installer certification renewal fee). source Oil burning equipment installer (Silver) certification, initial fee; Gold and Bronze are also $60. source

RoofingSources checked October 6, 2026
Exam	Not found on an official source. No exam requirement found; the statute says registration is not meant to set qualification standards.
Experience	Not found on an official source. No experience requirement found; eligibility rests on legal compliance and paying any homeowner judgment.
Bond	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Insurance	Liability insurance of at least $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate. source
Renewal	Registration renews every two year. source
Reciprocity	Not found on an official source. On an official source.
Fees	$75 (Registration fee for an individual with no employees, paid at application and each biennial renewal). source $250 (Registration fee for a business organization with employees, paid at application and each biennial renewal). source Optional state certification fee, $75 for the first certification and $25 for each additional one. source

Licenses on record

9,637 active records in DFS Licensing MasterList, Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety, as of October 6, 2026. 3,377 expire within the next year.

Active by trade
Trade	Active
Electrical (individual)	3,775
Plumbing (individual)	1,672

Active by license type
License type	Active
Electrician (individual)	3,775
Gas Installer (individual)	2,485
Plumber (individual)	1,672
Oil Installer (individual)	757
Tqp (individual)	652
Elevator Tradesman (individual)	158
Boiler Inspector (individual)	93
Sprinkler Designer (individual)	45

Active by specialty
Specialty	Active
Electrician: Master (individual)	2,147
Electrician: Journeyman (individual)	1,329
Gas Installer: Propane (individual)	1,171
Plumber: Master (individual)	1,136
Gas Installer: Propane/Natural (individual)	704
Gas Installer: Natural (individual)	605
Oil Installer: Silver (individual)	451
Plumber: Journeyman (individual)	363
Tqp: Fire Alarm (individual)	345
Electrician: Special (individual)	299
Oil Installer: Bronze (individual)	208
Plumber: Special (individual)	173
Tqp: Sprinkler System Inspector (individual)	149
Elevator Tradesman: Mechanic (individual)	131
Oil Installer: Gold (individual)	98

Show all specialties

Specialty	Active
Boiler Inspector: Inspector (individual)	93
Tqp: Chemical Suppression Systems (individual)	72
Tqp: Chimney Sweep (individual)	49
Tqp: Emergency Generators (individual)	35
Sprinkler Designer: NICET Level 3 (individual)	34
Elevator Tradesman: Inspector (individual)	23
Sprinkler Designer: NICET Level 4 (individual)	11

Top cities
City	Active
Milton	276
Colchester	222
St Albans	207
Barre	161
Winooski	157
Essex Jct	143
Rutland	121
Fairfax	112
Springfield	105
Bennington	101
Bristol	99
S Burlington	99
Swanton	98
Bellows Falls	88
Williston	88
Northfield	80
Enosburg Falls	74
St Johnsbury	69
Williamstown	69
Hyde Park	63

Show more cities

City	Active
Jericho	60
Johnson	57
Jeffersonville	54
Georgia	53
Brattleboro	51
Underhill	51
Morrisville	50
Vergennes	50
Chester	49
Newport City	49
Waterbury	48
Montpelier	47
Hinesburg	45
Cambridge	43
Marshfield	42
Middlebury	42
Essex	41
Lyndonville	41
Bradford	40
Brandon	40
Grand Isle	38
Plainfield	38
Shaftsbury	37
West Rutland	37
Richford	36
Richmond	36
Castleton	35
Pittsford	34
Waterbury Center	34
Bethel	33

A snapshot of the DFS Licensing MasterList, Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety as of October 6, 2026. The board's live lookup may differ.
Counts are individual trade licenses issued by the Vermont Division of Fire Safety (electricians, plumbers, gas and oil installers and related trades), not contractor businesses. One person can hold more than one license.
Vermont residential contractor registration (Office of Professional Regulation) is not in this dataset, so there is no general or roofing count. Gas and oil installer licenses are shown by type but not counted as HVAC.
The publisher describes all 11,490 rows as active licenses, but the file has no status field and only 9,637 carry an expiration date after October 6, 2026. We count only those as active.
Cities come from the address on file. 2,981 licenses with an out-of-state address are left out of the city table.
The dataset has no discipline field, so no discipline count is shown.
Contains information from the Vermont Division of Fire Safety licensing list, made available under the Open Database License (ODbL). These aggregated counts are a produced work from that database; snapshot as of October 6, 2026.

How these counts are defined

Rows Total: Every license in the published list, whatever its expiration date. Every type is a license held by a person.
Active: The list has no status field. We count a license as active only when its expiration date is after October 6, 2026.
Active by license type: Active licenses by license type. Every type is held by a person, and the types add up to the active total.
Active by specialty: Active licenses by type and level, shown when at least 10 licenses share them.
Active by trade: Electrical counts every electrician license level and plumbing every plumber license level. The list has no HVAC, general or roofing license.
Cities: Active licenses by the city on file, Vermont addresses only. Shows the largest 50 cities with at least 10 licenses.
Expiring within the next year: Active licenses whose expiration date falls after October 6, 2026 and on or before October 6, 2027.

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: DFS Licensing MasterList (cy8e-89cz), Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety, as of October 6, 2026. Data license: ODBL (Open Data Commons Open Database License). Contains information from the DFS Licensing MasterList (https://data.vermont.gov/d/cy8e-89cz), which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Publisher attribution: Division of Fire Safety, http://firesafety.vermont.gov.

Questions

Does Vermont require a contractor license?: Yes, in most cases Vermont requires a state registration for general contractors. Registration required before contracting with a homeowner for residential construction worth more than $10,000, labor and materials included. The Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation issues it as the Residential Contractor (individual) or Residential Contractor (business organization) credential. Registration is not a test of skill.
How do I look up a contractor license in Vermont?: The Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation keeps the record for general contractors in Vermont. 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 Vermont?: The Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (Electricians' Licensing Board) keeps the record for electrical contractors in Vermont.
How do I look up a plumbing license in Vermont?: The Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety (Plumber's Examining Board) keeps the record for plumbing contractors in Vermont.
Does Vermont have an HVAC license?: The Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety keeps the record for HVAC contractors in Vermont.
Do roofers need a license in Vermont?: The Vermont Secretary of State, Office of Professional Regulation keeps the record for roofing contractors in Vermont.
How many contractors are registered or licensed in Vermont?: The DFS Licensing MasterList, Vermont Department of Public Safety, Division of Fire Safety lists 9,637 active records as of October 6, 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.