If your NYC contractor license expired, NYC311 is clear: once a license expires, the contractor is considered unlicensed. Every Home Improvement Contractor license in the city expires on the same day, February 28 of odd-numbered years. The next one is February 28, 2027. If you’re hiring for a kitchen, bathroom or other job this winter, check the license before you sign and again after that date. Everything here comes from DCWP and NYC311 pages, checked in November 2026.
¿Prefiere leer en español? Cómo verificar la licencia de un contratista en Nueva York.
At a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Whose licenses expire | Every NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Home Improvement Contractor license |
| When | February 28, 2027, then every two years |
| After that date, if not renewed | The contractor is unlicensed |
| Renewed more than 59 days late | They must apply again and get a new license number |
| Renewal sent in | Not the same as renewed; check the status |
| Plumbers and electricians | Licensed by the Department of Buildings, on their own dates |
What an expired license means for you
- The contractor can’t legally take your job. DCWP requires a license for home improvement work that costs more than $200, and NYC311 treats an expired license as no license.
- You lose the city’s safety net. DCWP’s Trust Fund can repay homeowners when a licensed contractor doesn’t finish the job or owes them money. DCWP says you are not eligible for it if you use an unlicensed contractor.
- The license number can change. NYC311 says a contractor who doesn’t renew within 59 days has to apply for a new license and gets a new number. A number on an old estimate, truck or website may no longer match.
- A renewal in progress isn’t a renewal. DCWP says submitting a renewal application does not mean the license is renewed.
Most contractors have time: DCWP mails a renewal package about three months before the license expires. The point is to check, not to assume.
How to check a license in two minutes
1. Open DCWP’s Search Business tool. You don’t need an account. 2. Search by the business name or the license number on your estimate. 3. Look at the status and the expiration date. Search Business is updated daily. 4. No luck online? Call 311. To see complaints too, say “Business Background Check”.
Our step-by-step guide on how to check a contractor’s license in NYC shows the same tool, plus the Department of Buildings lookup.
Timing a job around February 28
- Signing before the deadline for work that runs into March? Ask whether the renewal has been sent in, and check the license again in early March.
- Signing after the deadline? Check that the expiration date now reads February 28, 2029.
- Make sure the license number is on the contract. DCWP requires it on every home improvement contract, so compare it with what Search Business shows.
- Something doesn’t match? Ask the contractor first. If it still doesn’t add up, call 311 or file a complaint with DCWP.
Plumbers and electricians are different
Plumbers and electricians are licensed by the Department of Buildings (DOB), not DCWP, so the February 28 date doesn’t apply to them. Check their licenses in the DOB NOW Public Portal with the Licensee search. See who can legally do what for which jobs need which license.
Riverdale contractors and the 2027 deadline
All 70 home improvement contractors in this directory hold DCWP licenses that city records list as active until February 28, 2027 (NYC Open Data, checked October 2026). Each listing shows that date. After the deadline we’ll check city records again and update every listing.
- General contractors in Riverdale
- All contractors by ZIP code: 10463 and 10471
- Contractors: see how to renew a NYC home improvement license
References
All checked in November 2026.
- NYC311, Home Improvement Contractor License
- DCWP, Renew Business License
- DCWP, Hiring a Home Improvement Contractor
- DCWP, Check License Status
- DCWP, Home Improvement Contractor License Application Checklist
- DOB, DOB NOW Public Portal
This guide is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, check with DCWP or call 311.