How to Find Out if Someone in NY Has a Business License

So you have been wanting to sell your home, hire a contractor or just find someone new to do your nails, ok pretty normal, right? In New York State, people who do those things (and many others) need to be licensed to do those jobs.

While I am sure, everyone you ask has a recommendation or the best "I know a guy, who knows a guys cousin," but are they the one you want to hire or to represent your interests? While only you can decide if that is the way you want to go, how about looking to see if the person you want to go with or leaning towards going with has a license to do what they say they can do?

Well, you probably have already done a Google search, maybe Angie's List, Yelp, or even just stopped your neighbors to ask them if they know someone or have a recommendation that they can share, there is another place to check out.

No, this will not tell you if they have "satisfied customers" it will tell you if they are on the up-and-up with New York State. Th

You can search the New York State Department of State Index of Licensees and Registrants. While it is not the easiest thing to navigate it does have a great deal of information.

Here are a few links for you to search through:

• Active Real Estate Sales People
• Home Inspector
• Private Investigator
• Notary Public
• Real Estate Appraiser
• Hairdresser
• Waxer
• Nail Technician

Another thing to make note of if one of the above licenses expired after March 27, 2020, you might need to contact the Licensing Department directly;

Pursuant to Executive Order 202.11, as continued and extended, any license issued by the Division of Licensing Services, that expires after March 27, 2020, shall remain in effect until April 30, 2021. As such, a licensee who has not renewed their license but otherwise met the criteria for the executive order extension, may not appear in the below search results but is considered active. Please contact the Department if you need assistance confirming a license status.

So will you double check the next time you need to hire one of the above persons? While having a license should meant that the person you want to work with knows what they are doing, it isn't a bad thing to follow up this information with a friendly recommendation. Your thoughts?