How to verify a contractor’s license in North Carolina
I did not do any of this before signing a $98,750 contract. It would have taken ten minutes. Here is the ten minutes.
Where this comes from
My project record
North Carolina requires a general contractor license when a project costs $40,000 or more. That covers almost any metal building with a slab. The checks below are what a careful buyer, or a construction attorney, does before money moves. None of it requires an account or a fee.
Get the exact legal name and the license number from the seller
Ask by email so you have it in writing. If the seller cannot or will not give a license number, that is your first answer. My contract contains no license number anywhere in twenty pages.
Search the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors
Go to nclbgc.org and use the license search. Search the company’s legal name, then any other names on the paperwork or trucks, then the owner’s name. Confirm the license is active, note the classification and the limitation, and write down the license number and the qualifier’s name.
Check the qualifier too
A company license rides on a qualifying individual who passed the exam. Search that person. If the qualifier has left the company or their status has lapsed, the company license can be in trouble even if it still shows.
Search the NC Secretary of State
Look up the legal name in the business registration search. Confirm the entity is active, note the formation date and the registered agent, and check whether the name on your contract matches the name on file. Save a PDF of the record.
Ask for a certificate of insurance from the agent
Request general liability and workers’ compensation certificates emailed to you directly by the insurance agent, not forwarded by the salesperson. If subcontractors will do the work, ask for theirs.
Search court records
The NC eCourts portal lets you search civil cases by party name. Look for the company name and the owner’s name. One old case means little. A pattern of liens, judgments or defective-work claims means a lot. For federal cases, PACER or a free docket mirror will do.
Read the reviews, including the company’s replies
BBB, Google and Yelp. Read the company’s responses as closely as the complaints. The themes that repeat are the ones you should address in the contract.
Watch for a job split to stay under $40,000
If a seller proposes separate contracts for the building and the concrete so that each one lands under the threshold, be careful. Work on the same property at the same time is generally treated as one project.
Call your county inspections office
Describe the deal as offered: total price, who is doing the work, who is being asked to pull the permit. Ask whether that matches what they expect to see. The county guides on this site have the phone numbers.
Questions this raises
Does L&G Building & Concrete hold a North Carolina general contractor license?
I do not know yet. I have not matched a license to the company for my project and have asked the licensing board to confirm in writing. The contract itself says L&G is a manufacturer and not a contractor. I will publish the board’s answer either way.
What happens if a contractor is unlicensed on a job over $40,000?
The licensing board accepts complaints about unlicensed contracting at that level and can pursue it. What it means for your contract and your money is a question for a North Carolina construction attorney, and the answer depends on the facts. This site does not give legal advice.
Why a customer wrote this
In February 2026 I signed a $98,750 contract with L&G Building & Concrete of Asheboro, North Carolina. By September I had a cracked slab, damaged plumbing and half a steel frame. This site documents it, with the contract, photos, texts and public records. The resources exist so the next buyer does not need to learn the same things the same way.
General information from one customer’s experience and research. Not legal, engineering or financial advice.