How to check a contractor's licence in Ohio

Regime

No state general-contractor licence or registration

Ohio Rev. Code § 4740.01

⚠️ § 4740.01 defines 'licensed trade' FOR CHAPTER 4740. The enumeration proves what that chapter licenses; the step to 'Ohio does not license general contractors at state level' rests on Chapter 4740 being where such a licence would sit. The Construction Industry Licensing Board established by that chapter is the state's construction licensing authority, and OCILB says so itself — but the premise is stated here rather than absorbed, because a definition is scoped to the instrument carrying it. A broader enumeration, or a search of Title 47 for a general-contracting licence, would close the gap; neither has been done.

Ohio Revised Code § 4740.01 defines 'licensed trade' as a trade performed by a heating, ventilating and air conditioning contractor, a refrigeration contractor, an electrical contractor, a plumbing contractor, or a hydronics contractor. General contracting is NOT among them, and the term does not appear in the section at all.

How we know · read from the enacted statute, cited with its amendment and effective date · established 2026-08-11

What the state licenses instead

This state does not license general contractors. It licenses electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics, refrigeration — but for COMMERCIAL work; residential work is left to cities and counties.

How we know · read from the enacted statute, cited with its amendment and effective date · established 2026-08-11

Scope

OCILB's licences are COMMERCIAL contractor licences. Residential work is left to cities and counties, so a state licence may not cover the residential job you are hiring for.

Agency holding the register

Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) — trades only

named by the statute or agency text read during the regime verification

How we know · read from the agency's own published page — authoritative about PRACTICE, and capable of lagging the statute · established 2026-08-11