Nevada contractor license lookup: how to check an HVAC contractor (Nevada State Contractors Board)

The Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) licenses contractors and offers a free public license search on its website. The Board's own advice is to search its database to make sure a contractor you are considering is licensed and in good standing.

1. Ask the contractor for the Nevada license number. It belongs on the quote and the contract.
2. Go to the Board's website and open the License Search. The link is listed in the sources below.
3. Choose how to search: by license number, by company name, or by principal or qualified individual.
4. Type at least two characters. The Board notes that more detail returns better results, and the search accepts wildcards, so a partial company name still works.
5. Open the matching record and compare it with the paperwork the contractor gave you.

• Name and number. The company on the record should be the company on your quote. If the names differ, ask why before you go further.
• Standing. The license should be active and in good standing. Do not sign with a contractor whose license is suspended, expired or revoked.
• Classification and limit. Nevada licenses are tied to a classification of work and a monetary limit. The Board says contracts outside a contractor's classification or monetary limit can lead to a Recovery Fund claim being denied, so check that the record covers heating and cooling work and a job of your size.
• Discipline. The Board also has a Public Disciplinary Actions Search. Run the company through it.

The Board states that the search data is provided as a courtesy and may not reflect recent changes. If something looks off, call the Board. Its site lists (702) 486-1100 for Las Vegas and (775) 688-1141 for Reno.

Nevada has a Residential Recovery Fund, created by state law in 1999 and administered by the Board. It can compensate the owner-occupant of a single-family home when a licensed residential contractor fails to properly perform the work. The Board's page sets out the main terms:

• The contract must be with a properly licensed residential contractor. Homeowners who hired unlicensed contractors are excluded.
• The maximum paid on a claim cannot exceed $40,000, and full reimbursement is not guaranteed.
• Claims must be filed within four years after the work is completed.
• Claims are not available if you pulled the building permit yourself or acted as owner-builder.

That last point matters for AC and furnace replacements. Let the licensed contractor pull the permit in the company's name.

A valid license does not tell you whether the quote is fair or the equipment is sized correctly. Get written quotes for the same scope from more than one licensed company. Ask each for a certificate of liability insurance and keep copies of the contract, change orders and receipts. The Board advises keeping those documents in case a problem comes up.

For how this site connects readers with local contractors, see how contractor matching works.