Before you sign: how to verify a siding contractor

1. Active state contractor license

Search “[your state] contractor license lookup” or use the link in your state guide. Look the contractor up by license number, not just by name. The license must be active, in good standing, and cover residential siding or general contracting in the state where the work will happen. Some states, including Texas, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, have no statewide license for this work; there, check with your city or county building department instead.

2. General liability insurance

Ask for a current Certificate of Insurance naming you as certificate holder. A minimum of $1,000,000 per-occurrence coverage is typical. Then call the insurer listed at the top of the certificate to confirm the policy is in force. A certificate is only worth what its issuer confirms.

3. Workers’ compensation coverage

A separate certificate covering everyone the contractor puts on a job site. This is what prevents a worker’s injury on your property from landing on your homeowners policy. Verify it the same way.

4. A business address you can drive to

No P.O. boxes, and no UPS Store suite numbers as the sole address. A physical office, warehouse, or work yard. Look it up on a map before you sign.

5. Complaint history

• BBB: bbb.org, search by business name and city. Read the complaints in the past three years and how many are unresolved, not just the letter grade.
• State board: your state’s contractor licensing board website, typically under “consumer resources” or “complaint history.” A pattern of unresolved complaints or a recent license suspension is a disqualifier.
• Reviews: read the critical reviews on Google Business and one other platform. Content matters more than the star count.

6. Contract must-haves

Before signing, the contract should spell out the exact product (brand, line, thickness, color), the scope including tear-off and disposal, house-wrap and flashing details, a start window, a payment schedule tied to milestones, the labor warranty in writing, and who pulls the permit. Our contract checklist walks through each line.

7. Red flags

• Pressure to sign today, or a price that is only good today.
• A large deposit up front. Ten to thirty percent is typical; more than half is not.
• An offer to waive or rebate your insurance deductible. That is illegal in many states and misrepresenting it to the insurer can be insurance fraud anywhere.
• No permit, or a suggestion that you pull the permit as the homeowner.
• No physical address, no license number on the truck or the paperwork, or a license number that does not match the lookup.
• Cash-only pricing.

What no website can do for you

• Inspect past jobs. No national matching service physically visits completed siding jobs or audits installation quality at scale. Be skeptical of any that claims to.
• Review your contract. Any contract you sign is between you and the contractor. Read the checklist above before signing.
• Supervise the work or mediate a dispute. If a job goes sideways, that is between you, the contractor, your state’s licensing board, and potentially small claims court.