How it works
Every search runs live queries against 15 public databases and trade-association directories at once, then rolls what we find into a single plain-English risk score. Here is exactly what each source tells you, what it does not, and how we turn it into a grade.
1. Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)
Trade license status
TDLR is the state agency that licenses dozens of specific trades in Texas: electricians, HVAC contractors, plumbers, well drillers, elevator installers, and more. We hit TDLR's public license search and return every matching license with its expiration date, city, and status.
What it tells you: whether the contractor is legally permitted to do the regulated work you're hiring them for, and whether their license is in good standing.
What it does not tell you: quality, pricing, or reliability. It also does not cover general contractors, remodelers, roofers, painters, or landscapers — Texas does not license those trades. Absence from TDLR is not a red flag for unregulated work.
2. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Business registration & longevity
Every corporation, LLC, and limited partnership doing business in Texas must register with the state and file franchise tax reports. We use this to confirm a contractor is running a real registered business, how long they've been around, and whether the state has flagged them as forfeited.
What it tells you: whether this is an active Texas business, how many years it has been registered, and registered officers and agents.
What it does not tell you: sole proprietors and DBAs do not appear here. Absence is not automatically a red flag, but a long-standing registered entity is a meaningful positive signal.
3. Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Ratings & complaint history
We find the best-matching BBB profile and pull the letter rating (A+ down to F), closed-complaint count over the past 3 years, and the average star rating across customer reviews.
What it tells you: how many customers have formally complained, how the BBB rates the contractor's complaint-handling, and what their reviews look like on average.
What it does not tell you: BBB ratings are imperfect. A contractor can pay to be accredited, and a new business with zero complaints defaults to A+. Watch for divergence between the letter grade and the complaint/review data.
4. City of San Antonio Contractor Connect
City permits — San Antonio
San Antonio requires contractors working inside city limits to register with the Development Services Department before pulling permits. The registry tracks trade categories and expiration dates.
What it tells you: if your project is in San Antonio, whether this contractor is registered to pull permits there and what trades they're approved for.
What it does not tell you: anything about contractors working outside San Antonio.
5. City of Austin Issued Construction Permits
City permits — Austin
Austin publishes its full permit database — over 2 million issued building, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing permits — on the open data portal. We search by contractor name and report how many permits they've pulled, for which trades, what the permit values look like, and whether they've been active in the last two years.
What it tells you: this is a record of actual work — stronger than a registration because it proves the contractor has been in the field pulling permits, not just sitting on a license.
What it does not tell you: anything about contractors who don't work in Austin, or work that doesn't require a permit.
6. City of Dallas Building Permits
City permits — Dallas
Dallas published its contractor permit records on the open data portal. The dataset covers permits through mid-2020. Historical permit activity is still meaningful — a contractor with 300 permits on record in Dallas built a real track record there, even if the data is a few years old.
What it tells you: corroborating evidence that this is a real, working contractor with historical activity in the Dallas market.
What it does not tell you: anything about activity after 2020. We clearly label records with the data cutoff date so you're not misled.
7. OSHA Federal Inspection Records
Workplace safety violations
The U.S. Department of Labor publishes every OSHA workplace safety inspection and violation through its IMIS enforcement database. Texas is a federal OSHA state, so all private-sector inspections appear here.
What it tells you: whether federal safety inspectors have found violations at this contractor's worksites. Most small residential contractors have no OSHA record — that's normal. But violations on record are a significant red flag.
What it does not tell you: OSHA primarily inspects larger worksites and responds to complaints or accidents. Absence from OSHA records is not a guarantee of safe practices.
8. Federal Bankruptcy Court Records (CourtListener)
Bankruptcy filings
We search all four Texas federal bankruptcy court districts (Southern, Northern, Eastern, and Western) using CourtListener, which mirrors the federal PACER database. We look for bankruptcy cases where the contractor appears as a party.
What it tells you: whether a contractor has filed for bankruptcy protection. An active Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 case is a serious warning sign — the company is under court supervision for insolvency and may not be able to complete your project.
What it does not tell you: prior closed bankruptcies don't automatically disqualify a contractor — many businesses survive and rebuild. We show the filing history and let you decide.
9. TDLR Administrative Orders
Disciplinary actions · Live
When TDLR finds that a licensee has violated regulations, it issues administrative orders — revocations, suspensions, or monetary penalties. We search the full TDLR administrative orders database by contractor name and surface any disciplinary history.
What it tells you: whether TDLR has formally disciplined this contractor, what they did, and what the consequence was.
What it does not tell you: open complaints that haven't resulted in a final order yet. The absence of orders means no formal action has been taken, not that no complaints exist.
10. Yelp Reviews
Customer reviews · Live
We search Yelp's business database for the contractor and return their star rating, total review count, categories, and a direct link to their Yelp profile so you can read individual reviews.
What it tells you: what past customers think, how many have reviewed, and what trades the contractor advertises.
What it does not tell you: not all contractors have a Yelp profile, and review counts can be small. A missing Yelp listing is not a red flag.
11. Texas Workers' Compensation Non-Subscriber Registry
Insurance opt-out status · Updated regularly
In Texas, workers' compensation insurance is optional for private employers. Employers who opt out — called “non-subscribers” — must notify the Texas Department of Insurance. We search the full non-subscriber registry published on the Texas Open Data Portal.
What it tells you: whether this contractor has formally opted out of workers' comp. If a worker is injured at your property and the contractor has no workers' comp, you as the homeowner may face legal liability.
What it does not tell you: opting out of workers' comp doesn't necessarily mean a contractor is uninsured — some carry alternative coverage. Always ask for a certificate of insurance before work begins.
12. Google Places
Public reviews & operating status
We search Google's Places API across all major Texas metros for a matching business, and return the overall star rating, total review count, phone number, address, website, and whether the business is currently marked open, temporarily closed, or permanently closed.
What it tells you: the broadest reputation signal available — Google Maps reviews reach far more customers than Yelp or BBB. A permanently-closed flag is a major red flag.
What it does not tell you: a small residential contractor may have very few Google reviews. We only weight Google ratings once we see at least ten reviews.
13. Federal Civil Cases (CourtListener)
Federal lawsuits & litigation history
In addition to bankruptcy court, we search Texas federal district courts for any civil case where the contractor appears as a party — employment disputes, construction-defect lawsuits, breach-of-contract claims, and more. Data comes from CourtListener's mirror of PACER.
What it tells you: whether the contractor has been sued or has sued others in Texas federal court, and how recent the activity is. Large commercial GCs will have many cases; a small residential contractor with multiple open employment or defect lawsuits is worth a harder look.
What it does not tell you: state-court lawsuits are not covered by PACER and therefore not shown. Absence of federal cases does not mean absence of litigation.
14. Trade Association Membership
Voluntary industry affiliations
Membership in a reputable trade association is a positive signal: the contractor pays annual dues, agreed to the association's code of ethics, and often completes continuing education. We check two statewide directories in real time:
- Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (RCAT) — rcat.net. Statewide association for Texas roofers with a voluntary “RCAT Licensed Contractor” program that fills the gap left by Texas not licensing roofers at the state level.
- Texas Association of Builders (TAB) — texasbuilders.org. The statewide home-builder association covering 26 local HBAs (Greater Austin, Greater Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Fort Worth, and others) with over 10,000 members.
What it tells you: the contractor belongs to an organized peer community that can enforce a code of ethics. Combined with longevity and permit activity, it paints a picture of a real, accountable business.
What it does not tell you: many qualified contractors don't belong to any trade association — it costs money and takes paperwork. Absence is not a red flag. We plan to add more associations (NARI, ABC Texas, specialty trade groups) as they become available.
The risk score
Every search produces a single 0–100 risk score and an A–F letter grade. The model starts at a neutral 50 and moves up or down based on what we find across all 15 sources. Every point change has a named reason you can read — no black-box machine learning, no mystery weights.
Positive signals include active trade licenses, longevity as a registered Texas business, a strong BBB rating, low complaint volume, active city permit history, and clean OSHA and bankruptcy records. Negative signals include expired licenses, forfeited business status, high BBB complaint counts, OSHA violations, and bankruptcy filings.
A contractor with nothing in our sources gets an “Unknown” grade rather than an automatic F — many sole proprietors legitimately operate without the paper trail that the score rewards. We also flag when different sources appear to describe different businesses under similar names, so you can review those matches yourself.
What the score does not replace
The score is a starting point, not a verdict. Before you sign a contract for any significant project, you should still:
- Ask for and verify a certificate of insurance (general liability and workers' compensation at minimum), with you named as additional insured.
- Get at least two competing bids on the same scope of work.
- Ask for three recent references and actually call them.
- Put the scope, payment schedule, and completion date in writing before any money changes hands.
- Never pay more than 10% up front, and never pay the final draw until work is complete and permits are closed out.