New York: no state contractor license; licensing is local

The limit in New York

Not fully confirmed. For New York, plumbing, electrical work and HVAC could not be checked on the state's own pages: each says so below.

The limit: there is no state license for general or handyman work, so there is no state dollar limit. No state license or state dollar threshold; licensing is local (NYC, Buffalo, and Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties)

Licenses in New York

General contractors: No state license. No state general contractor or home improvement license; cities and counties license (e.g. NYC DCWP Home Improvement Contractor License for residential work in NYC).

Plumbing, electrical and HVAC: no statewide license found. No state page says in words that New York has no state plumbing, electrician or HVAC license; cities and counties license them.

Your license number in New York

Your license number: Home improvement contractors with a local license must show the number on written home improvement contracts over $500. None of these rules names invoices.

In the rule's words: “The name, address, telephone number and license number, if applicable, of the contractor.” (N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 771(1)(a) (home improvement contracts over $500))

New York's board, and when this was checked

The board: None statewide; NY Department of State, Division of Consumer Protection (consumer guidance). Local licensing e.g. NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (home improvement) and NYC Department of Buildings (trades). As of November 6, 2026. Dates on the state's pages: DOS consumer alert 2026-05-20, GBL 771 last modified 2021-10-29 and GCT 40-a last modified 2014-09-22.

This is a summary of each state's own pages as of November 6, 2026, not legal advice. Rules change, and cities and counties add licenses of their own. Check with your state's board, linked on this page, before you rely on it.

Compare New York with every state's limit.

Next door to New York

• Connecticut: up to $1,000 a year
• Massachusetts: under $500 per job
• New Jersey: no small-job exemption
• Pennsylvania: under $5,000 a year
• Vermont: up to $10,000 per job

Official sources for New York

6 of New York's own pages, each quoted with its link:

• CONSUMER ALERT: NYS Department of State's Division of Consumer Protection Provides New Yorkers with Tips for Avoiding Home Improvement Scams: “New York State does not license home improvement contractors. However, some counties and local municipalities do, including New York City, Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland counties, and the City of Buffalo.”
• N.Y. General Business Law § 770 Definitions (N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 770): “"Home improvement contract" means an agreement for the performance of home improvement, between a home improvement contractor and an owner, and where the aggregate contract price specified in one or more home improvement contracts, including all labor, services and materials to be furnished by the home improvement contractor, exceeds five hundred dollars.”
• N.Y. General Business Law § 771 Contract provisions (N.Y. Gen. Bus. Law § 771(1)(a)): “The name, address, telephone number and license number, if applicable, of the contractor.”
• N.Y. General City Law § 40-a Examining boards of plumbers (N.Y. Gen. City Law § 40-a): “The existing boards for the examination of plumbers in cities of this state are continued and each shall be known as the examining board of plumbers.”
• NYC MyCity Business: Electrician License: “To do electrical work in New York City, you need a license from the Department of Buildings.”
• NYC MyCity Business: Home Improvement Contractor License: “You need a Home Improvement Contractor License to do construction, repair, remodeling or other home improvement work to any residential land or building in New York City.”

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