Which trades Ohio licenses
The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) licenses contractors in five trades:
| Trade | State license? |
|---|---|
| Electrical | Yes, OCILB |
| Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) | Yes, OCILB |
| Plumbing | Yes, OCILB |
| Hydronics (boilers, hot water heat) | Yes, OCILB |
| Refrigeration | Yes, OCILB |
| General contractors, remodelers, roofers, garage doors, handymen | No state license |
The state's own wording: the license "covers commercial contractors in five specialty trades," and "local building departments may require this license for residential work." So for a home job, the local building department's rules decide what the contractor must show.
What each trade's work costs
Before you compare quotes, see the price ranges and what's in them: plumbing jobs like a water heater, toilet, or whole-house repipe (a licensed trade), and garage door repairs (no state license, so the insurance check below matters more).
Summit County: what contractors show at permit time
Summit County Building Standards dropped its old annual contractor registration in March 2024. Now contractors provide liability insurance, their state license (if one applies), and a tax ID each time they apply for a permit. It handles residential permits for 22 communities in the county.
That makes the permit your best check. Ask the contractor to pull the permit in their own name, then confirm it on the Summit County permit search. Questions go to Building Standards at 1030 East Tallmadge Ave., Akron, (330) 630-7280, Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For every contractor, licensed trade or not
- Insurance. Ask for a certificate of liability insurance, then call the insurance company on it to confirm it's current.
- Permit. Work that needs a permit (water heaters, most plumbing, electrical, and structural work) should have one, pulled by the contractor.
- Written estimate. Get the job, the price, and what's included in writing before work starts.
- Deposit. Be wary of paying most of the price before any work or materials show up.
- Reviews. Look at recent reviews in more than one place, and read the bad ones for how the company responded.
Questions people ask
How do I look up a contractor license in Ohio?
Ask the contractor for their license number, then search it on Ohio eLicense (elicense.ohio.gov), the state’s license lookup. The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) licenses electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics, and refrigeration contractors.
Does Ohio license general contractors or roofers?
Not at the state level. The state board licenses only five trades: electrical, HVAC, plumbing, hydronics, and refrigeration. For other work, check local registration, insurance, and permits instead.
Do garage door companies need a license in Ohio?
No. Garage door work isn’t one of the five trades the state board licenses. Check the company’s liability insurance, reviews, and a written price instead. Wiring a new outlet for an opener is electrical work, one of the five licensed trades.
Do plumbers doing home jobs need a state license?
The OCILB license covers commercial contractors, and the state says local building departments may require it for residential work. In Summit County Building Standards’ area, contractors show liability insurance, their state license if one applies, and a tax ID when they apply for a permit.
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