Active vs. Expired vs. Suspended: What Contractor License Statuses Actually Mean
You looked up a sub’s license before the job started. The database came back with something that wasn’t “Active.” Now you need to know what it means and whether work can proceed. A contractor license status is the official designation a state licensing board assigns to a license — it tells you whether the holder is currently authorized to perform regulated work in that state. This guide covers every status you will encounter in major state license databases — what each one signals, what your liability exposure is, and what to do next.
One thing to know before you start: Licensing databases show the status at the moment of your query. A license that is Active today can become Suspended tomorrow if a complaint is filed or a renewal lapses. A single lookup at project start is not enough. Build re-verification into your process at every renewal date and at key project milestones.
In this guide
- Active — what it means (and what it doesn’t)
- Expired — lapsed renewal, immediate stop-work
- Suspended — disciplinary or administrative hold
- Revoked — permanent cancellation
- Inactive / Voluntarily Inactive — contractor chose not to renew
- Probationary or Conditional — active with restrictions
- Pending / In Process — new application not yet approved
Active — currently authorized, but not unconditionally clear
Proceed with verificationThe license is current, the holder has met all renewal requirements, and they are authorized to perform the licensed scope of work in that state.
Active is the only status that clears a contractor to work. But Active alone does not answer every question you need to ask. It confirms the licensing board accepted the renewal — it says nothing about the contractor's insurance, bonding, or whether a complaint has been filed that has not yet triggered a status change. In Texas (TDLR), a license can show Active while a complaint is under investigation; the status only changes if a formal enforcement action is issued. In Florida (DBPR) and California (CSLB), bond and insurance lapses can cause a license to show Active while the underlying financial requirements are out of compliance. Treat Active as a necessary condition, not a sufficient one.
What to do
Confirm the license number matches what the contractor provided. Verify the license type covers the work scope (a general building license does not cover electrical). Check the expiration date — Active today does not mean Active in three months. Separately collect a current certificate of insurance regardless of license status.
State notes
Texas (TDLR): shows Active, Expired, Cancelled, Revoked. Florida (DBPR): uses Active, Delinquent, Null & Void, Revoked, Suspended. California (CSLB): uses Active, Expired, Suspended, Cancelled, Revoked. Washington (L&I): uses Active, Expired, Cancelled, Suspended. Oregon (CCB): uses Active, Inactive, Cancelled, Suspended, Revoked.
Expired — renewal deadline missed, contractor is currently unlicensed
Stop — do not allow work to beginThe contractor did not renew before the license expiration date. They are currently unlicensed for the regulated scope of work.
Expired is one of the most common statuses you will encounter, and it is frequently the result of administrative oversight rather than a serious compliance failure — the contractor missed the renewal window, a payment did not process, or they were between jobs and let it lapse. The business impact to you, however, is the same regardless of the reason: the contractor is not currently authorized to perform licensed work in that state. Allowing an expired-license contractor to begin work exposes you to several risks. First, the work may not pass inspection — many jurisdictions require the permit applicant's license to be active at the time of inspection, not just at permit pull. Second, your commercial general liability policy may exclude coverage for work performed by unlicensed subcontractors. Third, in some states you can be held jointly liable for fines or be required to stop the project until a licensed contractor takes over. Most states allow a grace period for renewal — TDLR allows 30 days, CSLB allows up to 5 years with late fees — but during that grace period the license is still expired and the contractor is not authorized to work.
What to do
Ask for proof that a renewal has been submitted and confirm directly with the state database when it is expected to become Active again. Do not accept a contractor's verbal assurance. Hold a start date until the status returns to Active.
State notes
California (CSLB): licenses expire every two years. An Expired license that remains unrenewed for 5 years becomes Cancelled — harder to reinstate. Texas (TDLR): licenses typically expire annually. Florida (DBPR): uses “Delinquent” instead of Expired — it functions the same for your purposes.
Suspended — board-initiated hold, disciplinary or administrative
Stop — investigate before proceedingThe license has been temporarily deactivated by the licensing board — either as a disciplinary action following a complaint or violation, or as an administrative action for failure to meet a non-disciplinary requirement.
Suspension is more serious than expiration because it is board-initiated rather than contractor-initiated. There are two types, and understanding the difference matters. A disciplinary suspension follows a finding of a code violation, consumer complaint, or safety violation. The contractor cannot work in the regulated scope, and the suspension remains on their license record even after reinstatement — this history is often visible in the board's database. An administrative suspension is less serious: it typically means the contractor failed to maintain a required bond, let their general liability policy lapse, or failed to complete a required continuing education course. It is not a finding of wrongdoing, but the contractor is still not authorized to work until the administrative requirement is met. The practical risk: a contractor who was Active when you onboarded them and Suspended when work is midway through is a compliance and insurance problem. Work already performed may be at risk for inspection failure, and your exposure from that point forward is uninsured. Some states — including California — allow you to look up the reason for a suspension in the CSLB database. Texas TDLR enforcement actions are public records.
What to do
Find out whether the suspension is disciplinary or administrative. For administrative, determine what requirement is unmet and when it can be resolved. For disciplinary, read the public enforcement record before deciding whether to proceed. Do not allow work to continue during suspension.
State notes
California (CSLB): disciplinary suspensions are searchable and include the case number and violation type. Texas (TDLR): enforcement actions including suspensions are listed on the license record page. Florida (DBPR): Suspended licenses show in the database with the effective date of suspension.
Revoked — permanent cancellation following serious violation
Disqualify — do not hireThe licensing board has permanently cancelled the license following a serious violation. The contractor is no longer permitted to operate under that license number.
Revocation is the most serious status a contractor license can carry and is treated as a permanent disqualifying condition in most compliance frameworks. A revoked license cannot simply be renewed — the contractor must reapply from scratch, and many states impose waiting periods of one to five years or permanent bans depending on the severity of the violation. Common grounds for revocation include repeated or serious consumer fraud, abandonment of projects after collecting deposits, work that caused structural damage or safety failures, and repeated violations of the same statute after a prior suspension. A contractor with a revoked license who continues to solicit or perform regulated work is committing a criminal offense in most states. The risk to you if you unknowingly hire a revoked contractor is significant: the work is unlicensed, your insurance coverage for that scope almost certainly excludes it, and any permits pulled may be void. Run a license status check before executing any subcontract — a contractor will not always disclose a revocation.
What to do
Do not proceed. Review the public enforcement record to understand the violation history. If the contractor claims the revocation was in error, the burden is on them to resolve it with the licensing board — not on you to wait.
State notes
California (CSLB): revocations include full case records searchable by license number. Texas (TDLR): revocations appear in the agency's enforcement actions database. Florida (DBPR): revocations are permanent — the license number is retired.
Inactive / Voluntarily Inactive — contractor elected to pause, not authorized to work
Confirm intent before proceedingThe contractor has formally requested to place their license in an inactive status — usually to avoid renewal fees during a period when they are not actively working. They cannot legally perform regulated work while inactive.
Voluntary Inactive is not a disciplinary status — it is an administrative election the contractor makes. In California, licensees can place their CSLB license in Inactive status to pause the clock on continuing education and renewal requirements. In Oregon, the CCB allows an Inactive classification for similar reasons. The practical consequence for you is the same as Expired: the contractor is not authorized to perform the regulated work. The difference is context. An Inactive status suggests the contractor may be legitimately between projects or semi-retired — not that they failed to renew or faced enforcement. But if a contractor is soliciting your project with an Inactive license, they are misrepresenting their ability to legally perform the work. Some states do not have a separate Inactive designation and simply treat the license as Expired once the renewal deadline passes.
What to do
Ask the contractor whether they intend to reactivate before the project starts. Reactivation typically requires catching up on any required continuing education and paying a reactivation fee. Confirm the status returns to Active before allowing work to begin.
State notes
California (CSLB): Inactive status is distinct from Expired and Cancelled. Oregon (CCB): uses Active, Inactive, Cancelled, Suspended, Revoked. Texas (TDLR): does not have a separate Inactive designation — licenses are either current or expired.
Probationary or Conditional — active with board-imposed restrictions
Active with restrictions — review conditionsThe license is active, but the licensing board has imposed conditions on the contractor's operations — typically following a disciplinary action or as part of a settlement of a complaint.
A Probationary or Conditional license sits in a difficult middle ground: the contractor is technically authorized to work, but not without restrictions. Common conditions include requirements to notify the board before starting new projects, prohibitions on soliciting certain types of work (e.g., roofing or foundation work following a pattern of complaints in those areas), mandatory bonding above the standard minimum, or third-party supervision requirements for certain project types. These conditions are sometimes visible in the public license record and sometimes disclosed only in the enforcement order — which may or may not be publicly available depending on the state. The risk of hiring a Probationary contractor is that their restrictions may limit their ability to complete your scope, and a violation of their probation conditions during your project can trigger suspension mid-work. California CSLB and Florida DBPR publish the specific terms of probationary orders — read them before proceeding.
What to do
Look up the specific probationary order in the state database. In California (CSLB) and Florida (DBPR), the order is published by license number and will specify exactly what restrictions apply to this contractor's scope of work. Confirm the restrictions do not limit the work you are contracting for. Consider whether the risk warrants a higher-qualified alternative.
State notes
California (CSLB): probationary orders are published and searchable by license number. Florida (DBPR): administrative complaints and stipulations are public record. Texas (TDLR): consent orders (the equivalent of probation) are published in the enforcement actions database.
Pending / In Process — application submitted but not yet approved
Not yet licensed — do not allow regulated workAn application has been submitted but the licensing board has not yet approved or issued the license. The contractor is not currently licensed.
A Pending status means you are looking at a license application, not a license. The contractor may have passed their exam, may have submitted all required documentation, and may genuinely be days away from receiving an Active license — but until the board issues it, they are unlicensed for the regulated scope. In practice, you will most often encounter this status in two scenarios: a new contractor who applied recently and has not yet cleared the board's review process, or a contractor who was previously licensed, let it expire past the reinstatement window, and is starting the full application process again. The processing time varies significantly by state — CSLB processing times in California can run several weeks to several months depending on application volume. Texas TDLR is typically faster for most license types. Regardless of how confident the contractor is that they will be approved, you cannot allow regulated work to begin until the status changes to Active.
What to do
Do not execute a subcontract with a Pending contractor unless you have a written contingency clause conditioning work commencement on confirmed Active status. If you are already committed, ask for the application confirmation number and verify the processing timeline with the licensing board directly — do not rely on the contractor's estimate.
State notes
California (CSLB): application status is searchable by application number on the CSLB website. Texas (TDLR): application status is available through the TDLR online portal. Florida (DBPR): application status can be checked through the department's online licensing portal.
Quick-Reference Status Matrix
Use this as a starting point. State-specific terminology varies — when in doubt, look up the status definition in that state's licensing board FAQ.
| Status | Authorized to work? | Cause | Your action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Yes | Current, all requirements met | Verify scope, check expiry, collect COI |
| Expired (FL: "Delinquent") | No | Renewal deadline missed | Hold start date until Active |
| Suspended | No | Disciplinary or admin hold | Stop work, investigate reason |
| Revoked | No | Serious violation, permanent | Disqualify — do not hire |
| Inactive / Voluntarily Inactive | No | Contractor elected to pause | Hold until reactivated to Active |
| Probationary / Conditional | Conditionally | Active with board-imposed restrictions | Read the order, assess restrictions |
| Pending / In Process | No | Application not yet approved | Do not allow work to begin |
What to Do When the Status Is Not Active
The lookup told you something you did not expect. Here is a practical sequence for handling it.
Do not start the clock on work
If a sub is already scheduled to start, hold that start date. Do not let work begin on the assumption that the status will be resolved. Permits pulled against an inactive license may be voided, and insurance coverage for the period of unlicensed work is at risk.
Verify you are looking at the right record
License numbers can be transcribed incorrectly. Confirm the number the contractor provided matches what you looked up — then confirm the legal business name and owner name match the entity you are contracting with. If anything does not match, ask the contractor to provide their actual license documentation.
For expired or inactive: contact the contractor. For suspended or revoked: pull the enforcement record first.
For an expired or inactive license, the contractor usually knows and has a renewal in process — ask directly for a renewal confirmation number and expected resolution date. For a suspended or revoked license, pull the public enforcement record from the state database before engaging the contractor at all. A disciplinary finding is public record and gives you the facts before the contractor has an opportunity to explain them.
Verify the resolution with the board directly
Once the contractor says the issue is resolved, verify it yourself in the state database — do not take their word for it. License status changes may take 1–5 business days to update after the licensing board processes a renewal or reinstatement.
Document everything
Record the date of your lookup, the status you found, your communications with the contractor, and the date you confirmed the return to Active status. If a dispute or insurance claim arises later, this documentation shows you performed due diligence.
License status changes between your lookups
Running manual lookups at project start catches problems on day one. But a sub whose license was Active in January can be Suspended by March — and if you are not monitoring continuously, you find out when a complaint or inspection failure surfaces.
TrackMyVendor monitors your subcontractor license statuses automatically. Connect your vendor roster and we check each license against the state database on a recurring schedule. When a status changes — Active to Expired, Active to Suspended — you get an alert before work continues on an invalid license. For GCs with 10 or more active subs, one compliance failure — a failed inspection, a denied insurance claim, a project shutdown — will cost more than a year of monitoring.
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