New York Contractor Compliance, License & Insurance Requirements
The onboarding checklist for GCs and property managers hiring in New York: who licenses the work when the state doesn’t, the three employee coverages and the state forms that prove them, the Scaffold Law behind every limit, and the sub’s unpaid wages New York can put on you.
State licensing quick-check
Verifying one New York license by hand?
Inside the five boroughs, the Department of Buildings lists its licensees and registered general contractors, with their insurance status, in the DOB NOW Public Portal: search by license number, last name or business name. Outside the city there is no single search; ask the building department for the project’s address.
Open the NYC DOB license and registration checkManaging a roster of New York subs?
A lookup is right today. It doesn’t watch the dates.
A New York sub’s paperwork expires on half a dozen clocks: a DOB license or registration, a county home improvement license, the DOL registry’s two-year certificate, and the GL, workers’ comp and disability policies behind the C-105.2 and DB-120.1. TrackMyVendor keeps every one of those dates on one roster and shows what’s expiring.
Track COIs and licenses free →New York State has no general contractor license and no statewide electrical or plumbing license. Inside New York City, the Department of Buildings registers general contractors and licenses electricians, plumbers, fire suppression contractors and riggers; elsewhere, cities and counties decide, and several downstate counties license home improvement contractors. The state licenses asbestos, elevator and crane work. Employers must carry workers' compensation and disability and paid family leave coverage, proved on New York's own forms, and a contractor is liable for an uninsured sub's injured workers (Workers' Compensation Law 56) and, on most private construction, for its unpaid wages (Labor Law 198-e).
In this guide
New York contractor licensing: city, county and state
New York State doesn’t license general contractors, electricians or plumbers. Who does depends on the project’s address, and a license from one jurisdiction doesn’t authorize work in the next: an NYC master electrician is licensed in the five boroughs, not in Westchester or Buffalo.
Inside New York City: the Department of Buildings
The DOB registers general contractors and licenses the trades. A registered general contractor must keep general liability of at least $1 million per occurrence, workers’ comp and disability coverage on file with the DOB, and keep those policies current. The credentials GCs meet most:
| Work | NYC DOB credential |
|---|---|
| General contracting | General contractor registration, with GL, workers’ comp and disability insurance on file |
| Electrical | Master Electrician, or Special Electrician for work within one employer’s buildings |
| Plumbing | Master Plumber |
| Fire suppression piping | Master Fire Suppression Piping Contractor, Class A, B or C |
| Rigging and hoisting | Master or Special Rigger; Hoisting Machine Operator |
| Oil burners and boilers | Oil Burner Equipment Installer; High Pressure Boiler Operating Engineer |
Home improvement work on a residence in the city is licensed by a different agency, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), not the DOB. A sub renovating apartments for a property manager may need both.
Outside the city: counties and towns
- Home improvement licenses are issued by several downstate counties, including Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland and Putnam. Each runs its own program, and a Nassau license does not cover a job in Suffolk.
- Electrical and plumbing are licensed, if at all, by the city, town or county. Cities such as Buffalo and Yonkers license their own; many towns ask only for a permit.
- Ask the building department for the job’s address what it requires, and get the sub’s license from that authority, not a neighbouring one.
Licensed by the state, everywhere
| Work | NYS Department of Labor credential |
|---|---|
| Asbestos | An asbestos contractor license for the firm, with certified handlers and supervisors on the crew |
| Elevators and conveyances | Elevator contractor and elevator mechanic licenses under Labor Law Article 33; unlicensed elevator work is unlawful unless the worker is employed by a licensed contractor |
| Cranes | A certificate of competence for the crane operator |
The DOL contractor registry, on public and Article 8 work
Since December 30, 2024, Labor Law § 220-i has required every contractor and subcontractor on public work to register with the Department of Labor before bidding or starting. It also covers private projects that fall under Article 8, such as projects funded by a public subsidy (§ 224-a) and renewable energy projects (§ 224-d). A certificate lasts two years and costs $200. The penalties reach the contractor that lets an unregistered sub start, not only the sub, so on a covered project the registration belongs in the onboarding file. NYSDOL's registry FAQ has the details.
Insurance, the Scaffold Law and a sub’s wages
New York requires three employee coverages by statute and says almost nothing about liability limits on private work, except for NYC’s registered general contractors. The limits your subs carry are the ones your subcontract writes down, and in New York those run higher than elsewhere, for the reason below.
| Coverage | What New York requires | What GCs usually require by contract |
|---|---|---|
| Workers' Compensation | Every employer with employees; proof on form C-105.2 or U-26.3, not an ACORD | Statutory coverage from every sub with employees |
| Disability & Paid Family Leave | Every employer with one or more employees on at least 30 days in a calendar year (WCL § 202); proof on DB-120.1 | The DB-120.1 beside the workers’ comp form |
| Commercial General Liability | $1M per occurrence for NYC DOB registered general contractors; no state minimum otherwise | $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate at least, more on elevated work |
| Commercial Auto | No contractor-specific minimum | $1M combined single limit |
| Umbrella / Excess | No state minimum | $2M–$10M or more, sized to the work at height |
Proof of coverage comes on New York’s own forms
The Workers’ Compensation Board doesn’t accept the workers’ comp line on an ACORD certificate as proof of New York coverage. Collect the state’s forms, which building departments also ask for before they issue a permit:
- C-105.2 from a private carrier, or U-26.3 from the State Insurance Fund, for workers’ comp.
- DB-120.1 for disability and paid family leave.
- CE-200 where the sub attests that it is exempt, for example a sole proprietor with no employees. It covers the person named on it, not a crew.
The Board's form list has each one. The ACORD 25 is still the right document for GL, auto and umbrella.
Workers’ comp: an uninsured sub’s workers are yours
Workers’ Compensation Law § 56. A contractor that subcontracts hazardous work is liable to pay compensation to the sub’s injured employees when the sub hasn’t secured coverage. You can recover what you pay from the sub, and the claim becomes a lien on any money you owe it, which is worth what the sub’s next invoice is worth.
So the C-105.2 is the first document to read, and it has to stay in force for as long as the sub’s crew is on site.
The Scaffold Law, and why New York limits run higher
Labor Law § 240(1) puts the duty to provide proper scaffolds, hoists, ladders and other protection for work at height on “all contractors and owners and their agents”. When a worker falls, or is hit by a falling object, because that protection was missing or failed, the owner and the GC are liable even if neither was negligent, and the worker’s own carelessness is generally no defense. The one carve-out is for owners of one- and two-family homes who contract for the work but don’t direct or control it. Section 241(6) adds a duty to comply with the state Industrial Code that the owner and GC can’t delegate to the sub.
That is why New York GCs ask for higher GL limits, a larger umbrella on any work at height, and above all an additional insured endorsement that puts the sub’s policy in front of theirs when the claim comes.
Indemnity is limited; the insurance survives
- Additional insured for you and the owner on the sub’s GL (and auto), for ongoing and completed operations. See CG 20 10 vs CG 20 37.
- Primary and non-contributory, so the sub’s policy pays first. See primary and non-contributory.
- Waiver of subrogation on GL, auto and WC.
General Obligations Law § 5-322.1 voids a clause in a construction contract that indemnifies you for injury or damage caused by your own negligence. You may still require indemnity for the share caused by others, whether or not the sub is partly at fault, and the section expressly doesn’t affect insurance contracts. So in New York the additional insured endorsement does work the indemnity clause can’t. On elevated or high-value work, ask for the endorsement pages, not just the certificate.
A sub’s unpaid wages can become yours
Under Labor Law § 198-e, for construction contracts entered into, renewed or amended since January 4, 2022, a contractor is jointly and severally liable for the wages and benefits a subcontractor at any tier fails to pay. The worker has to give you ten business days’ notice before suing, and the claim is barred if you put it right. The sub can’t waive your liability by contract, but your subcontract can give you a claim back against it. The section doesn’t cover public work under Article 8, a home improvement contract for an owner-occupied home, or most one- and two-family home construction. A union agreement can waive it only by naming the section.
How TrackMyVendor automates this
- Every ACORD certificate is read on upload — carrier, policy numbers, each coverage row’s limits and its own dates — and measured against the minimums you set, so a GL limit below yours shows as short.
- The New York forms sit on the sub’s record beside it — the C-105.2 or U-26.3 and the DB-120.1, each with its own expiration date and the same reminders.
- Per-deadline reminders at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days go to your team and to the sub, with the upload link in the sub’s copy. Starter and above
- The endorsement pages are read too — additional insured, waiver of subrogation, primary and non-contributory — so a ticked box with no endorsement behind it shows as a gap. Pro
Working with a New York sub: vet, onboard, stay compliant
Everything above, put in the order you meet it.
Vet before you hire
- Find who licenses the work at the job’s address: the NYC DOB (and DCWP for home improvement) inside the city, the county or town outside it, NYSDOL for asbestos, elevators and cranes. Check the license there.
- On public work or an Article 8 project, confirm the sub’s DOL registry certificate before it bids or starts.
- Ask how the sub pays its crew. Under Labor Law § 198-e its payroll problem can become yours.
Go deeper: How vetting a prospect works · Free subcontractor prequalification form · 5-minute contractor verification checklist
Onboard before work starts
- The C-105.2 or U-26.3 and the DB-120.1, not just an ACORD, or a CE-200 that matches who will actually be on site.
- An ACORD 25 at your contract’s limits, with additional insured, primary and non-contributory and waiver of subrogation backed by the endorsements: under § 5-322.1 they do what indemnity can’t.
- A signed W-9 before the first payment, and a subcontract clause that gives you a claim back for wages you pay under § 198-e.
Go deeper: Subcontractor onboarding checklist · Collecting COIs, W-9s and licenses in one link · W-9 collection
Stay compliant while they work
- Each GL, auto, workers’ comp and disability policy on its own date. New York’s forms expire with the policies behind them.
- Each license on the cycle of whoever issued it: DOB, DCWP, the county, NYSDOL.
- The DOL registry certificate, two years from registration, on covered projects.
Go deeper: Expiration alerts · COI tracking · Workers' comp audits and uninsured subs
Onboarding New York subs?
Everything above is a check you can run by hand. This is what it looks like when it runs itself.
On the free plan
- Your first 25 subs, no credit card
- Subs upload certificates, licences and W-9s through a one-time link — no account, no app
- Every certificate read automatically: coverage rows, limits and each policy’s own dates
- Every New York licence and state form tracked on its own expiration date, with the same alerts
- A Monday summary of everything expired or expiring
Per-deadline alerts at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days, sent to your team and to the sub, start on Starter. Compare plans
Stop checking by hand
Set up your roster today
Add your subs — or import the whole list from a spreadsheet on Starter — send each a one-time upload link, and the certificates, licences and W-9s arrive already read. No demo, no sales call, no implementation project.
Start free — no credit card →Up and running in about 10 minutes.
Explore what it does: Sub onboarding · COI tracking · Expiration alerts · W-9 collection