Texas Subcontractor License Requirements: What GCs Must Verify Before Work Starts
Texas licenses the trades, not the general contractor — and the trades it licenses are split between two agencies. This guide covers which subs need a state license, which don't, what a GC should check before anyone starts work, and what it costs when an unlicensed sub slips through.
The most common mistake: checking the license once at onboarding. TDLR licenses renew every year or two, a plumbing company can lose its Responsible Master Plumber mid-job, and nothing tells the GC. A license that was active on day one is a fact about day one.
Texas has no statewide general contractor license. The state licenses specific trades: electricians and air-conditioning contractors through TDLR, and plumbers through the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE). Roofing, framing, drywall, painting and general carpentry need no state license, though many cities require local registration. Before a sub starts licensed work, confirm the license is active on the agency's own database, covers the work, and belongs to the company you are contracting with.
In this guide
How Texas contractor licensing works
Texas does not require a statewide general contractor license. Any company can act as a GC without a state-issued license, though many cities run their own contractor registration. What Texas licenses at the state level are the specialty trades, and it splits them across two agencies:
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) — electricians and electrical contractors, air-conditioning and refrigeration contractors, elevator contractors, mold remediation, water well drillers and several others.
- Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE) — plumbers. Plumbing is the one major construction trade Texas still regulates through a single-purpose board rather than TDLR.
A few trades GCs meet sit elsewhere again: landscape irrigators are licensed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and structural pest control by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
No GC license doesn't mean no accountability. The absence of a state GC license changes nothing about a GC's exposure when a sub's work causes damage or injury. Verifying the licenses Texas does require is how a GC shows it took reasonable care.
Which trades require a state license in Texas
These are the construction trades Texas licenses that GCs most often subcontract. Verify them before the sub touches the project.
| Trade | Agency | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical | TDLR | Electrical Contractor license for the company, which requires a Master Electrician; Master or Journeyman Electrician licenses for the people doing the work |
| HVAC / air conditioning & refrigeration | TDLR | ACR Contractor license — Class A (any size) or Class B (cooling up to 25 tons, heating up to 1.5 million BTU/hr). Refrigerant handling also needs federal EPA 608 certification |
| Plumbing | TSBPE | A Master Plumber holding the Responsible Master Plumber (RMP) designation for the company; Journeyman or Tradesman licenses for field plumbers |
| Elevators & escalators | TDLR | Elevator Contractor registration and licensed mechanics |
| Mold remediation | TDLR | Mold Remediation Contractor or Company license; mold assessment is licensed separately |
| Water well drilling & pump installation | TDLR | Water Well Driller or Pump Installer license |
| Landscape irrigation | TCEQ | Licensed Irrigator for design and installation |
Trades with no state license — but often a city one
Texas does not license roofing, framing, drywall, painting, flooring or general carpentry at the state level. Roofing is the one GCs ask about most: a bill to create a TDLR roofing license (HB 3344) was filed in 2025 but did not pass, so the only "licensed roofer" credential remains the voluntary one issued by the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas, a trade association. Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and many other cities do have their own registration and permit rules for these trades.
Check the city, too. A sub with nothing to verify at the state level may still need a municipal registration to pull permits in the city your project is in. For work in a major metro, confirm both before mobilization.
What GCs should verify
No single Texas statute tells a GC to verify its subs' licenses. The obligation comes from contracts, from the owner's requirements and from what an insurer or a court will ask after a loss: did you take reasonable care? These checks are what that looks like.
The license is Active — on the agency's own database
A license number on a bid or a photo of a card proves the number exists. Look it up on TDLR's or TSBPE's site and confirm the status reads active, before the work starts rather than after the paperwork is complete.
The license covers the work
An ACR license does not authorize electrical work, and a Class B ACR contractor cannot install a 40-ton rooftop unit. Match the license type and class to the scope in your subcontract.
The license belongs to the company you are contracting with
For electrical work, the company needs its own Electrical Contractor license with a Master Electrician behind it. For plumbing, the company works under a Master Plumber with the Responsible Master Plumber designation. The name on the record should match the entity on your subcontract and its COI.
It stays active for the length of the job
TDLR licenses renew every one or two years depending on the program. On a job longer than a few months, re-check before each milestone payment — a license that lapsed mid-project is a problem you want to find before the inspector does.
How TrackMyVendor automates this
- TDLR licences are re-checked against TDLR’s own records every day — electrical, air-conditioning, elevator and mold — so a lapse or a status change shows on the sub’s record rather than at the next job.
- Licences outside those feeds, including TSBPE plumbing licences, are tracked on their expiration dates with the same alerts, alongside the sub’s certificates and W-9.
- Every check is logged with a timestamp, which is the record of reasonable care step 01 is really about.
What unlicensed work costs in Texas
Penalties under Texas licensing law land mainly on the unlicensed contractor. The GC's exposure is practical rather than statutory — and usually larger.
Administrative penalties from TDLR
TDLR can issue cease-and-desist orders and administrative penalties of up to $5,000 per violation, and each day a violation continues counts as a separate violation. TSBPE has its own enforcement for unlicensed plumbing.
Permits, inspections and rework
Licensed trades need a licensed individual to pull the permit. Electrical or plumbing work done without one can fail inspection or have to be opened up and redone by a licensed contractor, which lands on the GC's schedule and budget.
Civil liability for injury or damage
If an unlicensed sub's work causes injury or property damage, the GC is a likely defendant, and a record showing nobody checked the license is not a helpful exhibit.
Insurance and contract problems
Owner contracts commonly require licensed subcontractors, and carriers look closely at how a loss happened. Depending on the policy and contract language, unlicensed work can complicate both the claim and the GC's standing with the owner.
How to look up a Texas contractor license
Two public databases cover the trades above: TDLR's license search for TDLR programs, and TSBPE's license lookup for plumbers. Search by license number where you have it — it is faster and avoids near-matches on common business names.
- Collect the license number at onboarding, with the name of the Master Electrician or Responsible Master Plumber for electrical and plumbing subs. A sub who can't produce it quickly is telling you something.
- Search the right agency — TDLR for electrical, ACR, elevator, mold and well drilling; TSBPE for plumbing — and confirm the status is active and the license type fits the work.
- Match the name and the dates: the business on the record against your subcontract, and the expiration against your schedule.
- Record what you found and when, and set a reminder before the expiration date.
How TrackMyVendor automates this
- Subs send their licence number, certificate and W-9 through one upload link — no account, no portal login — so step 1 does not take a week of email.
- A licence approaching expiry is on the Monday summary on every plan, and on Starter and above the sub is emailed at 90, 60, 30 and 7 days with the link to send the renewal.
- The licence sits next to the COI on the same record, because a current certificate and a lapsed licence can belong to the same sub.
Tracking licenses for Texas 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
- Contractor licences checked against the state board’s own records
- 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.
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Explore what it does: License verification · AI COI parsing · Expiration alerts · Sub onboarding