How to verify a Michigan contractor license
The step-by-step process for checking any Michigan contractor or skilled-trade license through the state lookup — and how to keep proof that you checked.
Michigan contractor and skilled-trade licenses are verified through the state's LARA license lookup. Search by license number or business name, then confirm four things: the license is active, it doesn't expire before the job ends, the license type matches the trade, and the name on the license matches the entity you're paying.
Then save a timestamped record of what you saw. The lookup proves status today — the record is what defends your approval later.
The six-step verification process
1. Collect the details first
Get the exact business name, the individual license holder's name, and the license number from the contractor before work is scheduled. Mismatches between the company you're paying and the name on the license are one of the most common risk signals.
2. Search the LARA lookup
Use the Michigan LARA license verification portal. It supports search by name, business name, license type, license number, and location. Searching by license number is the most precise.
3. Check the status
The license should show as active. Lapsed, suspended, or relinquished statuses mean the vendor may not legally perform licensed work today — stop and resolve before dispatch.
4. Check the expiration date
Confirm the expiration covers the full expected duration of the job. A license that's active at kickoff but expires mid-project is a renewal-window risk worth flagging now, not later.
5. Check type and discipline
Confirm the license type matches the trade being performed — a residential builder license doesn't cover electrical work. Review any disciplinary action attached to the record.
6. Save timestamped proof
Record what you verified, when, and from what source. A dated screenshot or saved record is the minimum. Without it, you can't prove the vendor was compliant when you approved them.
What Michigan law actually says about a lapsed license.
Lapsed means unlicensed
Under MCL 339.601, a person whose license is suspended, revoked, or lapsed is considered unlicensed — there is no soft middle state.
Permits need a live license
Residential permit applications must carry the applicant's license number and expiration date (MCL 125.1510), and an unrenewed mechanical contractor license is void for permit purposes (MCL 339.5813).
No license, no lien, no lawsuit
An unlicensed builder or contractor cannot sue to collect compensation or file a construction lien (MCL 339.2412) — licensure is required during performance, not just at signing.
Renewal cycles are staggered: contractor licenses renew every three years on trade-specific dates, while individual trade licenses renew annually — which is why a vendor who was compliant last season may not be today. General information, not legal advice.
Where manual checks go wrong
- Verifying the company name but not the individual qualifying officer relationship behind the license.
- Checking once at onboarding and never re-checking — licenses lapse and get suspended mid-relationship.
- Accepting a photocopied license card instead of checking the live state record.
- Matching the wrong entity — "Smith Builders LLC" on your PO, "J. Smith Construction" on the license.
- No record of the check — an undocumented verification is worth very little in an audit, claim dispute, or litigation discovery.
Checking one vendor is easy. Checking forty isn't.
LicenseWatchMI runs this exact process across your whole subcontractor list and returns a risk report with point-in-time, source-linked evidence for every vendor.
Upload your vendor list free, or get the done-for-you $199 Vendor Audit for up to 50 vendors. This guide is general information, not legal advice.