Skip to content
State files updated Oct 29, 2026
Look up a contractor
MenuClose

Home / License lookup / Hawaii

Hawaii contractor licenses

PVL license lookup

Check a Hawaii contractor license on the Hawaii DCCA professional license search. Search by license number and business or person's name.1

Where do you check a Hawaii contractor license?

The Hawaii DCCA professional license search search is where you check a Hawaii general contractor license.

WorkLicenseWhere to check
General contractorState licenseHawaii DCCA professional license search
Electrical–Hawaii DCCA professional license search
Plumbing–Hawaii DCCA professional license search
HVAC–Hawaii DCCA professional license search
Roofing–Hawaii DCCA professional license search

How do you read the result?

The status is the board's word for the license today. Boards word it a little differently; these are the common ones.

Active or current
The contractor can take work in the classes listed. Check the expiry date is after your job ends.
Expired or lapsed
The license wasn't renewed. Don't sign or pay until it shows active again.
Suspended or revoked
The board stopped the license, often over a complaint, a bond or an insurance lapse. Don't hire.
Inactive
The holder parked the license and can't contract until it's reactivated.

If the record lists a bond or insurance policy, check its end date too. A record with no policy on it doesn't prove there is none, so ask the contractor's agent for a certificate of insurance.

What bond and insurance must a Hawaii contractor carry?

Bond. The board can require a bond of at least $5,000 from a general or specialty contractor, depending on the applicant's finances and experience. It is not automatic.2

Liability insurance. You must carry liability and property damage insurance, with proof on file with the board, and keep it continuous.3

Workers' comp. You must show workers' compensation insurance (or self-insurance or an exclusion under chapter 386) before the license is issued, and keep it continuous.3

Hawaii bond and insurance rules by trade

What if the contractor isn't in the lookup?

Treat the contractor as unlicensed until the board or city shows a license.

  1. Search by license number. Names are often filed under the legal business name, not the name on the truck.
  2. Try the qualifier's name. Many states license the business through one person who holds the license.
  3. Check the trade board. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC licenses are often on a different search from the general contractor's.
  4. Call the board if you still can't find it, and don't pay a deposit in the meantime.

What should you check before hiring?

What to ask before you hire

  1. Get the license number in writing. The name on the license should match the name on your contract and invoice.
  2. Check the class covers the job. A license for one trade doesn't cover another. Hawaii license classes
  3. Ask for a certificate of insurance sent to you by the insurance agent, not handed over by the contractor. How to read a COI
  4. Ask who will be on site. If a crew works on your property, ask for proof of workers' comp. If the contractor says it has no employees, ask who will do the work.
  5. Put it in a written contract: license number, price, start date and payment schedule. Check the license again on the day you sign.

If the license is lapsed

  1. Don't sign or pay a deposit until the board shows the license active again.
  2. Ask the contractor why. For a bond or insurance lapse, ask for proof that the new bond or policy was filed with the board, then check again.
  3. If work has started, hold further payments, keep the contract, receipts and photos, and file a complaint with the state board.
  4. Check another contractor. Hawaii license lookup

Sources

  1. Hawaii DCCA professional license search: license search (mypvl.dcca.hawaii.gov, 2026-10-28)
  2. Contractors License Board (DCCA PVL): bond (capitol.hawaii.gov, 2026-10-27)
  3. Contractors License Board (DCCA PVL): insurance (cca.hawaii.gov, 2026-10-27)
  4. Contractors License Board (DCCA PVL): Maintain bond requirements (cca.hawaii.gov, 2026-10-27)
  5. Contractors License Board (DCCA PVL): Contractor FAQ 18 (cca.hawaii.gov, 2026-10-27)
  6. Contractors License Board (DCCA PVL): Hrs pvl 444 (files.hawaii.gov, 2026-10-27)