# US Contractor License Scraper — Multi-State Trade Registry (`avant_technologies/contractor-license-scraper`) Actor Scrape contractor and trade license registries across US states: license number, status, business name, owner, expiry, contact. Official government data. - **URL**: https://apify.com/avant\_technologies/contractor-license-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Rushi Patel](https://apify.com/avant_technologies) (community) - **Categories:** Lead generation, Automation, Other - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $2.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## US Contractor License Scraper — Multi-State Trade Registry **Scrape US contractor & trade license registries from official government open data — normalized into one clean schema, across multiple states, in a single run.** Contractor license lookup at scale: pull HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and general contractor license data from official state registries and get one dataset record per license, plus a `run_summary` (saved to the run's key-value store) with per-state status and capability flags. No login. No CAPTCHA. Just official government open data, normalized. --- ### Sample output (real, live data) Genuine records pulled from live sources: | State | License # | Type | Status | Business | Owner/Qualifier | City | Expires | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | CA | 1000004 | general_contractor | active | SOUTH COAST CONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT | — | LOS ANGELES | 2028-04-30 | | WA | 04CONCL862CR | general_contractor | active | 04 CONSTRUCTION LLC | Ochoa, Eric James | BEND | 2028-03-03 | | OR | 100215 | general_contractor | active | BRUCE HUIE | BRUCE HUIE | BROOKINGS | 2028-02-06 | | TX | 100000 | electrical | active | JOHNSON, RUSSELL D | JOHNSON, RUSSELL D | — | 2026-08-18 | | FL | CBC006231 | general_contractor | active | BUILDING CONCEPTS OF TAMPA BAY, LLC | WALTERS, DENNIS D | TAMPA | 2026-08-31 | Every record preserves the full original source fields under `raw {}`, plus `sourceUrl` and `retrievedAt` for provenance. --- ### Coverage — 7 states Coverage breadth is the product. Every source below is official government open data — **no login, no CAPTCHA.** | State | Trades covered | Approx. dataset size | Status filter | Date filter | Phone | Address | Bond/Insurance | Source | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | **CA** | general, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing | ~700,000 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Street | Bond + workers-comp | CA CSLB — cslb.ca.gov | | **WA** | general, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing | ~161,000 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Street | via companion data (not joined in v1) | WA L&I — data.wa.gov | | **OR** | general + CCB specialties | ~56,000 | Active-only dataset | Yes | Yes | Street | Yes | OR CCB — data.oregon.gov | | **TX** | electrical, HVAC/ACR | *(from TDLR's ~984k all-license dataset)* | Current licenses | No | No | County only | No | TX TDLR — data.texas.gov | | **FL** | general, roofing, plumbing, HVAC, electrical | ~300,000 | Yes | Yes | No | Street | No | FL DBPR — myfloridalicense.com | | **IL** | roofing *(IL's only state-licensed trade)* | ~33,000 roofing | Yes | Yes | No | City/ZIP | No | IL IDFPR — data.illinois.gov | | **CO** | electrical, plumbing *(state-licensed trades)* | (from DORA's ~1.6M all-license dataset) | Yes | Yes | No | City/ZIP | No | CO DORA — data.colorado.gov | **Read the fine print honestly:** - **Some states only license certain trades.** **TX** covers **electrical + HVAC/ACR** only (not GC/roofing/plumbing — plumbers are TSBPE). **IL** state-licenses only **roofing**. **CO** licenses only **electrical + plumbing** (GC/HVAC/roofing are local). Requests for a trade a state doesn't license are skipped and noted in the run summary. - **OR and TX** sources publish current/active licenses only (no historical status column). **CA, WA, and FL** expose status, so you can pull expired, revoked, and suspended records too. - All five sources are official government open data. - **FL uses a residential proxy on the Apify platform (on by default).** Florida's DBPR files sit behind Cloudflare, which blocks Apify's datacenter IPs, so FL is pulled through residential proxy automatically — the proxy is used **only** when FL is in `states` (WA/OR/TX never touch it). This needs a plan with residential proxy; without one, FL returns 0 records with a clear message telling you why. Running locally, FL works without a proxy. --- ### Input | Field | Type | Required | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---|---| | `states` | array of 2-letter codes | **Yes** | — | e.g. `["WA","OR"]`. Use `["all"]` for all supported states. | | `licenseTypes` | array | No | all trades | Normalized values: `general_contractor`, `electrical`, `plumbing`, `hvac`, `roofing`. Empty = all trades. | | `status` | enum | No | `active` | `active` or `all`. | | `registeredSince` | ISO date `YYYY-MM-DD` | No | — | Sources that can't filter by date are noted in the run summary. | | `city` | string | No | — | Exact match. County-only sources ignore this and note it. | | `searchName` | string | No | — | Substring lookup by business/licensee name. | | `maxItems` | integer | No | `1000` | **Per state** — a 4-state run can return up to 4× this. `0` = unlimited. | | `useResidentialProxy` | boolean | No | `true` | Pull FL through Apify residential proxy (used **only** when FL is in `states`; WA/OR/TX never use it). On by default so FL works out of the box; needs a plan with residential proxy. | --- ### Output One dataset record per license. A `run_summary` with per-state status and capability flags is saved to the run's key-value store (`RUN_SUMMARY`) — **you're only charged for license records, not the summary.** **Per-license record fields:** `state`, `licenseNumber`, `licenseType` (normalized), `licenseTypeRaw`, `status` (`active` | `expired` | `revoked` | `suspended` | `other`), `businessName`, `ownerOrQualifierName`, `phone`, `email`, `address`, `city`, `zip`, `issueDate`, `expiryDate`, `bondOrInsuranceInfo`, `sourceUrl`, `retrievedAt`, `raw {}` (full original source fields preserved). **Example — Oregon record (shows bond/insurance):** ```json { "state": "OR", "licenseNumber": "100215", "licenseType": "general_contractor", "licenseTypeRaw": "Residential General Contractor", "status": "active", "businessName": "BRUCE HUIE", "ownerOrQualifierName": "BRUCE HUIE", "phone": "5412150829", "city": "BROOKINGS", "zip": "97415", "issueDate": "1994-06-20", "expiryDate": "2028-02-06", "bondOrInsuranceInfo": "Bond: WESTERN SURETY COMPANY $25000; Insurance: SCOTTSDALE INDEMNITY CO $1000000", "sourceUrl": "https://data.oregon.gov/d/g77e-6bhs" } ```` *** ### Quickstart Minimal input — scrape all active licenses in Washington: ```json { "states": ["WA"] } ``` Multi-state pull of general contractors and roofers, up to 5,000 per state: ```json { "states": ["WA","OR","TX","FL"], "licenseTypes": ["general_contractor","roofing"], "maxItems": 5000 } ``` *** ### Use case: Verification / KYB Every record ships with `sourceUrl` + `retrievedAt`, so you can trace any license back to its official government source — exactly the provenance KYB and compliance teams need. To verify a specific contractor, combine `searchName` with `state` and check the returned `status` and `expiryDate`. Ideal for high-value, low-volume contractor verification checks. ### Use case: Lead generation Pull all active `general_contractor`, `roofing`, or `hvac` licenses in a state, complete with `phone` and `address` for outreach. State license registry data means fresh, official contact points for building trade-specific lead lists. > **Note:** This data is dual-use. When using license data for outreach, comply with all applicable outreach and marketing laws (TCPA, CAN-SPAM, state do-not-call rules, etc.). *** ### Architecture — built for reliability - **Per-state adapter modules** with a capability registry — each state's quirks are handled in isolation, and the run summary reports exactly what each source supports. - **Per-state failure isolation** — a WA outage never kills a FL pull. Each state succeeds or fails on its own. - **Provenance on every record** — `sourceUrl` + `retrievedAt` on each license so buyers can verify against the official source. *** ### Roadmap — new states added regularly - ✅ Recently shipped: **CA** (CSLB, ~700k), **IL** (roofing), **CO** (electrical + plumbing). - Next: **VA** (DPOR contractors + tradesmen), **AZ** (ROC, all trades), **NC** (all trades), and more. Coverage breadth is the moat — most incumbents cover only 1–4 states, and this actor keeps expanding. *** ### Pricing **Pay-per-result:** **$2.00 per 1,000 records** for bulk pulls. **Optional low-volume verification lookups** can be priced per-lookup (~**$0.005/lookup**) — a good fit for KYB users doing high-value, low-volume contractor verification checks. Coverage breadth is the moat: most incumbents cover only 1–4 states. *** ### FAQ **Where does the data come from? Is it legal / reliable?** Every state is sourced from official government open data portals (WA L\&I on data.wa.gov, OR CCB on data.oregon.gov, TX TDLR on data.texas.gov, FL DBPR on myfloridalicense.com). No login, no CAPTCHA. Every record carries `sourceUrl` and `retrievedAt` so you can verify it against the source. **Why doesn't Texas return general contractors, roofers, or plumbers?** Because TX TDLR only licenses **electrical** and **HVAC/ACR** trades at the state level. It does not license general contractors or roofers, and plumbers are handled by a separate agency (TSBPE). If you request an unsupported trade for TX, it's skipped and noted in the run summary rather than silently dropped. **Can I pull expired, revoked, or suspended licenses?** It depends on the state. **WA and FL** expose license status, so you can set `status: "all"` and get expired/revoked/suspended records. **OR and TX** sources publish only current/active licenses (no historical status column), so status filtering there is limited by the source. **Why did my `registeredSince` or `city` filter get ignored for some states?** Capabilities vary by source. Some states can't filter by date (see the coverage table's Date filter column), and county-only address sources like TX can't match on `city`. When a filter can't be applied, the actor notes it in the `run_summary` instead of returning wrong results. **How does `maxItems` work across multiple states?** `maxItems` is **per state**. A 4-state run with `maxItems: 5000` can return up to 20,000 records. Set `maxItems: 0` for unlimited. **What states are supported, and are more coming?** Currently covers **CA, WA, OR, TX, FL, IL, CO** — with **CA (CSLB, ~700k licenses)** the largest. Next up: **VA, AZ, NC** and more. New states are added regularly. *** *Keywords: contractor license lookup, contractor license scraper, trade license data, contractor verification, contractor leads, state license registry, HVAC / plumbing / electrical / roofing contractor list.* # Actor input Schema ## `states` (type: `array`): Two-letter state codes to pull. Supported: CA, WA, OR, TX, FL, IL, CO. Use \["all"] for every supported state. More states added regularly. ## `licenseTypes` (type: `array`): Filter to normalized trades. Valid values: general\_contractor, electrical, plumbing, hvac, roofing. Leave empty for all trades in each state. ## `status` (type: `string`): active = only active licenses; all = every status the source exposes (some sources only publish active). ## `registeredSince` (type: `string`): Only licenses issued/registered on or after this ISO date (YYYY-MM-DD). Sources that can't filter by date are noted in the run summary. ## `city` (type: `string`): Optional city filter (exact match). Sources with only county-level location ignore this and note it. ## `searchName` (type: `string`): Optional lookup by business or licensee name (substring match). ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum records to return PER state (so a 4-state run can return up to 4x this). 0 = unlimited. ## `useResidentialProxy` (type: `boolean`): FL's DBPR files are behind Cloudflare, which blocks Apify datacenter IPs, so FL is pulled via residential proxy (small extra proxy cost, and requires a plan with residential proxy). The proxy is ONLY used when FL is in 'states' — WA/OR/TX never use it. Turn off to disable FL proxying. ## Actor input object example ```json { "states": [ "CA", "WA", "TX", "FL", "IL", "CO" ], "licenseTypes": [ "general_contractor", "roofing" ], "status": "active", "maxItems": 1000, "useResidentialProxy": true } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `licenses` (type: `string`): One dataset record per license. The run summary (per-state status) is in the run's key-value store (RUN\_SUMMARY). # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "states": [ "CA" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("avant_technologies/contractor-license-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "states": ["CA"] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("avant_technologies/contractor-license-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "states": [ "CA" ] }' | apify call avant_technologies/contractor-license-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=avant_technologies/contractor-license-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "US Contractor License Scraper — Multi-State Trade Registry", "description": "Scrape contractor and trade license registries across US states: license number, status, business name, owner, expiry, contact. Official government data.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "UpRMwerQCED4Hj4ea" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/avant_technologies~contractor-license-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-avant_technologies-contractor-license-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/avant_technologies~contractor-license-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-avant_technologies-contractor-license-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/avant_technologies~contractor-license-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-avant_technologies-contractor-license-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "states" ], "properties": { "states": { "title": "States", "type": "array", "description": "Two-letter state codes to pull. Supported: CA, WA, OR, TX, FL, IL, CO. Use [\"all\"] for every supported state. More states added regularly.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "licenseTypes": { "title": "License types", "type": "array", "description": "Filter to normalized trades. Valid values: general_contractor, electrical, plumbing, hvac, roofing. Leave empty for all trades in each state.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "status": { "title": "Status", "enum": [ "active", "all" ], "type": "string", "description": "active = only active licenses; all = every status the source exposes (some sources only publish active).", "default": "active" }, "registeredSince": { "title": "Registered since", "type": "string", "description": "Only licenses issued/registered on or after this ISO date (YYYY-MM-DD). Sources that can't filter by date are noted in the run summary." }, "city": { "title": "City", "type": "string", "description": "Optional city filter (exact match). Sources with only county-level location ignore this and note it." }, "searchName": { "title": "Search name", "type": "string", "description": "Optional lookup by business or licensee name (substring match)." }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max records per state", "minimum": 0, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum records to return PER state (so a 4-state run can return up to 4x this). 0 = unlimited.", "default": 1000 }, "useResidentialProxy": { "title": "Use residential proxy for FL (on by default)", "type": "boolean", "description": "FL's DBPR files are behind Cloudflare, which blocks Apify datacenter IPs, so FL is pulled via residential proxy (small extra proxy cost, and requires a plan with residential proxy). The proxy is ONLY used when FL is in 'states' — WA/OR/TX never use it. Turn off to disable FL proxying.", "default": true } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```