# Oregon CCB Contractor License Lookup & Search API (`captainhandsome/or-contractor-license-search`) Actor

Search Oregon's Construction Contractors Board (CCB) by business name for licence number, business name, status and address on every match, including expired and lapsed licences. Built for verifying contractors, vetting subcontractors and building lead lists.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/captainhandsome/or-contractor-license-search.md
- **Developed by:** [Joseph McRell](https://apify.com/captainhandsome) (community)
- **Categories:** Business, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $8.40 / 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.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Oregon Contractor License Search (CCB)

Search the Oregon Construction Contractors Board register by business name and export licence numbers, business names, licence status and mailing addresses as structured data. No API key, no CCB account, no browser. The board publishes no shareable results URL, so this Actor submits the public search form for you — you give it a name, not a link. Set `max_items` before every run: it is the hard ceiling on both the records you get back and the money you spend.

### What data can I extract?

Four fields per row, exactly the columns the CCB's own results table shows:

- `license_number` — the CCB licence number
- `business_name` — the registered business or DBA name
- `status` — the board's current status wording for that licence
- `address` — the mailing address the board holds, as one line

Every value is Unicode-normalized, whitespace-collapsed and lowercased, so records join, dedupe and match against other datasets without a cleaning pass first. Results are written to the default dataset and download as JSON, CSV, Excel or XML.

One thing to know before you read the output: **the CCB matches your term anywhere in the name, not just at the start.** Searching `SMITH` also returns every `LOCKSMITH` business in the register. That is the board's own search behaviour — good for broad sweeps, and worth knowing before you treat a hit as a false positive.

#### All 26 columns

**Identity** — `associated_individuals`, `assumed_business_names`, `business_name`, `legal_name`, `license_number`, `residential_bond_amount`, `residential_bond_company`, `unpaid_civil_penalties`, `unpaid_claims`

**Status** — `endorsement_type`, `entity_type`, `status`, `workers_comp_status`

**Dates** — `date_first_licensed`, `expiration_date`

**Location** — `address`

**Money** — `commercial_bond_amount`, `commercial_bond_company`, `liability_amount`

**Contact** — `phone`

**Other detail** — `administrative_suspensions`, `complaint_history`, `disciplinary_history`, `lbpr_certified`, `liability_expiration`, `liability_insurer`

### Input example

```json
{
  "search_terms": ["SMITH"],
  "max_items": 10
}
```

`search_terms` takes one or more full or partial names and the Actor runs each in turn. `max_items` caps the total number of records emitted across all terms, and it is the only lever you need for cost. Start at 10, look at what comes back, then scale.

### Output example

Real records from a run of the default input, unedited:

```json
[
  {
    "license_number": "235359",
    "business_name": "1 best locksmith inc",
    "status": "not active - expired",
    "address": "po box 2058 beaverton or 97075"
  },
  {
    "license_number": "257787",
    "business_name": "3 hands locksmith",
    "status": "active",
    "address": "13360 southeast oatfield road milwaukie or 97222"
  },
  {
    "license_number": "197222",
    "business_name": "a 1 martys locksmith",
    "status": "active",
    "address": "po box 843 seaside or 97138"
  }
]
```

Statuses returned by that same run: `active`, `not active - expired`, `not active - expired after a lapse`, `not active - voluntarily surrendered`, `no longer associated`, and `never been licensed - ccb id only`. The register is a full history rather than an active-only list, so filter on `status` if you only want contractors who can work today.

The same `license_number` can appear on more than one row. A licence can carry several registered names, and the board lists each as its own row — licence `151643` came back as both `a aaawesome locksmith inc` and `a act fast locksmith`. Group by `license_number` if you want one record per licence.

### Common use cases

- Confirming a contractor's licence is current before you sign, hire or pay
- Building subcontractor and supplier shortlists for a trade or a metro area
- Lead generation for building products, tools, insurance, bonding and trade services
- Enriching an existing vendor list with licence status and a mailing address
- Watching a named set of competitors for lapses, surrenders and new registrations

### Use with AI agents and MCP

Apify's MCP server can discover and call this Actor from an agent workflow. A workable intent:

> Search the Oregon CCB register for contractors matching "ROOFING", return at most 25 records, and tell me which of them are active.

Pass the JSON from **Input example** as the tool arguments. The input schema is strict, so unsupported keys are rejected rather than quietly ignored, and every dataset field carries a title, a description and a real example — an agent can interpret `status` without guessing at the wording. Because the board's search is a contains-match, instruct the agent to filter the results rather than trusting the row count.

### Pricing and cost control

Output is billed per result at **$0.012 per result** (about $12.00 per 1,000 results), plus a $0.0005 Actor-start charge billed once per gigabyte of memory at run start. Use `max_items` to cap both output volume and charges. The price shown on the Apify Store listing is authoritative.

`max_items` is a hard ceiling on the record count, which makes the worst-case cost of a run a number you choose before you start it. There is no subscription and no minimum. You are not billed for the compute time the run spends, and since this Actor makes one HTTP POST per search term with no browser, that time is seconds rather than minutes.

Prices can change; confirm the live figure on the Store page before a large run.

### Reliability

There is very little to go wrong at runtime — no browser, no login, one form submission per search term. The fragile part of any scraper is its selectors, and those are checked against the live CCB site every night by an automated monitor that re-derives the row and field selectors, validates them against two independent searches plus a schema contract, and only then ships a change. Drift is normally fixed before a buyer meets it.

The board's search runs on ASP.NET, which rejects a POST without a matching `__VIEWSTATE` and `__EVENTVALIDATION` pair. The Actor therefore loads the form and carries its hidden fields through on every search rather than replaying a stored payload, which is why a term that works today still works after the board redeploys its site.

If a run returns nothing for a name that plainly exists in the register, that is worth reporting — open an issue on the Actor.

### Limitations and responsible use

- **Four fields only.** Licence classifications, bond and insurance details, effective and expiry dates, owner names and complaint history live on each licence's own detail page and would need a separate request per record. This Actor does not fetch them.
- **Oregon only.** Every other state runs its own board on its own site.
- **The address is one string.** Street, city, state and ZIP are not split out, and it is the mailing address the board holds — often a PO box, and sometimes outside Oregon (`po box 47764 atlanta ga 30362` is a real result). Treat it as contact information, not as a place of business.
- **Name search only.** There is no lookup by licence number, city or trade.
- **The results table's pagination footer arrives as one or two trailing rows** carrying placeholder values — `license_number` null or a single digit, with empty or numeric text in the other fields. Drop any record whose `license_number` is not at least four digits.
- **Output is lowercased** for matching. Re-case names yourself if you are putting them in front of a person.

Oregon contractor licences are public records published by the Construction Contractors Board, and this Actor reads the same public form any visitor would; it collects nothing behind a login. Many licensees are sole traders, so a share of these records describe identifiable people. Verification, due diligence and B2B outreach are ordinary uses — check the marketing and data-protection rules that apply to you before anything else, and when a decision actually matters, confirm the licence with the board rather than relying on a scraped `status`.

### FAQ

#### Do I need a CCB account or an API key?

No. The register is public and the Actor uses no credentials of any kind.

#### Why does searching "SMITH" return locksmiths?

The CCB matches your term anywhere in the business name, not only at the start. That is the board's behaviour, not a fault in the Actor. Filter on `business_name` afterwards if you need a stricter match.

#### Can I search by licence number?

No. The page this Actor drives is the name search. Licence-number lookup is a separate form on the board's site.

#### Why does the same licence number appear on several rows?

One licence can carry several registered business names, and the board gives each name its own row. Group by `license_number` if you want one record per licence.

#### How do I get only active contractors?

Filter on `status == "active"` after the run. The Actor returns the register as the board publishes it, lapsed and surrendered licences included, because knowing that a licence expired is usually the reason for the lookup.

#### How do I keep the cost predictable?

Set `max_items`. It caps records, and records are what you are charged for. Ten is enough to see the shape of the data before committing to a larger sweep.

#### Can I export the results?

Yes — JSON, CSV, Excel or XML from the run's Dataset tab, or straight from the Apify API.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/captainhandsome/or-contractor-license-search/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `start_urls` (type: `array`):

Result pages to extract from. Used by targets with GET-able result URLs. Supply these OR Search terms.

## `max_items` (type: `integer`):

Hard cap on emitted records (also caps the user's PPE spend).

## `search_terms` (type: `array`):

Names to search for. Used by search-form targets that have no GET-able results URL. Supply these OR Start URLs.

## `include_details` (type: `boolean`):

Open each result's detail page to add licence endorsement, first-licensed and expiration dates, entity type, phone, liability insurance, surety bonds, associated individuals and complaint, disciplinary and unpaid-debt history. Adds two requests per record, so runs take longer. Leave off for a fast name-and-status lookup.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "max_items": 100,
  "search_terms": [
    "SMITH"
  ],
  "include_details": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Extracted records, one object per row on the source page.

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "search_terms": [
        "SMITH"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("captainhandsome/or-contractor-license-search").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "search_terms": ["SMITH"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("captainhandsome/or-contractor-license-search").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "search_terms": [
    "SMITH"
  ]
}' |
apify call captainhandsome/or-contractor-license-search --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,captainhandsome/or-contractor-license-search"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/eIUU9J5xW5HXl9JzN/builds/DVL98Z8Uhp0ookJ8g/openapi.json