Licensed and insured excavation contractors in Salt Lake City

For contracting work, yes. A business that offers or contracts to perform excavation, foundation, or demolition work in Utah needs a DOPL contractor license in a classification that covers it, most often S310 Foundation, Excavation, and Demolition Contractor or a general engineering classification such as E100. The current DOPL contractor application asks for a general liability certificate and workers compensation evidence or a Labor Commission waiver. Jobs below Utah’s handyman exemption threshold may be done without a contractor license, so confirm which applies to your job.

Licensed usually means the business holds a Utah DOPL contractor license in a classification that covers excavation, foundation, or demolition work. Insured usually means the business carries general liability and, if it has employees, workers compensation, often with commercial auto for its trucks and separate coverage for excavators and other equipment. A license does not guarantee quality or insurance; it means the business met DOPL’s requirements when the license was issued and has kept it renewed.

Search the business name in Utah DOPL’s licensee search. The license belongs to the business entity, so search the legal name on the estimate, not the operator’s name. The result should show an Active contractor license in a classification that covers the work, such as S310 for foundation, excavation, and demolition, or E100 general engineering for larger site and utility work. A city business license is a different credential. Five companies on this list display a license number on their own websites, which makes the search faster.

Ask for a certificate of insurance, often called a COI, issued by the company’s insurance agency. It shows the insured’s legal name, the carrier, policy numbers, effective and expiration dates, and limits. Check that the named insured matches the licensed business, that the dates cover your dig, and that general liability is listed. Ask whether the company carries workers compensation or holds a Labor Commission waiver, and whether its equipment is covered. For certainty, call the agency on the certificate.

It depends on the policy and what happened. General liability can respond when a contractor’s work damages other property, such as a neighbor’s fence or a driveway, subject to the policy’s terms. Striking a buried line is the trade’s signature claim, and some policies limit or exclude underground property or earth movement, so ask how the company’s policy treats it. Utah’s one-call law requires excavators to have utilities located through Blue Stakes of Utah (811) before digging; ask the company whether it files the locate request.

Not as a routine condition of the DOPL contractor license. DOPL may require a bond before issuing a license in some situations, and cities and utilities commonly require a bond for work in the public right of way, such as road cuts and sewer or water taps. Several companies on this list say they are bonded. When a site says "bonded", ask which bond it holds, in what amount, and what it covers, because a right-of-way bond protects the city, not the homeowner.

Self-reported means the company’s own website states it is licensed and insured and Redoubt has not yet checked the business in DOPL’s license lookup or reviewed its certificate of insurance. Verified means Redoubt did both and recorded each date. A displayed license number is something the company published, not a Redoubt check. A verified label describes what the lookup and the documents showed on those dates and does not guarantee the license or policies are still in force today.

Each company on this list names Salt Lake City or Salt Lake County as a service area on its own website, even when its office is in Ogden, Layton, Coalville, Oakley, Grantsville, or Rocky Ridge. A DOPL contractor license is issued by the state, so a company based in Summit or Juab County can legally contract for work in Salt Lake County. The practical differences are travel time, mobilization cost, and familiarity with local permits and soils, so ask about all three and check the license and certificate the same way.

It depends on the worker setup. An excavation business with no employees may qualify for a Utah Workers Compensation Coverage Waiver from the Utah Labor Commission, which DOPL accepts in place of a workers compensation certificate; the waiver runs one year and becomes invalid once the business hires anyone. A 1099 label does not settle the question, because the actual working relationship matters, and workers comp auditors commonly reclassify uninsured subcontractor labor as payroll.

A Salt Lake City general contractor, developer, or municipality hiring an excavation subcontractor usually asks for a certificate showing general liability at or above the limits in the subcontract, the hiring party named as additional insured, and evidence of workers compensation or a Labor Commission waiver. Many exhibits also require waiver of subrogation, primary and noncontributory wording, umbrella limits, or special terms for utility and trenching work. Send the exhibit to your agency before the certificate is issued.

Send Redoubt a current certificate of insurance showing general liability, plus workers compensation if you have employees, and the legal name your DOPL contractor license is issued under. Excavation, foundation, and demolition contractors serving Salt Lake County whose license shows Active in DOPL’s lookup and whose documents check out are listed as verified with both dates. There is no fee. If you need general liability or a DOPL-ready certificate first, Redoubt quotes both; start on the excavation contractor insurance page.