Licensed and insured framing contractors in Salt Lake City

For contracting work, generally yes. A business that offers or contracts to perform framing, structural carpentry, or finish carpentry in Utah needs a DOPL contractor license, usually the S220 carpentry classification or a general building classification such as B100 or R100 that includes it. The current DOPL contractor application asks for a general liability certificate and workers compensation evidence or a Labor Commission waiver. Small 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 the work. Insured usually means the business carries general liability and, if it has employees, workers compensation, often with commercial auto for its trucks. 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. The DOPL lookup and the certificate of insurance are the evidence.

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 crew’s name. The result should show an Active contractor license in a classification that covers framing or carpentry, such as S220, B100, or R100. Deck and fence work can raise a classification question, so ask DOPL if the scope is unclear. Three companies on this list display a license number on their own sites, 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 job, and that general liability is listed. Ask whether the company carries workers compensation or holds a Labor Commission waiver. For certainty, call the agency on the certificate.

It depends on what caused the damage. General liability can respond when a contractor’s work damages other property or injures someone, such as a deck collapse that hurts a guest, subject to the policy’s terms and exclusions. It generally does not pay to redo the contractor’s own defective work, and damage to the structure being built can be limited. Ask the company how it handles damage and rework, and get its warranty and policy in writing before the job.

Sometimes. The current DOPL contractor application says a bond may be required before a license is issued, with the criteria and amounts set by Utah Code 58-55-306 and Rule R156-55a-602, so it is not automatic for every applicant. The documents the application asks every contractor for are a general liability certificate and workers compensation evidence or a waiver. When a contractor’s website says "bonded," ask which bond it holds, in what amount, and what it covers.

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.

It is worth asking. A framing subcontractor that contracts to perform work generally needs its own DOPL license. Ask your general contractor whether it collects a certificate of insurance from each subcontractor and whether the framing crew carries workers compensation or holds a waiver, because the general contractor’s own policies may not respond to a subcontractor’s crew or work the way you expect. If the framer contracts with you directly, treat it like any other contractor: run the lookup and ask for the certificate.

A framing or carpentry business with no employees can generally submit a Utah Workers Compensation Coverage Waiver from the Labor Commission to DOPL instead of carrying a policy. The waiver costs a $50 nonrefundable fee, runs one year, and becomes invalid once anyone is hired, and DOPL’s application says to notify DOPL before that employee starts work. Calling a helper a 1099 contractor does not by itself decide the question; the actual working relationship does.

A Salt Lake City builder or general contractor usually asks a framing subcontractor for a certificate of insurance showing general liability at or above the limits in the subcontract, the builder named as additional insured, sometimes with primary and noncontributory wording, and workers compensation or a verified Utah Labor Commission waiver. The named insured must match the licensed entity, and a certificate can be rejected for a name mismatch, missing wording, or missing workers compensation.

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. Framing, carpentry, and deck 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 Utah contractor insurance page.