Licensed and insured general contractors in Salt Lake City

For most building work, yes. A business that contracts to build, remodel, or add on to a structure in Utah needs a DOPL contractor license in a general classification such as B100 or R100, and the current DOPL contractor application asks for a general liability certificate naming the Division plus workers compensation evidence or a Labor Commission waiver. Small jobs under Utah’s handyman exemption may be done without a contractor license, so check the current exemption before assuming one applies. Requirements depend on the business and its worker setup.

Licensed means the business holds an active Utah DOPL contractor license in a classification that covers the work; B100 general building and R100 residential and small commercial are the usual ones for homes. Insured usually means general liability plus, when the company has employees, workers compensation, often with commercial auto and an umbrella. A license does not guarantee quality or insurance. It means the business met DOPL’s requirements when the license was issued and renewed. The lookup and the certificate 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 your estimate or contract rather than the owner’s name or a brand name. The result should show an Active contractor license in a classification that covers your project, such as B100 or R100. A city business license or a trade license held by a subcontractor is a different credential. Four 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 on your contract, that the policy period covers the whole build, 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.

Not automatically. Each subcontractor usually carries its own general liability and workers compensation, and a careful general contractor collects a certificate from each one before work starts. If a sub is uninsured, an injury or damage claim can land on the general contractor’s policy or, in a dispute, on the property owner. Ask the general contractor how it verifies subcontractor certificates and whether its own workers compensation covers labor it hires directly. Redoubt’s general contractor insurance page explains the subcontractor gap.

Not as a blanket condition of the DOPL license. DOPL’s contractor application can require a bond in specific situations, so check the current application materials rather than assuming. Some cities also require a bond for work in the public right of way. A license bond, where one exists, protects the state or the public rather than your project; it is not a performance bond. When a contractor’s website says bonded, ask which bond it holds, in what amount, and who it protects.

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.

A general contracting business with no employees can generally file a Utah Workers Compensation Coverage Waiver from the Labor Commission with DOPL instead of carrying a policy; the waiver runs one year and hiring anyone makes it invalid. A GC that subcontracts the labor still collects each sub’s workers compensation certificate or verified waiver, because an auditor can otherwise charge that labor as the GC’s payroll. A 1099 alone does not make someone a non-employee.

At renewal, DOPL expects a general contractor’s general liability policy to still be in force for the licensed scope with the Division as certificate holder, and the workers compensation side to match the current worker setup: a workers compensation certificate for a GC with employees, or a current Utah Labor Commission waiver, which runs one year and renews separately, for an owner-only business. Requirements depend on the business, worker setup, and current DOPL instructions.

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. General 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 general contractor insurance page.