The truck in the driveway has a logo and a phone number on the door, and the man with the clipboard says he has done fences out here for twenty years. You cannot check the twenty years. You can check the county license, and both Nassau and Suffolk require one for fence work.
Fence work needs a county license
Nassau. The Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs publishes the list of home improvement work that needs a license. “Fences and railings” is on it, along with “retaining wall contractors” and “swimming pool (building, installing and maintenance).”
Suffolk. Suffolk County Code section 563-16 defines home improvement contracting as repair, remodeling, alteration and additions to residential property, and says it includes “painting of residential structures; carpentry; fencing; driveways.” That wording is printed in Local Law No. 36-2013, published by the Suffolk County Legislature.
New York State. Section 770 of the General Business Law also names fences in its definition of home improvement. That is what puts a fence job under the state’s written contract rules.
Looking up a Nassau license
- Open the Nassau County license lookup.
- Search for the company named on the quote.
- Make sure the name on the record matches the name on the contract.
Nassau Consumer Affairs says every licensed home improvement contractor has been fingerprinted, at IDENTOGO. Its licensing line is (516) 571-2600.
Looking up a Suffolk license
- Open the Suffolk County licensed contractor search.
- Search for the company.
- Match the record to the business name and address on the quote.
Licensing in Suffolk is run by the Department of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs, which links the search from its licensing page.
The county where the house is
Nassau Consumer Affairs says it cannot handle a home improvement complaint if the house is not in Nassau County, and sends people to the consumer affairs office where the home is. A company based in Bellmore that takes a job in Babylon is working in Suffolk. Ask a company that works both counties for both numbers.
What New York says the contract must include
Section 771 of the General Business Law applies once the job is over $500. The contract has to be in writing, in plain English, signed by everyone, with a signed copy in your hands before work starts. It must give:
- the contractor’s name, address, phone number and license number
- approximate start and completion dates
- the work and the materials, including make and model
- the price, and any progress payments as dollar amounts
- how money you pay before the job is done will be held
- a bold notice about mechanic’s liens
- your right to cancel until midnight of the third business day
- the contractor’s insurance, and the insurer’s contact information
When the card says not checked
Every company card on this site has a license line. “License checked” means we found that number on the county lookup and shows the date. “License not checked yet” means we have not, and the link next to it opens the lookup so you can. A company can send its number through the listing form and we will check it.
Times to walk away
- The company will not give you a license number, or the number does not match the name.
- There is no written contract, or no cancellation notice in it.
- You are pushed to pay most of the price up front, with no payment schedule on the paper.
- The business name on the truck, the quote and the license record are three different names.
Next, read what the Nassau and Suffolk pages say about the companies based in each county.