Verify any Texas contractor before you sign.

What Scout checks for Texas contractors

Texas has no statewide general-contractor license, which makes independent verification of trade licenses, registrations, and permit history especially important before hiring.

• Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR) record

  Active status, classification, bond, workers' comp, disciplinary history.

• Permit history (Shovels)

  Finalized, open, expired, and failed inspections across Austin, Houston, Dallas and the rest of Texas.

• OSHA citations

  Federal OSHA safety violations and inspection history under the business name.

• Court & lien indicators

  CourtListener federal + state dockets, judgments, mechanics liens.

• BBB · Yelp · Google

  Deep crawl of complaints, accreditation, and review sentiment.

• Secretary of State

  Entity status, registered agent, principals, formation date.

FAQ

How do I verify a contractor's license in Texas?

The official lookup is the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR). BuildSafe pulls that record directly, plus permit history, OSHA, DOL, and court records, so you have everything in one place.

Is BuildSafe legal to use in Texas?

Yes. BuildSafe only uses publicly available records and information you provide. We do not run consumer credit checks or background investigations under the FCRA.

How long does a report take?

Most BuildSafe reports finish in under five minutes. Heavy court / permit pulls can take a little longer.

What does a report cost?

One investigation is $79. Teams that run multiple checks per month should look at Scout Pro ($199/mo) or the BuildSafe API.

What public records does Scout check for Texas contractors?

The Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR) record, Secretary of State entity status, CourtListener federal & state dockets, mechanics liens, OSHA citations, DOL wage-theft judgments, Shovels permit history, subcontractor network, sex-offender / felony registries, BBB, Yelp, and Google.

Can I check an unlicensed contractor in Texas?

Yes — even when no license exists, Scout still pulls court records, OSHA, DOL judgments, permits, and review intelligence. "Unable to verify" is reported explicitly so you know exactly what's missing.

How do I check OSHA violations for a Texas contractor?

OSHA's Establishment Search is name-indexed and misses DBAs. Scout normalizes the business name across variants, pulls every matching inspection, and surfaces serious / willful / repeat citations with dates and penalty amounts.

Does BuildSafe auto-monitor Texas contractors over time?

Yes — Scout Pro and API customers can enable weekly auto-monitoring. You'll get an email the moment a new lawsuit, license lapse, OSHA citation, or DOL judgment appears.

Other states: Verify a contractor in California · Verify a contractor in Florida · Verify a contractor in New York