How We Verify Plumbers

A Verified badge on this directory means specific documents were checked against sources other than the business itself, on a recorded date, by a stated method. This page sets out every step of our verification process, what each status you see on a listing means, and, just as plainly, what verification does not mean. If a claim on this site cannot be tied to a step on this page, we do not make it.

The Verification Process, Step by Step

Step 1: Claim check. Before any document is reviewed, the business must claim its listing. The person claiming confirms control of the business phone number or the business website shown on the listing. This step establishes that the documents that follow come from the business itself, not from a third party. A listing nobody has claimed is marked Unclaimed, and no badge of any kind is shown on it.

Step 2: License check, read back at the source. The business submits its license number and the name of the authority that issued it. We read that number back against the issuing authority's public register. The check confirms that a license with that number exists, that the name on the license matches the business name on the listing, that the license is active on the date of the check, and that it covers plumbing work in the place where the business operates. Licensing structures differ: some states license at state level, some license businesses through a registrar of contractors, and some, including Pennsylvania, have no state plumber license and license or register locally instead. The check follows the structure that actually applies to that business. How the read-back is performed: for issuing authorities whose public registers are wired into our verification checker (today, the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners), the read-back is automated against the register. For every other authority, the application goes to a reviewer who checks the register directly; those reviews take longer, and we do not promise a completion time for them. Either way, the badge follows only a passed read-back, never the submission alone. A number that cannot be found, a name that does not match, or a license that is not active keeps the listing at Verification Pending. It does not receive the badge.

Step 3: Insurance check, by certificate and dates. The business submits a certificate of insurance naming its insurer and its policy expiry date. We confirm that the named insured matches the business, that general liability coverage is shown, and that the policy was in force on the date of the check. An expired policy, or a certificate whose name does not match the listing, keeps the listing at Verification Pending.

Step 4: Identity consistency check. The business name, service address, and phone number on the listing are compared against the license record and the insurance certificate. The three records must agree. Discrepancies are resolved with documents, not with explanations: the business supplies a corrected record, or the status stays at Pending.

Step 5: Badge issued, with the check date recorded. Only when steps 1 to 4 pass is the Verified badge shown, and the date of the check is recorded against the listing. The badge states what was checked. It does not state that we have inspected the business's work, and it is not an endorsement.

Re-Checks and Removal

Verification is dated, so it expires. Listings are re-checked when a recorded insurance expiry date passes, when a license approaches its renewal date, and when a reader reports a specific problem through our contact page. A business that fails a re-check moves to Verification Pending while it supplies current documents, and to no badge if it does not. The change is shown on the listing. We do not leave a badge in place on the strength of an old check.

What Each Status Means

Verified means steps 1 to 4 passed on the recorded date. Verification Pending means a claimed business has submitted documents and one or more checks have not passed yet, or a re-check is open. Unclaimed means the listing was built from public records, the business has not claimed it, and nothing on it has been verified by us. Treat an Unclaimed listing as a starting point for your own checks, using the checklist in How to Choose a Plumber.

What Verification Does Not Mean

Verification does not guarantee the quality of any job, the price of any quote, or the availability of any business. It does not replace your own written estimate, your own contract, or your own final check of a license before a large job, and our Complete Guide to Hiring a Plumber walks through those steps. Reviews are a separate system, run under our Review Policy, and payment is a separate matter again: how listings are ordered, and the one place paid placement is allowed, are published in full on How Rankings Work.

If you want candidates whose documents have passed these steps, look for the Verified badge on the listings shown when you get matched free: every business that carries a Verified badge has been through this verification process. Confirm the check date on the listing before you sign a contract.