Data & corrections policy

Last updated: November 3, 2026

LicenseOfRecord presents public contractor license and registration records from the licensing boards that issue them. This Policy explains the standards governing those presentations, the limited meaning of a record’s absence, and the process for correcting or suppressing information displayed on this Site.

Boards are the source of record

Every record page names its issuing board and links to that board’s own lookup. Boards represented on a page may include, for example, the California Contractors State License Board, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The controlling source is always the board identified on the page.

LicenseOfRecord is not the issuing authority and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any board. A board may amend its records at any time. If this Site and the board’s current lookup differ, the board’s lookup controls.

How records are presented

• Dated records. Each presentation bears the date of the board’s records from which it is drawn. It speaks to that date, not necessarily to the moment it is read.
• The board’s status words. A status is presented as the board recorded it. Explanatory text may help a reader understand a term, but it does not replace the recorded status.
• License and registration are distinct. Where a board licenses a credential, the page uses the language of licensure; where it registers a credential, the page says registration.
• No added personal dossier. A record is limited to the public credential information presented by the board for that credential. The Site does not add street addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers, email addresses, or unrelated personal information to a record.
• People appear in context. A person identified by a board as a qualifier, principal, signer, or other official participant appears within the business credential record, not as a standalone profile created by this Site.
• Discipline is not inferred. Discipline information is shown only where the issuing board makes it available for the record and only in the form and for the period the board provides.

What a record does—and does not—establish

A record establishes that the issuing board’s records, as of the date shown, contained the information presented. It is evidence of the board’s record, not a representation by this Site that a contractor is competent, insured today, authorized for every kind of work, or suitable for a particular project. Current authorization and any project-specific requirements should be confirmed with the board and, where appropriate, the contractor.

Records on this Site may not be used to determine eligibility for employment, credit, insurance, housing, or any other purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The full prohibition appears in the Terms of Use.

What absence means

If a business, person, or license number does not appear on this Site, the only conclusion supported is that it was not found in the relevant board’s records as presented here as of the date stated. Boards differ in the credentials and historical records they make available, and records may be newly issued, corrected, in another category, recorded under another name or number, or outside the scope shown for that board.

Absence does not establish that a business is unlicensed, that a credential was revoked or suspended, that discipline exists, or that no discipline exists. Likewise, the absence of a discipline entry on a page is not a representation that a board has taken no action. Use the board’s own lookup for a current and complete inquiry.

Changes, age, and removal of Site presentations

A page may be updated, annotated, removed from search indexes, or retired when the underlying board information changes, a record no longer appears in the board’s current presentation, the available information becomes too old to present responsibly, or a correction or suppression decision requires action. A retired page that remains available for reference must be read with its dates and any absence notice it carries.

A change to this Site’s presentation does not change the board’s underlying record. Only the issuing board can correct, renew, reinstate, seal, expunge, or otherwise alter its own record.

Corrections: step by step

1. Identify the record. Use the correction form or email [email protected]. State the board, license or record number, the field at issue, what this Site displays, and what the board’s current record shows.
2. Receive a reference number. A web-form report receives a reference number when it is filed. An email report is entered into the same corrections process and identified for follow-up.
3. Acknowledgment. Every correction report is acknowledged within one business day when contact information has been provided.
4. Review and interim protection. The report is checked against the issuing board’s current record. A credibly disputed status, date, discipline item, locality detail, or other specific field is suppressed on an interim basis within two business days while the review is completed, rather than left displayed without qualification.
5. Resolution or answer. The report is resolved, or answered with the result of the review, within two business days.
6. Correction of this Site. If the review sustains the report, the affected presentation is corrected or the sustained suppression remains in place immediately upon that determination, subject to any further verification the board must perform. The Site does not rewrite a board’s substance on the strength of an unsupported assertion.
7. If the board’s record is the source of the error. The requester is told which board maintains the record and directed to that board’s correction channel. A disputed field may remain suppressed on this Site while the board’s record is being addressed.

Reports and outcomes are documented so the handling of a record can be reviewed later. A correction history maintained for administration is not itself a public statement about the contractor.

Suppression for safety or legal reasons

Requests based on personal safety, protected-person status, a sealing or expungement order, another court order, or legal process should be sent to [email protected]. Put “Urgent suppression request” in the subject line when delay could create a safety risk. Include the page address, the specific information at issue, the basis for suppression, and a copy of any order or other supporting material that can lawfully be provided.

Once a safety or legal basis is verified, the affected information is suppressed immediately. Depending on the circumstances and the authority presented, remedies may include removing a locality detail, reducing locality to city and state, suppressing a personal-name element, or suppressing an entire page. Where a court order or applicable law requires removal, the Site will comply with that requirement.

Because Site records do not display street addresses, a home-address request ordinarily concerns finer locality information. On a sustained request, ZIP-level locality may be removed so that only city and state remain. For a business credential, the business name recorded by the board is generally part of the public credential and is not suppressed merely because it is unfavorable or no longer preferred; a personal-name element is reviewed case by case, and safety or legal requirements control over that general rule.

Suppression on this Site does not seal, expunge, or amend the board’s record, and it does not prevent another person from obtaining the public record from the board.

Requests concerning another person’s information

The Operator may require reasonable information to confirm the requester’s identity and authority before suppressing a record or disclosing how a request was handled. Requests should include only the supporting information reasonably necessary for that purpose.

Contact and changes to this Policy

Corrections and suppression requests may be sent through the correction form or to [email protected]. Other questions about this Policy may be sent to the same address.

This Policy may be updated as boards, Site features, or legal requirements change. The current version will be posted on this page with its update date.