How to Verify a Professional License in the U.S

Before hiring a contractor, choosing a healthcare provider, retaining a lawyer, or onboarding a vendor, it is worth verifying whether the professional is properly licensed. In the United States, professional licenses are issued and overseen by state boards and agencies. These records not only confirm whether a license is active, restricted, or expired, they also show disciplinary actions or previous enforcement history where public.

Hence, confirming license records protects people from working with someone who may be unqualified or barred from practice. Additionally, it provides assurance for due diligence in employment, business, or consumer decisions. Most state boards also allow the public to request certified license verification letters for official purposes, such as credentialing, insurance enrollment, or interstate practice.

What You Can and Can’t See in Public License Records

Public licensing databases are established to provide and verify information on whether an individual or professional is authorized to practice. However, not all details about the professional are provided for public access. The following information is typically publicly accessible:

• License status: This details whether an individual's license is active, expired, suspended, revoked, or restricted.
• Important dates: This information shows the issue date, renewal date, and expiration date.
• License type and scope: This information shows the category of license, such as physician, RN, or general contractor, and any endorsements or practice limitations.
• Disciplinary history: This details final disciplinary actions such as reprimands, suspensions, fines, or probation terms. Some boards also post scanned disciplinary orders or summaries.
• Public verification options: This option indicates whether it is possible to publicly request a certified verification or letter of good standing.

However, the following information is usually not available to the public:

• Pending complaints or investigations: Most licensing boards only publish discipline after a case is resolved. Hence, information about ongoing investigations is not public.
• Confidential complaints: Unless resulting in a formal action, consumer complaints against a professional are not available for public view.
• Personal information: Sensitive identifying and personal data, such as addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, and financial details, are not public.
• Employment or practice history: License records do not reveal the locations or former employers of professionals to the public.

Professional License Verification

The process of publicly verifying a professional license is similar across states and professions. However, before you conduct a search or verification process, you should have certain information or details ready in order to avoid mismatches or incomplete results. Such details include the following:

• Full legal name, including middle initial, if available
• Profession or license type
• State where the license was issued
• License number
• Business or practice name

To perform the search, follow these steps:

• Identify the Licensing Board: Search for the profession and state online using any of the popular search engines. For instance, you may search "Florida Nursing Board license lookup" or "California Contractor license verification." From the search result, click on an official government or board website to perform the lookup.
• Run the Lookup: Enter the license number in the search box. However, if you are providing a name and not a license number, use exact spellings and filters such as city and business name to avoid confusing two or more professionals with similar names. From the result page, you can obtain information such as license type, current status, license number, and disciplinary history, if available.

Where Disciplinary Actions Also Appear

Some licensing boards may include disciplinary actions in the search result pages for professional license lookups. However, others maintain separate listings for such matters. Still, such details are considered official public records and are often accessible from the license search results page. Depending on the profession and the state, you may find disciplinary information in several places, such as the following:

• Board’s online license lookup: Some states integrate disciplinary history into the main license record, showing dates, case numbers, and outcomes.
• Board meeting minutes or disciplinary orders: Many boards publish orders or meeting notes summarizing actions taken against licensees. These documents are usually accessible through the board’s website.
• State court dockets: When a licensing action involves a formal proceeding or appeal, related filings may also appear in the state’s court docket system.
• Public press releases or bulletins: Certain boards issue announcements when discipline is imposed, especially in cases that involve public safety concerns.

FAQs 

How do I verify a professional license quickly?

The fastest method to verify a professional license is to use the official state licensing board’s online lookup tool, as most state and regulatory boards provide instant status checks by name or license number. Most are free, searchable by name or license number, and updated quickly.

Is a printed license card enough?

A printed or physical license card is not sufficient on its own to verify the status of a professional license because cards can be forged, and barcodes or printed data can be manipulated. Also, license cards may become outdated. The most reliable source of the current status of a professional license is via the official state board database or lookup tool.

Can I rely on third-party websites?

Third-party lookup sites may compile public data, but they are not authoritative and may be outdated. Accurate and official information is available via the state licensing board’s own portal or certified verification letter.

What if the name is common?

When searching by name, you can narrow results using additional details like the professional’s city, business name, or middle initial. Alternatively, you can contact the board’s office with the license number or request formal verification.

How often should employers re-verify?

Employers should perform initial verification at hire and implement ongoing monitoring or periodic re-checks. Many organizations use monthly or quarterly automated monitoring for high-risk roles and at minimum re-verify at each license renewal cycle.

Verifying a professional's license is key to ensuring that you are not employing or hiring an unqualified or barred practitioner. State boards and agencies issue and oversee licenses, and their online databases allow the public to confirm whether a license is active, expired, suspended, or restricted. In addition, many boards provide access to disciplinary histories and official verification letters.

Public professional license records include information such as license status, type, scope, and disciplinary actions. However, details such as pending complaints, confidential investigations, personal information, and full-employment histories are restricted from public access. If you are looking to verify a license, it is best done through the official licensing board's website, using details such as the professional's full legal name, profession, state, license number, or business name.

When hiring contractors or employing a professional, consumers or businesses should avoid relying on license cards or third-party websites and instead use official state sources to verify license status. Also, in order to ensure that they work with compliant professionals, individuals and organizations should consider re-checking license status periodically, especially for high-risk professionals, such as those in the healthcare industry.