How to Verify a Bathtub Refinisher's License and Insurance

By Tub Reglazing Directory Editorial Team · Updated 2026-06-05

How to Verify a Bathtub Refinisher’s License and Insurance

“Licensed and insured” is printed on every refrigerator magnet a contractor has ever handed out. It means almost nothing without verification. In the bathtub refinishing trade specifically, where contractors work with isocyanate-cured coatings that NIOSH identifies as the leading cause of occupational asthma and chemical strippers that carry their own federal exposure limits, the gap between a contractor who is actually credentialed and one who is merely claiming to be can matter a great deal.

This is a short, practical guide to closing that gap before you sign anything. We’ll go through what state licensing actually means for this trade, how to look it up yourself, what the insurance documents should say, when EPA lead certification is legally required, and what the [Professional Refinishers in Brooklyn](../cities/brooklyn.html) Group credential does and doesn’t signal. At the end there’s a verification checklist you can work through in about 20 minutes.

The license question is messier than most contractors admit

There is no national license for bathtub refinishing. Full stop. Unlike electricians or plumbers, who face relatively consistent state licensing requirements across the country, refinishers operate in a patchwork where the rules depend entirely on where you live.

California runs licensing through the Contractors State License Board, and most refinishing work falls under a painting contractor or specialty contractor category. Florida handles contractor licensing through the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, with similar painting/specialty contractor categories. Texas has no statewide general contractor license at all, but many Texas cities and counties impose their own registration requirements. New York licensing varies by county and city. Some states have genuinely no specific license category that maps cleanly to bathtub refinishing.

What this means practically: if a refinisher tells you over the phone “yes, I’m licensed,” your first follow-up question should be “licensed under what category, and with what state agency?” Then go look it up yourself.

The FTC recommends verifying contractor licenses directly with the state licensing board rather than relying on a number the contractor provides verbally or on a business card. The search to start with is “[your state name] contractor licensing board.” Look for license categories labeled painting contractor, specialty contractor, or home improvement contractor. If the state has no matching category, note that. It means you’re relying more heavily on insurance, training credentials, and professional association membership than on a state-issued trade license.

A business license is not a trade license

This distinction trips up a lot of homeowners, and some contractors lean on the confusion.

A business license or LLC registration simply means a company is legally registered to operate in a state or municipality. Any business needs one. It says nothing about whether the contractor has passed a competency exam, carries any particular training, or meets any technical standard for the work they do.

A trade or contractor license is issued by a licensing board, usually requires proof of experience and a written exam, and in most states must be renewed with continuing education. The BBB specifically warns that a contractor presenting only a business registration, rather than a trade license, may not carry the credentials required by state law.

When you ask a refinisher for their license, ask them to specify: is this a trade or contractor license from the state licensing board, or is it a business registration? If they hesitate or conflate the two, that tells you something.

How to look up a license in under five minutes

Every state that issues contractor licenses maintains a public lookup tool. The basic process:

1. Search “[state name] contractor license lookup” or “[state name] CSLB” or “[state name] DBPR.”
2. Go to the official .gov site for that board.
3. Search by the contractor’s business name or the license number they’ve provided.
4. Confirm the license type, its current status, and its expiration date.
5. Check for any disciplinary history or complaints on file.

If a search returns no results for the name or number provided, that’s not a clerical error to give the benefit of the doubt on. Call the board directly and ask.

For states without a statewide lookup, check the county or city first. Houston, for example, routes home improvement contractor registrations through the city’s permitting office, not a state board.

General liability and workers’ compensation: why you need both

A lot of contractors carry general liability (GL) insurance and mention it prominently. Fewer lead with workers’ compensation, which is the one that can directly hurt a homeowner financially if it’s missing.

General liability covers property damage the contractor causes during the job: overspray on your floors, a cracked tile, damage to your plumbing fixtures. Workers’ compensation is separate. It covers the cost of a worker’s medical bills if they’re injured on your property. In several states, if a contractor’s employee is hurt in your home and the contractor carries no workers’ comp, the homeowner can be exposed to those costs through their homeowner’s insurance or personal liability. The details vary by state, but the risk is real enough that you should confirm both policies exist.

The standard document you’ll receive is the ACORD 25 Certificate of Liability Insurance. This form lists the insurer’s name, the policy numbers for each coverage type, the effective and expiration dates, and the coverage limits.

A few things to check when you have it in front of you:

• The expiration dates. A certificate is a point-in-time document. It reflects the policy as of the date it was issued, not necessarily today. A policy can lapse after the certificate is printed.
• The coverage limits. General liability limits of at least $1 million per occurrence are a commonly cited baseline for residential work, per NARI’s contractor credentialing guidance.
• The certificate holder line. Your name and address should appear there.
• Whether workers’ compensation appears as a separate line item, not just GL.

After you have the certificate, call the insurer directly. The insurer’s name and phone number are on the form. Ask them to confirm that the policy number listed is active and hasn’t been cancelled or reduced since the certificate was issued. This takes three minutes and catches a meaningful number of problems.

EPA RRP certification: when it’s legally required and what to ask

If your home was built before 1978, there’s a specific federal question to ask before any refinishing work begins.

Under EPA’s Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule (40 CFR Part 745), any firm that disturbs lead-based paint in pre-1978 housing must hold EPA RRP firm certification, and individual workers performing the regulated activities must hold EPA RRP individual renovator certification. Bathtub refinishing that disturbs an underlying painted surface can trigger this requirement.

The common misconception is that it applies automatically to every pre-1978 home. It doesn’t. If the contractor can document through lead testing that no lead paint is present on the surfaces being worked on, the rule doesn’t apply to that specific job. But that documentation has to actually exist. “I’ve never seen lead paint on a tub” is not documentation.

What to ask: “Is this home pre-1978? If so, have you tested the surface for lead, and can you show me the test results? If you haven’t tested, can you show me your EPA RRP firm certification?”

EPA maintains a searchable database of certified RRP firms. You can cross-reference the contractor’s firm name at the EPA RRP firm certification lookup.

PRG membership: what it signals and what it doesn’t

The Professional Refinishers Group is the primary U.S. Trade association for the bathtub and surface refinishing industry. Membership is voluntary and requires contractors to agree to a code of ethics. PRG also provides access to training resources and product standards within the trade.

PRG membership is a genuine positive signal. It suggests the contractor is engaged with current industry practices and not operating in complete isolation from their professional community. You can verify a contractor’s claimed PRG membership directly through the PRG contractor directory on their site.

What it doesn’t do: it doesn’t substitute for a state trade license. The hierarchy here matters. State licensing (where required) is a legal requirement. PRG membership is a voluntary professional credential. A contractor who holds PRG membership but operates in a state that requires a contractor license and doesn’t have one is still out of compliance. The two aren’t interchangeable.

When a refinisher mentions their PRG membership, verify it. When they don’t mention a state license, ask why.

Chemical safety credentials as a proxy for overall competence

This is a piece of the credentialing picture most homeowners don’t think to ask about, and it’s one of the more revealing tests.

Bathtub refinishing coatings, including the two-component urethane systems used by most professional refinishers, contain isocyanates. NIOSH identifies isocyanates as the leading cause of occupational asthma in industrialized nations and recommends supplied-air respirators (SARs) for spray application. OSHA’s HazCom standard at 29 CFR 1910.1200 requires contractors to maintain Safety Data Sheets for every hazardous chemical they use, on-site, and to train workers on those hazards.

Ask to see the SDS for the topcoat product they’re using before you hire them. A contractor running a legitimate, compliant operation will produce it without any drama. The manufacturer’s technical data sheet (Ekopel 2K, Multi-Tech, Napco, and similar products all publish these) will also list application requirements, ventilation standards, and cure times. A refinisher who can reference the specific product’s requirements and actually follows them is a contractor who knows what they’re doing.

If they use or have used legacy chemical strippers containing methylene chloride, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1052 sets the permissible exposure limit at 25 ppm (8-hour TWA) with an action level of 12.5 ppm that triggers monitoring obligations. Compliance requires written programs and regular exposure monitoring. Asking about it isn’t unreasonable, and a qualified contractor working in your state or anywhere else in the country should be able to speak to it.

Separately, you can ask whether the topcoat they use has been tested to ASTM F462, the standard for slip-resistant bathing facility surfaces. A refinished tub that doesn’t meet slip-resistance requirements is both a liability and a safety problem. Reputable refinishers know which products meet this standard.

Red flags that homeowners regularly miss

A few patterns show up repeatedly in problematic contractor relationships.

They present only a business registration as proof of licensing. As covered above, these are different documents. If the number they give you doesn’t appear in your state’s contractor license lookup, you’re looking at a business registration, not a trade license.

The certificate of insurance doesn’t include workers’ compensation. Some contractors only carry GL. Ask specifically about workers’ comp and get it documented.

They can’t name the product they’re using. A professional bathtub refinisher should be able to tell you exactly what topcoat system they’re applying. “Some kind of acrylic” is not an answer. If they can’t name it, they can’t produce an SDS for it, and you have no way to assess whether it meets any relevant standard.

They offer to “verify” their license by showing you their phone. You should be doing the lookup on the state board’s site, not relying on a screenshot.

They pressure you to decide immediately. The FTC specifically flags high-pressure tactics as a warning sign in contractor hiring across all trades.

The insurance certificate shows the same day’s date as when it was issued. This sometimes means the policy was just purchased for the purpose of showing you and may be cancelled shortly after. Call the insurer.

A verification checklist before you sign

Work through these before any contract is signed. Professional refinishers serving New York and most other markets will handle this without complaint.

State license: - [ ] Ask for the contractor’s license number and the issuing state agency - [ ] Look it up independently on the state contractor board’s site - [ ] Confirm the license type, active status, and expiration date - [ ] Check for disciplinary actions or complaints on file

Insurance: - [ ] Request the ACORD 25 certificate of liability insurance - [ ] Confirm GL coverage and limits (at least $1M per occurrence is a reasonable baseline) - [ ] Confirm workers’ compensation appears as a separate line item - [ ] Check that your name is listed as certificate holder - [ ] Call the insurer directly to verify both policies are currently active

EPA RRP (pre-1978 homes only): - [ ] Ask whether the home has been tested for lead paint on the surfaces to be refinished - [ ] If tested and clear, ask to see the documentation - [ ] If not tested, ask to see the firm’s EPA RRP certification and look it up in the EPA database

PRG and industry credentials: - [ ] Ask if they are PRG members and look them up at profinishers.com - [ ] Note that PRG membership is voluntary, not a substitute for state licensing

Chemical safety: - [ ] Ask what topcoat product they use and request the Safety Data Sheet - [ ] Ask whether the product has been tested to ASTM F462 for slip resistance - [ ] Ask about ventilation and occupancy timelines (you’ll need to be out of the home for a specific period after application)

Twenty minutes with this list and a phone is enough to confirm that the person you’re hiring either is who they say they are, or isn’t. The contractors with nothing to hide will move through it quickly. The ones who balk are showing you something useful.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a national license for bathtub refinishers?

No. There is no single federal or national trade license for bathtub refinishing. Requirements are set at the state, county, or city level and vary widely. Some states require a painting or specialty contractor license; others have no specific category at all. Always check with your state’s contractor licensing board.

Does PRG membership mean a contractor is licensed?

No. PRG membership is a voluntary industry credential, not a government-issued license. It signals that a contractor is engaged with industry best practices, but it does not substitute for a state trade license. Verify both independently.

When is EPA RRP lead certification required for bathtub refinishing?

EPA RRP certification is required when refinishing work will disturb lead-based paint in housing built before 1978. It is not automatically required on every pre-1978 job. If the contractor can document through testing that no lead paint is present, the rule may not apply. When in doubt, ask to see the test documentation or the firm’s EPA RRP certification.

What should I look for on a certificate of insurance?

Check the insurer’s name, the policy number, the effective and expiration dates, and the coverage limits. General liability limits of at least $1 million per occurrence are a commonly cited baseline for residential work. Make sure the certificate holder line shows your name and address, and call the insurer directly to confirm the policy is still active.

What is the difference between general liability insurance and workers’ compensation?

General liability covers property damage the contractor causes. Workers’ compensation covers an injured worker’s medical costs. In some states, if a contractor without workers’ comp is injured in your home, you can be held liable for those costs. Both policies matter.

Can I ask a refinisher to show me Safety Data Sheets for the products they use?

Yes, and a legitimate contractor should hand them over without hesitation. Under OSHA’s HazCom standard (29 CFR 1910.1200), contractors are required to maintain Safety Data Sheets on-site for all hazardous chemicals. If a refinisher is reluctant or says they don’t have them, that is a meaningful red flag about how they handle compliance generally.

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