Find Local Trade Contractors & Emergency Utility Contacts

Start by matching your home symptom to the correct licensed trade in our Symptom-to-Trade Router. Then open your local category directory (e.g., /local/electricians or /local/plumbers) to find verified local contractors, or use our state licensing directory to check license requirements in your state.

Look up the contractor's official license number on your state contractor licensing board website — not on the contractor's own marketing site. Confirm the license status is Active, matches the business legal name on your quote, and carries required general liability and workers' compensation insurance.

Evacuate all occupants from the home immediately. Do not flip light switches, use landline phones, strike matches, or start vehicles inside, as electrical sparks can ignite gas. Call 911 or your local gas utility emergency hotline from outside the property.

Assume any downed wire is energized and lethal. Keep everyone at least 30 feet away. Call 911 and your local electric utility emergency hotline immediately. Do not attempt to move the wire or touch nearby conductive metal fences.

811 is the free national 'Call Before You Dig' hotline. State laws require homeowners and contractors to call 811 or submit a request online at least 2 to 3 business days before any excavation, trenching, fence post installation, or planting to have underground gas, electric, and water utility lines marked.

Use a handyman for minor cosmetic maintenance, hanging doors, assembly, or painting. Hire a licensed trade contractor (electrician, plumber, HVAC tech, roofer) for any work involving electrical main panels, fuel gas piping, structural framing, roof replacements, or repairs requiring building permits.

Get written quotes from at least three licensed contractors for major remodels or replacements. Comparing three bids helps establish a local pricing benchmark and highlights missing scope items or unusual line-item charges.

Pay no more than 10% to 30% down before work begins. In California, state law limits contractor down payments to 10% or $1,000, whichever is less. Never pay 50% or more upfront for standard trade work, and tie progress payments to completed inspections.

Emergency after-hours, weekend, or holiday service dispatches usually carry a $150 to $350 initial trip charge plus 1.5x to 2.5x standard hourly labor rates. If an active water leak can be stopped by closing a local shutoff valve, waiting until regular business hours can save hundreds.

Search your state's contractor licensing board database (e.g. CSLB in CA, DPOR in VA, ROC in AZ). Licensing portals display license status, bond information, workers' comp coverage, and public disciplinary actions or civil judgments.

Locate your home's main water shutoff valve (usually where the main water line enters near the street meter or basement wall) and turn it clockwise until completely closed. Then open the lowest outdoor hose faucet to drain line pressure.

Building permits are generally required for structural alterations, main electrical panel changes, gas line modifications, water heater replacements, and roof tear-offs. Check your local municipal building department or ask your licensed contractor to confirm permit requirements.

Ask: Are you pulling the permit? What is your state license number? Can you provide proof of liability and workers' comp insurance? What is your written labor warranty duration? What are the milestone payment triggers?