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How to verify a contractor license in Columbus, Ohio

Check any Columbus contractor license — status and expiration — through one normalized API, or look it up by hand on the city licensing portal. Columbus licenses trades at the city level, not just the Ohio state board.

What you can verify

Data source: Official Columbus licensing portal

Jurisdiction: Columbus (municipal), Ohio

Trade types

Looking for the Ohio state board instead? See the Ohio contractor license guide.

One call. State and city licenses, same schema.

The /verify response is identical in shape whether the license is issued by a state board or a city — add the city parameter and your integration code stays the same:

{
  "valid": true,
  "name": "SAMPLE CONTRACTING LLC",
  "license_number": "SAMPLE-12345",
  "trade": "electrical",
  "expiration": "05/12/2027",
  "status": "Active",
  "state": "OH",
  "disciplinary_actions": [],
  "source_url": "https://portal.columbus.gov/Permits/GeneralProperty/PropertyLookUp.aspx?isLicensee=Y&TabName=APO",
  "cached": false,
  "checked_at": "2026-08-01T07:00:00Z"
}

Example response showing the normalized schema. Wire it up against deterministic fixtures in the sandbox — no credit cost.

Verify Columbus licenses programmatically

# Verify a Columbus contractor license with one API call
curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_KEY" \
  "https://www.tradesapi.com/verify?state=OH&city=columbus&license=SAMPLE-12345&trade=electrical"

The official Columbus licensing portal is at https://portal.columbus.gov/Permits/GeneralProperty/PropertyLookUp.aspx?isLicensee=Y&TabName=APO — free to search by hand. TradesAPI wraps it in the same /verify call you use for every state, so city and state licenses come back in one normalized schema.

Frequently asked questions

Does Columbus issue its own contractor licenses?

Yes. Columbus licenses certain trades at the city level rather than (or in addition to) the Ohio state board. TradesAPI verifies Columbus municipal licenses through the same GET /verify endpoint, passing city=columbus alongside the state.

How do I verify a Columbus contractor license?

Call TradesAPI's GET /verify with state=OH, city=columbus, and the license number to get a normalized result — valid/invalid, status, and expiration — in one request, or search the city portal by hand.

What Columbus trades can I verify?

TradesAPI covers these Columbus trade types today: Electrical, General Contractor, Home Improvement, HVAC, Plumbing.