The short version: Indiana has no statewide contractor license for general home improvement, so there is usually nothing to look up at the state level. The one exception is plumbing, licensed through the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (verify at mylicense.in.gov/everification). For general contractors, electricians, and HVAC, licensing is local, so check your city or county. Your real protection is the Home Improvement Contracts Act: a written contract is required for any job over $150. Indiana adds penalties up to $5,000 per violation when a contractor knowingly targets a consumer 60 or older.

Indiana has no statewide contractor license

This is the part that surprises most Indiana homeowners: there is no Indiana state license for general home improvement contractors, and there is no state board to look one up.1 Anyone who tells you they hold an “Indiana state contractor license” for general remodeling is, at best, confused. The state does not issue one.

What you want doneWho licenses it in Indiana
PlumbingState (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency)
General remodeling, roofing, decksLocal city or county only
Electrical, HVACLocal city or county only

For a senior planning a bathroom remodel or a ramp, this changes your homework. You cannot lean on a single state lookup the way you can in California or Florida. Instead you verify three things: the plumber’s state license (if plumbing is involved), local registration, and a written contract.

This is the Indiana-specific companion to our national state contractor license lookup guide. For the full pre-hire workflow, see How to Find a Senior-Friendly Contractor.

The one state license: plumbers at IPLA

Plumbing is Indiana’s only state-regulated construction trade.1 The Indiana Plumbing Commission, under the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA), issues and disciplines plumbing licenses.

To verify: go to mylicense.in.gov/everification and search by name or license number. The free search updates in real time.

Check:

  1. Status Active (not expired, suspended, revoked)
  2. License type plumbing contractor vs journeyman
  3. Name matches the person and business on your quote
  4. Discipline any recent IPLA action

If your project includes new plumbing for a curbless shower or a relocated toilet, confirm the plumber’s IPLA license before any work starts. This is the one place Indiana gives you a hard state credential to check, so use it.

Your real protection: the Home Improvement Contracts Act

Because there is no license to lean on, Indiana’s consumer protection lives in a contract law, not a board. The Home Improvement Contracts Act (HICA), Indiana Code 24-5-11, requires a written contract for any residential home improvement job over $150.2

The written contract must include:

  • Names and addresses of both you and the contractor
  • A reasonably detailed description of the work
  • The total contract price
  • Start and completion dates
  • The contractor’s signature, agreed before you pay any deposit

A contractor who does the work on a handshake over $150 has already broken the law. That failure is a “deceptive act” the Indiana Attorney General can pursue, and that you can sue over to recover your actual damages plus attorney fees.3

Senior rule of thumb: In Indiana, “no written contract” is your single clearest red flag. A contractor who resists putting the price, scope, and dates in writing is either breaking HICA or planning to. Walk away.

Local registration: check your city or county

For general remodeling, electrical, HVAC, and roofing, Indiana pushes licensing down to cities and counties.1 Each runs its own program with its own rules and fees.

  • Indianapolis / Marion County registers contractors. Check the contractor at indy.gov before hiring.
  • Fort Wayne, Evansville, South Bend each maintain separate registration and permit programs.
  • Smaller towns may require only a permit pulled by a registered contractor.

Ask your contractor which city or county registration they hold, then confirm it with that local office. A contractor who pulls permits in your jurisdiction has a paper trail and a reason to finish the job correctly.

Indiana senior scam patterns

  • Spring and summer storm roofers Indiana’s tornado and hail season drives out-of-state roofing crews into central and southern counties. They knock door to door after every outbreak. Never hire on the spot.
  • Traveling driveway sealcoating crews A Midwest classic: a crew offers to seal or pave your driveway with “leftover” asphalt at a discount. The work is thin, the crew is gone by morning.
  • Derecho and windstorm cleanup Fake tree and gutter crews follow big wind events, take a deposit, and disappear.
  • Indiana’s senior protection The Deceptive Consumer Sales Act adds a civil penalty up to $5,000 per violation when a contractor knowingly targets a consumer 60 or older, and lets that senior recover treble (triple) damages.3

If something goes wrong

  • General contractor problems: file with the Indiana Attorney General Consumer Protection Division at in.gov/attorneygeneral. With no general contractor board, the attorney general is the main enforcer under HICA and the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act.
  • Plumbing problems: also file with the IPLA, which can discipline or revoke the plumbing license.
  • Elder financial abuse: contact Indiana Adult Protective Services. The senior provisions of the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act apply.
Indiana verification in 30 seconds:
  • No statewide general contractor license exists, so do not accept a claim of one
  • Plumbers: verify at mylicense.in.gov/everification (Active status)
  • General work: check local city or county registration (Indianapolis at indy.gov)
  • Demand a written HICA contract for any job over $150, before any deposit
  • Verify insurance with the carrier directly ($1M general liability for $10K+ jobs)
  • Storm roofers and driveway sealcoating crews active; never door-to-door
  • Problems → Indiana AG Consumer Protection; senior 60+ penalties and treble damages apply

Citations

  1. License Verification (Plumbing and Professional Licenses). Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA), retrieved June 11, 2026. .
  1. Indiana Code 24-5-11: Home Improvement Contracts. Justia (Indiana Code, 2024), retrieved June 11, 2026. .
  1. Consumer Protection Division. Office of the Indiana Attorney General, retrieved June 11, 2026. .
  1. Home Improvement Scams Targeting Older Adults. AARP Fraud Watch Network, June 2024. .