Hiring a remodeler · Fort Worth
How to choose a remodeling contractor in Fort Worth
Check their City registration, trade licenses and permit, and know the three papers Texas law says you’re owed.
Or call or text (817) 631-9803
From the City of Fort Worth’s Contractor Registration page, the State’s licensing agencies and the Texas Property Code, read November 8, 2026.
Five checks
How to hire a remodeling contractor in Fort Worth, in five checks
Pick the team you’d trust in your house, then check five things before you sign. Each one is a phone call, a search or a question.
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Their City registration. Any contractor who pulls a building, mechanical, plumbing or electrical permit in Fort Worth needs a contractor registration on file with the City. Ask for theirs.
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The trade licenses. Texas licenses electricians, plumbers and air conditioning contractors. Ask who will do that work on your house, then look each one up.
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Whose name is on the permit. The City issues a permit to a registered building contractor, or to an owner working on the homestead they live in. On a homestead permit, the owner certifies they “will personally perform all work covered by” the permit. The City’s online permitting site has a record search by site address or by contractor license information.
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The disclosure statement, before you sign. Texas law says the contractor gives it to you before you sign a contract to remodel your house.
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The subcontractor list, then the bills-paid affidavit. Before you sign, ask them to agree to give you a list of who will work on the job before it starts, and a sworn statement at final payment of who has been paid and who is still owed.
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Registrations and licenses
What a Fort Worth registration and a Texas license tell you
A registration says a contractor can pull permits in Fort Worth. A state license says the electrician, plumber or air conditioning contractor is licensed for that trade. Neither one tells you how a remodel will be run, so you need both checks and the questions in the next section.
| The check | What it shows | What it doesn’t show | Where to look it up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Worth contractor registration | What it shows They’re registered with the City to pull that type of permit (building, mechanical, plumbing or electrical) in Fort Worth. A registration runs one year from the day it’s issued. | What it doesn’t show For a building contractor, the City’s page asks for “the completed application and a copy of their valid driver’s license.” It lists no state license, bond or insurance for that registration. | Where to look it up The City’s online permitting site, under Search for a Licensee, by business name or license number, or Development Services at 817-392-2222 The City’s licensee searchThe City’s Contractor Registration page |
| Electrician’s or air conditioning contractor’s license | What it shows The State of Texas licenses the trade, and the City asks for that license before it registers them. | What it doesn’t show Who runs the rest of your job. | Where to look it up TDLR Active License Search, by name, business name or license number TDLR’s search |
| Plumber’s license | What it shows The State licenses plumbers, and the City registers a plumbing contractor on a Texas Master Plumber license where the code requires it. | What it doesn’t show Whether the license holder is the plumber working on your house. | Where to look it up Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, public license search The board’s search |
| A license for the remodeler running the job | What it shows TDLR’s list of the programs it regulates has no general contractor, home builder or remodeler. | What it doesn’t show So there’s no state remodeler license on TDLR’s list to look up. A remodeler’s City registration and trade licenses are what you can check. | Where to look it up The City registration and the trade licenses above |
| Insurance | What it shows Nothing, for a building contractor. | What it doesn’t show Whether they carry liability insurance at all. The City lists it only for its moving, demolition and parkway registrations. | Where to look it up Ask for a certificate of insurance from their insurer. |
Rather talk it through with a builder?
The paperwork
Three papers Texas law says a remodeling contractor owes you
On a remodel of your house, the Texas Property Code says the contractor gives you one paper before you sign, one before work starts and one at final payment.
- Before you sign The disclosure statement.
A notice of your rights and responsibilities under Texas law, including when your home can be subject to a lien. It opens “KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THE LAW.”
Tex. Prop. Code §53.255 - Before work starts The list of subcontractors and suppliers.
The name, address and phone number of each one the contractor plans to use, and an updated list within 15 days of any change, unless you waive the updates in writing.
Tex. Prop. Code §53.256 - At final payment The bills-paid affidavit.
A sworn statement that everyone who supplied labor and materials has been paid in full, or who is still owed and how much.
Tex. Prop. Code §53.259
The second and third papers tell you who worked on your house and whether they were paid.
This explains the statutes. It isn’t legal advice about your contract.
Rather walk through a remodel with a builder?
Before you hire
Questions to ask a remodeling contractor before you hire them
The checks tell you who may do the work. These five questions tell you how they’ll run your job.
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Who runs my job day to day, and can I meet them?
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Is the design finished before you price it?
Why a bid before design moves -
How is the price built: a fixed bid, or cost plus a markup?
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Who pulls the permits and schedules the inspections?
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Which trades do you hire out, and who holds their licenses?
Three of our answers, if you ask us: a designer and a builder walk your house with you and give an honest estimate, no charge, no obligation. We bill Cost Plus, the real cost of materials and labor plus a transparent markup. And we pull and manage city permits and inspections.
Questions
Hiring a contractor in Fort Worth: questions
Weighing two or three contractors? Bring these questions to us.
Does Texas license general contractors?
TDLR, the state agency that licenses electricians and air conditioning and refrigeration contractors, lists no license for a general contractor, home builder or remodeler among the programs it regulates. Plumbers are licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. In Fort Worth, a contractor who pulls permits registers with the City.
How do I look up a contractor’s license in Texas?
For an electrician or an air conditioning contractor, use TDLR’s Active License Search: search by name, business name or license number. For a plumber, use the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners’ public license search.
How do I check a contractor’s registration in Fort Worth?
Search for them on the City’s online permitting site, under Search for a Licensee, by business name or license number, or call the City’s Development Services at 817-392-2222. A registration expires one year from the day it’s issued, unless it’s revoked or suspended first, so ask the City whether theirs is current.
Should my contractor pull the permit, or should I?
The City issues a permit to a registered building contractor, or to an owner working on the homestead they own and live in. On a homestead permit, the owner signs an affidavit that they “will personally perform all work covered by” that permit. If someone else is doing the work, ask them to pull the permit in their own name.
What is a bills-paid affidavit in Texas?
On a home construction or remodeling contract, Texas law says the contractor gives you a sworn statement at final payment that everyone who supplied labor and materials has been paid in full. If someone hasn’t been, the affidavit names them and the amount owed. Knowingly or recklessly putting a false or misleading statement in it is a misdemeanor.
Does a remodeling contractor have to give me anything before I sign?
Yes. Before you sign a contract to build or remodel your house, Texas law says the contractor delivers a disclosure statement that opens “KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER THE LAW.” It explains when your home can be subject to a lien if someone who worked on the job isn’t paid, and when you should withhold or reserve part of your payments.
Every rule on this page is quoted or paraphrased from the City of Fort Worth’s Contractor Registration page and its online permitting site, TDLR’s licensing programs and Active License Search, the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners, and Texas Property Code sections 53.255, 53.256 and 53.259, read November 8, 2026, and the City’s Residential Permitting page, read November 5, 2026.
Best Home Builder & Remodeler
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Your remodel
Check the contractor before you sign
Run the five checks on anyone you’re considering. Then walk your house with a designer and a builder, and start with an honest estimate. No charge, no obligation.
Or call or text (817) 631-9803