Business Background Check

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You can get information about businesses located in New York City and licensed by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP). The Better Business Bureau provides business histories for other businesses that are not licensed by DCWP.

The City does not:

  • Endorse particular businesses
  • Provide recommendations on where to do business

You can learn more about New York City businesses licensed by DCWP.

This includes:

  • License number
  • Status
  • Expiration date
  • Number and type of complaints filed with DCWP  

Information is also available about the following, which are not licensed by DCWP:

  • Car rental agencies
  • Furniture stores
  • Home heating oil companies
  • Tax preparers
  • Travel agencies

Online

Get information about businesses licensed by DCWP.

By Phone

Call 311 or 212-NEW-YORK (212-639-9675) for help.

The Better Business Bureau gives business histories for businesses that are not licensed by DCWP. You can file complaints online or by mail.

Online

Visit the Better Business Bureau's website.

File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

By Mail

Better Business Bureau
30 East 33rd Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10016

More help is available:

By Phone

  • Agency: Better Business Bureau
  • Phone Number: (212) 533-6200
  • Business Hours: Monday - Wednesday: 9 AM - 3 PM; Thursday - Friday: 9 AM - 2 PM

The following types of businesses are licensed by DCWP:

  • Bingo Game Operators and Commercial Lessors
  • Booting Companies 
  • Car Washes
  • Construction Labor Providers
  • Dealers in Products for the Disabled 
  • Debt Collection Agencies 
  • Electronic and Home Appliance Service Dealers 
  • Electronic Cigarette Retail Dealers
  • Electronics Stores 
  • Employment Agencies 
  • Games of Chance
  • Garages and Parking Lots 
  • General Vendors and Distributors 
  • Home Improvement Contractors
  • Horse Drawn Cab Owners and Drivers 
  • Laundries (industrial, industrial delivery) 
  • Locksmiths and Apprentices 
  • Newsstands (all types)
  • Pawnbrokers 
  • Pedicab Businesses and Drivers
  • Process Serving Agencies and Process Server Individuals
  • Scale Dealers and Repairers 
  • Scrap Metal Processors 
  • Secondhand Dealers of Automobiles 
  • Secondhand Dealers 
  • Sidewalk Cafes 
  • Sightseeing Buses and Guides
  • Stoop Line Stands 
  • Storage Warehouses 
  • Temporary Street Fair Vendors
  • Third-Party Food Delivery Services
  • Ticket Seller Businesses and Individuals
  • Tobacco Retail Dealers
  • Tow Truck Companies and Tow Truck Drivers

The New York City DCWP can help you with complaints about businesses in New York City.

For complaints about businesses elsewhere, contact the:

  • Local Consumer Affairs office
  • State Attorney General's office

Online

Learn how to file a complaint about a business outside of NYC.

By Phone

Nassau County

  • Agency: Nassau County Consumer Affairs
  • Phone Number: (516) 571-2600
  • Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM

Suffolk County

  • Agency: Suffolk County Consumer Affairs
  • Phone Number: (631) 853-4600
  • Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM

Westchester County

  • Agency: Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection
  • Phone Number: (914) 995-2155
  • Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM

New Jersey

  • Agency: New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
  • Phone Number: (973) 504-6200
  • Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM

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