Municipal Registration of Contractors
The licensing or registration of contractors is handled at the municipal level in Erie County. Not all towns, villages and cities handle registration or licensing in the same way. This information has been gathered to create a single resource that documents existing requirements throughout Erie County.
While we’ve attempted to ensure this list is accurate and complete, it is provided for informational purposes only, and we recommend that homeowners and business owners treat it only as a starting point. We recommend that you verify all information with the building department or code enforcement office of your municipality before entering contracts or engaging in projects.
Where is my home or property?
Please note that many mailing addresses contain the names of villages or cities even for homes that are not within the legal boundaries of those municipalities. For example, the Blasdell zip code, 14219, covers an area of about six times larger than the Village of Blasdell, and overlaps several municipalities, including the village, the Town of Hamburg, and the City of Lackawanna. The Erie County Real Property Tax Services can help identify the correct town, village, city, and school district, as applicable, for a specific property. Access their portal online, then select “Parcel Search,” and “Make a Search By: Property Location”.
Municipalities
Akron, Village of
The Village of Akron requires the licensing of plumbers since the adoption of Local Law 1 of 2010.
Alden, Village of
The Village of Alden requires the licensing of plumbers.
Amherst, Town of
The Town of Amherst licenses all home improvement contractors per the requirements of Local Law 6 of 2011, amended by Local Law 2 of 2021. For more information, refer to the town website and the town code.
Aurora, Town of
The Town of Aurora requires that contractors have their liability, worker’s compensation and disability insurance on file with the town Building Department. Visit the town website for more information.
Blasdell, Village of
The Village of Blasdell requires plumbers working within the village to be licensed. Refer to the village code online for additional details.
Buffalo, City of
The City of Buffalo has one of the longest-standing requirements for contractor registration, dating back to 1989. Refer to the City's website links provided below, for more information.
- Contractor Code Requirements
- Permit & Inspections Services - Divisions
- Additional permit information can be found on this page.
- Contractor Application
- Contractor Complaint Affidavit
Note: Plumbers and electricians have a separate licensing process.
Cheektowaga, Town of
The Town of Cheektowaga requires the licensing of plumbers and HVAC contractors. Refer the town’s building department website for more information.
Clarence, Town of
The Town of Clarence requires plumbers to be licensed. Refer to the town website for more information.
Depew, Village of
The Village of Depew requires plumbers to be licensed. Refer to the village website for more information.
Elma, Town of
The Town of Elma requires home improvement contractors to be licensed per Town Code, Chapter 105. See the town’s website or the town code for more information.
Evans, Town of
The Town of Evans requires plumbers to be licensed. See the town website for more information.
Grand Island, Town of
The Town of Grand Island requires plumbers and electricians to be licensed. See the town website for more information.
Hamburg, Village of
The Village of Hamburg requires paving or blacktop contractors as well as snow plow contractors to be registered (See Chapter 203 of the Village Code for details.)
Kenmore, Village of
The Village of Kenmore requires contractor licensing effective January 1, 2020. See the Village website for more information.
Lackawanna, City of
The City of Lackawanna requires electricians and plumbers to be licensed. See the City website for more information.
Orchard Park, Town of
The Town of Orchard Park requires plumbers and electricians to be licensed. Refer to the town website for more information.
Orchard Park, Village of
The Village of Orchard Park requires snowplow contractors to have a permit. See the Village code for more information.
Tonawanda, City of
The City of Tonawanda requires contractor licensing. See the City website for more information.
Tonawanda, Town of
The Town of Tonawanda requires contractor licensing. For more information, refer to the Town website.
West Seneca, Town of
The Town of West Seneca requires plumbers to be licensed. See the town website for more information.
Williamsville, Village of
The Village of Williamsville requires plumbers to be licensed. See the village code for more information.
If you are aware of any errors or omissions in the above information, please let us know by emailing ConsumerProtection@erie.gov. We attempt to keep this information as accurate and up-to-date as possible, but we strongly encourage you to consider this as merely a starting point and to use your town, city or village building or code enforcement departments as the authoritative source for the requirements of doing work in their jurisdictions.