Garage door work does not have a license of its own on Long Island. It falls under the home improvement license that each county issues, and both counties put their records online for free. The lookup takes a license number or a company name. If a company cannot give you a number, that tells you something too.
Nassau County: doors are on the list
Nassau’s Office of Consumer Affairs issues licenses to contractors doing home improvement business in the county. Its definition covers the repair, maintenance, replacement, remodeling or addition to a home for up to three families, and names garages in the list. The office’s list of covered work includes “doors, windows, awnings” and “garage builders.”
A few things the county says about its licensed contractors:
- It is against the law to operate a home improvement business in Nassau without a license.
- All licensed home improvement contractors must be fingerprinted, which is done at IDENTOGO.
- The rules are in the Nassau County Administrative Code, Title D, sections 21-10 to 21-11.16.
- Plumbers and electricians are licensed by towns, cities and villages, not the county.
To check a company, search the Nassau license lookup or call Consumer Affairs at 516-571-2600. The office’s checklist says that call can also tell you about a contractor’s complaint history.
Suffolk County: any repair to a home
Suffolk licenses home improvement contractors through its Department of Labor, Licensing and Consumer Affairs. The county code, as quoted by the New York Construction Law blog, defines home improvement as any repair, remodeling, alteration, conversion, modernization, improvement or addition to residential property, with electrical and plumbing work handled separately. A garage door repair on a house fits inside that.
Home Team Construction, a Suffolk contractor, says getting the county license takes a written exam on the county’s home improvement law and state business law, fees, and at least $500,000 in general liability insurance.
To check a company, use the Suffolk license search or call 631-853-4600. The department’s virtual assistant can check license and complaint status after business hours.
East End towns with their own license
On the South Fork and Shelter Island, the county license may not be the only one a company needs.
- East Hampton. The Town Clerk’s Office at 159 Pantigo Road issues its own home improvement contractor license (application form HIC No. 1, revised March 2026). The clerk’s number is 631-324-4142.
- Southampton. Home Team Construction writes that the town requires its own contractor registration and does not accept the county license in its place.
- Shelter Island. Home Team Construction names it as the third town with its own licensing system.
If you live in one of these towns, ask for the town license number along with the county one.
What the contract should show
Nassau’s checklist for home improvement contracts lists what belongs in writing. For a new door or a big repair, that means:
- the Nassau County home improvement license number
- a start date and a completion date. By law, Nassau says, the job must be finished within 30 days of the promised completion date
- a detailed description of the work, with the brand and model numbers of what goes in
- the guarantee on labor and materials. The office suggests a labor warranty of a year or more
- a payment schedule tied to the work, with the last payment after the job is done
- a clause making the contractor responsible for clean up and removal of debris
The office calls a fair down payment anything under 15%.
Three days to change your mind
If you sign a contract at home, the Nassau checklist says FTC rules give you three days to cancel, and the Notice of Cancellation should be in bold on the front of the contract. That right does not apply to emergency repairs, contracts signed at the company’s place of business, or amounts of $25 or less. If you cancel, the office says to do it by certified mail, return receipt requested.
If something goes wrong
For a dispute with a licensed contractor, Nassau’s Office of Consumer Affairs mediates and investigates complaints at no fee, and says you must file with the office before taking legal action. Suffolk’s Consumer Complaints unit reviews home improvement complaints through the department’s File a Complaint page.
How licenses show on this site
Every company card on this site has a license line. Until we have looked up a company’s number on the county record ourselves, the card says “Not checked by us yet” and links to that county’s lookup. Once we have, the card shows the number. Companies can send their number through the listing form.