Contractors and license checks
The state registers and licenses contractors, and Chiban does not. Chiban makes you record that someone checked the state's license search before a trade permit is issued, and keeps the answer with the permit.
When a license check applies
A license check applies to trade permits, such as electrical, plumbing and mechanical, when the work is done by a contractor. It does not apply when the form says the owner is doing the work. For those permits the record carries the requirement State license checked, and the permit cannot be issued until a check finds the license active.
Chiban does not call the state itself. You or the applicant open the state's search, look the license up, and tell Chiban what it said.
At the counter
The Contractor and license check section of the counter form does the check and the issue in one step. See The counter. Open the state search from the link on the form, which opens in a new tab, and then:
- Enter the License number and choose the License type. A likely type is filled in for each permit type.
- Enter what the state showed under Result of the state lookup: Active, Not found, Expired or Inactive.
- Add a Note if there is something worth keeping, such as the expiry date you saw.
Only Active lets the permit issue.
On an application that came in online
Open the application. The State license check panel says which license number the applicant entered, or that they did not enter one, and shows the latest check if there is one: the result, the license, who checked it and when.
- Choose Open the NH license verification search and look the license up.
- Open Record the license check. The license number is filled in from the application and cannot be changed here.
- Enter the License type, the Result of the state lookup and an optional Note, then choose Record the license check.
If the license is anything but Active, the panel says The permit cannot be issued until a check finds the license active. and the requirement stays Not done with the reason. When the contractor sorts it out, choose Check again and record the new result.
Chiban refuses a check for a different license number than the one on the application. If the applicant changes the number, the old check no longer counts and you record a new one.
A check can only be recorded while the application is open. Land use staff can override the requirement with a reason, as described in From intake to issued permit. Do that only when the office has decided the check does not apply.
The contractor list
Contractors lists contractors who have set up a profile in the portal: company, contact, trades, license numbers, how many projects they are linked to, and when they were last active. Search by company, contact, email or license number. It is a directory for looking people up and does not approve anyone. Until a contractor sets up a profile the list says No contractor has set up a profile yet.
The list is shown to staff who can manage the people on a project.
Sending a contractor their permit
When you issue a permit at the counter to a contractor who gave an email address and has no account, Send claim link to contractor emails them a link to claim the project online. If the contractor already has an account, the project is on their dashboard already.