Apify Public Data & Leads

US Multi-State Contractor License Search

us_contractor_license_search

Read-only

Search California and Oregon contractor-license records by business, qualifier, or person name in one call. Returns normalized, source-tagged results for contractor vetting and lead building.

Instructions

Search California CSLB and Oregon CCB contractor-license records from one call by business, qualifier, or person name, returning a normalized, source-tagged record per state match.

Behavioral Transparency:

Execution: Network call executed synchronously in the cloud via Apify Actor 'captainhandsome/us-contractor-license-search'.
Side Effects: Reads public sources and creates a billed Actor run and dataset on your Apify account.
Authentication: Requires APIFY_TOKEN environment variable.
Latency & Limits: Typical run duration is 15-45 seconds without detail pages, longer with include_details enabled and with more states selected; timeout capped at 120 seconds.

Usage Guidelines:

When to use: Use for contractor vetting or lead building across California and Oregon in one call, or when it is not yet known which of the two states holds the licence.
When NOT to use: Do not use for a single known state where a dedicated tool is faster (e.g. 'california_contractor_license_search'), for states outside California/Oregon, or for general business-entity (non-licence) registry lookups.
Named alternatives: Use 'california_contractor_license_search' for a California-only lookup, or 'alabama_business_search'/'florida_new_filings_search'/'us_business_entity_search' for general business-entity registries rather than contractor licences.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description
`states`	No	State licence sources to search. Defaults to both California and Oregon; narrow this to speed up a run when the state is already known.
`max_results`	No	Maximum number of licence records to return and bill across all selected states. Defaults to 10.
`search_query`	Yes	Business, qualifier, or person name to look up in the selected contractor-license registries (e.g. 'SMITH' or 'Smith Construction').
`include_details`	No	When true, opens each licence's detail page to add bonding, insurance, workers' compensation, classifications, disciplinary history, and issue/expiry dates. Adds one request per record; leave off for a fast lookup.

Output Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`run`	No
`error`	No
`status`	Yes
`results`	Yes

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Changed22 schema fields changedv1.1.0Sep 15, 2026

addedInput schema / additionalProperties
```
Added value: +false
```
addedInput schema / properties / states / maxItems
```
Added value: +100
```
addedOutput schema / properties / error
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "object"
+}
```

removedOutput schema / properties / results / description

Removed value: -"Collection of normalized, source-tagged contractor-license records matching the search query."

changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / business_entity / description

Previous value: -"Legal form held for the licensee, from the licence detail page (requires include_details)."New value: +"Legal form CSLB holds for the licensee, from the licence detail page."

addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / business_entity / title
```
Added value: +"Business entity type"
```

changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / business_name / description

Previous value: -"Business name value returned by the upstream source."New value: +"Structured business name value returned by the upstream source."

addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / business_name / title
```
Added value: +"Business Name"
```

changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / city / description

Previous value: -"City displayed for the license record."New value: +"California city displayed for the license record."

addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / city / title
```
Added value: +"City"
```

changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / contractor_name / description

Previous value: -"Contractor or business name shown in the result."New value: +"Contractor or business name shown in the CSLB result."

addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / contractor_name / title
```
Added value: +"Contractor name"
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / license_number / title
```
Added value: +"License number"
```

changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / name_type / description

Previous value: -"Structured name-type value returned by the upstream source."New value: +"Structured name type value returned by the upstream source."

addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / name_type / title
```
Added value: +"Name Type"
```

changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / source / description

Previous value: -"State licence registry that produced the record (california or oregon)."New value: +"Structured source value returned by the upstream source."

addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / source / title
```
Added value: +"Source"
```
addedOutput schema / properties / results / items / properties / status / title
```
Added value: +"License status"
```

changedOutput schema / properties / results / items / required

Previous value: -[
-  "source"
-]New value: +[
+  "source",
+  "license_number",
+  "status"
+]

addedOutput schema / properties / run
```
Added value: +{
+  "type": "object"
+}
```

addedOutput schema / properties / status

Added value: +{
+  "enum": [
+    "success",
+    "empty_unverified",
+    "partial",
+    "error"
+  ],
+  "type": "string"
+}

changedOutput schema / required

Previous value: -[
-  "results"
-]New value: +[
+  "results",
+  "status"
+]

Addedv1.0.11Sep 13, 2026

TDQS

A4.9/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already signal a safe read, and the description goes further: synchronous cloud execution via Apify Actor, billed dataset creation, APIFY_TOKEN requirement, and concrete latency/timeout limits. These behavioral details are valuable and do not contradict the readOnly/openWorld annotations.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is organized into short labeled sections with no filler; each sentence carries load-bearing information (execution model, side effects, latency, routing guidance). It is longer than minimal, but every sentence earns its place.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

Given an output schema exists and all parameters are documented, the description covers execution, side effects, authentication, latency, limits, and alternatives. An agent has everything needed to select and invoke this tool correctly.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters4/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100%, so the schema already documents all four parameters. The description adds useful operational meaning, such as how states and include_details affect runtime and cost. Only minor extra parameter-level guidance is added beyond the already-rich schema descriptions.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The opening sentence names a specific action ('Search California CSLB and Oregon CCB contractor-license records') with a clear scope ('from one call... returning a normalized, source-tagged record per state match'). It also identifies the resource and distinguishes the multi-state tool from state-specific siblings.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines5/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The Usage Guidelines section gives explicit when-to-use conditions, explicit when-NOT-to-use conditions, and named alternatives such as 'california_contractor_license_search'. This leaves no ambiguity about routing to a single-state or general business registry.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.