How We Vet Every Garage Door Company
Before any company joins our network, they pass a 5-step verification process. Here's exactly what we check — and the ongoing standards that keep them in.
The garage door industry has an unusually high rate of predatory operators. Low barriers to entry, high-urgency customers, and a service most people buy once every five to ten years create ideal conditions for bait-and-switch pricing and unlicensed work. The companies in our network go through a specific vetting process before the first referral is made — and we monitor them continuously after.
License Verification
We confirm any contractor license, registration, or permit the state or local jurisdiction requires for garage door work — and we check the official licensing board database directly, not a company-provided copy.
Licensing requirements differ significantly by state. We've summarized what we verify in each state we operate:
| State | What We Verify | Where We Check |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | Local city/county contractor registration or permit compliance. No state-level garage door license required, but Dallas, Houston, and Austin have local registration requirements for work above threshold amounts. | City/county permit offices; TDLR for applicable trades |
| Arizona | Active Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) license. Required for all garage door installation and repair work — the ROC is one of the most strictly enforced contractor licensing regimes in the country. | Arizona ROC License Lookup (roc.az.gov) |
| Georgia | State general contractor registration for work above $2,500; local business license in applicable counties. Atlanta and Fulton County have additional requirements. | Georgia Secretary of State; local county licensing boards |
| Illinois | Chicago City Business License (for Chicago metro); Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act compliance (written contracts required for jobs over $1,000); applicable suburb contractor registration. | Chicago Business Affairs; Illinois IDFPR |
| Colorado | Local contractor registration (Denver requires a tradesperson license for installation work); state business registration. Colorado does not have a state-level garage door contractor license. | Denver Community Planning; Colorado SOS |
| North Carolina | NCLB general contractor license (required for jobs over $30,000); local business license; permit compliance for installation work in Mecklenburg (Charlotte) and Wake (Raleigh) counties. | NC Licensing Board for GCs; local county permit offices |
| Florida | Florida DBPR Certified or Registered contractor license (required for most garage door installation and repair). Florida enforces contractor licensing strictly, particularly for hurricane-rated door installations requiring product approvals. | Florida DBPR License Verification (myfloridalicense.com) |
Insurance Confirmation
Every company must carry active general liability insurance with a minimum $1,000,000 per-occurrence limit. We request a certificate of insurance directly from the carrier — not a screenshot or PDF from the company itself.
Why this matters: if an uninsured technician damages your property or is injured on your driveway, you may be liable as the property owner. An insured contractor shifts that risk to their carrier.
- General liability — $1M/occurrence minimum
- Commercial auto coverage (their truck, not yours)
- Workers' compensation where the state requires it
Track Record Review
A license and insurance policy tell you a company is operating legally — not that they're any good. Our track record review looks at:
- Years in business under current name. Shell companies and reputation-laundering are common in this industry. We require at least 18 months of continuous operation under the same business identity.
- Review volume and patterns. We look at Google, Yelp, and BBB reviews — not just star averages, but patterns: bait pricing, pressure tactics, no-shows, misleading quotes.
- BBB complaint history. Open complaints or unresolved complaints receive additional scrutiny. A single resolved complaint is not disqualifying; a pattern of pricing disputes is.
- Court and lien records. We search available public records for contractor fraud, consumer protection actions, or mechanics liens filed against company principals.
Upfront Pricing Commitment
Every company in our network commits in writing to one rule: quote the price before any work begins, on-site, and get customer approval before touching anything billable.
This is the most common failure point in the industry. The "$29 service call" that becomes a $700 invoice on your driveway is a predictable playbook: advertise an impossible price, roll the truck, then pressure the homeowner — car stuck inside, garage wide open — into a stack of invented parts and upgrades.
Our enforcement: one verified bait-and-switch complaint triggers an investigation. Two confirmed complaints result in permanent removal from the network.
Ongoing Performance Monitoring
Vetting is not a one-time event. Every company in our network is monitored continuously:
- Annual insurance recheck. We request updated certificates of insurance directly from carriers every 12 months.
- Licensing renewals tracked. We note renewal dates at the time of initial vetting and recheck at each renewal period.
- Customer feedback monitored. Calls and form submissions that mention a company by city are flagged for review.
- Immediate suspension for lapses. Any company whose insurance lapses or whose license is suspended is removed from active referrals immediately — before reapplying.
Questions About Our Vetting
How often do you recheck insurance and licensing?
Insurance certificates are rechecked annually — we request updated certificates of insurance directly from each company's carrier every 12 months. Licensing is rechecked at the known renewal dates for each state's licensing board, or immediately if we receive a customer complaint that mentions unlicensed work.
What happens if a company fails after I've already been referred?
Email us at info@trustygaragedoor.com with the date, city, and details of what happened. We investigate every complaint. If a company violated our standards — bait pricing, pressure tactics, no-show, or unprofessional conduct — they are removed from the network and we note that in our records so they cannot reapply. We cannot undo work already done, but your feedback directly protects the next homeowner.
Do you verify technicians individually, or just the company?
Our primary verification is at the company level — we confirm the business entity's license, insurance, and track record. Individual technician background checks are the responsibility of each company, and we require companies to confirm they perform them. If you want proof of a technician's background check, you can ask the company directly — they should be able to provide it.
Are all the companies in your network licensed?
Yes — where the state or jurisdiction requires a contractor license for garage door work, we verify it. Note that licensing requirements vary significantly by state: Arizona has strict ROC licensing requirements; Florida requires licensed contractors for most garage door work; Texas, Colorado, and North Carolina have more limited state-level requirements but may have local permit requirements. We verify whatever the jurisdiction actually requires, not a blanket "licensed" claim.
How many companies are in your network per city?
Typically two to four per metro area, selected for geographic coverage and service capacity. We don't flood a market with ten mediocre companies — we maintain a small, tightly vetted group per area. This keeps quality high and response times fast.
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Every company we connect you with has been through this process.