Connecticut Home Improvement Contractor Registration Renewal

Last reviewed October 2026 · 6 min read

Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) registers home improvement contractors under the Home Improvement Act. Every registration expires on March 31 each year, and renewing costs $220, paid online only: DCP no longer takes paper renewals or checks. You need general liability insurance of at least $20,000 and enter your insurer's name and policy number in the renewal. An expired registration may be reinstated if the reinstatement form and fees are submitted within three years of its expiration date, and offering or doing home improvement work without a current registration is a crime under the Act.

At a glance

Who needs it: Anyone contracting with a consumer to do home improvement work on residential property: any permanent change such as driveways, swimming pools, porches, garages, roofs, siding, insulation, flooring, patios, landscaping, painting, fences, doors and windows, waterproofing, and alarm systems not requiring electrical work
Not home improvement: DCP lists work done by homeowners on their own property, work covered by the scope of a trade license, work on commercial property, contracts under $200, property maintenance (snowplowing, mowing, pruning, cleaning), tree and shrub cutting and grinding, and building new homes, which takes a New Home Construction Contractor registration instead
Small jobs: Under the Act's definition, you aren't a contractor if the total price of all your home improvement contracts with all your customers is no more than $1,000 in any 12 consecutive months
Renews every: Year. All registrations expire annually on March 31. Next: March 31, 2027
Renewal fee: $220 a year. Under the Act that's the $120 registration fee plus the $100 a year registered contractors pay into the Home Improvement Guaranty Fund (the Act waives the fees for a contractor acting solely as a corporation's contractor of record)
Insurance: General liability insurance of at least $20,000 to be eligible for a registration. The online renewal asks for your insurance provider's name and policy number
Renew: Online only, on DCP's online renewal website (elicense.ct.gov), with your User ID and password or the Fast Track Renewal PIN from your renewal notice. DCP can no longer accept paper renewal notices and checks by mail or in its drop box
Renewal notice: DCP sends renewal notices before the expiration date, to the email address on file (by regular mail if there's none). Under the Act, not getting a notice doesn't excuse you from renewing
No notice or login?: Email dcp.online@ct.gov with your name, registration type, registration number and email address, and say which login you need: a User ID and password (full account access) or a Fast Track Renewal PIN (renewal only). DCP can't take credit cards or give out a User ID and password over the phone
Continuing education: None: DCP's home improvement renewal page lists no continuing education requirement
If it expires: It may be reinstated online if a completed reinstatement form and all applicable fees are submitted no later than three years after its expiration date, with the same $20,000 liability insurance (insurer's name and policy number); a reinstated registration expires on the next March 31. Corporations, LLCs and LLPs also need an active Certificate of Good Standing from the Connecticut Secretary of the State. DCP's reinstatement page covers only those three years: past that, ask DCP
Working while expired: Offering to make or making a home improvement without a current registration, or using an expired one, is a class B misdemeanor under the Act, and DCP may also impose a civil penalty of up to $1,500 per violation after notice and a hearing
Your business entity: If you contract with consumers as an LLC, the LLC needs its own registration: a registration you hold as an individual doesn't cover it
Advertising: The Act requires you to state in any advertisement that you're registered, include your registration number in it, and show your certificate of registration when anyone interested asks
Keep it current: Update your contact information, insurance information or criminal history in DCP's online licensing system no later than 30 days after it changes
Felony conviction: If you've been convicted of a felony, complete the Criminal Conviction Application Worksheet with your renewal
Questions: Licensing questions: DCP.HomeImprovement@ct.gov

Every registration expires on the same day, March 31, whatever month it was issued: a registration you got in the fall still comes due that March.

Change your insurance carrier mid-year? The Act asks you to update your insurance information online within 30 days of the change, not only at renewal.

How to renew

Put March 31 in your calendar: every Connecticut home improvement registration expires that day each year.
Check your general liability insurance (at least $20,000) is current, and have your insurer's name and policy number ready.
Watch for DCP's renewal notice by email (or by mail if DCP has no email address for you). If it doesn't come, email dcp.online@ct.gov for your User ID and password or a Fast Track Renewal PIN well before March 31.
Renew and pay the $220 online on DCP's online renewal website: paper renewals and checks aren't accepted.
Check on elicense.ct.gov that your registration shows as renewed before March 31.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

60 days outCheck your general liability policy (at least $20,000) runs past March 31 and note its policy number.
30 days outLook for DCP's renewal notice. No notice, User ID or Fast Track PIN? Email dcp.online@ct.gov now.
14 days outRenew online and pay the $220: DCP doesn't take paper renewals or checks.
March 31Make sure your registration shows as renewed: offering or doing home improvement work without a current one is a crime under the Act.

Put this renewal in your calendar

Know your expiration date? Download a free calendar file with reminders before it, no sign-up needed. It's made in your browser: nothing you type is sent to us (your browser keeps it only if you follow the sign-up link, for your new ledger). A Google Calendar button sends just that one event to Google.

The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your general liability insurance policy (at least $20,000 to stay registered)
Your trade licenses, if you also hold a DCP electrical, plumbing or HVAC license (those expire on their own dates)
Your New Home Construction Contractor registration, if you also build new homes
Your LLC's or corporation's standing with the Connecticut Secretary of the State
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

When does a Connecticut home improvement contractor registration expire?

Every registration expires annually on March 31, so it's renewed every year. The next expiration is March 31, 2027.

How much does it cost to renew a Connecticut HIC registration?

$220 a year: the $120 registration fee plus the $100 a year paid into the Home Improvement Guaranty Fund. It's paid online only.

Can I renew my Connecticut home improvement registration by mail?

No. Home improvement contractor renewals must be submitted and paid online, with your User ID and password or a Fast Track Renewal PIN. DCP can no longer accept paper renewal notices and checks by mail or in its drop box.

Do Connecticut home improvement contractors need insurance to renew?

Yes. You need general liability insurance of at least $20,000, and the online renewal asks for your insurance provider's name and policy number.

What if my Connecticut HIC registration expired?

It may be reinstated online if a completed reinstatement form and all applicable fees are submitted no later than three years after its expiration date; a reinstated registration expires on the next March 31. Working without a current registration is a class B misdemeanor, and DCP may impose a civil penalty of up to $1,500 per violation.

Do Connecticut home improvement contractors need continuing education?

No. DCP's home improvement renewal page lists no continuing education requirement.

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Home Improvement Renewal

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Connecticut guides

All Connecticut guides on one page

General contractor guides for other states

2027 license renewal deadlines, month by month

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

How LicenseLedger works for general contractors

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet

Connecticut Home Improvement Contractor Registration Renewal

Last reviewed October 2026 · 6 min read

At a glance

Who needs it: Anyone contracting with a consumer to do home improvement work on residential property: any permanent change such as driveways, swimming pools, porches, garages, roofs, siding, insulation, flooring, patios, landscaping, painting, fences, doors and windows, waterproofing, and alarm systems not requiring electrical work
Not home improvement: DCP lists work done by homeowners on their own property, work covered by the scope of a trade license, work on commercial property, contracts under $200, property maintenance (snowplowing, mowing, pruning, cleaning), tree and shrub cutting and grinding, and building new homes, which takes a New Home Construction Contractor registration instead
Small jobs: Under the Act's definition, you aren't a contractor if the total price of all your home improvement contracts with all your customers is no more than $1,000 in any 12 consecutive months
Renews every: Year. All registrations expire annually on March 31. Next: March 31, 2027
Renewal fee: $220 a year. Under the Act that's the $120 registration fee plus the $100 a year registered contractors pay into the Home Improvement Guaranty Fund (the Act waives the fees for a contractor acting solely as a corporation's contractor of record)
Insurance: General liability insurance of at least $20,000 to be eligible for a registration. The online renewal asks for your insurance provider's name and policy number
Renew: Online only, on DCP's online renewal website (elicense.ct.gov), with your User ID and password or the Fast Track Renewal PIN from your renewal notice. DCP can no longer accept paper renewal notices and checks by mail or in its drop box
Renewal notice: DCP sends renewal notices before the expiration date, to the email address on file (by regular mail if there's none). Under the Act, not getting a notice doesn't excuse you from renewing
No notice or login?: Email dcp.online@ct.gov with your name, registration type, registration number and email address, and say which login you need: a User ID and password (full account access) or a Fast Track Renewal PIN (renewal only). DCP can't take credit cards or give out a User ID and password over the phone
Continuing education: None: DCP's home improvement renewal page lists no continuing education requirement
If it expires: It may be reinstated online if a completed reinstatement form and all applicable fees are submitted no later than three years after its expiration date, with the same $20,000 liability insurance (insurer's name and policy number); a reinstated registration expires on the next March 31. Corporations, LLCs and LLPs also need an active Certificate of Good Standing from the Connecticut Secretary of the State. DCP's reinstatement page covers only those three years: past that, ask DCP
Working while expired: Offering to make or making a home improvement without a current registration, or using an expired one, is a class B misdemeanor under the Act, and DCP may also impose a civil penalty of up to $1,500 per violation after notice and a hearing
Your business entity: If you contract with consumers as an LLC, the LLC needs its own registration: a registration you hold as an individual doesn't cover it
Advertising: The Act requires you to state in any advertisement that you're registered, include your registration number in it, and show your certificate of registration when anyone interested asks
Keep it current: Update your contact information, insurance information or criminal history in DCP's online licensing system no later than 30 days after it changes
Felony conviction: If you've been convicted of a felony, complete the Criminal Conviction Application Worksheet with your renewal
Questions: Licensing questions: DCP.HomeImprovement@ct.gov

Every registration expires on the same day, March 31, whatever month it was issued: a registration you got in the fall still comes due that March.

Change your insurance carrier mid-year? The Act asks you to update your insurance information online within 30 days of the change, not only at renewal.

How to renew

Put March 31 in your calendar: every Connecticut home improvement registration expires that day each year.
Check your general liability insurance (at least $20,000) is current, and have your insurer's name and policy number ready.
Watch for DCP's renewal notice by email (or by mail if DCP has no email address for you). If it doesn't come, email dcp.online@ct.gov for your User ID and password or a Fast Track Renewal PIN well before March 31.
Renew and pay the $220 online on DCP's online renewal website: paper renewals and checks aren't accepted.
Check on elicense.ct.gov that your registration shows as renewed before March 31.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

60 days outCheck your general liability policy (at least $20,000) runs past March 31 and note its policy number.
30 days outLook for DCP's renewal notice. No notice, User ID or Fast Track PIN? Email dcp.online@ct.gov now.
14 days outRenew online and pay the $220: DCP doesn't take paper renewals or checks.
March 31Make sure your registration shows as renewed: offering or doing home improvement work without a current one is a crime under the Act.

Put this renewal in your calendar

The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your general liability insurance policy (at least $20,000 to stay registered)
Your trade licenses, if you also hold a DCP electrical, plumbing or HVAC license (those expire on their own dates)
Your New Home Construction Contractor registration, if you also build new homes
Your LLC's or corporation's standing with the Connecticut Secretary of the State
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

When does a Connecticut home improvement contractor registration expire?

Every registration expires annually on March 31, so it's renewed every year. The next expiration is March 31, 2027.

How much does it cost to renew a Connecticut HIC registration?

$220 a year: the $120 registration fee plus the $100 a year paid into the Home Improvement Guaranty Fund. It's paid online only.

Can I renew my Connecticut home improvement registration by mail?

Do Connecticut home improvement contractors need insurance to renew?

Yes. You need general liability insurance of at least $20,000, and the online renewal asks for your insurance provider's name and policy number.

What if my Connecticut HIC registration expired?

Do Connecticut home improvement contractors need continuing education?

No. DCP's home improvement renewal page lists no continuing education requirement.

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Home Improvement Renewal

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Connecticut guides

All Connecticut guides on one page

General contractor guides for other states

2027 license renewal deadlines, month by month

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

How LicenseLedger works for general contractors

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet