Verify GC license, bond, insurance, and Portland addition history

What CCB licensing covers

The Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB) licenses residential and commercial contractors statewide. For your project, the GC needs an active residential endorsement that covers general contracting work.

CCB endorsements that matter:

Endorsement	Scope
Residential General Contractor (RGC)	Full residential GC scope, 1–4 unit dwellings
Residential General Contractor — Limited	Smaller residential scope; often a stepping-stone endorsement
Residential Specialty Contractor (RSC)	Single-trade residential work (framing-only, etc.)
Commercial General Contractor (CGC1, CGC2)	Commercial work — wrong endorsement for your residential addition

For a second-story addition, you want an RGC. An RSC alone isn't enough; an RSC could legally do framing under another GC, but not run the whole project.

Bond and insurance minimums

Oregon CCB sets minimum bond and insurance amounts for each endorsement category. Current minimums change occasionally — verify against the CCB requirements page at the time of contract signing.

The structure to verify:

1. Bond status — should show "Active." "Cancelled," "Suspended," or "Inactive" means the license isn't currently in good standing.
2. Bond amount — meets the current Oregon minimum for the endorsement.
3. Bond effective date — bond is current, not expired.
4. Liability insurance — active, with limits at or above the residential minimum.

What the bond does (and doesn't): it's a small fund the CCB can pay homeowner claims out of when a homeowner wins a CCB complaint or court judgment. It's intentionally small relative to the typical claim. The bond isn't insurance for your project — the GC's commercial general liability policy is. The bond is the screening signal for licensing.

The Information Notice to Owner — the paperwork that protects YOU

ORS 87.018 requires the contractor to deliver an Information Notice to Owner (ION) to a residential property owner at contract signing for improvements over a certain threshold (currently $2,000 — verify the current threshold on the CCB site).

The ION explains, in plain language:

• That subs and suppliers can record construction liens against your property if the GC doesn't pay them.
• That you should request lien waivers with each progress payment.
• Where to file complaints with CCB.
• Your right to ask for a list of subs and suppliers.

Two important points:

1. Get your copy and keep it. It's evidence the GC complied with ORS 87.018. The CCB asks for it in any complaint proceeding.
2. A GC who doesn't deliver the ION may have impaired lien rights. ORS 87.018 conditions the GC's ability to record a lien against the property on having delivered the notice. If the GC sues you for nonpayment and tries to lien, ION delivery is one of the threshold facts.

Other CCB fields that matter as much as the bond

• Entity name matches the entity on the contract. Sole proprietors sometimes operate under a DBA that doesn't match the CCB record. The contract counterparty has to be the licensed entity, not the DBA.
• No active complaints or recent disciplinary actions. CCB orders are public; a recent suspension or settled complaint shows up on the verify page.
• License history length. A license issued in the last 12 months is a yellow flag for a Portland addition at $500K+. Not a dealbreaker, but pair it with a stronger reference list.
• Workers' comp account current. Oregon employers are required to carry workers' comp; CCB shows the status. A lapsed account means the GC's crew may not be covered.