Business Background Check

You can get information about businesses located in New York City and licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA). The Better Business Bureau provides business histories for other businesses that are not licensed by DCA.

The City does not endorse particular businesses and does not provide recommendations where to do business.

You can get information about New York City businesses licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), including license number, status, expiration date, and the number and type of complaints filed with DCA.

Information is also available about car rental agencies, furniture stores, home heating oil companies, tax preparers, and travel agencies, which are not licensed by DCA.

Online

Get information about businesses licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs.

By Phone

Call 311 for assistance.

The Better Business Bureau gives business histories for businesses that are not licensed by DCA. You can file complaints online or by mail.

Online

Visit the Better Business Bureau's website.

File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

By Mail

Better Business Bureau
30 East 33rd Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Additional assistance is available:

By Phone

Agency: Better Business Bureau
Phone Number: (212) 533-6200
Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 10 AM - 4 PM

The following types of businesses are licensed by DCA:

Amusement Arcades
Amusement Devices (permanent, portable, temporary)
Auction Houses
Auctioneers
Billiard Rooms
Bingo Game Operators and Commercial Lessors
Booting Companies
Car Washes
Dealers in Products for the Disabled
Debt Collection Agencies
Electronic and Home Appliance Service Dealers
Electronic Cigarette Retail Dealers
Electronics Stores
Employment Agencies
Games of Chance
Gaming Cafes
Garages and Parking Lots
General Vendors and Distributors
Home Improvement Contractors and Salespeople
Horse Drawn Cab Owners and Drivers
Laundries (industrial, industrial delivery, retail)
Locksmiths and Apprentices
Newsstands (all types)
Pawnbrokers
Pedicab Businesses and Drivers
Process Serving Agencies and Process Server Individuals
Rental Halls
Scale Dealers and Repairers
Scrap Metal Processors
Secondhand Dealers of Automobiles
Secondhand Dealers
Sidewalk Cafes
Sightseeing Buses and Guides
Special Sales
Stoop Line Stands
Storage Warehouses
Temporary Street Fair Vendors
Ticket Seller Businesses and Individuals
Tobacco Retail Dealers
Tow Truck Companies and Tow Truck Drivers

The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs can help you with complaints about businesses in New York City. For complaints about businesses elsewhere, contact the local Consumer Affairs office or the State Attorney General's office. The federal government offers an online resource guide.

Online

Get the Consumer Action Handbook.

By Phone

Nassau County

Agency: Nassau County Consumer Affairs
Phone Number: (516) 571-2449
Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM

Suffolk County

Agency: Suffolk County Consumer Affairs
Phone Number: (631) 231-2400
Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM

Westchester County

Agency: Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection
Phone Number: (914) 995-2155
Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM

New Jersey

Agency: New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs
Phone Number: (973) 504-6200
Business Hours: Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM

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