The North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors (NCLBGC) is implementing software to conduct criminal background checks for all new license applicants.
Broadcaster WBTV-8 says that the board is introducing the change following its investigative reporting which uncovered that the licensing system for general contractors is largely conducted on the honor system — and several contractors with shady pasts including bankrutpcies had been licensed, only to leave some homeowners in the lurch with failed projects.
The broadcaster reported on Jan. 6 that NCLBGC Director Frank Wiesner had responded to its inquiries with the following statement:
“The Board has initiated the process to migrate its licensing database to a new software solution that can accommodate the background check. It is anticipated the configuration of the new software system will be completed by the end of April 2022. Once the new software is operational the NCLBGC intends to require criminal background checks for all new license applicants.”
“One big question is whether these background checks will also reveal bankruptcies, judgments because, in WBTV’s reporting, we’ve found it much more likely for those issues to remain hidden than criminal history,” WBTV reported. “We’re still waiting on a response from the licensing board.”