How to read this directory
Three things can be true about a business here, and they mean three different things. Knowing which is which is most of the work of hiring well.
Video placeholder
60 seconds: Listed, Checked and Winner, and what each one does not mean
One real profile on screen. Point to each badge, the verification date and the license number, then look the license up on the state site. Swap this block for a Video or YouTube element.
They exist and they told us about themselves
A listed business passed five automatic checks: it is registered with the state, its license is active where one is required, its phone and website are real, the owner confirmed the claim by email, and there is no open discipline on the license. That keeps fakes out. Insurance is not part of these checks, no person has reviewed it, and being listed is free, so it is not a recommendation. Treat it as a starting point.
We confirmed the paperwork on a date you can see
For a Checked business, a person looked the license up with the state agency that issues it, confirmed the liability policy was active with the agent, and confirmed the business matches the license holder. The profile shows what was verified, which services the license covers, and the date. We re-check every month, and the badge comes off automatically when a license or policy lapses.
What Checked does not mean: that the work will be good, that the price will be fair, or that we have any opinion about them. It is paperwork, verified. Nothing more.
Homeowners in their county voted for them
Once a trade in a place has enough businesses and enough votes to be meaningful, it becomes its own award category. Homeowners vote once a year. The badge names the year, the place and the trade, so a 2027 roofing winner in Hillsborough County cannot quietly become the best roofer in Florida forever.
What we will not do
- This is some text inside of a div block.
- We do not sell awards or votes, and a business that sponsors a category cannot win in it.
- We do not take a cut of your job or sell your details as a lead. You contact the business directly.
- We do not show you reviews we cannot stand behind. Where a profile is thin, it is thin for a reason.
Anything a business paid to place is labeled sponsored, every time.
How we make money, plainly
Businesses can pay yearly or monthly for visibility: Checked is $199 a year ($19 a month) and Advanced adds $490 a year ($49 a month). That buys a higher position on the page, more room to explain themselves, photos, video and a booking link. That is the entire business model. It changes how prominent a business is and how much you can read about it. It does not change whether they passed verification, and it cannot buy an award.
Using it well
Start with Checked
Filter to Checked businesses for anything that needs a license or could go badly wrong: electrical, gas, roofing, structural, pools.
Read the answers, not the adjectives
Paid profiles include the business answering real questions in its own words. How they answer tells you more than any star rating.
Call three
Price and availability vary more than quality does. Three quotes on the same scope is still the best tool you have.
Verify it yourself too
We show license numbers so you can look them up with the state. Do it. It takes two minutes and it is the only check nobody can fake.
Know someone good?
The directory is only as good as who is in it. Nominate a business you have actually hired, anywhere in the country, and we will invite them.
Reading a listing: common questions
What is the difference between Listed, the trust badge and Winner?
Listed means the business passed our automatic checks and is free to appear. The trust badge means a person checked its license and insurance against official records, on a date you can see. Winner means homeowners in its county voted it the best in its trade.
Does the badge mean the work is guaranteed?
No. It means the license and insurance were valid when we checked. It does not guarantee the quality of any job, so still get written quotes and a written contract.
Can a business buy the badge or an award?
No. Paying starts the Checked review. Only passing earns the badge. Paying never changes a rating, a review, a vote or an award. Paid plans can buy placement, and paid placement is always labeled Sponsored or Featured.
How do I check a license myself?
Ask for the license number and look it up on your state licensing board's website. Check that the name matches and the license is active for the type of work.
What should I do if a listing is wrong?
Email hello@topofthetrades.org with the business name and what is wrong. We review every report.
Page last updated