How to choose a house painter in Pennsylvania

Updated November 10, 2026 · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

What is the short version?

Choose a painter who is registered with the Attorney General, can show you current insurance, and, if your house was built before 1978, holds federal lead-safe certification. Then compare at least two written estimates for the same scope and sign a contract only when it says everything you agreed. The steps below take each part in turn.

Step 1: Is the painter registered?

Most painting jobs over $500 at a home are home improvements under Pennsylvania law, and the people doing them must register with the Attorney General. Ask for the registration number. It should already be on the estimate, because the Attorney General's guidance requires contractors to put it on estimates, proposals, contracts and advertisements, vehicle ads included.

Look the number up on the state's contractor search, which shows active registrations only. If the painter says the business is too small to register, ask how much home improvement work it does: the exception is for less than $5,000 of such work a year.

In Philadelphia, also run the name through the city's licensed contractor lookup, which lists licensing violations. The city tells property owners to make sure a contractor has the proper licenses and registrations, a good reputation and the permits the job needs.

Step 2: Can the painter show insurance?

Registration requires liability insurance of at least $50,000 for injury and $50,000 for property damage, and the contract itself must state the coverage carried at signing. The Federal Trade Commission adds a simple instruction: ask the contractor for proof of insurance. A certificate in hand is better than a statement on a website.

Step 3: If the house is older, is the firm lead-safe certified?

For a pre-1978 house, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends hiring a lead-safe contractor certified and trained in lead-safe work practices, and federal law requires it of any firm paid to disturb the paint. Two documents are involved:

The firm's certification. It comes from the EPA, lasts five years and cannot be transferred: if a business is sold, the new owner needs a new one, according to the agency's firm certification page. Certified firms receive a "Lead-Safe Certified Firm" logo they may use in advertising, and the EPA tells homeowners to look for it.
The renovator's certificate. Every job needs a certified renovator, whose credential is a course completion certificate. The EPA says that person must carry copies of the initial and latest refresher certificates at the worksite.

The EPA also runs a Lead-Based Paint Professional Locator for finding certified contractors. If a painter tells you an older house does not need any of this, ask whether the paint has been tested; without documentation that it is not lead-based, the rule applies.

Step 4: How should you compare estimates?

Get more than one, in writing. The FTC says a written estimate should include a description of the work, the materials, a completion date and the price, and that you should not automatically pick the lowest bid; ask about big differences instead.

For painting, "the same scope" means the same rooms or walls, the same surfaces (walls, ceilings, trim, doors), the same number of coats and the same preparation: scraping, patching, priming and any repairs. A low price that skips preparation is not the same job. The cost guide sets out the ranges the published surveys report, so you can see whether a quote is far outside them.

Step 5: What do references and complaints tell you?

The Attorney General says registration is not an endorsement of honesty or quality of work, and advises three further checks: thoroughly check references, obtain more than one bid, and look for complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau.

Two counties in the area run consumer offices that also take complaints. Bucks County's office mediates complaints against businesses, including incomplete or unsatisfactory home repairs. Delaware County's Office of Consumer Affairs offers voluntary mediation and takes complaints about home repair and remodeling.

Step 6: What should make you walk away?

The FTC lists signs of a scam: someone who knocks on the door because they are "in the area", claims to have materials left over from another job, presses for an immediate decision, wants everything paid up front or in cash only, asks you to get the permits, or steers you to a lender they know.

The Attorney General's tips, published after a Montgomery County contractor was sentenced for taking payments for work he did not finish, say the same in other words: be wary of high-pressure tactics, get a written contract, check it for the cancellation date and the start and completion dates, and do not sign a completion certificate until the work is done to your satisfaction.

Step 7: What goes in the contract?

Pennsylvania law sets out what a home improvement contract must contain, caps the deposit on larger jobs and gives you three business days to cancel. What Pennsylvania requires of painters lists those terms. Once you have a shortlist, painters serving the area are on the painters directory page.

Sources

Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
Home Improvement Contractor Verification, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
Pottstown-Based Home Improvement Contractor Jailed at Least 3 Years for Taking More than $156K for Jobs he did not Complete, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam, Federal Trade Commission
Reduce the Risk of Lead Exposure at Home, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Program: Consumers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Renovator Training, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Firm Certification, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Find a licensed contractor and contractor information, City of Philadelphia
Consumer Protection/ Weights & Measures, Bucks County
Consumer Affairs/Weights & Measures, Delaware County