New Jersey's contractor directory: 1,203 firms, and where they are

This site's New Jersey directory launches with 1,203 firms drawn from DPMC classified contractor search. 340 are listed as general contractors and 863 as specialty contractors. They have an address in 21 of New Jersey's 21 counties.

Where they are

The ten counties with the most listed firms are:

1. Monmouth County: 143 (11.9%)
2. Bergen County: 127 (10.6%)
3. Morris County: 109 (9.1%)
4. Middlesex County: 107 (8.9%)
5. Passaic County: 92 (7.6%)
6. Union County: 68 (5.7%)
7. Essex County: 66 (5.5%)
8. Atlantic County: 57 (4.7%)
9. Camden County: 56 (4.7%)
10. Somerset County: 50 (4.2%)

The top three alone account for 32% of the list. Every county has at least one listed firm.

Trades

Trades are taken from license classes or, where the source has none, inferred from firm names, so a firm can show more than one. The most common are general contracting (359), electrical (231), underground utilities (204), HVAC & Mechanical (187), site work & excavation (166) and concrete (148).

Every county

Monmouth County 143; Bergen County 127; Morris County 109; Middlesex County 107; Passaic County 92; Union County 68; Essex County 66; Atlantic County 57; Camden County 56; Ocean County 50; Somerset County 50; Burlington County 49; Gloucester County 49; Mercer County 39; Hunterdon County 31; Cumberland County 30; Sussex County 28; Hudson County 24; Warren County 16; Salem County 7; Cape May County 5.

Expiration dates

Where the source gives an expiration date, licenses expire in 2026 (86), 2027 (556), 2028 (558), 2029 (2) and 2053 (1). Renewed licenses update when the source is refreshed.

What the source is

Counts come from DPMC's classified contractor search (firms with a New Jersey address in each county). Firms classified in general construction or design-build disciplines are counted as general contractors; the rest as trade contractors.

Contractors and subcontractors on covered public works must hold Public Works Contractor Registration, and DPMC bidders must be DPMC-classified. See our licensing guide.

What the directory does not show

Listings carry only what the public source publishes: firm name, city, county, license or certification details and, where available, status and expiration. They do not include personal phone numbers or emails. Trade tags are a starting point and may be incomplete. A firm that is missing, or listed under the wrong county, can add or claim its listing for free and correct it.

How primes and subs use it

Each county hub lists the firms based there next to the DPMC projects in the same county. Primes can find local subs and suppliers to price a bid, and subs can see which projects are coming up near their base.

Terms used in this story

• Plan holders list: the list of firms that requested a project's plans, which subs and suppliers use to find primes to quote.
• Bid bond: a surety's guarantee, usually a percentage of the bid, that the low bidder will sign the contract and furnish the required bonds.
• Payment bond: a surety bond that guarantees the prime will pay its subs and suppliers on a public job, standing in for lien rights.
• Prequalification: an agency's review of a contractor's finances, equipment and experience that sets what work, and how much, it may bid.
• DBE: disadvantaged business enterprise, a certification used to meet participation goals on federally funded transportation work.
• Engineer's estimate: the agency's own estimate of a project's cost, often published as a range before the letting.
• Retainage: a share of each progress payment held back until the work is accepted.
• Low bidder: the responsive bidder with the lowest total price; most public construction is awarded to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder.
• Award: the agency's formal acceptance of a bid, after which the contractor signs the contract and posts its bonds.
• Change order: a written change to a signed contract's work, price or time.
• Notice to proceed: the agency's written go-ahead that starts the contract clock.
• Prevailing wage: minimum wage and fringe rates set for public works by trade and area, where state or federal law applies.