RBQ licence check: the official, free lookup
The check runs in the Régie du bâtiment du Québec's public register, with no account and no fee, in two minutes. But what the licence proves — and what it doesn't — is less obvious than it seems.
The short answer
Open the Régie du bâtiment du Québec's licence holder register — rbq.gouv.qc.ca → verify a contractor's licence — search by licence number (most reliable) or business name, then read the licence status, the categories and subcategories, and whether the registered name matches your contract exactly. It is free, public, and no account is required. The register is in French; your browser's translation handles it.
Whether you're a buyer validating an inspector, or an inspector wanting to see what clients see, the process is the same. Here's how to do it, and more importantly how to read the result.
The official, free method, step by step
The Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) publishes a register of licence holders, open to everyone, with no account or fee.
- Open the official register: Verify a contractor's licence — RBQ. No account, no fee.
- Search by licence number if you have it — that's the most reliable, because one commercial name can map to several legal entities. Otherwise search by business name.
- Read the full record and check the three items below, not just the first.
- Cross-check against the RBQ's published list of restricted, suspended and cancelled licences.
- Keep a dated screenshot on file: a licence status changes over time.
What to look at
- Licence status. A licence can be active, suspended, cancelled, or under renewal. "Exists" doesn't mean "valid today."
- Categories and subcategories. This is the most misunderstood part. A licence authorizes specific work. Does the business name match exactly the one on your contract?
- Name consistency. A licence under a sister company, or a former business name, deserves a question.
An important point, often missed
In Quebec, pre-purchase building inspection is not a reserved-title profession. There is no professional order of building inspectors as there is for engineers or architects.
In practice: the RBQ licence concerns the execution of construction work. Depending on the exact nature of their activity, a building inspector may or may not hold an RBQ licence. Its absence is therefore not automatically a red flag — but it changes what you should verify instead.
What the licence does not tell you
A valid licence confirms an administrative status. It says nothing about:
- Professional liability insurance. That's what protects you if something is missed. Ask for a current certificate, with amounts and expiry date.
- Membership in a professional association and adherence to a recognized standard of practice.
- Continuing education and real experience with the building type involved.
- The quality of the reports produced. Ask to see an anonymized sample — it's the best indicator.
The four documents to request
- The RBQ licence number, where applicable, and its current status
- A current professional liability insurance certificate
- A written service contract stating the scope and limitations of the inspection
- A recent, anonymized sample report
A serious professional provides all four without hesitation. Reluctance on any one of them is itself information.
For inspectors: what your clients see
If you're an inspector, reverse the exercise. Look up your own business in the register. Three problems come up often:
- The registered name differs from the commercial name used on contracts and your website.
- An expiry date is approaching with nobody actively tracking it.
- The insurance certificate sits in last year's email, unfindable when a client asks.
All three are solved by structured tracking rather than memory. A missed expiry can interrupt your ability to work overnight.
Verification isn't a one-time step at hiring. It's a state to maintain — before every contract, and above all before every report signature.
Automating the tracking
DomiSpect is designed to enable verification and tracking of an inspector's professional information: licence number, category, validity date and insurance certificates, with re-checks before a new contract and before signing a report.
DomiSpect is an independent platform. It is not approved, certified or sponsored by the Régie du bâtiment du Québec. When automatic validation isn't available or remains uncertain, the file goes to administrative verification.
RBQ licence check: frequently asked questions
How do I check an RBQ licence for free?
Through the RBQ licence holder register. The lookup is public, free and immediate: no account needed. Search by licence number or business name.
Where do I find a company's RBQ licence number?
It must appear on the quote, the contract, the invoice, and usually on the company's website and vehicles. If you can't find it, ask in writing: it is public information, and reluctance to share it is itself a signal.
What do "restricted", "suspended" and "cancelled" mean?
Restricted limits what the company may do; suspended means it cannot operate for now; cancelled means the licence no longer exists. The RBQ publishes these in a separate list to cross-check against the register. "Exists" does not mean "valid today".
Must a home inspector hold an RBQ licence?
Not necessarily today: the RBQ licence governs construction work, and pre-purchase inspection is not a reserved-title profession in Quebec. What changes in 2027 is the building inspector certificate — see the REIBH deadline.
Does an RBQ licence prove the inspector is insured and competent?
No. It confirms administrative standing. It says nothing about professional liability insurance, the standard of practice followed, continuing education, or report quality. Ask for the four documents listed above.
Can software run the check for me?
Software can structure and track the information — number, category, expiry, certificates — and alert you before it lapses. The official source remains the RBQ register, and no software is certified by the Régie.
Keep your compliance current, without thinking about it
Licence and insurance tracking, plus checks before every report signature.
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