State
BY KELLY SCHAFLER
Tela Goodwin Mange explains role of Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation The Texas Department of Licensing and Reg- ulation is the licensing entity for 38 different professions in Texas, ranging from barbers and cosmetologists to electricians and air conditioning contractors. In addition to licensing, the agency ensures these businesses are providing safe condi- tions and accessibility for consumers, Communica- tions Manager Tela Goodwin Mange said. The following interview with Goodwin Mange
Navigating the site The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation’s website has various tools residents can use to learn more about businesses who violated TDLR standards as well as who is licensed with the agency.
Searching for TDLR violators
Go to the TDLR website and select “search site.”
Visitors can search by license program type, company name, licensee name, city, county or ZIP code. Under “search for violations,” visitors can find the list of violators who have been adjudicated for the last two fiscal years.
Searching for TDLR licensees
has been edited for length and clarity. Who has to register with the TDLR?
Go to the TDLR website and select “search site.”
involved. If you were to go to a barbershop or a cos- metology salon and you hate your haircut, ... we’re not gonna open a complaint on that. But if you went to a barbershop or a cosmetology salon, and you got an infection that your physician said, ... ‘You got this because that salon or that barbershop wasn’t clean,’ then that’s definitely something that we want to know about, and there would be an investigation. ... Consumers who are [going to] hire anyone who is in a profession that’s licensed by TDLR, we urge them to check and make sure, is this person licensed, and have they had any administrative penalties in the last couple of years? ... In certain situations, if you do business with someone who’s unlicensed—like, for example, if you hire an elec- trician who is not licensed and they end up doing something that burns your house down—the insur- ance company may not pay your claim because by hiring someone who’s unlicensed, you’re not
If [the project costs] $50,000 or more, they have to register that with TDLR, and they have to provide a full set of construction documents to a person who’s known as a registered accessibility specialist. [We] will review those construction documents to make sure that construction project is going to meet the Texas Accessibility Standards, which is kind of a Texas version of the [Americans with Disabilities Act], because we want to make sure that all Texans are able to access a building. ... If the total project expenditure is less than $50,000, they’re not required to submit that information or that project to TDLR for registration and review, but there are certain times where they still have to meet the accessibility standard. What kind of complaint could someone file about a business? It’s going to vary on the type of license that’s
If a business is under the TDLR umbrella but not on the list, call TDLR customer support at 800-803-9202 to get assistance to verify if the business is registered. Under “search licensees,” visitors can find the list of individuals who have a license with the TDLR.
SOURCE: TELA GOODWIN MANGE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
complying with what the insurance company requires, which is that you hire someone who’s licensed and competent to perform that work. Is there anything else our readers should know? We’re ... not the only licensing entity in the state, but if you go to our website, you can see all the dif- ferent programs that we license. If the service that you’re looking for is included in one of those, please do check and make sure that they are licensed.
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KATY SOUTH - FULSHEAR EDITION
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