How to read these records

The license

Issued by the Division of Revenue to a business operating in Delaware. It is a tax registration, not a professional qualification: it does not say the business is competent, insured or bonded. One license number can carry several trade names; they are grouped on one record here.

The dates

“Valid from” and “valid to” are the current license period. Most periods run from January 1 to December 31; some run three years. A period that starts after January 1 usually means the business was first licensed that year — the file does not say it outright, and this site does not either.

The activity

The business activity the license was issued for, in the state's words (the file's spelling “Commerical Lessor” is corrected here). “Non-resident contractor” means a contractor located outside Delaware.

What is not here

Past licenses, the date a business was first licensed, owners' names, and any complaint or tax matter. A sole proprietor licensed under a personal name is found by search only, without a street address, and is on no list.

Workforce figure

When a record shows a number of plan participants, it comes from the employer's Form 5500 filing with the U.S. Department of Labor, matched on name and ZIP code. It is not in the Delaware file.