Construction Listings

The National Drywall Authority maintains a structured directory of drywall and interior finishing contractors, suppliers, and related construction service providers operating across the United States. This page documents the verification status of active listings, identifies geographic and specialty coverage gaps within the directory, defines the listing categories used to classify entrants, and describes how listing currency is sustained over time. Industry professionals, project owners, and researchers navigating the drywall service sector can use this reference to understand how the directory is organized and what standards govern inclusion.

Verification status

Listings within this directory are subject to a multi-point verification process before publication. Verification examines four primary credentials: valid state contractor licensing, general liability insurance coverage, applicable workers' compensation documentation, and a confirmed physical or registered business address within a US jurisdiction.

Contractor licensing requirements for drywall and interior finishing work vary by state. California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada each operate independent licensing boards with distinct examination, bonding, and continuing education requirements. The California Contractors State License Board (CSLB) classifies drywall under the C-9 Lathing and Plastering license and the C-35 Lathing and Plastering specialty — two distinct credential categories with separate scope-of-work definitions. Florida's Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB) governs plastering and stucco under a specialty contractor designation. Listings originating from states without mandatory statewide drywall licensing are reviewed against county or municipal permit records where those are accessible.

Insurance minimums required for verified status are $1,000,000 per occurrence in general liability coverage, consistent with thresholds commonly specified in commercial subcontract agreements. Listings that cannot confirm this threshold are placed in provisional status and flagged accordingly within the Drywall Listings index.

Fire-resistance-rated assembly compliance is also a verification consideration. Listings for contractors performing rated wall and ceiling assemblies are cross-referenced against Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Design Numbers for gypsum board systems, as UL-listed assemblies require installation in strict conformance with published specifications to maintain their rating under the International Building Code (IBC) Section 703.

Coverage gaps

The directory does not yet achieve full national coverage across all specialty subcategories. As of the current build, geographic gaps are concentrated in the upper Midwest and rural Mountain West regions, where drywall contractor density is lower and licensing registries are less centralized.

Specialty coverage gaps exist in 3 service categories:

1. Shaft wall and area separation fire wall installation — Contractors certified or experienced in UL-listed shaft wall assemblies (commonly Type X gypsum board systems rated for 1-hour to 4-hour fire resistance) are underrepresented in the directory outside major metro markets.
2. Exterior gypsum sheathing and EIFS integration — Work governed by ASTM C1177 (glass mat gypsum substrate) and ASTM C1396 (gypsum board specifications) requires specific installer knowledge; fewer than 15% of current directory entries carry verified specialty notation for exterior systems.
3. Acoustic drywall and sound transmission control (STC-rated assemblies) — Contractors experienced with resilient channel, double-stud, and decoupled ceiling systems are listed in limited numbers outside California, New York, and Illinois.

Users seeking specialty services outside major metropolitan areas are advised to review the Directory Purpose and Scope page for context on how coverage expansion is prioritized.

Listing categories

Directory entries are classified into 4 primary categories, each with defined scope boundaries:

1. Residential Drywall Contractors — Licensed or registered contractors performing drywall installation, repair, and finishing in single-family and multifamily residential construction. Scope includes board hanging, taping, finishing to Level 1 through Level 5 standards as defined by the Gypsum Association's GA-214 document.

2. Commercial and Institutional Drywall Contractors — Contractors performing interior framing and drywall in commercial, institutional, and industrial occupancies under IBC and OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart Q (masonry and concrete construction) and Subpart R (steel erection) scaffolding safety standards. Fire-resistance and acoustic performance specifications are standard scope elements in this category.

3. Specialty Finishing and Decorative Contractors — Entrants whose primary scope includes Level 5 finish, skim coat plaster, Venetian plaster, or textured finish systems distinct from standard board-and-tape installations.

4. Suppliers and Distributors — Gypsum board manufacturers, regional distributors, and specialty product suppliers. This category includes products governed by ASTM C36 (gypsum wallboard), ASTM C442 (gypsum backing board), and ASTM C1396 standards. Supplier listings do not carry contractor licensing verification requirements but do require a US business registration.

The distinction between Category 1 and Category 2 is not merely occupancy type — commercial listings require demonstrated experience with rated assembly documentation, submittal processes, and inspection coordination under the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), criteria not applied to residential entries. Further classification detail is available through the How to Use This Drywall Resource reference page.

How currency is maintained

Listing currency — the accuracy and active status of directory entries — is maintained through a scheduled review cycle and a passive monitoring protocol operating in parallel.

The scheduled review cycle re-verifies licensing and insurance credentials for all active entries on an annual basis. State licensing board lookups are conducted directly through official board portals (CSLB, CILB, and equivalent agencies) rather than through third-party aggregators, reducing the risk of outdated credential data. Entries where license status cannot be confirmed within a 30-day outreach window are moved to suspended status pending resolution.

The passive monitoring protocol flags entries triggered by a change event: license expiration notices, business registration lapses, or insurance certificate expirations where certificate copies are held on file. Contractors with certificates of insurance showing expiration within 60 days receive a renewal reminder, and listings are downgraded to provisional status at the expiration date if updated documentation is not received.

Permitting activity is not used as a primary currency signal, as permit records vary significantly in public accessibility across jurisdictions — fewer than 40 states expose searchable permit databases at the state level. Where permit data is accessible, it serves as a supplementary confirmation of active operations rather than a standalone verification criterion.