METHODOLOGY

How we verify every business

Every business we recommend clears the same bar, no matter the trade. A good word from neighbors gets a business considered. An active license in a public record gets it recommended. If we cannot confirm both, it does not run, however many five-star reviews it has. This page is the standard; each guide shows the work for its own picks.

The two filters

Community signal. We start where Park Slope neighbors actually trade names: Park Slope Parents, the Brownstoner forums, local reporting, and the businesses competing hardest in local search. That tells us who people trust, not who buys the most ads.

The license. Then we confirm each business against the authoritative public record for its trade, and we check that the license is currently active, not just that it once existed. A recent permit or registration is what proves a license is live, since some official lookups block automated checks. Where a record cannot be confirmed, we hold the business back rather than vouch for a license we have not seen.

Which public record proves which trade

The right record depends on who licenses the work. The mapping we use:

• Plumbers and electricians— NYC Department of Buildings license, confirmed live through recent DOB NOW permit filings.
• General contractors, roofers, and renovation firms — NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) license.
• Movers— the federal FMCSA database, by USDOT number, confirming a registered carrier with active operating authority (not a broker that resells your job), plus NY State registration for in-state moves.
• Dentists— the federal NPI registry matched to a New York dental license in the NY State Education Department Office of the Professions, plus its enforcement log.
• Veterinarians— the NY State Office of the Professions license and discipline record, confirmed by hand.
• Home inspectors— NY State Department of State licensing.
• Locksmiths— the NYC DCWP locksmith license, which the city issues to a named individual rather than the storefront.
• Exterminators— NY State Department of Environmental Conservation pesticide-business registration.
• Summer camps— NYC Department of Health Child Care Connect permits.
• Real estate attorneys— NY State court system attorney registration and good standing.

The check almost nobody runs

For the licensed professions, a clean license is not the end of it. We also read the state's public enforcement and discipline records, the log of suspensions, consent orders, and probation that a star rating hides. A business can be currently licensed and still carry a disciplinary action; that check is the one that catches it.

We hold back rather than vouch

Quality over padding. We have dropped well-reviewed, long-established businesses for an expired license, a disciplinary record, or a brand we could not bridge to a single active license holder. We would rather hand you a short list we are sure of than a long one we are not. When the verified pool for a category is small, we say so and explain why.

Nobody pays to be on a list

Editorial recommendations are not for sale. A business can pay for featured placement or to receive inquiries from its category, and when it does we label that in plain language right next to the recommendation. Paying never buys a spot on a guide. The picks stay independent of who pays.

We re-verify every 90 days

Licenses lapse and businesses close, so a guide is only as good as its last check. We re-verify every cornerstone on a roughly 90-day cadence, and each guide shows its last-refreshed date so you can see how current it is.

See the standard in practice across every Park Slope guide, or read more about who does the verifying.