Finding a quality painter shouldn't require hours of research, phone calls, and hoping for the best. That's why we built PaintersNearMe.org - a transparent ranking platform that uses public data to score painters and verify their licenses automatically.

The Problem with Finding Painters Online

Traditional contractor directories have some serious issues:

  • Pay-to-play rankings: The top results are often whoever paid the most, not who does the best work
  • Fake reviews: It's trivially easy to buy fake 5-star reviews
  • No license verification: You have no idea if the contractor is actually licensed
  • Hidden criteria: You can't see why one contractor ranks higher than another
  • Insurance uncertainty: Even if licensed, is their insurance current?

We wanted to fix all of this with a system that's completely transparent and puts homeowner protection first.

How PaintersNearMe.org Works

PaintersNearMe.org ranks painters using a 100-point algorithmic score based on publicly verifiable data. Here's exactly how we calculate it:

The Scoring Algorithm (100% Transparent)

Score = (Avg Rating × 35) + (Volume × 15) + (Years × 20) + (Consistency × 10) + (License × 15) + (Breadth × 5)

Let's break that down:

  • Average Rating (35%): Mean rating across Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Minimum threshold: 4.0 stars
  • Review Volume (15%): More reviews = more confidence. 10-49 reviews gets 1x, 50-99 gets 1.5x, 100+ gets 2x multiplier
  • Years in Business (20%): Longevity matters. 10-14 years gets +15 points, 15+ years gets +18 points
  • Consistency (10%): +5 if all platforms show >4.8 rating, -3 if there's more than 0.5 spread between platforms
  • License & Insurance (15%): +10 for verified state license, +3 for BBB A+ rating, +2 for chamber membership
  • Service Breadth (5%): +1 per category (max 5): painting, coatings, epoxy, staining, etc.

License Verification: The Game Changer

Here's what most people don't know: In Utah and Washington, if a contractor's license is active, their insurance is guaranteed to be current.

How does this work?

  • Both states require contractors to maintain liability insurance as a condition of licensure
  • Insurance companies notify the state when a policy lapses
  • The state automatically suspends the license when insurance expires
  • No insurance = No active license

This means if we verify a contractor has an active state license, you can be confident they carry current insurance. We built automated verification into PaintersNearMe.org.

How We Verify Licenses

Washington State: We use the official Labor & Industries public API (via data.wa.gov) to check license status in real-time. You get instant verification of license number, status, expiration date, and contractor type.

Utah: The Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) doesn't offer a public API, so we provide direct links to their official lookup tool at secure.utah.gov. One click to verify.

Current Coverage

We're starting with Southern Utah because that's where we have the deepest local knowledge:

St. George, UT - 5 Ranked + 2 Emerging

  • #1 - 3 Ropes Painting & Coatings (Score: 87) - 11 years, family-owned, BuildZoom top 10%
  • #2 - Accent Painting (Score: 82) - 56 years in business, third-generation family company
  • #3 - Bailey Painting LLC (Score: 72) - 18 years, known for quality craftsmanship
  • #4 - Carvel Painting (Score: 70) - 10+ years, eco-friendly focus
  • #5 - Patriot Painting LLC (Score: 68) - 5 years, growing reputation

Cedar City, UT - 3 Ranked + 2 Emerging

  • #1 - Carvel Painting (Score: 70) - Based in Cedar City area
  • #2 - Reber Painting Inc (Score: 65) - 32 years since 1993
  • #3 - 3 Ropes Painting & Coatings (Score: 64) - St. George-based, serves Cedar City

Request Your City

We're expanding coverage based on demand. Visit PaintersNearMe.org to vote for your city. Cities with the most requests get researched first.

Why This Matters

The painting industry has a reputation problem. Too many unlicensed, uninsured operators compete on price while cutting corners. Homeowners get burned, legitimate contractors lose business to lowballers, and the cycle continues.

By making license verification easy and ranking transparent, we hope to:

  • Protect homeowners from unlicensed contractors
  • Reward contractors who do things right
  • Raise industry standards through transparency
  • Make hiring decisions data-driven, not gamble-driven

Built by Kiah AI

PaintersNearMe.org is one of several projects powered by the Kiah autonomous AI system. The license verification module, data aggregation, and ranking calculations are all automated - allowing us to keep rankings current without manual intervention.

Learn more about our AI system at ottobot.org.

Find Licensed Painters Near You

Transparent rankings. Verified licenses. Guaranteed insurance.

Visit PaintersNearMe.org →