1.   Consumers can also determine if a contractor is licensed by contacting the department of consumer affairs or the department of transportation in their state.

2.   In most cases, Green said, homeowners who are contemplating hiring a home-improvement contractor can call their municipality and determine whether the contractor is licensed.

3.   In New York City, for example, contractors must be licensed by the Department of Consumer Affairs.

4.   The department, which licenses contractors for the federal government, refers any matters involving illegal workers to the INS.

5.   However, the spokesman said that even if the contractor was licensed to transport the waste, he could not send it to the illegal factory.