Authentication - LicenseSearcher

License lookup and search use an API key to authenticate requests. You can view and manage keys in your Dashboard. Pass your key as a bearer token in the Authorization header. All API calls must use HTTPS. License lookup and search calls without authentication fail with a 401. The state endpoints are public and do not require an API key.

curl "https://api.licensesearcher.com/v2/search?state=ny&name=bernardin" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

State scoping

API keys are scoped to specific states. To look up or search licenses for a particular state, your key must be scoped to that state and your account must be subscribed to it.

Scenario	Response
Supported state, key is scoped to it	`200`
Supported state, key is not scoped to it	`403`
State LicenseSearcher does not support	`404`

See Supported states for the current list.

Billing and security

Authenticated license lookup and search are billed on a per-request basis, and requests that return a 4xx status code are also billed to your account. Keep your API key secure to prevent unintended charges.

Public state requests are not billed.

Don’t share your key in publicly accessible places such as GitHub, client-side code, or support tickets.
Only share your key with people you trust.
Rotate a key immediately from the Dashboard if you believe it has been exposed.