How to verify a roofer

Where to check a roofer's license or registration in each state, which states have no state roofing license, and what to ask before you hire.

Updated October 1, 20263 checks95 official sources

Your checklist3 checks before you hire

1Check the license or registration
2Ask about insurance
3Get the quote in writing

Most of what a roofer tells you can be checked before work starts. Here's where to look and what to ask.

Check the license or registration

Ask for the license or registration number and the name it's issued to, then look it up. Make sure the name matches the business on your quote, or ask the roofer to explain how they're connected.

What a roofer needs differs by state. Some states license roofers, some register them, some cover roofing under a general contractor or home improvement license, and some have no state credential for roofing at all. The table says which, and links the state's own lookup where there is one.

State	What the state requires, and where to check
Alabama	Residential roofers need a Roofers License from the Home Builders Licensure Board.^1-2 Check the Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board license lookup
Alaska	Roofing contractors register as specialty contractors in the Roofing Contractor trade.^3-4 Check the Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing registration lookup (it may ask you to pass a check first)
Arizona	The Registrar of Contractors licenses roofers in three classes: R-42 for homes, C-42 for commercial work and CR-42 for both.^5-6 Check the Arizona Registrar of Contractors license lookup
California	Roofers hold the Contractors State License Board's C-39 Roofing Contractor license.^7-8 Check the Contractors State License Board license lookup, by license number
Colorado	There's no state roofing license. State law sets rules for roofing contracts and what roofers must disclose.^9-10 Ask your city or county whether it licenses roofers
Connecticut	Roofing on a home is home improvement work, so the contractor needs a Home Improvement Contractor registration from the Department of Consumer Protection.^11-12 Check the Connecticut eLicense registration lookup (choose Home Improvement Contractor as the license type)
Delaware	Construction contractors register with the Department of Labor, and that includes roofers.^13-14 Check the Delaware Department of Labor registration lookup (you can search by Industry)
District of Columbia	Home improvement contractors need a Basic Business License with a Home Improvement Contractor endorsement.^15-16 There's no open lookup form, but the Open Data DC list of basic business licenses can be filtered by business name and license category
Florida	Roofing contractors are licensed by the Construction Industry Licensing Board, as certified roofing contractors (statewide) or registered roofing contractors (based on local competency).^17-18 Check the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation license lookup (choose how to search and press Search first)
Georgia	There's no state roofing license. The state's contractor licensing board treats roofing as a specialty trade that doesn't need a residential or general contractor license.^19-20 Ask your city or county whether it licenses roofers
Hawaii	Roofers hold the Contractors License Board's C-42 Roofing Contractor license.^21-22 Check the Hawaii Professional and Vocational Licensing license lookup: a business by license number, or by name on the Business/Individual tab
Idaho	Contractors register with the Idaho Contractors Board. The registration has no trade classes.^23-24 Check the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses registration lookup
Illinois	Roofing contractors need a license from the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.^25-26 Check the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation license lookup (choose Roofing Contractor as the license type)
Indiana	There's no state roofing license. Some cities and counties license contractors, and Lafayette is one.^27-28 Ask your city or county
Iowa	Anyone who earns $2,000 or more a year from construction registers with the state, and roofers are named among them.^29-30 The department's contractor registration page links its public search
Kansas	Roofing contractors register with the Attorney General.^31-32 Check the Kansas Attorney General registration lookup
Kentucky	There's no state roofing license. Some local boards license roofers, and Bowling Green and Warren County's board is one.^33-34 Ask your city or county
Louisiana	Since January 1, 2026, residential roof work of $7,500 or more needs a license from the State Licensing Board for Contractors, with the Residential Roofing classification or a Residential Construction license.^35-36 Check the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors license lookup (current licensees only)
Maine	There's no state roofing license. Maine doesn't license general contractors or roofers, and home construction contracts over $3,000 must be in writing.^37-38 Ask your town whether it licenses roofers
Maryland	Roofing on a home falls under the Home Improvement Commission's license. That license has no roofing class.^39-40 Check the Maryland Home Improvement Commission license lookup (active licensees only)
Massachusetts	A Construction Supervisor License with the Roof Covering specialty covers roofing, and so does an unrestricted one. Contractors working on owner-occupied homes of one to four units also register as home improvement contractors.^41-43 Check the Office of Public Safety and Inspections license lookup and the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation registration lookup
Michigan	A maintenance and alteration contractor license with roofing listed on it covers roofing on homes, and so does a residential builder license.^44-45 Check the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs license lookup
Minnesota	Residential roofers need a Residential Roofer license from the Department of Labor and Industry.^46-47 Check the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry license lookup (choose Continue as Guest, then Search License/Registration Holders)
Mississippi	Residential roofing over $10,000 needs the State Board of Contractors' Residential Roofer classification, and commercial roofing over $50,000 its roofing, sheet metal and siding classification.^48-49 Check the Mississippi State Board of Contractors license lookup
Missouri	There's no state roofing license.^50-51 Ask your city or county whether it licenses roofers
Montana	Since January 1, 2026, the state's Construction Contractor License has replaced the old registration. A contractor with employees needs one, and so does any corporation or manager-managed LLC. It has no trade classes and no exam.^52-53 Check the Montana Department of Labor and Industry license lookup
Nebraska	All contractors register with the Department of Labor. Each picks its own service type, and that isn't a license class.⁵⁴ Check the Nebraska Department of Labor registration lookup (the Service list includes Roofing Contractors)
Nevada	Roofers hold the State Contractors Board's C-15 roofing and siding license.^55-56 Check the Nevada State Contractors Board license lookup (results show each license's classification)
New Hampshire	There's no state contractor, home improvement or roofing license.^57-58 Ask your town whether it licenses roofers
New Jersey	Home improvement contractors register with the Division of Consumer Affairs. The registration has no roofing class.^59-60 Check the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs registration lookup (choose Business Search)
New Mexico	Roofers hold the Construction Industries Division's GS-21 Roofing license.^61-62 Check the New Mexico Construction Industries Division license lookup. PSI runs the page, and it doesn't carry New Mexico branding
New York	There's no state roofing or contractor license. Some cities and counties license home improvement contractors, and New York City is one.^63-64 Ask your city or county
North Carolina	A general contractor license is needed only when the project costs $40,000 or more.⁶⁵ Check the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors license lookup (its classification list includes S (Roofing))
North Dakota	A job over $4,000 needs a Secretary of State contractor license, in a class set by the job's size, with no trade classes.^66-67 Check the North Dakota Secretary of State license lookup, searched by name
Ohio	There's no state roofing license. The state's construction licensing board covers five specialty trades, and roofing isn't one of them.⁶⁸ Ask your city whether it registers roofers
Oklahoma	Roofing contractors register with the Construction Industries Board, with a commercial endorsement for commercial work, and a new residential roofing endorsement is required from January 1, 2028.^69-70 Check the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board registration lookup
Oregon	Contractors are licensed by the Construction Contractors Board, with a residential or commercial endorsement and no roofing class.^71-72 Check the Oregon Construction Contractors Board license lookup
Pennsylvania	Home improvement contractors who do $5,000 or more of work a year register with the Attorney General.⁷³ Check the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General registration lookup (contractors fill in its Type of Work list themselves, and Roofing is on it)
Rhode Island	Contractors register with the Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board, and that registration covers residential roofing. Commercial roofing needs a Commercial Roofing license.^74-75 Check the Rhode Island Contractors' Registration and Licensing Board registration lookup
South Carolina	Residential roofers register with the Residential Builders Commission for work over $500, and roofing over $10,000 needs a Contractor's Licensing Board license with the Roofing classification.^76-77 Check the Residential Builders Commission registration lookup and the Contractor's Licensing Board license lookup, with your browser's cookies on
South Dakota	There's no state contractor or roofing license. The state's contractor's excise tax license is a tax registration. It isn't a license to do the work.^78-79 Ask your city or county
Tennessee	A roofer who contracts directly with you for a job of $25,000 or more needs a contractor license with the BC-21 Roofing classification. That classification also covers gutters and vinyl siding.^80-81 Check the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors license lookup
Texas	There's no state roofing license.^82-83 Ask your city whether it registers roofers
Utah	Roofers hold the Division of Professional Licensing's S280 Roofing Contractor classification.^84-85 Check the Utah Division of Professional Licensing license lookup
Vermont	Contractors doing residential work of $10,000 or more register with the Office of Professional Regulation, and roofing counts as residential work.^86-87 Check the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation registration lookup
Virginia	Contractors hold a Class A, B or C license, and roofing takes the Roofing (ROC) specialty.^88-89 Check the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation license lookup (it may ask you to pass a check first)
Washington	Construction contractors register with Labor and Industries, and roofers register in the Roofing specialty.⁹⁰ Check the Washington Department of Labor and Industries registration lookup (choose how to search in the Search by list first)
West Virginia	Roofing falls under the state contractor license, in its residential, general building, remodeling and repair, or specialty classifications.^91-92 Check the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Board license lookup
Wisconsin	There's no state roofing credential. A Dwelling Contractor certification is needed only to get a building permit for a one- or two-family home.⁹³ Check the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services license lookup for a dwelling contractor
Wyoming	There's no state roofing or general contractor license. Cities license contractors. Casper, for example, has a roofing contractor category.^94-95 Ask your city

If a license or registration doesn't show up, check the spelling and try the number, then ask the roofer. Some lookups list current licensees only. Arkansas isn't in the table yet, because we haven't confirmed its current rules on an official page. See the Arkansas rules page, and ask the roofer which license they hold.

Ask about insurance

Ask for a certificate of insurance showing general liability and workers' compensation, and ask for it to name you. Then call the insurer or agent on the certificate and ask whether the policy is active and covers roofing work.

If the roofer says they don't need workers' compensation, ask why, and ask who pays if someone is hurt on your property.

Get the quote in writing

Ask each roofer for a written quote that says:

The material, its brand and product line, and how many squares the price covers.
Whether tear-off, disposal, decking repairs and cleanup are included.
Who applies for any permit. The permit guide covers what some state rules say.
What the warranty covers, on the materials and on the work, and for how long.
How much of a deposit they want, and when the rest is due.

Compare quotes line by line, and ask for anything missing to be priced. The cost guides for new roofs, repairs, gutters and gutter guards and cleaning show published ranges for common jobs. If a roofer knocked on your door after a storm, the storm chasers guide covers what to ask.

When you're ready, you can ask for quotes from roofers near you.

License lookups and licensing rules from state licensing boards, agencies and legislatures, and city governments, checked September 2026.

How to verify a roofer

Check the license or registration

Ask about insurance

Get the quote in writing

Tell us about your job

Sources (95)

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