How to Check a Roofing Contractor’s License Online

You should always ask for a roofer’s license number before you even think about hiring them to work on your roof. Any legitimate roofing contractor will be more than happy to provide you with his number.

You can then check his license number online on the website of the state agency that regulates contractors in your state to verify that he’s running a legal business.

On most of these state websites, you can also look up a roofing company just by using the name of the company and that will also tell you whether or not the contractor has a valid license.

If you live in one of the dwindling number of places where a license is not required to perform roofing work, you should get the contractor’s business registration number. You can check that at least.

You need to be positive that the contractor is licensed to do business in your state. Using an unlicensed contractor can have all kinds of legal consequences for you.

For instance, try getting roof repairs covered by a roofing manufacturer warranty when the roof installer was unlicensed. It’s not going to happen.

Also consider that if a contractor is willing to operate without a license, he’s probably willing to operate without getting his other paperwork in order, either. This includes permits, warranties, insurance, and even the roofing contract.

If he’ll take shortcuts with the law, he’ll probably take shortcuts with your roof.

This can end up costing you a lot of money down the road.

If a roofer refuses to provide you with a contractor’s license number, it’s a pretty good sign that you’re dealing with a shady, fly-by-night operator. Don’t have anything more to do with him.

Roofing Contractor Licensing Requirements in the U.S.

There are no national licensing requirements for roofing contractors in the United States.

Some states require roofing contractors to have roofing contractor’s licenses specifically, some states require roofing contractors to hold building contractor or home improvement licenses, and some states do not require roofing contractors to be licensed at all, and leave it up to local authorities.

A contractor’s license is normally only valid in the state where it was issued. If a roofing contractor does business in more than one state, they will need to register in each state that they plan on doing business in.

There will be a separate licensing record for each jurisdiction where they are legally permitted to operate.

Looking up a Roofing Contractor’s License Online

The links below will help you with your roofing contractor license lookup. They take you to the official state web pages that explain the licensing requirements for roofing contractors in each state, as well as the pages where you can verify a contractor’s license.

In cases where no contractor license is required for roofing contractors, we provide a link that lets you verify a contractor’s business license, so you can at least tell if a roofer has a valid license to do business in your state. Scam artists and other untrustworthy contractors often won’t.

Once you are on your state government website, you should be able to type the roofing contractor’s business name into the database search field and get a result.

If you have a license number that you want to check, there should also be a search field for that.

On many of these sites, after you’ve got your search results back, clicking on the contractor’s name or license number will bring up more information about the contractor, such as how long they’ve been in business.

About the Links on this Page

The first link under each state takes you to the state licensing requirements webpage so you can see what contractors have to do to get licensed.

The second link takes you to the state database page where you can search by the license number to see if it’s valid, or the roofing contractor’s company name to see if they have a license.

We try to keep these links up-to-date, but a lot of state governments have outdated websites and they are just now getting around to updating their sites.

Because of these updates, occasionally a link will change and you will click on one of the links we provide and it won’t work properly.

If this happens, go to the home page of the state government website. There will be a general “search this website” field at the top or the side of the page. Search for “Contractor License Look Up” or “Verify Contractor License” and it should show you the page that you want.

Canada

Canada’s Business Registries – Look up businesses in Canada – Search by name, business number, or registry ID

United Kingdom

Although the UK does not require contractor licenses for roofing contractors, you can look up UK businesses here and see if they are properly registered. Make sure you put the name of the business inside of quotation marks in the search field, or you’ll end up with thousands of unrelated search results.

United States

Alabama

• Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors
• Verify Contractor’s License – Alabama

Alaska

• Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development – Regulation of Construction Contractors
• Verify Contractor’s License – Alaska

Arizona

• Arizona Registrar of Contractors
• Verify Contractor’s License – Arizona

Arkansas

• Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board
• Verify Contractor’s License – Arkansas

California

• Contractors State License Board
• Verify Contractor’s License – California

Colorado

In Colorado, roofers are not licensed at the state level. Many Colorado cities and counties have their own licensing requirements, rules, and regulations.

• Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies
• Verify Contractor’s License – Colorado Business Database Search
• Verify Contractor’s License – Colorado Towns and Cities – This link takes you to a list of municipal websites in Colorado.
• Verify Contractor’s License – Colorado Counties – This link takes you to a list of county websites in Colorado.

Connecticut

• Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection
• Verify Contractor’s License – Connecticut

Delaware

• Delaware Division of Revenue – Contractors, Resident and Non-resident
• Verify Business License – Delaware
• Verify Contractor’s License – Delaware

Florida

• Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
• Verify Contractor’s License – Florida

Georgia

• Georgia Professional Licensing Boards Division
• Verify Business License – Georgia
• Verify Contractor’s License – Georgia

Hawaii

• Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs – Professional and Vocational Licensing
• Verify Contractor’s License – Hawaii

Idaho

• State of Idaho – Bureau of Occupational Licenses
• Verify Contractor’s License – Idaho

Illinois

• Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation – Roofing Contractor
• Verify Contractor’s License – Illinois

Indiana

• Indiana Business Owner’s Guide. Quoted from the site: “The only construction contractors licensed by the State of Indiana are plumbers. Many of the other specific areas require local licensing which vary by city and county”. See here for a list of municipal websites in Indiana.
• Verify Business License – Indiana

Iowa

• Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing – Contractor Registration
• Verify Contractor’s License – Iowa

Kansas

• Kansas Attorney General – Roofing Contractor Registration
• Verify Contractor’s License – Kansas

Kentucky

• Kentucky.gov – County Information page. This page lets you find municipal websites in Kentucky. Kentucky contractors may or may not have licensing requirements at the local level; the local websites are where you have to check for this information. Look for the building inspector’s office or the building department on the municipal websites.
• Verify Contractor’s License – Kentucky (Business license only.)

Louisiana

• Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
• Verify Contractor’s License – Louisiana

Maine

Home improvement contractors are not licensed or regulated by the State of Maine.

• Maine.gov – Business Licensing
• Verify (some) Contractors’ Licenses – Maine

Maryland

• Maryland Home Improvement Commission
• Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
• Verify Contractor’s License – Maryland Home Improvement Commission
• Verify Contractor’s License – Maryland Home Builder Registration Unit

Massachusetts

• Mass.gov – Home Improvement Contractor Registration and Renewal
• Mass.gov – Construction Supervisor Licensing
• Verify Contractor’s License – Business License Look-Up
• Verify Contractor’s License – Home Improvement Contractor Registration Look-Up
• Verify Contractor’s License – Office of Public Safety and Inspections License Verification Site

Michigan

• Bureau of Professional Licensing
• Verify Contractor’s License – Michigan

Minnesota

• Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry – Residential Contractors, Remodelers, Roofers
• Verify Contractor’s License – Minnesota

Mississippi

• Mississippi State Board of Contractors
• Verify Contractor’s License – Mississippi

Missouri

• Mo.gov – City and County Government. This page lets you find municipal websites in Missouri. Missouri contractors may or may not have licensing requirements at the local level; the local websites are where you have to check for this information. Look for the building inspector’s office or the building department on the municipal websites.
• Verify Contractor’s License – Missouri (Business license only.)

Montana

• Montana Department of Labor & Industry – Montana Contractor
• Verify Contractor’s License – Montana Independent Contractor and Contractor Registration Search

Nebraska

• Nebraska Department of Labor – Labor Standards
• Verify Contractor’s License – Nebraska

Nevada

• Nevada State Contractors Board
• Verify Contractor’s License – Nevada

New Hampshire

• New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification
• Verify Contractor’s License – New Hampshire

New Jersey

• New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs – Home Improvement Contractor
• New Jersey Department of Community Affairs – Information for New Home Builders
• Verify Contractor’s License – New Jersey – Home Improvement Contractors

New Mexico

• New Mexico E-Services for Contractor Licensing
• Verify Contractor’s License – New Mexico

New York

• Contractor licensing in New York is done at the local level. This is a list of New York counties. Municipality websites can be reached from the pertinent county page on that list, and most county websites as well. A list of New York county websites can also be found here. Look for the building inspector’s office or the building department on the municipal websites.
• Verify Contractor’s License – New York

North Carolina

• North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors
• Verify Contractor’s License – North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors
• Verify Contractor’s License – North Carolina Secretary of State Business Registration Search

North Dakota

• North Dakota Secretary of State – Contractors
• Verify Contractor’s License – North Dakota

Ohio

• Contractor licensing in Ohio is done at the local level. You can find a directory of Ohio municipal websites on this page: Ohio.gov – Local Government. Look for the building inspector’s office or the building department on the municipal websites.
• Verify Contractor’s License – Ohio (Business license only.)

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma Construction Industries Board – Roofing Industry
• Verify Contractor’s License – Oklahoma

Oregon

• Oregon Construction Contractors Board
• Verify Contractor’s License – Oregon

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General – Home Improvement Contractor Registration
• Verify Contractor’s License – Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General – Home Improvement
• Verify Contractor’s License – Pennsylvania Department of State – Business Search

Rhode Island

• Rhode Island Contractors’ Registration and Licensing Board
• Verify Contractor’s License – Rhode Island

South Carolina

• South Carolina Contractor’s Licensing Board
• Verify Contractor’s License – South Carolina – Commercial Contractors
• Verify Contractor’s License – South Carolina – Residential Builders

South Dakota

• South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development – Start Your Business
• Verify Contractor’s License – South Dakota

Tennessee

• Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance – Contractors and Home Improvement
• Verify Contractor’s License – Tennessee
• Verify Contractor’s License – Tennessee (may work better)

Texas

• Texas is difficult. Contractor licensing in Texas is done at the local level (if it’s done at all). You can find a directory of Texas municipal websites on this page: Texas Municipal League – City Officials Directory.
• Verify Contractor’s License – Texas Secretary of State OnLine Access (SOSDirect) “The Secretary of State OnLine Access (SOSDirect) web access system provides subscribers with up-to-date, on-line computer access to a variety of information maintained by the Office of the Secretary of State.” They charge a dollar per search.
• Verify Contractor’s License – Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts – Taxable Entity Search This only allows you to verify that a company has registered as a “taxable entity” in Texas. This is kind of like a business license and worth checking.
• Licensed Roofing Contractor Program – This is an entirely voluntary program for Texas roofing contractors run by the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (RCAT). It’s good that someone is making the effort.
• Find a Roofing Contractor Licensed by RCAT

Utah

• Utah.gov – Business – Government Requirements
• Verify Contractor’s License – Utah

Vermont

• Vermont Secretary of State – Professional Regulation
• Verify Contractor’s License – Vermont

Virginia

• Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation – Board for Contractors
• Verify Contractor’s License – Virginia

Washington, DC

• DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection
• Verify Contractor’s License – Washington, DC – Unfortunately, Washington, D.C. now requires you to register an account with the city website in order to access the contractor license verification service. You have to give them your phone number and email address.

Washington State

• Washington State Department of Labor and Industries – Contractors
• Verify Contractor’s License – Washington State

West Virginia

• West Virginia Division of Labor – Contractor License
• Verify Contractor’s License – West Virginia

Wisconsin

• State of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services – Dwelling Contractor
• Verify Contractor’s License – Wisconsin

Wyoming

• Contractor licensing in Wyoming is done at the local level. You can find a directory of Wyoming municipal websites at the Wyoming County Commissioners Association website. Also see Wyoming County Clerks.
• Verify Contractor’s License – Wyoming (Business license only.)