Pennsylvania · Roofing licensing · official-source guide
Pennsylvania has no statewide roofing license. Residential roofers who do at least $5,000 of home improvement work a year must register with the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection under Act 132. Registration costs $100 every two years, requires $50,000 in personal injury and $50,000 in property damage insurance, and the PA number must appear on ads and contracts.
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Verify a licenseVerified against agency sources on 2026-09-28. Rules and fees change; confirm with the named authority before relying on this guide.
Pennsylvania does not issue a statewide roofing license. There is no roofing exam, no trade board, and no state roofing bond. What the Commonwealth requires instead is registration under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, known as HICPA or Act 132 of 2008, run by the Office of Attorney General through its Bureau of Consumer Protection. The Attorney General's registration page states that the law requires all contractors who perform at least $5,000 worth of home improvements per year to register. Roofs are named in the statute's list of covered work, alongside siding, insulation, solar energy systems, windows and doors. So a residential roofer in Pennsylvania is a registered home improvement contractor, not a licensed roofer. That difference matters for how you describe yourself. The registration certificate carries a number that starts with the letters PA, and the Attorney General says plainly that registration is not an endorsement, recommendation or approval of a contractor's competency or skill. The honest claim for your website and your truck is that you are registered with the Pennsylvania Attorney General as a home improvement contractor, with your PA number next to it. Calling yourself a state licensed roofer would go beyond what the registration means. The rest of this page covers who must register, what it costs, what your contracts must say, what your ads must show, and how storm work and insurance claims change the picture.
Sourcesattorneygeneral.gov 1attorneygeneral.gov 2cdn.attorneygeneral.gov 3
The Attorney General's FAQ says anyone who owns or operates a home improvement business, or who offers, performs or agrees to perform home improvements in Pennsylvania, must register. That includes self-employed contractors, sole proprietorships, subcontractors, independent contractors, corporations, partnerships and every other business entity. Out-of-state contractors are covered too: any contractor who offers or performs home improvements in Pennsylvania must comply. Two exceptions exist. The first is a person whose total cash value of home improvements was less than $5,000 during the previous taxable year. The second is a home improvement retailer with a net worth above $50,000,000, or an employee of that retailer who does not perform home improvements. A subcontractor who works for a home improvement retailer, however, is not exempt just because the retailer is large. Charities and non-profits, and people acting on their behalf, get no exemption either if they enter a contract with a homeowner. Engineers, architects, master plumbers, electrical contractors and similar trades must also register if they do home improvements on private residences. The FAQ also addresses employees of apartment buildings, condominiums and community associations: they need not register for work within the scope of their employment, but if they perform home improvements on private residences on their own, outside that scope, and the work totals $5,000 or more in a calendar year, they must register as contractors. The same threshold logic is a useful check for a crew member who takes side roofing jobs in his own name.
Sourcesattorneygeneral.gov 1cdn.attorneygeneral.gov 2attorneygeneral.gov 3
HICPA defines home improvement by the building, and that draws the line between residential and commercial roofing. The Attorney General's FAQ states that the law applies to private residences, defined as single family dwellings, multifamily dwellings of not more than two units, and single units within a multifamily dwelling, including condominium and cooperative units. The FAQ answers the commercial question directly: the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act does not apply to home improvements done on commercial properties. Construction of a new home is also not a home improvement under the law. Covered work is any repair, replacement, remodeling, demolition, removal, renovation, installation, alteration or similar work done in connection with a private residence where the total cash price of all work agreed between contractor and owner is more than $500. The statute lists roofs by name among covered construction, replacement, installation or improvement. In practice, a re-roof or a repair on a house, a duplex or a condo unit is inside HICPA. A flat roof on a strip mall, a warehouse or an apartment building of three or more units falls outside HICPA's registration and contract rules based on the Attorney General's own reading. That does not mean commercial roofers operate with no rules. It means the Attorney General's registration and the contract formalities described later do not attach to that work, and other state and local requirements, which this page could not confirm from primary sources, still apply.
The Attorney General's registration page says the fee is $100 every two years, due to a change in the Commonwealth Fiscal Code, 72 P.S. section 1603-U, and that it applies to all new and renewal applications. The fee is non-refundable, and updates to existing registration information cost nothing. The statute's own text in section 517.5 still shows $50, so use the Attorney General's current figure of $100. Renewals are biennial. The page says the online registration system, called PA-HICRS, became operational on April 24, 2026, and that contractors can register, renew or update online. A mail-in application and application instructions are also posted on the same page. After you apply, you receive an email with one of three statuses. Approved means your information appears accurate, and a new registrant receives a unique PA number and expiration date, with the certificate attached if a digital copy was selected. Pended means information is incorrect or incomplete, and you have 30 days to correct it or the application is terminated and you must start over. Denied means the person is not permitted to apply or renew, and the email directs the applicant to the HelpLine at 1-888-520-6680 or hic@attorneygeneral.gov. The page also notes a grace period ending June 8, 2026 for contractors who did not submit a paper application during the system outage. Confirm current instructions on the page before you file, since the system is new.
Sourcesattorneygeneral.gov 1attorneygeneral.gov 2cdn.attorneygeneral.gov 3
Under section 517.4 of the statute, the application asks for contact and identifying information, and for businesses, details on officers, managers, general partners and anyone holding more than a 5 percent equity interest. It asks for prior home improvement business names and addresses for the ten years before registration, the federal employer identification number where applicable, and a description of the nature of the contracting business. Applicants must disclose whether they have ever been convicted of a criminal offense related to a home improvement transaction, fraud, theft, a crime of deception or a crime involving fraudulent business practices. They must also disclose any bankruptcy petition, any final civil judgment in the last ten years related to a home improvement transaction, any revoked or suspended certificate or license in another state, and any suspension or debarment in the last ten years from a public funding program for home improvements. An out-of-state entity must name its resident agent or registered office provider in Pennsylvania. A contractor registered in another state must report that on the initial and biennial applications, and report disciplinary action taken elsewhere within 90 days of final disposition or on the next biennial application, whichever is sooner. The Attorney General's page adds that the updated system now allows automated criminal docket checks as part of vetting. There is no experience requirement, education requirement or exam in the statute or on the registration page.
HICPA sets a low floor. Section 517.4 requires proof of liability insurance covering personal injury in an amount not less than $50,000 and insurance covering property damage caused by the work of a home improvement contractor in an amount not less than $50,000. The Attorney General's FAQ repeats both figures and adds a useful clarification: the coverage is not related to contractor performance or quality of work. The statute allows an applicant to attest that it is self-insured on a form developed by the Bureau, and the Bureau decides whether the self-insurance is sufficient. Section 517.7 goes a step further by making the insurance part of the contract. Every home improvement contract must state that the contractor agrees to maintain those same minimum coverages and must identify the current amount of coverage at the time of signing. A contract without that language is not valid or enforceable against the owner. Because insurance changes must be reported, the statute requires a contractor to update application information within 30 days after any change, and the Attorney General's updates page names new policies and renewals with new expiration dates as examples. The statute does not set a bond requirement for roofers. Nothing fetched from the Attorney General sets a workers compensation amount, although the preemption section of the statute refers to workers compensation requirements under section 302(e) of the Workers' Compensation Act.
Sourcescdn.attorneygeneral.gov 1attorneygeneral.gov 2attorneygeneral.gov 3
Section 517.7 of HICPA says no home improvement contract is valid or enforceable against an owner unless it meets a long list of requirements. The Attorney General's FAQ says all contracts for home improvements of more than $500 must be in writing and signed by the consumer and the contractor. The contract must be legible and carry the contractor's registration number, the date of the transaction, and the contractor's name, address and telephone number, where a post office box alone does not count as an address. It must state the approximate starting and completion dates, describe the work, the materials to be used and a set of specifications that cannot change without a written change order signed by both sides. It must state the total price or a valid time and materials provision, and list the down payment and the cost of special order materials separately. It must name every known subcontractor with address and telephone number, include the Bureau of Consumer Protection toll-free number, and include the insurance statement and a notice of the right of rescission. For roofers, the subcontractor line matters: if a crew or a supplier installs part of the job, their names and addresses go on the page at signing. A statutory carve-out lets a contractor who complied with the contract section still recover the reasonable value of services requested by the owner if a court finds it inequitable to deny recovery.
HICPA limits how much a roofer can collect up front. Under section 517.9, on any home improvement contract where the total price is more than $5,000, a contractor may not receive a deposit in excess of one-third of the contract price, or one-third plus the cost of special order materials designated in the written contract. The same section bars a contractor from demanding or receiving any payment for a home improvement before the contract is signed. The Attorney General's FAQ notes that the law does not say how the balance is paid, and suggests the parties negotiate incremental payments as work progresses with final payment on completion. Materials such as custom shingle colors, metal panels or skylights can be listed as special order materials, but the statute makes it a prohibited act to misrepresent an item as special order or to misrepresent its cost. Time and materials work is allowed after the October 22, 2014 amendment. The contractor must give a written initial cost estimate before work begins, and the contract must state the dollar value of that estimate, state that the cost may not exceed 10 percent above it, show the total potential cost in actual dollars, and say the price cannot rise past that limit without a written change order signed by owner and contractor. That structure fits open-ended tear-off jobs where rotten decking is found once the old roof is off.
Sourcescdn.attorneygeneral.gov 1attorneygeneral.gov 2attorneygeneral.gov 3
Every home improvement contract must include a notice of the owner's right of rescission. Section 517.7(b) says an individual signing a home improvement contract may rescind it without penalty, regardless of where it was signed, within three business days of signing. The Attorney General's FAQ explains why the notice wording matters: it is the business's responsibility to provide the written notice of cancellation exactly as written in the law, otherwise the entire contract may be voidable even after the three days have passed. The FAQ points to section 201-7 of the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law for a sample notice of cancellation. The same section carries an emergency exception that matters after a storm. The FAQ states that any work performed under the emergency work provisions of section 201-7 is not considered a home improvement under HICPA. It also warns that the exception is limited to emergencies meeting the criteria in that section and that the contractor must obtain the emergency waiver required by the law in each case. A tarp over a hole after a tree limb comes through a roof may fit that description; a full replacement scheduled a week later probably does not. Roofers who work storm calls should decide before the season starts how they will document a true emergency, because the FAQ treats the waiver as required each time, not as a blanket rule.
This is the part of HICPA that touches marketing most directly. Section 517.6 requires a contractor to include its registration number in all advertisements distributed within Pennsylvania and on all contracts, estimates and proposals with owners in Pennsylvania. The statute defines advertisement as a statement promoting home improvement services in a newspaper, periodical, pamphlet, circular, billboard, sign, letterhead, business card or other printed materials, or in announcements to the public on radio, television or the Internet. That last phrase brings websites and online ads inside the rule. Sponsorship recognition for civic, charitable or nonprofit events and writings on promotional clothing, pens and similar items are excluded. The Attorney General's FAQ says the number must be shown as the letters PA followed by your assigned number, for example PA123456, and that leading zeroes may be dropped, so PA000372 can appear as PA372. The law does not dictate placement, but the number must be clearly and conspicuously displayed. On vehicles, a truck carrying an ad for the business must show the number, while a truck with no advertising need not. Contractors are not required to display the certificate itself. The FAQ also suggests contract language telling customers they can obtain the registration number by calling 1-888-520-6680, adding that registration does not imply endorsement. Section 517.9 also lists as a prohibited act publishing a false or deceptive home improvement advertisement.
Because the state issues registration and not a trade license, the safest wording is that your company is a registered Pennsylvania home improvement contractor, followed by your PA number. The Attorney General states that registration under HICPA is not an endorsement, recommendation or approval of a contractor's competency or skill, and the same disclaimer appears on the registration, FAQ, and verification pages. Words like licensed roofer, state certified or state approved are not what the registration says, and nothing fetched from the Attorney General authorizes them. Section 517.9 also bars misrepresenting yourself as an employee or agent of a government body or utility, and bars concealing or misstating your real name, business name or business address while soliciting. Customers can check you at the Attorney General's public Home Improvement Contractor Search at hicsearch.attorneygeneral.gov. It searches by registration number, business name, primary applicant, address, city, county, phone and type of work, and Roofing is one of the listed work types. Homeowners can also call 1-888-520-6680. The Attorney General's verification page urges consumers to check references, get more than one bid, and look at complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau in addition to registration. Since buyers are told to look you up, make sure your registration is current and your listed work types, name and address match what appears on your website and contracts.
Sourcescdn.attorneygeneral.gov 1attorneygeneral.gov 2hicsearch.attorneygeneral.gov 3attorneygeneral.gov 4
Failing to register is itself a violation. Section 517.9 lists as the first prohibited act that no person shall fail to register as required. Section 517.10 provides that a violation of any provision of the act is deemed a violation of the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, and it leaves owners free to use any right that law gives them. The Attorney General's verification page invites anyone to report unregistered contractors at 1-888-520-6680 or HIC@attorneygeneral.gov. Section 517.8 separately creates the crime of home improvement fraud. The offense is graded as a felony of the third degree if the amount involved exceeds $2,000 and a misdemeanor of the first degree if it is $2,000 or less or cannot be ascertained. Amounts from one scheme or course of conduct may be added together. The grade goes up one level when the victim is 60 or older, and a second or later offense is a felony of the second degree regardless of the amount. A court may revoke or suspend the registration, and a person whose registration is revoked or suspended may petition for reinstatement only after five years unless the order says otherwise. County district attorneys and the Attorney General can prosecute. Conduct that triggers these grades includes taking an advance payment and failing to perform, or damaging a person's property to induce a contract. The statute also lists abandoning a project without justification as a prohibited act, and failing to refund within ten days of a certified mail request in certain circumstances.
After a hailstorm or windstorm, roofers often knock on doors. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department's Natural Disaster Guide warns that natural disasters can be a magnet for dishonest solicitors and tells homeowners to be wary of anyone who knocks at the door, including contractors and public adjusters. For contractors, the Department's checklist tells homeowners to get more than one estimate, check references, ask for the Home Improvement Contractor number, and verify it on the Attorney General's site or by calling 1-888-520-6680. It says to get the total cost, the specific work, the timetable and any guarantees in writing, not to sign paperwork with blank sections, and not to pay in full or sign that work is complete until it actually is. It flags work vehicles without company information and out-of-state plates as red flags. The Department also tells homeowners to document damage first, make only the immediate repairs needed to prevent further damage, and not make permanent repairs until the insurance company approves them. That instruction shapes how a roofer should schedule a storm job: tarp and stabilize first, photograph everything, and hold the replacement until the carrier has weighed in. The guide does not set hail-specific contractor rules, and the HICPA contract, deposit and cancellation rules apply to storm work exactly as they do to any other residential roof, subject to the narrow emergency exception in the Unfair Trade Practices law.
Pennsylvania treats claim negotiation as its own regulated activity. The Insurance Department describes a public adjuster as a person or business hired by a policyholder to negotiate an insurance claim with the insurance company, and states that all public adjusters must be licensed by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. The Department also says a policyholder is not required to hire a public adjuster for the insurer to pay a claim. Under Act 21 of 2012, an adjuster may not start work on a claim without a signed contract on a Department-approved form. The contract must disclose that the fee is a share of the claim payments and not in addition to them, and must give the policyholder a three calendar day right to rescind. The Department's consumer page addresses adjusters who are also contractors. It says such a person can perform only one function at a time, must use two separate contracts, one approved public adjuster contract and one service contract for repairs, and cannot begin repairs until the insurer has made a decision on the claim. It adds that a public adjuster may recommend a contractor but the owner may choose their own. For a roofing company, the practical rule is to stay on the repair side: give a written repair estimate, but do not negotiate coverage or the claim amount on the owner's behalf unless you hold the public adjuster license. The exact statutory text on unlicensed contractor negotiation was not retrievable from a primary source for this page.
Pennsylvania limits what cities and counties can do to roofers. Section 517.12 of HICPA says registration under the act precludes any requirement of payment of a fee, or registration or licensing, of any home improvement contractor by any political subdivision. Cities and townships may still require building permits and local enforcement of the building code, for which a reasonable fee may be charged, and the section preserves municipal responsibilities under the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act. It also preserves the workers compensation requirements under section 302(e) of the Workers' Compensation Act, existing licensing standards for electricians, plumbers and similar trades conditioned on testing or certificates, and local liability insurance standards that a municipality adopted before January 1, 2006. The Attorney General's FAQ summarizes this: political subdivisions cannot separately license or register home improvement contractors after July 1, 2009, with the limited exception of trade licensing tied to testing or training. This is the biggest difference from states such as Ohio, where each city keeps its own roofing registration. A Pennsylvania roofer who registers with the Attorney General does not, under this statute, need to buy a separate contractor license in each town, though permit and inspection rules still apply job by job. The page could not confirm from a primary source which permits Philadelphia, Pittsburgh or other municipalities require for a re-roof, because the city sites checked were unavailable, so check the permit office in the municipality where the job sits before pulling a crew.
Registration is not a one-time filing. Renewals are biennial under section 517.5, and each new or renewal application carries the $100 fee shown on the Attorney General's page. Section 517.4(c) requires a contractor to update application information within 30 days after any change, at no charge. The Attorney General's FAQ lists address and telephone numbers, organizational structure such as incorporating a sole proprietorship, business names, principals and shareholders, and insurance information. The updates page adds civil judgments, criminal convictions and bankruptcies. Section 517.9 adds a related rule: if you change your business name, insurance information, address or other identifying information after entering an agreement, in a way likely to cause confusion, you must tell the owner in writing within ten days. A roofing company that renames itself after a bad review cycle, or that rotates trade names, walks into that provision. Keep your PA number consistent across your website, Google Business Profile, estimates, proposals, contracts and vehicle ads, since the statute requires it on all advertisements, and the public search lets homeowners cross-check name and address. If a change to your insurance policy occurs mid-term, file the update rather than waiting for renewal. The Attorney General's online system also sends status emails, so keep the email address on file monitored. Questions go to the HelpLine at 1-888-520-6680 or hic@attorneygeneral.gov, and the updates page lists a contractor helpline at 717-772-2425.
Sourcescdn.attorneygeneral.gov 1attorneygeneral.gov 2attorneygeneral.gov 3attorneygeneral.gov 4
These are common details other guides publish about Pennsylvania, but we could not verify them from the agency source. Confirm them directly before relying on them.
No statewide roofing license exists. Pennsylvania requires residential roofers who do at least $5,000 of home improvements a year to register with the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection under Act 132. Registration is not a license and is not an endorsement of skill.
The Attorney General's page lists a non-refundable $100 fee every two years for new and renewal applications, with no charge for updating existing information. The statute text itself still shows $50, so rely on the Attorney General's current figure.
HICPA requires proof of liability insurance for personal injury of at least $50,000 and property damage of at least $50,000. Contracts must also state that coverage and its current amount at signing. The statute sets no bond requirement.
No. The Attorney General says HICPA applies only to private residences: single family homes, buildings of not more than two units, and single units in multifamily buildings including condos. Commercial property work falls outside its registration and contract rules.
It must appear in every advertisement distributed in Pennsylvania, including internet ads, and on all contracts, estimates and proposals. Use the letters PA plus your number. A vehicle must show it only if the vehicle carries a business ad.
They use the Attorney General's Home Improvement Contractor Search at hicsearch.attorneygeneral.gov, where Roofing is a listed work type, or call 1-888-520-6680. The search covers registration number, business name, address, county and phone.
A written, signed, legible contract with your PA number, date, contact details, start and completion dates, work description, materials, price, deposit, subcontractor names, insurance statement, the toll-free number and a notice of the three-day right of rescission.
On contracts over $5,000, a deposit may not exceed one-third of the price, or one-third plus the cost of special order materials listed in the contract. Taking any payment before the contract is signed is also prohibited.
Negotiating a claim is public adjuster work, and all public adjusters must be licensed by the Insurance Department. An adjuster who also does repairs needs two separate contracts and cannot start repairs until the insurer decides the claim.
Generally no. HICPA section 517.12 bars municipalities from charging registration fees or licensing home improvement contractors once you are registered. Towns may still require building permits and enforce the building code job by job.
Failing to register is a prohibited act under HICPA and counts as a violation of the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. Home improvement fraud is a felony of the third degree above $2,000, and courts can revoke registration.
Yes. The Attorney General says any contractor who offers or performs home improvements in Pennsylvania must comply, including out-of-state contractors. A narrow exception exists for emergency work meeting section 201-7 of the consumer protection law, with a waiver each time.
We can review the local market, your current search visibility, and paid-search fit before recommending any marketing work.