Do roofers need a license in Pennsylvania?

Updated November 10, 2026 · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

Is there a Pennsylvania roofing license?

No. The Department of Labor and Industry says the state has no licensure or certification requirements for most construction contractors, and roofers are not among the exceptions it lists. What the state does require is registration, and on that point the law leaves no doubt about this trade.

Do roofers have to register with the state?

Yes, in almost every case. The Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, Act 132 of 2008, makes contractors who offer or perform home improvements register with the Attorney General. The Attorney General's summary of the law defines a home improvement to include the construction, replacement, installation or improvement of roofs at a private residence where the total price of the work agreed is more than $500. Repair is on the same list.

Two kinds of business are exempt: a contractor who does less than $5,000 of home improvement work in a calendar year, and a retailer with a net worth of more than $50 million. Self-employed roofers, subcontractors and out-of-state companies working in Pennsylvania are all covered, and long-established firms get no grandfather exemption. The law applies to houses, two-unit buildings and single condominium units, not to building a new house.

How do you check a roofer's registration?

Find the number on the estimate. It looks like PA123456, and the law puts it on every advertisement, contract, estimate and proposal, including any advertising on a work van.
Look it up in the Attorney General's online contractor search, which lists active registrations only. Its menu of work types includes roofing, but the page warns that this field is new and thinly filled, so search by name or number.
Or phone 1-888-520-6680.

A registration tells you less than it seems to. The roofer filed background disclosures and proof of insurance of at least $50,000 for personal injury and $50,000 for property damage, cover the office says has nothing to do with workmanship. It runs for two years and is not an endorsement, recommendation or approval of the roofer's skill. The office's online system, back since April 24, 2026 after an outage, now lets it run automated criminal docket checks on applicants.

What must a roofing contract contain?

For any home improvement over $500, the contract must be in writing and signed by you and the contractor. The Attorney General lists what goes in it: a description of the work, approximate start and completion dates, the total price, the contractor's contact and registration details, insurance information and notice of your right to cancel. The contractor must give you a copy free of charge.

The office's May 2025 storm warning spells out two consequences that matter to anyone being pressed to sign quickly. A contract missing the required disclosures is not enforceable against you, and a contractor may not demand or receive any payment until the contract holds all the required information and you have signed it.

Three more rules:

Deposits. On a project priced above $5,000, the deposit may not be greater than one-third of the contract price plus the cost of special-order materials. The law does not say how the balance is paid; the office suggests payments as the work progresses and a final payment when it is done.
Cancelling. You can cancel within three business days of signing. The Attorney General reported in May 2026 that the state Supreme Court confirmed you can do it by phone, in writing or in person, as long as the contractor actually receives notice. If the contract lacks the cancellation notice, it may be voidable even after the three days.
Time and materials. A contractor billing this way must give a written initial estimate before work starts, and the cost may not exceed it by more than 10% without a change order you both sign.

One exception matters after storms. The office says emergency work done under Section 201-7 of the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law falls outside the home improvement rules, but only for emergencies that meet that section's tests, and only when the roofer obtains the waiver the law demands for each job. If a roofer calls a job an emergency, ask to see that waiver before you sign.

Can a township require its own roofing license?

Not a home improvement license. Since July 1, 2009, counties, cities and townships may not separately license or register home improvement contractors, except for testing-based licenses for trades such as electricians and plumbers that were already in place then. Permits are another matter.

Does a new roof need a permit?

It depends on the municipality, and the state rules do not name roofs at all. The building code regulation leaves repairs to residential buildings outside the Uniform Construction Code, along with alterations that make no structural change, in both cases except as a local ordinance requires. Its permit section says an ordinary repair needs no permit, but that cutting or removing a structural beam or load-bearing support is not an ordinary repair, and it lets an emergency repair go ahead if the permit application follows within 3 business days.

Labor and Industry says more than 90% of Pennsylvania's 2,562 municipalities enforce the code themselves, so the building code office where you live gives the answer. Ask it before the job starts, and ask the roofer who will apply.

What does the building code say about reroofing?

Pennsylvania's code adopts the 2021 International Residential Code, with amendments that do not touch its reroofing section. That section says:

A roof replacement means removing the existing layers down to the roof deck.
A new covering may not be laid over the old one where the existing roof is water soaked or too deteriorated to serve as a base, where it is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile, or where it already has two or more layers.
Damaged or broken slate or tile may not be reused, and rusted or damaged flashings and vents must be replaced.
In areas the local code designates as having a history of ice backing up at the eaves, an ice barrier must run from the edge of the roof to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall.

What is different in Philadelphia?

A roofer who works only on existing one- or two-family homes does not need the city's contractor license; the city says such a business must register with the state as a home improvement contractor instead. The city lists roof covering replacement among the jobs that can get an EZ permit, a permit without plans. On a one- or two-family home, that work may be done by a state-registered contractor who also holds a Philadelphia Commercial Activity License. For a property on the city's historic register, the Historical Commission must review roofing and flashing work. The Philadelphia guide has the rest.

Where do you complain?

To the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection, online or on 1-800-441-2555. Unregistered contractors can be reported on 1-888-520-6680; the office says they face civil penalties of $1,000 or more. How to choose a roofer lists the checks to make before signing, and roofers serving the region are on the roofers directory page.

Sources

Contractor Licensing, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
AG Sunday Warns of Potential Scams Following Deadly Storms that Impacted Pittsburgh and Surrounding Areas, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
PA Supreme Court Upholds Consumer Right-to-Cancel Home Improvement Contracts Within Three Days Regardless of Medium, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
34 Pa. Code § 403.1. Scope., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
34 Pa. Code § 403.62. Permit requirements and exemptions., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
34 Pa. Code § 403.21. Uniform Construction Code., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
Chapter 9 Roof Assemblies, 2021 International Residential Code, International Code Council
Uniform Construction Code, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
Get a Contractor License, City of Philadelphia
Get permits without plans (EZ permits), City of Philadelphia
Get approval for work to a historic property, City of Philadelphia