How to become a roofer in Oregon

The path in Oregon, step by step

Oregon licenses roofing work at the state level through the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB). These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Take the 16 hour pre-license course and pass the Oregon contractor exam.
2. Pick your endorsement, usually residential specialty for a roofing business.
3. Register your business with the Oregon Secretary of State.
4. Buy the $20,000 residential specialty bond and $300,000 per occurrence liability insurance naming the CCB.
5. Apply online with the CCB and pay the $400 fee.
6. Renew every two years with 8 hours of continuing education.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: roofing license in Oregon.

Finding an apprenticeship in Oregon

Oregon runs Registered Apprenticeship through its own State Apprenticeship Agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor to register and oversee programs there. Its staff are state employees, and it may use the federal paperwork or forms of its own. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Oregon State Apprenticeship Agency as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. A few groups sponsor roofing apprenticeships. They combine on-the-job training with classroom instruction, usually with a set number of hours for each.

License levels and exams in Oregon

The license to aim for: CCB license, Residential Specialty Contractor endorsement (or a commercial endorsement).

Business exam. Yes. 16 hours of pre-license training and the Oregon contractor exam (80 questions, 70 percent to pass, open book), given through PSI.

Keeping it. Every two years. Residential contractors need 8 hours of continuing education per two year period.

What the Oregon license costs

The fees the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB) lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What roofers earn in Oregon

The median roofer in Oregon earned $28.35 an hour in May 2025, 21st of 51 states, with 3,430 on payrolls. The national median was $26.65.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of roofers in Oregon earned under $23.42 an hour and a tenth under $22.06. At the top, a quarter earned over $33.22 and a tenth over $46.01.

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: roofer salary in Oregon.

Jobs ahead in Oregon

Oregon's labor market office projects jobs for roofers growing from 3,810 in 2022 to 4,350 in 2032, a change of 14.2%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 370 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 14.2% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 2% projected nationally, ranking 9th of the 48 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group roofers.

Starting your own roofer business in Oregon

To contract on your own in Oregon, the license is the CCB license, Residential Specialty Contractor endorsement (or a commercial endorsement).

Insurance. Residential specialty: $300,000 per occurrence general liability. Residential general: $500,000 per occurrence.

Bond. Residential specialty contractor $20,000. Residential general contractor $25,000.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Oregon median of $28.35 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $120.38 per billable hour. Try your own in the labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start a roofing business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.