- No registration needed if your home improvement work totaled less than $5,000 in the previous tax year. New home construction is not covered.
- Every two years.
Do you need a state license in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania licenses some roofing work at the state level and leaves the rest alone. Which side of that line a job falls on decides whether you need the state license.
No registration needed if your home improvement work totaled less than $5,000 in the previous tax year. New home construction is not covered.
Since July 1, 2009 towns cannot separately license or register home improvement contractors. Philadelphia requires its own Contractor License for work beyond existing one or two family homes.
The Pennsylvania license for this work
There is one license to aim for here.
| License | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Home Improvement Contractor registration | Repairs, replacements and installs on homes, including roofs |
Steps to get licensed in Pennsylvania
- Buy liability insurance with at least $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage coverage.
- Register with the Attorney General's HIC program and pay $100.
- Check local rules, especially Philadelphia, which has its own contractor license.
- Put your HIC number on contracts and ads and renew every two years.
Experience and other requirements
Experience. The board's pages do not list one.
The license to apply for. Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration.
Pennsylvania roofing exams
Trade exam. No trade exam.
Business and law exam. No business and law exam.
What it costs in Pennsylvania
The board lists one fee for this license. These are the state's own numbers. Insurance, any bond, exam prep and your business registration come on top.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Registration, new or renewal (every two years) | $100 |
Insurance and bond
Insurance. General liability with at least $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage coverage.
Bond. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Renewal and licenses from other states
Renewal. Every two years.
Reciprocity. The official pages we read do not say. Check with the board (official site).
Good to know in Pennsylvania
- Applications ask about past bankruptcies and criminal convictions.
- Your registration number must appear in ads, contracts, estimates and proposals.
After you are licensed
The license lets you take the work. Getting the work is the next job.
- Register the business. If you work under a name other than your own, register it where your state asks (often the Secretary of State, sometimes the county), and keep the name the same on your license, your truck and your invoices.
- Claim your Google Business Profile. It is the listing people see when they search for a roofer near them. Fill in your service area, hours and real photos of your work.
- Put up a website that shows the license. Customers look for it before they call. Koira builds a contractor website for you and keeps it current.
- See where you stand. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where this comes from
Every fact on this page comes from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and the official pages below, checked October 8, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the board before you file.
More for your trade: how roofing companies run on Koira.