Guide · Checked October 22, 2026

How to start a roofing business in Texas

Texas does not license or register roofing contractors at the state level — TDLR does not administer roofing, and anyone may legally roof without a state credential. What controls the work is city contractor registration and permits, plus a strict state ban on paying, waiving or advertising away an insurance deductible. The voluntary RCAT Licensed Roofing Contractor credential is a private certification, not a license.

The verdict for Texas

Regime: No state roofing license or registration — cities register, RCAT certifies voluntarily. Total state cost: $0 state license cost. RCAT: exam fees about $550 member / $850 non-member per type (secondary), renewal $250/yr (secondary) — verify with RCAT before publishing as primary. Exam: none. The full breakdown — classes, thresholds, bond, insurance, sub rules — is on the Texas state page, and the checker computes it against your job size and role.

The order that works here

Run the verdict for your scope and typical contract value — before the LLC paperwork, because in license states the license names the entity and its qualifying party
Handle the qualifying-party question (who proves experience, who sits the exam) — it sets your timeline more than any fee
Buy bond and insurance to the state's printed minimums for your class
Clear the local layer: Verify per city before work: Dallas — annual contractor registration, $120/yr, covers roofing, requires general liability of at least $300,000 per occurrence and workers' comp (city rules as summarized by multiple sources). San Antonio — Home Improvement Contractor registration for residential repair/roofing, $150 for 2 years per city summaries (an older city form shows $172.50 with surcharges — confirm the current portal fee before paying), FBI background check, insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence / $600,000 aggregate / $300,000 products-completed operations, city as certificate holder. Houston — NO general contractor city registration: work runs on per-project permits plus a Basic Business License (about $33.10 admin fee per secondary summary); Houston does not have a roofer registration + insurance mandate, whatever older lists say. Austin and Fort Worth also register contractors locally — check your city's list before the first job.
Sign nothing until the credential or registration is in hand — and check the deductible law before your first insurance job

The trap in Texas

City registration triggers vary by city, not by a state dollar threshold.

Run the license verdict checker

The Launch File for your state — included in the $49 RoofingLicenseCheck Kit

The checker gives you the verdict. The kit gives you the paperwork, in filing order: the application walkthrough for your state's class, qualifying-party documentation templates, the bond and insurance spec sheet with your state's exact minimums, the city-registration checklist pack for no-license states, and the contract-compliance pack (deductible language and required contract notices, including Florida's deadlines calendar).

$49 one-time payment

See the kit

Included in the $49 RoofingLicenseCheck Kit — every item below, for every state, one payment.