Kentucky · Checked October 22, 2026
No state license. Kentucky has no state license, registration or exam for roofing or general contractors — the state licenses only trades such as electrical, plumbing and HVAC through the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. A roofer's state-level duties are consumer-law duties: the residential roofing contract and prohibited-acts rules in KRS 367.620-367.628, including the ban on offering to pay or rebate an insurance deductible. Everything credential-shaped is local (city/county occupational licenses) or voluntary (Kentucky Roofing Contractors Association certification).
Checked in part. The load-bearing facts on this page (regime, threshold, exam) are sourced below, but one or more figures for Kentucky could not be confirmed on a primary board or statute page in the October 22, 2026 pass. Anything unconfirmed is printed as “Not published” — never estimated. Confirm the open figures with the board before you file.
| Item | Kentucky |
|---|---|
| Regime | No state roofing license — local occupational licensing only |
| Exam | None. No state roofing exam or experience requirement. |
| Experience | No state experience requirement published |
| Application fee | Not applicable at state level |
| License / registration fee | Not applicable at state level |
| Total state cost | $0 in state roofing fees. Local occupational license fees vary by city/county (Not published as a single figure). KRCA certification, if pursued, carries its own private costs including the $10,000 bond premium. — No state fee schedule exists for roofers. |
| Bond | No state bond for roofers. The $10,000 bond associated with Kentucky roofing is a condition of voluntary KRCA certification only. Louisville Metro's surety-bond requirement applies to Type A/B wrecking contractor identification, not to roofing. |
| Insurance minimums | No state-set roofing insurance minimum. Workers' compensation is mandatory under Kentucky employment law from the first employee. Louisville and other metros commonly require proof of insurance at local registration; KRCA certification (voluntary) has required $1M general liability. |
| Who qualifies | The applicant / business owner |
| Timeline | No state process — a roofer is state-compliant on formation; allow days for the local occupational license(s) in each city/county of work. |
| Renewal | No state renewal. Local occupational licenses renew on the local cycle (commonly annual). |
| Credential | Scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| No state class | both | No state roofing class exists. Voluntary KRCA (Kentucky Roofing Contractors Association) certified-contractor status — historically requiring about 1 year of experience, $1M general liability + workers' comp, a $10,000 judgment bond, a code of ethics and 10 hours/year of continuing education — is a private credential, not a license. |
Louisville Metro is the major-metro layer: contractors register with Louisville Metro and show proof of insurance, and the city issues occupational licenses; Bowling Green and other cities/counties likewise run occupational-license (business registration) systems. None of these is a state competency license — but working without the local license where required is still a violation of local law.
Paying, waiving or advertising a deductible waiver is an offense. Citation: KRS 367.628(2) (Acts prohibited for roofing contractor / contractor). Where goods or services are expected to be paid from property/casualty insurance proceeds, a roofing contractor (2025 text: a contractor) shall not offer to pay or rebate all or any portion of an insurance deductible or claims proceeds as an inducement to the sale of goods or services related to a residential roof contract, grant an allowance or discount against the contract fee, or pay the owner compensation over $100 (bonus, coupon, credit, gift, prize, referral fee or anything of value). Created 2012 (ch. 97), amended 2017 and again effective June 27, 2025 (ch. 15), which broadened the wording from roofing contractors to contractors for real-estate work. Classified explicit_ban because it bans the offer/payment itself, not merely advertising.
Run the compliance checker for Kentucky →
The full law-changed tracker →
Thresholds and classes turn on your contract value and your role. Run the checker with Kentucky preselected:
Confirm with the board before you file: fees and rules change, and the board — not this page — decides your application. Information only, not legal advice.
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
Included in the $49 RoofingLicenseCheck Kit — every item below, for every state, one payment.
