New York · Checked October 22, 2026
No state license. New York State does not license roofers or general contractors. Whether a roofer needs a license depends entirely on where the home is: New York City and the downstate counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland each run their own Home Improvement Contractor license, and the City of Buffalo does too. Outside those jurisdictions there is generally no county HIC license, though building permits and local rules still apply, and public-works contractors must register separately with the State Department of Labor.
Checked in part. The load-bearing facts on this page (regime, threshold, exam) are sourced below, but one or more figures for New York 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 | New York |
|---|---|
| Regime | No state roofer license — home improvement licenses are city / county only |
| Exam | None. Only one principal (sole proprietor, general partner, corporate officer, principal, director, member, or 10%+ shareholder) must pass the NYC exam, within 60 days after DCWP processes the application. County exam requirements vary — for example Putnam County does not require a licensing exam in the guides checked. |
| Experience | No state experience requirement. Nassau County requires five years of trade experience for its HIC license in the guides checked; other jurisdictions vary. Verify with the licensing county. |
| Application fee | NYC: prorated license fee $100 / $75 / $50 / $25 depending on where in the 2-year licensing cycle the application is filed, plus $50 exam fee and fingerprint processing per person. Nassau: $400 application and renewal fee in guides checked. Suffolk: $200 application fee in guides checked |
| License / registration fee | NYC renewal $100 for two years |
| Total state cost | No state fee. NYC first cycle: prorated license fee plus $200 Trust Fund enrollment if that route is chosen (or bond premium), $50 exam fee and fingerprint fees — County fees are as reported in 2026 secondary guides checked 2026-10-22 and change by county ordinance — confirm on the county site before filing. Westchester, Putnam and Rockland current fee amounts: Not published in the sources verified for this dataset. |
| Bond | No state bond. NYC: either enroll in the DCWP Trust Fund ($200) or file a $20,000 surety bond naming DCWP as certificate holder. Putnam County requires a $25,000 surety bond in the guides checked. Other counties set their own bond / security terms. |
| Insurance minimums | No state minimum. NYC applicants must show workers' compensation and disability insurance (or an exemption) and meet DCWP application requirements; counties set their own insurance minimums. Verify per jurisdiction. |
| Who qualifies | The applicant / business owner |
| Timeline | NYC: application processing, then the exam must be taken and passed within 60 days of the applicant's information appearing in ExamBuilder; fingerprinting through IdentoGO is also required. County timelines vary. |
| Renewal | NYC HIC license: two-year cycle, $100 renewal; Trust Fund participants who remain in the Fund may not have to pay the enrollment again when renewing if the Fund held more than $2 million as of July of the prior year. Nassau: renews every two years. Other counties vary. |
| Credential | Scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| No state class | both | The State licenses asbestos handlers and crane operators through the Department of Labor, but issues no roofing or general contractor license. All HIC classes below are local. |
| NYC Home Improvement Contractor license (DCWP) | residential | Required to solicit, canvass, sell, perform or obtain a home improvement contract in the five boroughs (Admin. Code 20-387). Includes residential roofing. |
| County Home Improvement Contractor licenses — Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland | residential | Each county licenses separately; no county recognizes another county's or NYC's license. City of Buffalo also requires its own license. |
Subcontractors performing home improvement work in a licensing jurisdiction need that jurisdiction's license in their own right — in NYC, soliciting or performing a home improvement contract without a license bars the contractor from recovering payment, even if the work was satisfactory. A prime's license does not cover its subs.
This IS the layer in New York. NYC: Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) HIC license for all five boroughs. Counties requiring their own HIC license: Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland; the City of Buffalo (Erie County) also licenses home improvement contractors. No jurisdiction recognizes another's license, so a Long Island roofer working in both Nassau and Suffolk needs both licenses, and NYC work needs the separate DCWP license on top. Most other counties have no county HIC license, but cities/towns may require permits or registration — check the local building department. Separately, any contractor doing public work must register with the NY State Department of Labor contractor registry.
No specific deductible-waiver statute found. No New York statute specifically banning a roofing contractor from paying, waiving or advertising to pay an insurance deductible was found in searches on 2026-10-22. New York insurance-fraud law (Penal Law Article 176) and General Business Law deceptive-practices rules still apply. Status is 'no specific statute found', not permission.
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