Pennsylvania · Checked October 22, 2026
Registration only. Pennsylvania does not license roofers or general contractors at the state level and has no trade exam. A roofer who does $5,000 or more of home improvement work a year on existing homes must register with the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA), show at least $50,000 of liability coverage, and put the PA registration number on contracts, estimates and ads. Commercial roofing is largely unlicensed at the state level; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh add their own city licensing on top.
| Item | Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Regime | Home Improvement Contractor registration (Attorney General) for residential work — no trade license, no exam |
| Exam | None. Registration is an application, disclosure and insurance filing — it does not test trade skill. |
| Experience | No state experience requirement published |
| Application fee | $100 registration fee (effective March 2, 2026) |
| License / registration fee | $100 renewal for a two-year registration |
| Total state cost | $100 in state fees for two years, plus insurance premiums; no bond premium at the state level — Sources disagree: the Attorney General's FAQ page and many guides still state a $50 application fee, while current 2026 guidance citing the OAG HICPA page and the registration system states the fee rose to $100 effective March 2, 2026 for a two-year period. The $100 figure is used here — confirm on the OAG HICPA page before paying. |
| Bond | No state bond is required for HIC registration. A city license (for example Philadelphia) may impose its own financial requirements. |
| Insurance minimums | At least $50,000 of personal injury liability coverage and $50,000 of property damage coverage, with policy information filed on the application (statutory minimums under HICPA). Many contractors carry more; the $50,000 figures are the registration floor, not a recommendation. Workers' compensation is required for employers under Pennsylvania workers' compensation law. |
| Who qualifies | The applicant / business owner |
| Timeline | Online applications through the PA Home Improvement Contractor Registration System (PA-HICRS) process faster than mailed paper applications, which take several weeks. PA-HICRS became operational April 24, 2026 after the prior system was taken offline following the August 2025 OAG cyberattack; during the outage, registrations and renewals were by paper application to Harrisburg — check the current portal status before filing. |
| Renewal | Two-year registration; renew at $100 (from March 2, 2026) through PA-HICRS or by mail. Registered contractors must update application information within 30 days of any change (address, structure, principals, trade names). |
| Credential | Scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration — PA number | residential | Covers remodeling, repair, renovation, restoration, reconstruction and maintenance — including roofing — of existing residential property. New construction of one- or two-family homes is NOT a home improvement under HICPA and does not trigger registration. No exam, no experience test. |
License trigger: $5,000 — Total home improvement work per year under HICPA (73 P.S. 517.1 et seq.), not per job. A contractor performing less than $5,000 of home improvement work in a year is outside the registration trigger in the Attorney General's guidance. The trigger is annual volume, so a roofer doing many small residential jobs crosses it quickly.
HICPA registration follows the contractor doing the home improvement work — a subcontractor performing residential home improvement work at or above the annual trigger must be registered in its own right; the prime's registration number does not cover subs. HICPA contract, disclosure and registration-number duties apply to the contractor contracting with the homeowner.
Philadelphia: a Philadelphia Contractor License through eCLIPSE is required for broader construction, demolition or repair work, with Commercial Activity License / BIRT tax standing, required insurance, and designated supervisors holding a current OSHA 30-hour certificate; work limited to home improvements on existing one- or two-family homes can generally be done under the state HIC registration alone. Pittsburgh also runs its own contractor licensing for work in the city. Check the city before bidding — city fees, insurance floors and safety-training rules sit on top of state registration.
No specific deductible-waiver statute found. No Pennsylvania statute specifically banning a roofing contractor from paying, waiving or advertising to pay an insurance deductible was found in searches on 2026-10-22. The Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law and insurance-fraud law still apply. Status is 'no specific statute found', not permission.
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