West Virginia · Checked October 22, 2026
License above a job-value threshold. West Virginia requires a Contractor Licensing Board license, issued through the Division of Labor, for contracting work at or above the statutory dollar threshold. Roofers take a specialty/general classification, pass Business & Law and trade exams through the exam vendor at 70%, and file workers' comp, unemployment and wage-bond paperwork — the license itself is only $90 a year.
Checked in part. The load-bearing facts on this page (regime, threshold, exam) are sourced below, but one or more figures for West Virginia 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 | West Virginia |
|---|---|
| Regime | Division of Labor contractor license over the statutory threshold — roofing/specialty classification |
| Exam | West Virginia Business & Law exam + trade exam for the classification (administered by Prov, Inc. in current Board guidance; older materials say PSI) — pass mark 70% on each. Exams are open-book per secondary guides. Exam fee $59.95 per exam per current secondary summaries ($51.95 in an older Board FAQ — the figures conflict). |
| Experience | No state experience requirement published |
| Application fee | $90 |
| License / registration fee | $90 |
| Total state cost | $90 application/license + 2 exam fees (~$59.95 each) + insurance/wage-bond costs; late renewal +$25 if over 15 days late (secondary summary of W.Va. CSR Sec. 28-2-5.4; statutory ceiling $150) — Sole proprietors holding only an electrical license pay $20/yr — not roofing. |
| Bond | No state contractor license bond. Wage bond may be required under W.Va. Code Sec. 21-5-14 for employers who have not been actively engaged in WV construction for the required period (4 weeks' wages at full production); a Wage Bond Status Affidavit is required from every applicant. Residential-only and other listed categories are exempt from the wage bond itself. Nonresident contractors post a separate sales/use tax bond. |
| Insurance minimums | Workers' compensation and unemployment insurance proof required for firms with employees; general liability certificate required in application checklists per secondary roadmaps — state minimum amount Not published. |
| Who qualifies | Qualifying party / qualifying individual — must be an owner, partner, corporate officer or full-time bona fide employee of the applicant and passes the exams for the firm. |
| Timeline | 45-90 days estimated in secondary roadmap — Not published by the Board in sources retrieved |
| Renewal | Annual; $90 renewal with updated insurance and wage-bond status |
| Credential | Scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor License — Specialty / General Building / Residential classifications covering roofing | both | Classifications include General Building, Residential, Remodeling & Repair and Specialty among the Board's list. Confirm the exact roofing exam/classification with the Board at filing. |
License trigger: $2,500 — W.Va. Code Sec. 21-11-3 definition: 'contractor' = work where cost of the undertaking is $2,500 or more (labor + materials); WV Business4WV guidance: license required at $2,500 or more. Several recent secondary guides state a newer split threshold of $5,000 residential / $25,000 commercial; that split was not found in the statutory text or Business4WV guidance, so this dataset publishes the primary-source $2,500 figure and marks the state checked in part — recheck the current W. Va. Code §21-11 / Division of Labor FAQ before relying on either figure.
Subcontractors must be licensed regardless of their portion if the total project is over the threshold — Board FAQ: 'If the total cost of the project is more than $2,500, subcontractors must be licensed regardless of how much money they are paid for their portion.'
Cities (Charleston, Huntington, Morgantown etc.) issue building permits per job and may require a local business license; the contractor license itself is state-issued.
No specific deductible-waiver statute found. No West Virginia statute specifically banning deductible payment/waiver/advertising by roofers was found.
Run the compliance checker for West Virginia →
Thresholds and classes turn on your contract value and your role. Run the checker with West Virginia 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).
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Included in the $49 RoofingLicenseCheck Kit — every item below, for every state, one payment.
