The short version: no state license, so you check
Here is the plain answer to whether roofers need a license in Texas: they do not. Unlike electricians, plumbers and air conditioning contractors, roofing contractors face no state exam, no state license and no state board where you can look up a complaint history. Anyone can print "roofing contractor" on a truck door and start knocking.
That does not leave you guessing. Between city contractor registration, the re-roof permit, the roofer's own insurance agent, the written contract and a few Texas statutes that protect homeowners, there is a lot you can verify in an afternoon. This guide walks through each check in the order most people meet them: before the estimate, before signing, during the job and at final payment.
DFW Expert Roofers, the free phone line behind this site, connects callers with an independent, locally owned roofing company. It does not vet, license or vouch for anyone, so these checks are yours to run on whichever roofer you hire, including the one the line connects you with.
HB 3344 and the license Texas almost had
During the 2025 session, lawmakers filed House Bill 3344 to bring residential re-roofing contractors under state licensing, with TDLR as the regulator. According to the committee bill analysis, the House committee that heard it sent it forward. The bill then stalled short of a floor vote and expired with the session. For now, the roofing trade in Texas has no state licensing at all, and any roofer who says it holds "a Texas roofing license" is describing something else.
Usually that something else is one of three things:
- A voluntary association credential. The Roofing Contractors Association of Texas, an industry association, offers a voluntary designation it calls Licensed Roofing Contractor. Published descriptions say applicants show proof of liability insurance and pass a business and safety exam plus a roofing exam, then renew each year. It is a private credential: useful to know about, not required by law. If it matters to you, confirm a roofer's standing with the association itself.
- A city contractor registration. Many DFW cities require contractors to register before they can be named on a permit. This is the closest thing to a license that a North Texas roofer holds, and you can check it.
- A shingle maker's installer program. Manufacturers enroll roofers in tiered programs that unlock longer warranties. These are business arrangements with the manufacturer, not government licenses, and the program level matters mainly for which warranty you can buy.
When a salesperson says "licensed," ask: licensed by whom? A clear answer names a city, an association or a manufacturer, and you can check each one.
City registration and re-roof permits around DFW
Local rules do the work a state license would. Each city below posts its own requirements, and they differ more than most people expect. Confirm the current rule with your city before work starts.
| City | Re-roof permit | Roofer registration |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas | A re-roof permit is needed to replace large areas or an entire roof; minor shingle repairs and temporary tarps are exempt. | A registered contractor must be on the application before the permit is issued. Homeowners doing their own work file an exemption form. |
| Fort Worth | Replacing shingles alone on a one or two-family home needs no permit; replacing decking, sheathing or rafters does. | Anyone who obtains a building permit must hold a city Contractor Registration, except a homeowner on a homestead. |
| Plano | Required for all re-roof projects, with a final roof inspection. | Roofing companies register in the General Contractor category, renewed yearly; the city posts a list of active registrations. |
| Arlington | Required for replacing roof coverings since November 1, 2011. | Roofing contractors must register with the city to get a permit; registrations are searchable on the city's permit portal. |
| Garland | Required for roof work valued at $2,000 or more, with a copy of the contract or adjuster's scope. | Roofers register as general contractors and must show liability insurance naming the city as certificate holder. |
| Grand Prairie | Required for any roof replacement, recover or repair. | A city General Contractor registration is required. |
| Richardson | Required when replacing or repairing more than about a quarter of the roof area. | All contractors register with Building Inspection before doing any work; the registration runs one year. |
| Allen | Required for a roof replacement, with inspections. | Contractors register yearly in the city's online portal before they can be added to a permit. |
The practical test is simple. Ask the roofer, "Who pulls the permit, and under what registration?" Then look the company up on your city's permit portal or call the building department. A roofer that is registered in your city and has pulled permits there recently has left a public trail. One that asks you to pull the permit in your own name may be trying to avoid that trail; in Dallas, for example, the homeowner exemption is meant for owners who do the work themselves. Every town page on this site, such as Plano and Fort Worth, notes what that city's own site says.
Insurance papers: what to ask for and how to confirm them
A roof is dangerous work done over your property. If a worker falls or a crew damages your house or a neighbor's car, the question becomes whose insurance answers. Two kinds of coverage matter.
General liability
This covers damage the roofer causes to your home and property. Ask for a certificate of insurance, and ask that it come straight from the roofer's insurance agent rather than as a photocopy from the salesperson. Read the policy dates and the named business, then call the agent's number (look it up yourself) to confirm the policy is active. Some cities set their own minimums for registration; Garland, for one, asks for at least $300,000 in general liability.
Workers' compensation
Texas is unusual: the Texas Department of Insurance's Division of Workers' Compensation explains that most private employers here may choose not to carry workers' comp. Employers that opt out must post a notice of no coverage and file it with the state, and injured workers can sue them. Ask the roofer whether it carries workers' comp, and if not, what coverage protects its crew and whether the crew are its employees or a subcontractor's.
Subcontracting is common in roofing. That is not a problem in itself, but it changes the questions. Ask who will be on your roof, whose insurance covers them, and who answers for the work if something leaks next spring.
Texas laws that protect you in a roofing contract
Even without a license, Texas puts several rules on roofers who take insurance money or work after a disaster. Knowing them helps you spot a contract that should not be signed.
- The deductible is yours. Business and Commerce Code section 27.02 bars a contractor from waiving, rebating or absorbing your insurance deductible, and when insurance money funds a job of $1,000 or more, the contract has to state in writing that the deductible is your responsibility.
- No claim negotiating. A contractor may not act as a public adjuster on a home it works on or may work on (Insurance Code section 4102.163). A contract that lets the roofer "handle" or "negotiate" your claim is a warning sign.
- Out-of-area storm contractors. Business and Commerce Code Chapter 58 covers disaster remediation contracts after a declared disaster when the contractor has not kept a physical business address for at least a year in your county or an adjacent one. Under it, the contractor may not demand any payment before work begins, any partial payment has to stay in reasonable proportion to the work performed, with delivered materials counted, and the contract must carry a boldface statement that it is subject to Chapter 58. Violations count as deceptive trade practices, and you cannot waive the chapter.
- A sworn statement at the end. Property Code section 53.259 makes the contractor's affidavit that its workers and suppliers have been paid (or a list of anyone still owed) a condition of final payment on a residential construction contract. It is your protection against a supplier's lien on your home.
Your deductible is yours to pay. The Texas Department of Insurance warns that a contractor may not waive your deductible, rebate it, or pad the estimate to cover it, and that a contract of $1,000 or more paid with insurance money must include a notice that you owe the deductible. Your insurer may ask for proof you paid it. A contractor also may not act as a public adjuster on a property it works on or may work on. If a roofer offers to "take care of" the deductible, hire someone else.
When the roofer finds you: door knockers after a storm
After a big hailstorm, DFW streets fill with trucks and yard signs within days. Some belong to good local companies. Some belong to crews that leave town when the work dries up, and their warranty leaves with them.
Texas gives you room to think. In a consumer alert issued after a round of ice storms, the Texas Attorney General's office said that in many cases you can cancel a contract signed with a door-to-door salesperson up to three days after signing, that the seller must tell you about that right, and that if it does not, the contract may be voidable. The office's standing guidance on door-to-door sales sets the window at three business days, counted to midnight of the third business day, and says to cancel in writing. The same alert warns against being rushed into a signature.
Cities add their own rules. McKinney, for example, requires a city permit for anyone who solicits there, and its police department issues it. Ask a door knocker to show the permit your city requires, and call the city if no one can. Never let anyone onto your roof just because they offer to "take a quick look," and never sign anything that day, including a form described as only an inspection authorization.
Paying a roofer: timing that protects you
Try to keep what you have paid close to what has been built. Here is a sequence many homeowners use for a full re-roof.
- At signing: little or nothing. A deposit toward materials is common, but a request for most of the price before any work starts is a red flag. If Chapter 58 applies to an out-of-area storm contractor, it may not ask for payment before starting at all.
- When materials arrive. If you agreed to a materials payment, make it when the shingles and underlayment are actually on your driveway, and match the delivery to the contract's product names.
- During the work. Pay any progress amount only for completed stages. Ask for photos of the bare decking and any sheets replaced, since decking is usually priced per sheet.
- At final payment. Pay after the city's final inspection where required, after cleanup (magnetic sweep for nails included), and against the final invoice, the bills-paid affidavit and the warranty paperwork.
Pay by check or card, never cash or wire, so you have a record. If insurance is involved, your insurer may issue checks in stages, and the mortgage company may be a co-payee. Ask your insurer and lender how they release money before you agree to a payment schedule with the roofer.
A printable checklist before you sign
Print this page or copy the table. Each line takes a phone call or a few minutes online.
| Check | How to confirm it | Walk away if |
|---|---|---|
| City registration | Search your city's permit portal or call the building department with the company's legal name. | The roofer is not registered and wants you to pull the permit yourself. |
| Re-roof permit | Ask who pulls it and get the permit number before tear-off. | You hear "your city doesn't need one" without checking. |
| Liability insurance | Certificate sent by the insurance agent; call the agent to confirm dates. | Only a phone photo of an old certificate is offered. |
| Workers' comp or other crew coverage | Ask directly, and ask whose employees the crew are. | No one can say who covers an injured worker. |
| Local address and history | A physical business address and a few roofs finished nearby in the past year or two. | The only contact is a cell number and an out-of-state plate. |
| Written contract | Full scope, shingle brand and line, underlayment, flashing, ventilation, decking price per sheet, cleanup, start date, payment schedule. | Blank spaces, or a price with no scope. |
| Deductible notice | On an insurance job of $1,000 or more, the contract says you owe your deductible. | Any offer to cover, waive or "work with" the deductible. |
| Claim language | The contract is for roofing work only. | It assigns the roofer to negotiate your claim or makes it your agent. |
| Warranty registration | Ask who registers the manufacturer's warranty and when you will get the confirmation. | The roofer will not put the warranty terms in writing. |
| Complaint record | Look the company up with the Better Business Bureau and search the company name online with "complaint." | A pattern of unfinished jobs or unanswered warranty calls. |
Get at least two written estimates for anything beyond a small repair, and compare the scope line by line, not just the total. The DFW roof replacement cost guide breaks down the factors behind a DFW bid.
Two warranties, and why registration matters
A new roof usually carries two promises. The roofer's workmanship warranty covers its installation and is only as good as the company's staying power, which is one more reason to favor a roofer with a local address and history. The manufacturer's warranty covers the shingles and, at higher tiers, more of the system.
GAF, one of the large shingle makers, notes that even a warranty that comes with the roof has to be activated within a set period after installation, by the contractor or the homeowner, and that its enhanced warranties generally require matching components from the same maker and a roofer enrolled in its contractor program. Other manufacturers run similar tiers. Before signing, find out the exact warranty tier on the contract, which party files the registration, and how soon a confirmation should reach you. Keep that confirmation with your closing papers; it can matter when you sell the house.
If something goes wrong
Start with the roofer, in writing, and keep copies. If that fails, you have options outside the company:
- Texas Attorney General. The Consumer Protection Division takes complaints online or at 800-621-0508, including reports of deductible offers and storm repair scams.
- Your city building department. A city that registers contractors can tell you about permit problems and failed inspections, and a work-without-permit report goes there.
- Your insurer. If insurance money is involved, tell your adjuster about problems with the work before the claim closes.
- The Better Business Bureau. It records complaints and the company's responses, which helps the next homeowner too.
For a dispute about money, a contract or a lien, a Texas attorney can tell you where you stand; this guide is general information, not legal advice.
Want a local roofer to look at your roof while you run these checks? One free call connects you with an independent, locally owned DFW roofing company, and every question on this page is yours to ask it.
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