Residential RoofersCheck a roofer's license before you sign anything

Look up a roofing license

Type a roofer's name or license number to search 20,241 active records; results open on the state's own site.

How to check a license in California

  1. Search using the license number, the business name, or the name of whoever qualifies the license.[1]
  2. Confirm the classification reads C-39, the roofing classification, rather than relying on a general "B" license for a single-trade roof job.[2]
  3. Check that workers' compensation is shown on file; C-39 roofers must carry it whether or not they have employees.[2]
  4. Review the license's status and any disciplinary history displayed on the same result page.[1]

CSLB Check a Contractor License

Warning signs

  • A license status that reads inactive, revoked, or suspended, or a business name that doesn't match your bid.[1]
  • No pocket license or photo ID offered when someone arrives to give you a bid in person.[3]
  • A deposit bigger than the state's own cap, the smaller of a tenth of the job's price or $1,000, without a bond on record to explain the extra.[4]
  • Pressure to waive or rush past your three-day right to cancel after signing.[4]

Rules that protect you

  • California requires a $25,000 bond for a C-39 license, on top of mandatory workers' compensation coverage for every C-39 roofer.[2]
  • Any roofing job with combined labor and materials of $500 or more requires a C-39-licensed contractor by law.[2]
  • A written contract is required for home improvement work over $500, with a right to cancel within three days of signing.[4]

How to check a license in Florida

  1. Search by the contractor's name, license number, or county.[5]
  2. Check whether the number starts with CCC, meaning certified and good statewide, or RC, meaning registered and limited to a specific local jurisdiction.[6]
  3. If the contractor is a general, building, or residential license holder certified after 1973, confirm they also carry a separate roofing certification or registration.[7]
  4. In Miami-Dade or Broward County, ask what the county's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone retrofit and permit rules require for your specific roof type.[8]

DBPR Licensing Portal license search

Warning signs

  • A flyer, text, or email that pushes you to file a roof damage insurance claim before you've asked anyone to look at your roof.[9]
  • An offer to waive your deductible or hand you a gift card for letting them inspect the roof.[9]
  • A crew that arrives within hours of a storm with no local address and an out-of-state plate.[10]
  • No itemized repair estimate before you're asked to sign a roof repair agreement.[9]

Rules that protect you

  • Sign inside the six-month window after your area's own emergency declaration and state law stretches your cancellation right out to 10 days, or up to whenever the crew is scheduled to actually begin, whichever lands sooner.[9]
  • Roofing generally requires a building permit; the state's $7,500 minor-repair exemption for homeowners doesn't cover structural work like roofing.[11]
  • A first payment above the 10% mark triggers Florida's permit clock, giving the contractor a month to submit the paperwork and three months from its issue date to actually get started.[12]

How to check a license in Washington

  1. Search by business name, registration number, or Washington UBI number.[13]
  2. Confirm the registration reads active and that roofing is the listed specialty, since a specialty registration only covers the trade named on it.[14]
  3. Check that a current bond is on file. Washington raised the specialty contractor bond to $15,000 in July 2024.[15]
  4. If the crew includes employees, confirm an active workers' compensation account in the same result.[16]

L&I Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business

Warning signs

  • No written Notice to Customer handed over before a $1,000-plus job starts on a small residential property (four units or under).[17]
  • A registration that reads suspended, expired, or recently reinstated after a bond cancellation.[18]
  • Reluctance to give you the registration number so you can look it up yourself.
  • A discount that disappears if you don't sign during the same visit, or a demand for cash only.

Rules that protect you

  • Roofing is registered as one of dozens of specialty trades in Washington, and a specialty contractor can't hire subcontractors outside that trade.[14]
  • State law requires a written Notice to Customer before the crew starts on any $1,000-plus job at a small residential property of four units or under.[17]
  • The building permit itself comes from the local city or county, separate from L&I's contractor registration.[19]

Sources

  1. Check a Contractor License or Home Improvement Salesperson (HIS) Registration, Contractors State License Board, accessed 2026-09-30
  2. Roofing Contractor (C-39) Licensing Classification, Contractors State License Board, accessed 2026-09-30
  3. How do I find the right licensed contractor?, Contractors State License Board, accessed 2026-09-30
  4. What Should I Look for in a Contract and Binding Agreements?, Contractors State License Board, accessed 2026-09-30
  5. Licensing Portal: License Search, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, accessed 2026-09-30
  6. Florida Statutes 489.105: Definitions, Florida Legislature, accessed 2026-09-30
  7. Florida Statutes 489.113: Qualifications for practice; restrictions, Florida Legislature, accessed 2026-09-30
  8. Roofing Permits, Miami-Dade County, accessed 2026-09-30
  9. Florida Statutes 489.147: Roof damage insurance claims; contracting practices, Florida Senate, accessed 2026-09-30
  10. When Hail Hits, Storm Chasers Arrive, National Insurance Crime Bureau, accessed 2026-09-30
  11. Florida Statutes 553.79: Permits; applications; issuance; inspections, Florida Legislature, accessed 2026-09-30
  12. Florida Statutes 489.126: Moneys received by contractors, Florida Legislature, accessed 2026-09-30
  13. Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, accessed 2026-09-30
  14. Register as a Contractor, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, accessed 2026-09-30
  15. Washington Contractor Bond Requirements, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, accessed 2026-09-30
  16. Hire Smart Step-by-Step, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, accessed 2026-09-30
  17. RCW 18.27.114: Disclosure statement required, Washington State Legislature, accessed 2026-09-30
  18. RCW 18.27.040: Bond or other security required, Washington State Legislature, accessed 2026-09-30
  19. RCW 19.27.050: Enforcement, Washington State Legislature, accessed 2026-09-30