A roofer who replaces the roof of an existing one- or two-family house in Philadelphia usually works under two registrations: the state's, and the City's. Both can be checked before you sign.
1. The state: PA Home Improvement Contractor
Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires a contractor to register with the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection before offering or doing home improvement work; the law lists roofs by name. Contractors whose home improvement work totaled less than $5,000 in the previous tax year are exempt. The registration number must appear on the contractor's advertisements, contracts, estimates and proposals (HICPA § 6).
Search a name or number at hicsearch.attorneygeneral.gov; the search has a "Type of Work" filter that includes Roofing. The Attorney General is clear about what a registration means:
Registration under HICPA is not an endorsement, recommendation or approval by the Office of Attorney General of the contractor's competency or skill.
2. The City: Home Improvement registration with L&I
To pull permits in Philadelphia under that state registration, the contractor also registers with L&I. The City says: "You don't need to have a Philadelphia Contractor License if you only do home improvement work on one- or two-family dwellings (excluding electrical, plumbing, and fire suppression)." Instead the contractor submits as a PA Home Improvement Contractor, with:
- a Business Income and Receipts Tax ID and a Commercial Activity License;
- proof of the PA Home Improvement registration;
- a certificate of insurance: general liability of $500,000 per occurrence, automobile liability of $300,000, and workers' compensation of $100,000 per accident, $100,000 per employee and a $500,000 policy limit;
- being current on City taxes.
The City's open data listed 556 active "PA Home Improvement" registrations on October 24, 2026. A contractor who also does commercial work or larger buildings holds a Philadelphia Contractor License instead. Either way, L&I names the contractor on the permit; the roof permit lookup shows permits by address.
What to ask for
- the PA HIC number, and check it;
- the certificate of insurance, issued to you as the certificate holder;
- who files the EZ permit and the Historical Commission application if one is needed;
- the TP_019_F roof certificate at the end of the job;
- a written contract with everything the law requires: see contract and cancellation.
What a registration does not tell you
Neither registration tests roofing skill. The state registration is a filing, and the City's adds taxes and insurance. Ask for addresses of roofs the contractor replaced on houses like yours, and look at the permits for them.
The contractors reached through this site's number are independent businesses; this site does not register, inspect or rank them.