Roofing license requirements in Kentucky

Who needs a license

Licensed by city or county. The state does not license roofers. Your city or county may. Ask your building department what it asks of a roofer.

The Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction licenses plumbers, electricians, HVAC, boiler, and fire sprinkler contractors. It does not license roofers or general contractors. Louisville Metro requires a local contractor license to pull building permits, and Lexington requires contractor registration. A 2026 bill (HB 150) to create a state roofing license was sent to committee and has not become law. Ask the roofer for the local contractor license where one exists, and for proof of insurance.

Bond and insurance

A license or registration is not insurance. Ask every roofer for a certificate of general liability and workers' compensation insurance. Then call the insurer to confirm the policy is active. If the state asks a roofer for a bond, the rules above say so.

Roof insurance rules in Kentucky

Kentucky makes insurers replace all items in the area so they look reasonably uniform, and the Department of Insurance says the area is the whole roof. If insurance will pay, you can cancel the roofing contract before midnight on the fifth business day after your insurer says in writing that all or part of the claim is not covered, and the contractor may not offer to pay your deductible.

Permits

Confirm roof permit requirements with the building department responsible for your address and scope of work. Agree with your contractor who will obtain any required permit and arrange inspections before work begins.

How to verify a roofer's license

Kentucky has no state license lookup for roofers. Ask the roofer for proof of insurance, and call the insurer to confirm it. If your city or county licenses roofers, ask its building department how to check a license.