Guide · Checked October 22, 2026
States rarely license a roofing company directly. They license a company through a person — the qualifying party — who proves the experience, passes the exams, and answers for the work. Understanding that one fact explains most licensing timelines, most denials, and the most expensive surprise in the business.
| State | The person | What they prove |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | Qualifying party | Passes the Limited or Unlimited exam (70%) |
| California | RME / RMO | 4 years journey-level experience + trade and Law & Business exams |
| Florida | Qualifier | 4 years experience (1 supervisory) + two exams |
| Minnesota | Qualifying roofer (QR) | Passes the QR exam — no experience prerequisite to sit it |
| Arizona | Qualifying party | ~4 years verifiable experience + statutes and trade exams |
The license's foundation is employment. A qualifier who quits, is fired, or starts a competitor takes the credential's basis with them; states give the business a window to re-qualify (a new person, new exams, new proof) and the work in between is legally shaky. Sophisticated operators document the arrangement up front — notice periods, exam-cost responsibility, non-solicits where enforceable. The $49 kit carries the documentation templates; this guide carries the warning: choose your qualifier like a partner, because the state already has.
A market exists of “qualifiers for hire.” States write rules against rent-a-license arrangements — the qualifier must be a bona fide employee or officer with real supervision duties, and sham qualifiers are a recurring enforcement theme. If the person cannot describe your jobs, the arrangement is the violation.
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).
$49 one-time payment
Included in the $49 RoofingLicenseCheck Kit — every item below, for every state, one payment.
