Texas · Checked October 22, 2026
No state license. Texas does not license or register roofing contractors at the state level — TDLR does not administer roofing, and anyone may legally roof without a state credential. What controls the work is city contractor registration and permits, plus a strict state ban on paying, waiving or advertising away an insurance deductible. The voluntary RCAT Licensed Roofing Contractor credential is a private certification, not a license.
| Item | Texas |
|---|---|
| Regime | No state roofing license or registration — cities register, RCAT certifies voluntarily |
| Exam | None. State: none. RCAT exams are open-book, based on NRCA Roofing Manual. |
| Experience | State: none. RCAT (voluntary certification): the applicant must be a principal in a Texas roofing company domiciled in Texas — RCAT's own page says at least 3 continuous years; several secondary guides say 2 years. RCAT's own page controls here: 3 years. |
| Application fee | $0 state (no license) |
| License / registration fee | Not published |
| Total state cost | $0 state license cost. RCAT: exam fees about $550 member / $850 non-member per type (secondary), renewal $250/yr (secondary) — verify with RCAT before publishing as primary — City registration fees are the real state-level substitute cost — see city_layer. |
| Bond | No state bond. RCAT alternative: $100,000 surety bond / property bond / letter of credit may be shown in lieu of RCAT insurance amounts. |
| Insurance minimums | No state insurance mandate for roofers. RCAT requires general liability $300,000 combined single limit residential / $500,000 commercial, plus workers' compensation or DWC Form-005 notice of no coverage. Cities commonly require $300,000 per occurrence for registration. |
| Who qualifies | The applicant / business owner |
| Timeline | No state license timeline |
| Renewal | No state license to renew. RCAT credential renews annually with 8 hours continuing education (secondary guides; RCAT page confirms 1-year validity and CE on renewal). |
| Credential | Scope | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| No state class | both | No TDLR roofing program. Voluntary RCAT Residential / Commercial Licensed Roofing Contractor credentials exist (private). |
Verify per city before work: Dallas — annual contractor registration, $120/yr, covers roofing, requires general liability of at least $300,000 per occurrence and workers' comp (city rules as summarized by multiple sources). San Antonio — Home Improvement Contractor registration for residential repair/roofing, $150 for 2 years per city summaries (an older city form shows $172.50 with surcharges — confirm the current portal fee before paying), FBI background check, insurance of at least $300,000 per occurrence / $600,000 aggregate / $300,000 products-completed operations, city as certificate holder. Houston — NO general contractor city registration: work runs on per-project permits plus a Basic Business License (about $33.10 admin fee per secondary summary); Houston does not have a roofer registration + insurance mandate, whatever older lists say. Austin and Fort Worth also register contractors locally — check your city's list before the first job.
Paying, waiving or advertising a deductible waiver is an offense. Citation: Tex. Bus. & Com. Code §27.02; Tex. Ins. Code ch. 707 (§§707.002, 707.004–707.006) — HB 2102 (2019). The operative offense is Business & Commerce Code §27.02 (as amended by HB 2102, 2019): advertising or promising to pay, waive, absorb, rebate, credit or otherwise assist an insured in avoiding the deductible — and providing the service knowing the insured will avoid payment, without insurer consent — is a Class B misdemeanor (up to 180 days in county jail / $2,000 fine, per TDI guidance). An insured who knowingly submits or allows a claim built on the waiver also commits an offense unless they promptly notify the insurer. Insurance Code ch. 707 requires the insured to pay the deductible (§707.002) and lets insurers demand reasonable proof of payment before releasing depreciation holdback (§707.005); contracts over $1,000 expected to be paid from claim proceeds must carry the statutory deductible notice in 12-point type (§707.004). Note: a stray Insurance Code citation with a $1,500 threshold circulates in roofer marketing and older guides — no such provision exists in the statute text; the deductible offense is the Class B misdemeanor above (separate general insurance-fraud statutes are a different matter).
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