How to check an Oklahoma roofing contractor's registration

Look it up

1. Ask the roofer for their registration number. Registered roofers must show the firm name and their registration number, which begins with "OK", in letters at least 2 inches tall on both sides of every work vehicle.
2. Go to the Construction Industries Board roofing search at verify.cib.hbesystems.com/roofing/search. The CIB's "Are they licensed?" page links to it.
3. Search by name or number and confirm the business name matches the contract, and that the registration is current.
4. Note any complaints. By law, the state's verification system must note each complaint filed against a roofer and the roofer's response.

What a registration means

Oklahoma roofers are registered with the Construction Industries Board under the Roofing Contractor Registration Act (59 O.S. 1151.1 and following). It is a registration, renewed every year, not an exam-based license for residential work. Registration requires a certificate of liability insurance of at least $500,000 for residential roofing work and at least $1,000,000 for commercial roofing work, plus proof of workers' compensation coverage or an exemption. The annual registration fee is $75.

• The Act covers resident and nonresident roofing contractors, including subcontractors, so an out-of-state roofer needs a valid Oklahoma registration before offering roofing work here.
• Commercial roofing work also requires a commercial roofer endorsement, which means passing a commercial roofing exam.
• Starting January 1, 2027, residential roofers will also need a residential roofing endorsement: an exam, or for roofers already registered, 10 hours of continuing education during a grandfathering period.
• Acting as a roofer without a valid registration is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 per violation.

Registration is a floor, not a recommendation. It tells you the roofer has filed with the state and carries insurance. It does not tell you whether their work is good. References from jobs you can see, and a written contract and warranty, do that.

Also ask for

• A certificate of liability insurance, sent from their insurance agent if you want to be sure it is current.
• Proof of workers' compensation coverage or the exemption. Oklahoma law says a homeowner cannot be held liable in the workers' compensation system for the injury or death of a worker on a roofing job done under contract with a roofer required to be registered (59 O.S. 1151.22).
• A written contract. Registered roofers must use a written contract, and the contract must say that everyone working under it is covered by workers' compensation insurance.
• On an insurance job, the deductible notice and the 72-hour cancellation statement. Before you sign, the contractor must give you the 72-hour cancellation statement in bold 12-point type with a Notice of Cancellation form attached.

Will they still be here next year?

After a storm, the question Tulsa homeowners ask most is who will answer the phone when the new roof leaks in two years. A registration won't tell you. These help:

• A local office address you can drive past, not just a cell number and a hotel parking lot.
• Jobs in your part of town from a year or more ago, with homeowners you can ask.
• A workmanship warranty in writing, with the company's name on it, not only the manufacturer's shingle warranty.
• How they act before you sign. A roofer who misses two appointments in a row to give you an estimate is showing you how the warranty call will go.
• Whether they talk to whoever owns the house. Any owner on the deed can hire a roofer; a company that insists on a particular spouse being home is telling you something.

If the registration lapses mid-job

If a roofer's registration falls out of good standing during your job, the roofer must tell you, and you have the option to cancel the contract (59 O.S. 1151.5).