To verify a roofing contractor in Pennsylvania, look up their HIC number in the Attorney General’s database at hicsearch.attorneygeneral.gov, confirm the legal name and registration status match the contract in front of you, and request an insurance certificate sent directly from the contractor’s insurance agent. The whole process takes about ten minutes and costs nothing. Pennsylvania doesn’t actually license roofers at all, it registers them, and understanding that difference is the first step in protecting yourself. We’ve been roofing out of Irwin since 1995 and we’ve watched what happens to neighbors who skipped these steps, so here’s the full script.
Quick answer: How to run a PA HIC number lookup, verify a roofing contractor’s insurance certificate, and spot storm chaser red flags before anyone climbs your roof.
Pennsylvania registers contractors, it doesn't license them
Here’s the surprise. Pennsylvania has no statewide contractor license for roofers. What it has is the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, which since 2009 has required almost any contractor doing more than $5,000 of home improvement work per year to register with the Office of Attorney General.
Registration means the company disclosed who owns it, where it operates, and that it carries at least the minimum insurance. It does not mean the state tested anyone’s skill or inspected anyone’s work. So when a salesman says his company is fully licensed in Pennsylvania, what he legally means is registered. That’s still worth verifying every single time, but treat it as the floor of your homework. Skill gets proven through references, manufacturer credentials, and decades of local roofs that don’t leak, which is why our twelve questions for choosing a roofer go well beyond the paperwork.
Permits are a separate, local matter. Municipalities from Monroeville to Penn Township each handle their own building permits, and your contractor should be pulling them, not you.
The PA HIC number lookup, step by step
Every registered contractor gets a number that starts with PA. Running a PA HIC number lookup is genuinely quick.
Go to the Attorney General’s contractor search at hicsearch.attorneygeneral.gov. Type in the company name or the PA number from the estimate. Then read carefully.
Check that the legal name in the database matches the name on your contract exactly. A quote from a company whose registration belongs to a different entity is a real problem. Check that the registration is current, not expired. Check the listed address, then put it into a map. A real building in Western Pennsylvania tells you one thing. A residential address two states away tells you another.
If anything looks off, call the Attorney General’s office and ask. And do one more search while you’re at it: the company name plus the word complaints, along with a look at its BBB profile. Ours shows an A+ rating and an Irwin address we’ve answered the phone at for thirty years. Our registration, manufacturer credentials, and insurance are all posted on our certifications page, because that’s the paper trail every legitimate contractor should be able to show you without being asked twice.
What that PA number on ads and trucks really means
State law requires registered contractors to display their HIC number on contracts, estimates, and advertisements. So when you see PA followed by digits on a truck door or a yard sign, that’s not a badge of quality. It’s the legal minimum.
The absence of that number is the real signal. A roofing ad with no PA number belongs to a company that either isn’t registered or doesn’t want the number traced. Either way, walk away.
The law gives you contract protections too. Home improvement contracts in Pennsylvania must be in writing for projects over a modest threshold, must include start and completion dates and a total price, and must give you three business days to cancel after signing. A contractor who resists putting those basics on paper is telling you something important before any shingle goes on.
The roofing contractor insurance certificate: ask, then verify
The state’s required insurance minimum is $50,000 in liability coverage. Let’s be blunt: that’s nowhere near enough for roofing. A serious contractor carries $1,000,000 or more in general liability plus workers compensation for every person on your roof.
Don’t settle for a photocopy. Ask that the roofing contractor insurance certificate be sent to you directly from the contractor’s insurance agent, with your name listed as the certificate holder. Then check the effective dates. Policies get canceled for nonpayment all the time, and an old photocopy won’t tell you that. Two phone calls can save you from being the deep pocket when an uninsured worker falls off your ridge.
Storm chasers: the season is starting, so keep this list by the door
The hail hit on a Tuesday evening last June. By Saturday, trucks with plates from four different states were rolling through Murrysville and Delmont, and door hangers were showing up faster than the insurance adjusters. We’ve watched that movie after every major storm for thirty years, and it always follows the same script. The out of state crews work fast, collect deposits and insurance checks, do the roofs quickly or not at all, and are gone before the first hard freeze finds their shortcuts. By the time shingles start lifting, the number on the contract rings to nobody.
So keep this list handy from May through September. Someone knocks within hours of the storm and says your roof is destroyed, sight unseen? Real damage assessment takes an inspection with photos you get to see, and our storm damage checklist shows what that should look like. They offer to cover or waive your deductible? That’s insurance fraud in Pennsylvania, plain and simple. They push you to sign before the adjuster comes, or ask you to sign over your claim entirely? Never hand a stranger control of your insurance money. Big cash deposit, tonight only? Registered local contractors don’t price roofs like carnival games. No local address, magnetic truck signs, a distant area code? Ask them where they were working five years ago and who around here can vouch for them.
There are honest contractors who canvass after storms. Every honest one will cheerfully survive the verification steps above, and the dishonest ones melt away the moment you ask for a PA number and an insurance certificate. That’s the beauty of the homework: it costs a good contractor nothing and a bad one everything.
Frequently asked questions
How do I look up a contractor's HIC number in Pennsylvania?
Go to hicsearch.attorneygeneral.gov and search by company name or PA number. Confirm the legal name matches your contract, the registration is current, and the address is real. It takes about two minutes.
Is a PA HIC number the same as a contractor's license?
No. It’s a registration with the Attorney General that proves identity and minimum insurance, not competence. Pennsylvania has no statewide skills license for roofers, which is why references and manufacturer certifications matter so much here.
What insurance certificate should a roofer show before work starts?
Current general liability, ideally $1,000,000 or more, and workers compensation covering the actual crew. Get the certificate directly from the insurance agent with your name as certificate holder, and confirm the policy dates cover your project.
Are roofers who knock on doors after hail always a scam?
Not always, but the burden of proof is on them. Verify the PA registration, demand local references you can call, and never sign anything the same day. A legitimate company will respect the homework. A storm chaser will pressure you to skip it.
Before anyone climbs on your roof, take the ten minutes to verify them, whoever they are. And if you’d rather start with a company whose registration, insurance, and thirty years of local references are all sitting in a folder ready to hand you, schedule a free inspection at mybellaroof.com or call our Irwin office. We’ll document what the storm actually did and give you an honest answer, even when that answer is that your roof is fine.