How to Check if a Roofer Is Licensed in Texas

Short answer: You can’t check a Texas roofing license, because the state doesn’t issue one. The state licensing agency (TDLR) doesn’t license roofers, and Texas has no state license for gutter installers either. What you can check is whether the business legally exists and is in good standing, whether it’s registered with your city when a permit is pulled, whether its insurance is real, what its court and complaint record shows, and whether its contract follows Texas insurance and door-to-door rules. The steps below give the exact public tool for each check and what a red flag looks like.

What to do

Step	Public tool	Red flag
1. Get the legal name	The contract itself	No legal business name or address anywhere on the paperwork
2. Confirm the entity exists	Texas SOS SOSPortal ($1 per search)	No matching entity, or a status other than active
3. Check tax standing	Comptroller Franchise Tax Account Status search (free)	Right to transact business forfeited
4. Check the assumed name	SOS (entities) or county clerk (sole owners, partnerships)	The name on the truck isn’t registered to anyone
5. Read the insurance certificate	TDI license lookup, a call to the agent	Insured name doesn’t match; dates don’t cover your job
6. Check the insurance-claim rules	TDI consumer guidance	“We’ll handle your claim” or “we’ll cover your deductible”
7. Know your cancellation right	Bus. & Com. Code ch. 601	No cancellation notice in a contract signed at your door
8. Look for city registration and past permits	City of Austin AB+C Public Search, Issued Construction Permits data	Tells you to pull the permit yourself for their work, without a clear reason
9. Read BBB and reviews	BBB business profile	Repeated complaints about deposits and no-shows
10. Search court records	Travis County Online Court Records Search Portal, County Clerk, JP portal	A pattern of suits over unfinished work or unpaid suppliers

Four things people call a “license”

National advice says “check their license.” In Texas, that sends you looking for something that doesn’t exist. Here’s what’s real:

State roofing license: none. The Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (RCAT) says plainly that TDLR doesn’t license roofing contractors. The City of Austin’s contractor page puts it more broadly: in Texas, anyone can be a general contractor, and a state license isn’t required.
RCAT “licensed roofer”: a private credential. RCAT describes its program as voluntary and fully managed by the association. It can tell you a company chose to meet RCAT’s standards. It isn’t a government license. RCAT also says licensing and membership are separate programs, so a membership listing doesn’t confirm the credential. Ask RCAT directly.
Business registration: the Secretary of State and the Comptroller. This shows the company legally exists and is current on state franchise tax filings. It says nothing about workmanship.
City registration: tied to permits. In Austin, contractors must register with the city before permitted construction begins. Trade contractors (electrical, plumbing, mechanical) also need a state license. Other cities run their own permit offices.

If a job includes electrical work, such as wiring for heat cable or lighting, that part needs a state-licensed electrician. Check it in the TDLR Active License Search. (We don’t do electrical work.)

Will Texas ever license roofers? The Legislature’s next regular session opens January 12, 2027. We’ll cover any bills when there’s news, not before.

Step 1: Get the legal name and address

First get the company’s legal name (with “LLC” or “Inc.” if it has one), any assumed name and a physical business address. The name on the yard sign is often a brand, not the legal entity.

Red flag: the contract shows only a first name, a cell number and a logo. You can’t check a business you can’t identify.

Step 2: Confirm the entity exists (SOSPortal)

The Texas Secretary of State replaced its old SOSDirect system with SOSPortal on September 29, 2026. Many online guides still describe the old system. Search the legal name there. The state charges a $1 fee per search.

What you’re checking: that an entity with that exact name exists and what its status is.

Red flags: no matching entity for a company that calls itself an LLC or corporation. A status showing the entity has ended or forfeited its existence. A contract name that’s close to, but not the same as, the registered name.

Not a red flag by itself: no entity at all. A sole owner can legally do business without forming an LLC, so absence from the SOS search proves nothing. It just means the other checks matter more.

Step 3: Check tax standing (Comptroller)

The Texas Comptroller’s Franchise Tax Account Status search is free. You can search by entity name, taxpayer number or SOS file number. It shows whether the entity has the right to transact business in Texas. (This used to be called “Good Standing.”)

Red flag: forfeited. The Comptroller says a forfeited entity is generally denied the right to sue or defend in a Texas court, and its owners and officers become liable for certain of its debts. Ask why before you sign.

Step 4: Check the assumed name (“DBA”)

Texas splits assumed-name records by business type:

LLCs, corporations and similar entities file assumed names with the Secretary of State (search in SOSPortal).
Sole owners and general partnerships file with the county clerk in each county where they keep business premises. In Travis County, that’s the Travis County Clerk.

Red flag: the trade name on the truck and the estimate isn’t registered anywhere, and the company can’t tell you who owns it.

Step 5: Read the certificate of insurance, then call the agent

Ask for a certificate of insurance (COI), and ask the company’s insurance agent to send it to you directly. Then check these boxes:

Insured name. Does it match the legal name on your contract exactly?
Agent (“producer”). Call that number yourself, using a number you find independently, and confirm the policy is active.
Insurer. Look up the insurance company in TDI’s license lookup or TDI’s authorized-companies report. The NAIC Consumer Insurance Search (linked from TDI) shows complaint and financial information.
Policy dates. Do they cover the days your job will happen?
General liability limits. These cover damage to your property or others’. Compare the limits to the size of the job.
Workers’ compensation. Texas doesn’t require most private employers to carry it. A blank section may mean no coverage. Check in TDI’s TXCOMP coverage verification or the state’s non-subscriber list. If there’s no coverage, ask who pays if a worker is hurt on your property, and ask your own homeowner’s insurer how your policy would respond.
Certificate holder. Ideally, you.

A certificate is a summary, not the policy. Texas Insurance Code §1811.051 says it can’t alter or extend coverage and gives you no contract rights. That’s why you call the agent.

Red flags: a screenshot sent by the salesperson instead of the agent. Expired or soon-to-expire dates. A different insured name. Reluctance to let you call the agent. If the crew on your roof works for someone else, ask whose policy covers them (who actually climbs your roof).

Step 6: Know the insurance-claim rules (TDI)

If insurance is paying, the Texas Department of Insurance spells out three rules:

A contractor can’t act as your public adjuster on a claim for work it’s doing, or advertise that it will.
A contractor can’t offer to waive, rebate or absorb your deductible. That’s illegal in Texas.
Contracts of $1,000 or more paid with insurance money must include a notice that you must pay the deductible.

Public adjusters are licensed by TDI. Check one in TDI’s license lookup or by calling TDI at 800-252-3439. TDI says to report violations to the Texas Attorney General at 800-621-0508.

Red flags: “We’ll handle your claim.” “We’ll take care of your deductible.” “Just sign this so we can talk to your insurance company for you.” More on what a gutter contractor can and can’t do in a claim: hail and storm damage gutters.

Step 7: Know your door-to-door cancellation right

After a storm, contractors knock on doors. Texas Business & Commerce Code Chapter 601 covers many of those deals:

When it applies: the seller pitches you somewhere other than its place of business, such as your home, you agree there, and the price is over $25. It doesn’t apply to deals negotiated at the seller’s fixed business location, among other exceptions.
Your right: you can cancel until midnight of the third business day after you sign.
What the seller must give you: a copy of the contract with a bold notice of your right to cancel next to your signature, plus a two-copy, filled-in Notice of Cancellation form.
If you cancel: the seller must refund your payments within 10 business days of receiving your notice. And it isn’t entitled to payment for services performed under a canceled deal.

Counting business days: Chapter 601 doesn’t define “business day” in its text. The federal cooling-off rule counts every day except Sundays and federal holidays. Example: sign on Friday, November 6, 2026. Saturday is day 1, Monday is day 2, and Tuesday, November 10 is day 3. Don’t cut it close. Cancel in writing early and keep proof that you sent it.

Red flags: no cancellation form. A crew that starts work the same day so you’ll “feel committed.” A contract that says you waive your right to cancel. Chapter 601 bars that waiver.

Step 8: Look for city registration and past permits

Not every gutter job needs a permit. Austin exempts some exterior trim and roof work from building permits, but an exemption doesn’t excuse other code requirements. Historic districts and wildfire-zone rules can change what’s required. So “no permits on file” isn’t a red flag for a gutter company by itself.

Two free Austin tools show a company’s track record with the city:

Austin Build + Connect (AB+C) Public Search finds permits and case history by address or case. No account needed.
The city’s Issued Construction Permits open dataset lists the contractor’s company name on issued permits. You can filter it by name to see past permitted work.

Outside Austin, check your own city’s permit office or the county.

Red flag: for work that needs a permit, the contractor wants you to pull it as the homeowner without a clear reason. That makes you the responsible party for inspections.

Step 9: Read BBB and reviews

The BBB says its rating is its opinion of how a business is likely to treat customers. The rating weighs complaint history, type of business, time in business, transparency, failure to honor commitments to BBB, licensing information and advertising issues. BBB also says a rating isn’t a guarantee of reliability or performance.

Read the complaints and how the company answered them. Look for a pattern, not one complaint.

Red flags: repeated complaints about deposits taken and work never started, or complaints left unanswered. A new company will have little history at all, so weigh the other checks more.

Step 10: Search court records (Travis County)

Travis County District Clerk, Online Court Records Search Portal: free. Covers civil and family cases from 2006 on, and criminal cases from 2008 on.
Travis County Clerk, court data: county civil, probate and misdemeanor records.
Justice of the Peace courts: the JP records portal, where small claims and debt cases land.

Search the legal entity name and the owner’s name. Other counties (Williamson, Hays) keep their own records.

Read carefully. A lawsuit is an allegation, not a finding. Check how the case ended, and make sure it’s the same company, not a business with a similar name.

Red flag: a pattern of suits from homeowners over unfinished work, or from suppliers over unpaid bills.

Run these checks on us too

We’re a new company, so several lookups will show little history for us. Ask us for our legal name, a certificate from our agent and a written, itemized quote, as you would anyone. See the standard we work to and how to read a quote line by line.

FAQ

Do roofers need a license in Texas?

No state license exists for roofing contractors. TDLR doesn’t license them, according to RCAT, which runs a voluntary private credential of its own. Cities may require contractor registration when a permit is pulled, and electricians and plumbers working on a job need their own state licenses.

Do gutter installers need a license in Texas?

No. Texas has no state license for gutter installers. Check the company’s legal entity, insurance, permit history and complaint record instead, and judge the written quote. See our FAQ and cost guide.

Can I cancel a contract with a door-to-door roofer in Texas?

Often, yes. When a seller solicits and signs you somewhere other than its place of business and the price is over $25, Chapter 601 lets you cancel until midnight of the third business day after you sign. Cancel in writing and keep proof. Some deals are excluded, so read the notice the seller must give you.

Sources

This is general information, not legal advice. Laws and agency tools change, so confirm with the agency named for your situation.

Request a gutter estimate. We measure every run and the fascia behind it, then put our legal name, the quote date and every line item in writing so you can run these checks on us too.

Texas Has No Roofing License. How to Vet a Roofer or Gutter Company With Public Records