How to Verify a
Licensed Roofing
Contractor
Licensing requirements vary significantly across homeowners nationwide. Here's exactly how to verify any roofing contractor before signing a contract — with direct links to each state's official verification portal.
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What Are the Roofing Contractor Licensing Requirements in Each Midwest State?
Licensing requirements — and what you're protected by — differ significantly across the five Midwest states. Here's the authoritative breakdown.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin DSPS (Dwelling Contractor Qualifier) license required for all residential roofing. Verify at licensesearch.wi.gov. Required: $500K/$1M liability, workers comp. Complaints filed with DSPS at (608) 266-2112.
Verify at licensesearch.wi.gov →Illinois
Illinois does not have a statewide roofing license. Chicago DOB requires a Roofing Contractor license — verify at webapps1.chicago.gov/buildingrecords. Suburban counties vary — DuPage, Kane, and Cook require separate registration. AG Consumer Protection: (800) 386-5438.
Chicago DOB Verification →Minnesota
Minnesota DLI Residential Contractor license required for all residential roofing. Verify at dli.mn.gov/business/contractors/find-licensed-contractor. $100K Recovery Fund protection per project for licensed contractors. Complaints: DLI at (651) 284-5005.
Verify at dli.mn.gov →Michigan
Michigan LARA Residential Builder license required. Verify at michigan.gov/lara. $75K Homeowner Construction Lien Recovery Fund for LARA-licensed contractor fraud. Complaints: LARA at (517) 241-9202.
Verify at michigan.gov/lara →Indiana — County-Level Registration
Indiana has no statewide roofing contractor license. Registration is county and city level. Indianapolis/Marion County: City-County Building Authority registration — verify at indy.gov/activity/permits. Hamilton County (Carmel, Fishers): Hamilton County Building Department. Allen County (Fort Wayne): Fort Wayne DNCE registration. AG Consumer Protection: (800) 382-5516. No statewide recovery fund — insurance verification is essential in Indiana.
What Should You Verify Before Hiring a Roofing Contractor?
What Are the Warning Signs of an Unlicensed or Fraudulent Contractor?
Why Let FindMeARoofer Handle the Contractor Verification?
Every FindMeARoofer partner contractor is pre-verified for active license, $1M+ insurance, and zero open complaints before they join our network.
Get a Pre-Verified ContractorHow Do You Verify a Roofing Contractor Before Signing Any Contract?
Contractor verification requires four independent checks — none of which involve trusting documentation the contractor provides to you. Self-provided certificates and license numbers are the easiest credentials to falsify. Each step below uses a primary source you access directly.
Search the State Licensing Portal Directly
Go to your state's official licensing portal and search the contractor's name or license number yourself. Wisconsin: licensesearch.wi.gov — search for "Dwelling Contractor Qualifier." Minnesota: dli.mn.gov. Michigan: michigan.gov/lara. Illinois Chicago only: webapps1.chicago.gov/buildingrecords. Indiana: county building department websites. Verify the license is active, not expired, and has no disciplinary actions.
Call the Insurance Carrier — Not the Contractor
Request a Certificate of Insurance naming you as certificate holder, then call the carrier listed on the certificate to verify the policy is active. The carrier's phone number should come from their website — not the certificate itself. Ask specifically: "Is policy number [X] active and does it cover [contractor name] for general liability and workers compensation?" Certificates can be backdated or altered — a carrier call cannot be faked.
Check BBB Accreditation and Complaint History
Visit bbb.org and search the contractor by business name and city. Accreditation status is visible, but more importantly, check the complaint history tab. A contractor with an A+ rating but three unresolved complaints in 12 months is a higher risk than a contractor with an A rating and zero complaints. Look at complaint resolution time and the contractor's response pattern.
Verify Business Registration and Years in Operation
Search your state's Secretary of State business registration database to confirm the business entity is active and its registration date. Wisconsin: corporations.wisconsin.gov. Minnesota: mblsportal.sos.state.mn.us. Michigan: cofs.lara.state.mi.us. Indiana: bsd.sos.in.gov. Illinois: apps.ilsos.gov. A contractor claiming 15 years in business whose LLC was registered 3 years ago has a discrepancy worth questioning.
Read Reviews Across Multiple Platforms — Not Just Google
Check Google, BBB, HomeAdvisor, and Houzz independently. A contractor with 200 five-star Google reviews and 4 two-star BBB reviews has a split reputation worth understanding before you commit. Look specifically at one-star and two-star reviews — how the contractor responds to negative feedback tells you more about their business practices than the positive reviews do.
Confirm Permit Responsibility in Writing
Any licensed roofing contractor should pull the building permit — not you. If a contractor asks you to pull the permit yourself, it typically means they cannot pull it under their own credentials. In Wisconsin, roof replacements require a permit in most municipalities. A contractor who resists this question or suggests you skip the permit entirely is operating outside the standard of licensed practice.
✓ FindMeARoofer Does All Six Steps Before Every Match
Every contractor in the FindMeARoofer network has completed all six verification steps as a condition of admission — and is re-verified on a 90-day cycle. When you receive a FindMeARoofer match, the license, insurance, BBB status, years in business, and review profile have already been verified against primary sources. See our full vetting standards →