How to start a roofing business in Kansas: Attorney General registration comes first

Kansas sits in hail country, and its roofing law was written for the weeks after a storm, when out-of-town crews knock on doors and a homeowner has no way to check who they are. The Kansas Roofing Registration Act (K.S.A. 50-6,121 through 50-6,138) answers that with a registry run by the Attorney General. For a new Kansas roofer, the registry is the whole licensing story: there is no state roofing exam, but you cannot advertise, quote or work until you hold a certificate. Crews, equipment and pricing sit in the national roofing startup guide; below is only the Kansas layer.

Information current to October 2026, offered as background and not as legal counsel. Quoted statute text comes from the Kansas Office of the Revisor of Statutes.

Who has to register as a roofing contractor in Kansas?

Almost everyone who sells or does roofing for a fee. K.S.A. 50-6,122 defines a roofing contractor as any person, including a subcontractor and a nonresident contractor, who engages in commercial or residential roofing services for a fee, or who offers or solicits roofing-related services such as construction, installation, renovation, repair, maintenance, alteration and waterproofing. Soliciting counts, so a quote without a certificate is already a violation.

K.S.A. 50-6,123 makes it unlawful to act as a roofing contractor without a valid certificate. It also says that without one you may not bring or maintain a claim, action or proceeding in a Kansas court related to your roofing business. A violation brings a civil penalty under K.S.A. 50-636(a), on top of other relief, and the same penalty applies to working while your registration is suspended or revoked.

The Act excludes a short list. Under 50-6,122, employees or day laborers working under the direct supervision of a registered roofing contractor do not need their own certificate, and neither does a demolition or debris cleanup crew. A general contractor can qualify as exempt if roofing is no more than 50 percent of the project cost, it complies with local requirements, and it does no door-to-door sales. A general contractor that subs the roofing out stays exempt only if the roofer is a separate legal entity with an active certificate, the GC keeps a copy of that certificate on site, and the written contract makes the roofer responsible for the work and its supervision.

Is there an exemption for small jobs?

K.S.A. 50-6,129 exempts a person whose roofing work on each and every undertaking or project in a fiscal year is priced at less than $2,000, counting labor, materials and all other items. The exemption does not apply to anyone who advertises or puts out a sign, card or other device suggesting they are a roofing contractor. A company with a roofing website, truck lettering or a Google Business Profile has used the exemption up. Treat it as a way for a handyman to patch a few shingles, not a way to start a roofing company.

Property owners working on their own residential or farm property are exempt, but 50-6,135(b) still requires an exempt owner who hires roofing subs to give the permit official each sub's certificate number. Public bodies must require individual roofing registration from anyone bidding on or entering a public contract.

What does a Kansas roofing registration require?

Under K.S.A. 50-6,125, an applicant at least 18 years old files a sworn application with:

• a statement of experience and qualifications, the business name and address, and information on anyone authorized to act for the business entity;
• a certificate of liability insurance for at least $500,000, from an insurer that must notify the Attorney General if the policy cancels or lapses;
• proof of workers' compensation coverage, or an affidavit of exemption or self-insurance under the workers' compensation act;
• statements that you will follow the Act and all federal and state laws and local ordinances, and whether you have held a roofing license or registration in another state and its disciplinary history;
• a current tax clearance certificate or letter from the Kansas Department of Revenue.

The Attorney General must refuse registration for false or incomplete information, unpaid fees, a suspended or revoked Kansas registration, or a missing tax clearance. A felony conviction does not disqualify an applicant who discloses it truthfully, under 50-6,126. Nonresident applicants appoint the Secretary of State as agent for service of process under 50-6,134, unless they are registered foreign entities with a registered agent on file.

The fee is set by the Attorney General and may not exceed $500 for the annual certificate, under 50-6,128. We could not read the Attorney General's current fee on its own roofing page, so confirm the amount there. The Attorney General has 60 calendar days from your application to issue or deny the certificate (50-6,130), so apply before you need to quote.

The workers' compensation line deserves a note. Kansas law makes coverage mandatory for most employers once gross annual payroll passes $20,000, as listed on our Kansas startup page. The roofing registration asks for proof of coverage or an exemption affidavit regardless of that line, so a new owner-only company should ask the Department of Labor and the Attorney General's office how to document its status before applying.

When does it renew, and where must the number appear?

Certificates run on the state fiscal year and expire every June 30. An initial certificate issued in May or June lasts until June 30 of the following year (50-6,130). Renewal is due by June 30 with a current liability certificate, proof of workers' compensation, and a tax clearance. After June 30 the statute gives a 30-day grace period, describes it as free of a late fee, and also lets the Attorney General set a late fee of up to $300, so ask the office what it charges. A certificate not renewed before July 31 is revoked (50-6,132). Mark June 1 on the calendar, because a revoked certificate in July means no roofing in your peak season.

Under 50-6,135(c), you must display your registration number on each commercial vehicle used for roofing and on every business sign, card, piece of correspondence and contract used to solicit and conduct roofing services. The same section requires you to give the number to the permit-issuing official when you pull a permit, which then writes it on the permit (50-6,127 and 50-6,135). That makes your website, estimates and invoice templates part of the compliance job. A footer line with the registration number on a company website and on every PDF estimate covers most of it.

Two housekeeping rules catch people. A change of name, address or registered agent must be reported within 10 days, with a fee of up to $25. And changing your business name or legal status requires a new certificate, which matters if you convert a sole proprietorship into an LLC (50-6,131). Our LLC guide covers the entity decision; make it before you register.

What conduct can cost you the registration?

K.S.A. 50-6,133(a) lists ten violations. The ones that matter most on a hail-season job:

• abandoning a contract without legal grounds after a deposit has been paid;
• diverting funds or property entrusted to you;
• deceptive practices or misrepresenting products, services or your qualifications;
• working without a required permit;
• failing to comply with tax laws;
• causing damage or injury where your liability insurance or workers' compensation coverage was inadequate.

Anyone can file a verified complaint with the Attorney General. Under 50-6,138, any violation of the Act is a deceptive or unconscionable act under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, so homeowners get those remedies as well.

How does door-to-door selling work here?

K.S.A. 50-640 gives a consumer three business days to cancel a door-to-door sale of $25 or more, when the consumer's agreement is made somewhere other than the supplier's place of business. You must give a completed copy of the contract and a two-copy notice of cancellation form, and tell the consumer about the right orally. You must honor a valid cancellation by refunding payments within 10 business days. The statute excludes a transaction where the consumer started it and asked the supplier to visit to repair or maintain property, and one where the consumer started it in a personal emergency and signed a handwritten waiver, but additional services sold during such a visit do not fit the exclusion. Do not start tear-off inside the three days unless the owner has signed the handwritten emergency statement.

How is roofing taxed in Kansas?

Labor on a residence is exempt, and that includes repair or replacement after storm damage. Labor on commercial repairs is generally taxable. The Department of Revenue's Publication KS-1525 sets the state rate at 6.5 percent plus local tax and treats rebuilding a commercial building after fire, flood, tornado, lightning or an 80 mph windstorm as exempt original construction with a notarized owner affidavit, while repairing commercial hail, rain or ordinary wind damage is taxable. A roofer who works houses and strip malls needs two tax treatments in the same quoting system. Our service contract guide covers how to state them on the estimate.

What to do first

1. Form the entity, then register under that exact name, since a later change needs a new certificate.
2. Get a $500,000 liability certificate and decide your workers' compensation position.
3. Request the Kansas Department of Revenue tax clearance.
4. File the Attorney General application and wait for the certificate before you advertise.
5. Add the number to vehicles, signs, cards, estimates and your site.
6. Calendar the June 30 renewal.

Once you hold a certificate, a verifiable registration number is a selling point. Homeowners can check it, and a site you own can show it. See our roofing industry page for how we think about owned lead sources versus shared ones.

Frequently asked questions