Kansas contractor licenses: roofers and pesticide businesses at the state level, everything else locally

Kansas is a state where the license map has two big spots and a lot of blank space. The state requires roofers to register and requires businesses that apply pesticides to hold a license. For nearly every other trade, the answer sits with the city or county. This page lists what the state itself requires, which office handles it, and what the statutes and rules say, with sources and dates. Treat it as general information rather than legal advice, and check current fees with the agency before you file.

What does Kansas license at the state level?

Our Kansas startup page covers the LLC filing, workers' comp and sales tax. This page stays on trade licensing. For the national picture, see our guides on how contractor licenses work and the licensing boards in all 50 states.

Roofing: registration with the Attorney General

The Kansas Roofing Registration Act (K.S.A. 50-6,121 through 50-6,138) is part of the state's consumer protection law. Under K.S.A. 50-6,123, no one may operate as a roofing contractor in Kansas without a valid registration certificate. The Attorney General administers it, not a trade board, and the registration is not an exam-based license. It is a registration with insurance, tax and background questions attached.

What the application requires, from K.S.A. 50-6,125 and K.A.R. 16-8-3:

• The applicant must be at least 18 and file a sworn application covering experience, identity and contact information.
• A certificate of liability insurance of not less than $500,000 must accompany the application, from an insurer authorized in Kansas or an eligible non-admitted insurer. Insurers must notify the Attorney General if a roofing liability policy is canceled or lapses.
• Proof of workers' compensation coverage, an affidavit of exemption, or a self-insurance permit from the Kansas Department of Labor.
• A current tax clearance certificate or letter from the Kansas Department of Revenue. Nonresident applicants must also appoint the Secretary of State as agent for service of process.
• Applicants who held a roofing registration or license in another state must disclose it and any discipline.

Under K.S.A. 50-6,126, application and renewal forms ask, under oath, about felony convictions. A conviction does not disqualify you if you disclose it truthfully along with its nature.

Roofing registration fees and dates

The fee schedule is in K.A.R. 16-8-6, and the statutes cap the annual fee at $500. As listed in October 2026:

Certificates expire on June 30 each year (K.S.A. 50-6,128). Under K.S.A. 50-6,132, renewal applications are due by June 30, there is a 30-day grace period before a late fee applies, and a certificate not renewed before July 31 is revoked. Fees are nonrefundable, so confirm the paperwork is complete before you send it.

For roofers who also work in other states, our national roofing license guide compares how California, Florida and Illinois do it, and our Kansas roofing startup page covers hail season and what to do first.

Who counts as a roofing contractor, and who is exempt?

K.S.A. 50-6,122 defines a roofing contractor broadly: anyone who in the ordinary course of business does commercial or residential roofing for a fee, or offers or solicits roofing work such as construction, repair or waterproofing. That includes subcontractors and nonresident contractors. It excludes demolition and debris cleanup and workers supervised by a roofing contractor and hired as employees or day laborers.

The statute also exempts a general contractor in two situations. In the first, roofing is part of a broader project and is no more than 50% of the total project cost. In the second, the general contractor hires a separate registered roofing contractor and does not supervise that contractor's workers or do roofing work itself. Both paths require Kansas business compliance and no door-to-door sales, and the general contractor must supply proof if the Attorney General asks. A remodeler who reroofs a house as 30% of a kitchen addition may fit the first path. A crew that only reroofs does not.

Once registered, K.S.A. 50-6,127 sets the operating rules. The certificate number must be valid and in good standing when you solicit a project and during the work. You must give the number when you apply for any state or local roofing permit that is required, and the number must be written on each permit issued. Another person or business cannot use your certificate. You must send the Attorney General written notice when your name, address, business entity or resident agent changes. The section does not require the number to appear in advertising.

What happens if the registration lapses or you work unregistered?

K.S.A. 50-6,123 does two things to an unregistered roofer. A person may not bring or maintain a court claim related to the roofing business without a valid certificate, which means an invoice for roofing work can be hard to collect through a Kansas court. And acting as a roofing contractor without a certificate, or while one is suspended or revoked, brings a civil penalty under K.S.A. 50-636(a), in addition to other relief or penalties.

Good standing can also end without a hearing. Under K.S.A. 50-6,125, a registration is not in good standing if your liability insurance, workers' compensation coverage or active business status with the Secretary of State lapses, or if you fail to file and pay Kansas taxes. You get 30 days from the notice to correct it, and the registration is revoked 30 days after the notice otherwise. While you are out of good standing you must stop soliciting or starting new roofing projects, though projects already physically begun may be finished.

Pesticide and lawn treatment: Department of Agriculture license

Mowing is not a licensed activity in Kansas. Putting down weed killer or insecticide for a customer is. Under K.S.A. 2-2440, a pesticide business without a license may not advertise, offer, sell or perform pest control on another person's property, or apply pesticides there under a subcontract with a licensed business. The Department of Agriculture's pesticide business page counts herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and rodenticides as pesticides, so weed control is covered.

K.S.A. 2-2444a lists 13 categories, including ornamental and turf pest control, structural and institutional pest control, right-of-way and aquatic. A lawn company that also treats a customer's pond or a utility strip may need a second category, which means a second fee and a second certified person. Commercial applicator certificates expire at the end of the second calendar year after the year of issue (K.S.A. 2-2441a).

Exemptions in K.S.A. 2-2440 include a person, or the person's employee, applying pesticides on premises that person owns, leases or operates. A homeowner treating their own yard needs no business license. Our pest control license guide covers the exam path and how licensing differs elsewhere.

Electrical, plumbing, HVAC and general building: ask the city

The state materials we reviewed list no statewide license for these trades, so each city or county building department decides what a job in its area requires. K.S.A. 12-1540 contains definitions for general, building, residential and mechanical (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) contractors, and local governments use their own ordinances to decide who must be licensed.

Two habits protect you. First, call the building department of the city or county where the job sits before you bid, and ask which license, permit and inspection applies. Second, if you work in several jurisdictions, keep a note per place, since a license in one Kansas city does not automatically count in another. Federal rules still apply on top: refrigerant handling needs EPA certification, and the EPA lead-safe renovation rule applies to many pre-1978 homes regardless of Kansas law.

Trades with no state license, and what you still need

None of the state agencies above lists mowing, edging, pressure washing, house cleaning, gutter cleaning, junk removal or snow removal as a licensed trade, though a city may have its own rule. You still have work to do before the first invoice.

• Sales tax. The Department of Revenue's Publication KS-1525 sets the state rate at 6.5% plus local taxes. It lists mowing, trimming, edging, aerating, dethatching, raking, lawn cleanup, tree and stump removal and snow removal as not taxable, while applying pesticides, herbicides or fertilizer to residential lawns is taxable. Labor on a residence is generally exempt, but labor on commercial repairs is generally taxable. Our sales tax table compares all 50 states.
• Workers' compensation. The Department of Labor says a non-agricultural employer with more than $20,000 in gross annual payroll must secure coverage; see our workers' comp table.
• Business filings and local rules. LLC filing and the biennial information report are on the Secretary of State's side. Cities and counties may add a business license or contractor registration, so ask the city clerk.

A short checklist before you bid in Kansas

1. Is any part of the job roofing? If yes, confirm your Attorney General certificate is in good standing and put the number on the permit application.
2. Does the job involve spraying, spreading or injecting a pesticide or herbicide? If yes, confirm the business license, a certified person for that category, and the bond or insurance certificate.
3. Call the city or county building department about every electrical, plumbing, HVAC or structural piece of work.
4. Check the tax treatment of the work: residential or commercial, and labor or lawn treatment.
5. Calendar the dates: June 30 for roofing renewal, December 31 for pesticide license expiration.

Rules change, and agencies sometimes update forms without much notice. Treat this page as a map, then confirm with the Attorney General's office or the Department of Agriculture before you pay a fee or sign a contract.

Frequently asked questions