Roofing · Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is a snow-load and freeze-thaw state with two big metros that add their own licensing layers. Workers' comp is the dominant cost line for almost every roofer in the state.
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What Matters Here
Licensing
Most Pennsylvania roofers must register as a Home Improvement Contractor with the Attorney General's office, which carries minimum liability insurance requirements. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh add city-level licensing and permitting.
Workers' compensation
Pennsylvania generally requires workers' compensation for employers with one or more employees, including many part-time and seasonal crew members.
Storm and claim drivers
Ice damming, snow load, and freeze-thaw cycling drive winter claims; summer brings hail and straight-line wind, especially in the southeast.
Licensing and coverage requirements change and vary by jurisdiction and contract. Treat this as a starting point and confirm the specifics with a licensed agent before you rely on it.
Areas We Cover
Exposure changes across the state. Pick the region you work in for the specifics — or use the form below if you cover more than one.
Coverage Types
A complete program is usually six policies working together, not one general liability certificate.
Third-party bodily injury and property damage — including water intrusion during tear-off. Also the policy GCs are looking at when they ask for additional insured and primary & non-contributory endorsements.
Medical bills and lost wages for injured crew. The largest line item on most roofing programs, and the one where safety documentation and your experience mod move the price the most.
Trucks, trailers, and dump runs — plus hired and non-owned auto for crews driving personal vehicles between jobs.
Covers tools, compressors, and equipment on the job, in transit, and in the truck overnight — where they actually get stolen or damaged.
Covers shingles, membrane, and materials you've staged or partially installed but haven't handed over yet. Most GL policies won't touch them.
Sits above GL and auto. Commercial GCs and property managers routinely require $2M–$5M in total limits before you can start work.
Why It's Different
Falls drive roofing workers' comp rates, and the class codes carry some of the highest loss costs in construction. Carriers price your documented safety program, height limits, and experience mod — not just your payroll.
If a sub can't produce a certificate at audit time, their payroll usually gets rolled into yours and you pay the premium. Collecting COIs year-round is the cheapest premium control you have.
The most common general liability claim in roofing isn't a fall — it's an open deck and an unexpected storm. Interior water damage, ruined inventory, and business interruption for the building owner add up fast.
Compressors, nail guns, ladders, and staged bundles walk off jobsites and out of trucks. That needs inland marine and an installation floater, not general liability.
Loaded trucks, dump trailers, and crew members driving their own pickups to the job all create auto exposure. Hired and non-owned auto is the coverage most roofers find out about after a claim.
Torch-applied and kettle work is excluded or heavily restricted on many policies. If you do low-slope commercial work, the hot-work language in your policy matters more than the price.
Common Questions
Registration under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act isn't a trade license, but it is required for most residential contractors and it comes with minimum liability limits. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have separate local requirements on top of it.
Generally yes — Pennsylvania's requirement is broad and includes part-time and seasonal employees. Leaving winter help off the policy usually surfaces at audit, with premium owed retroactively.
There's no honest flat answer — roofing premiums are driven by payroll, your split of residential versus commercial work, height and hot-work restrictions, the states you operate in, and your claims history. Two roofers with the same revenue can be priced very differently. The fastest way to a real number is a licensed agent running your payroll and loss runs through several carriers at once.
Generally no. General liability covers damage you do to someone else's property or person. Tools, compressors, ladders, and staged materials are covered by inland marine (tools and equipment) and an installation floater. This is one of the most common gaps we see on roofing policies.
It depends on the state, and roofing is often treated more strictly than other trades because it's classified as construction. Some states require coverage at the first employee, others at three or more, and general contractors usually require it by contract regardless of the legal threshold. Check your state's page for specifics and confirm with a licensed agent.
At audit, an uninsured sub's payroll typically gets treated as yours, and you pay the premium on it — sometimes at your class rate. Collect certificates of insurance before the crew starts and keep them on file until the audit closes.
Yes. Your policy has a coverage territory and, for workers' comp, a schedule of states. Chasing storm work into a neighboring state without adding it is a common way to find out a claim isn't covered. Tell your agent before the crew crosses the line, not after.
Because their own insurance requires it. Additional insured status, waiver of subrogation, and primary & non-contributory wording push a claim toward your policy first. Most roofing contracts require all three, and you'll get pulled off the job without them.
Tell us about your business and an independent agent licensed in Pennsylvania will reach out within one business day.
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