Roof Replacement Requirements in Tennessee
Tennessee roof replacement: the state issues NO separate roofer credential (assembled absence, confidence reported) — roofing is a BUILDING category under the contractor's licence (BC-21 Roof Decks, gutters and vinyl siding riding along), so at $25,000 or more the prime needs the full licence and the roofing sub needs its own at the portion threshold (TN-ROOFING-SUB — a sub to a sub always); between $3,000 and $24,999 in the nine adopting counties the HIC licence answers; below that the local inspector does. No profit recovery and no lien follow unlicensed work (§ 62-6-103). Every claim sourced.
01 The requirements, sourced
- Contractor's licence required before bidding on any project of $25,000 or more — A contractor's licence must be in hand BEFORE contracting — 'including bidding, offering to engage, or negotiating a price' — for any project of $25,000 or more when acting as a prime contractor, certain subcontractor, or construction manager/consultant (Board page verbatim; § 62-6-103). The threshold counts the total project cost including materials, equipment and labor. An owner who contracts directly is a 'prime contractor' by statute (§ 62-6-102); the Board may allow an exception only up to 10% of the monetary limit (§ 62-6-103(a)(1)). S-TN-BLC-CONTRACTOR
- Enumerated subcontractors need their own licence at the portion thresholds — and a sub to a sub always does — 'Subcontractors must be licensed when contracting directly with a contractor, not the owner, to perform electrical, mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, or roofing work when that portion of the project is $25,000 or more, including materials, equipment, and labor. Masonry subcontractors must be licensed when the masonry portion is $100,000 or more' (Board page verbatim). The official support article adds: 'a sub to a sub would need to be licensed whenever there are more than one (1) subcontractors on the project … In other words, a sub to a sub to a sub, all have to be licensed.' Other trades — flooring, landscaping, fencing, concrete — need no licence UNLESS they bid directly to the owner (then they are the prime). S-TN-BLC-CONTRACTOR
- No standalone roofing contractor licence exists (verified absence) — Tennessee issues no roofing-specific contractor licence. Roofing is building sub-category BC-21 ('Roofing over $25K, including gutters and vinyl siding') on the ordinary contractor licence, plus the statutory rule that a ROOFING SUBCONTRACTOR must be licensed when the roofing portion is $25,000 or more (§ 62-6-102(4); support article: effective 2014-01-01). Below $25,000 the state has no credential to hold; in the nine HIC counties a $3,000–$24,999 residential roof job instead falls under the Home Improvement licence, whose definition expressly covers roofing. S-TN-BLC-OUTLINE
- Home Improvement licence for residential remodeling $3,000–$24,999 in the nine adopting counties — 'A Home Improvement license is required for residential remodeling projects from $3,000 to $24,999; however, this only applies to the counties adopting the law. Currently, this applies to the following counties: Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Haywood, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford, and Shelby' (licence page verbatim). Statutory floor: home improvement 'excludes … any home improvement for which the contract price is three thousand dollars ($3,000) or less' (§ 62-6-501(4)(A)). Requirements: a $10,000 surety bond (or cash/property bond or irrevocable letter of credit), photo ID + SSN, general liability and workers' compensation, SOS corporate registration if applicable, and remodeling experience; $250 initial via CORE. S-TN-BLC-HIC
- Unlicensed contracting: Class A misdemeanor, $5,000 civil penalty, six-month bar, no profit recovery and no lien — § 62-6-120 makes engaging (or offering to engage) in contracting without a licence a CLASS A MISDEMEANOR — as does accepting a bid over $25,000 from an unlicensed contractor, and (other than TDOT) a state official issuing a permit or work order to an unlicensed applicant. The Board may bar the unlicensed bidder from licensure for SIX (6) MONTHS and bar the contract award/rebidding of that project, and imposes a civil penalty up to $5,000 PER OFFENSE (citation authority delegated to the Board's director, notwithstanding the UAPA). § 62-6-103 strips the unlicensed contractor of everything 'other than actual documented expenses … shown by clear and convincing proof' — no profit — and of any Title 66 chapter 11 lien. § 62-6-136 makes representing oneself as licensed while unlicensed an unfair or deceptive act under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act of 1977, with personal liability for owners/officers 'to the same extent as if … as an individual'. S-TN-TCA-62-6
02 Which credentials this project can touch
| Credential | Relation | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing over $25K, including gutters and vinyl siding | may require | TN-ROOFING-SUB | S-TN-BLC-OUTLINE |
| Home Improvement Contractor | alternative | TN-HIC | S-TN-BLC-HIC |
| Limited Building Contractor — one-to-four-family residences | alternative | TN-BLC-LICENSE | S-TN-BLC-OUTLINE |
Each row is one (project, classification, relation) triple the research record can source — the rendered sections and the seeded evidence can never disagree.
03 Deterministic rules applied
- TN-BLC-LICENSE
- TN-SUB-LICENSE
- TN-ROOFING-SUB
- TN-HIC
- TN-UNLICENSED-PENALTIES
04 What it costs
| Fee | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Home Improvement licence — duplicate Fees page verbatim: 'Duplicate license — $10'. | $10 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Contractor licence — initial, reinstatement or ownership change Fees page table row verbatim: 'Initial / Reinstatement / Ownership Change — $250' (machine-read 2026-10-10 with the Contractor accordion open). The contractor page separately states 'Application fee: $250' and points at CORE (core.tn.gov); the fee is non-refundable. Majority ownership change, merger or reorganisation requires this fresh application (renewal page). | $250 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Contractor licence — biennial renewal Fees page verbatim: 'Renewal — $200'. Renewal documents: financial statement (Compiled by a licensed CPA above $1.5M, self-prepared balance sheet below), GL certificate, WC proof or CSP/handyman, SOS active status (renewal page). Coming out of retirement also costs this $200 plus full documents. | $200 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Contractor licence — late renewal penalty, per month Fees page verbatim: 'Late renewal penalty, per month — $20 (maximum of 12 months)'. Renewal page verbatim: 'The grace period for renewal is 12 months. A $20/month late fee will be applied' — after the grace, full re-application at $250. | $20 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Contractor licence — mode of operation change Fees page verbatim: 'Mode of Operation Change — $100'. Renewal page: the change must be filed within 90 days, no new bidding until the revised licence issues, existing contracts may continue (Rule 0680-01-.02). | $100 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Contractor licence — retirement, per year of renewal Fees page verbatim: 'Retirement, per year of renewal — $25 (maximum of 7 years)'; renewal page adds the '$200 renewal fee every seven (7) years' RESET and that exiting retirement costs the $200 renewal plus full documents. | $25 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Contractor licence — duplicate Fees page verbatim: 'Duplicate license — $25'. | $25 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Home Improvement licence — initial, reinstatement or ownership change Fees page (Home Improvement table) verbatim: 'Initial / Reinstatement / Ownership Change — $250'; the HIC licence page repeats 'initial fee of $250' applied for at core.tn.gov. | $250 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Home Improvement licence — renewal Fees page verbatim: 'Renewal — $200'. Renewal adds current bond/GL/WC/SOS evidence (renewal page). The renewal TERM length was not published on any page read — withheld by name (research §O). | $200 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Home Improvement licence — late renewal penalty, per month Fees page verbatim: 'Late renewal penalty, per month — $10 (maximum of 3 months)'. | $10 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Limited Licensed Electrician — late renewal penalty, per month Fees page verbatim: 'Late renewal penalty, per month — $10 (maximum of 3 months)'. | $10 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Limited Licensed Electrician — duplicate Fees page verbatim: 'Duplicate license — $5'. | $5 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Limited Licensed Plumber — initial or reinstatement Fees page (LLP table) verbatim: 'Initial / Reinstatement — $75'; the LLP licence page repeats 'initial license fee of $75'. Exam fee payable to Prov is withheld by name (§O). | $75 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Limited Licensed Plumber — renewal Fees page verbatim: 'Renewal — $50'; 3-month grace at $10/month. Cycle not published on any page read (§O). | $50 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Limited Licensed Plumber — late renewal penalty, per month Fees page verbatim: 'Late renewal penalty, per month — $10 (maximum of 3 months)'. | $10 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Limited Licensed Plumber — duplicate Fees page verbatim: 'Duplicate license — $5'. | $5 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Pre-license Course Provider — initial licence Fees page (Course Provider table) verbatim: 'Initial — $1,500'. One of the Board's five regulated professions; providers also carry a $50,000 surety bond (Insurance Resources matrix). | $1,500 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Pre-license Course Provider — renewal Fees page verbatim: 'Renewal — $1,000'. | $1,000 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| CMC / CMC-A exam pre-approval — Board fee Exam page verbatim: 'Pre-approval is required by the Board to take the plumbing CMC-A or full mechanical CMC exam … $50 fee'. The ONLY exam-related amount Tennessee publishes — actual Prov/PSI exam fees are withheld by name (§O). | $50 | S-TN-BLC-EXAM |
| Limited Licensed Electrician — renewal Fees page verbatim: 'Renewal — $50'; 3-month grace at $10/month. Cycle not published on any page read (§O). | $50 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Limited Licensed Electrician — reinstatement Fees page verbatim: 'Reinstatement — $80' — the ONE profession where the Board's table prices reinstatement ABOVE its initial fee (LLP's table combines initial/reinstatement at $75). | $80 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |
| Limited Licensed Electrician — initial licence Fees page (LLE table) verbatim: 'Initial — $50'; the LLE licence page repeats the $50 initial fee. Exam fee payable to Prov is withheld by name (§O) — the $50 here is the BOARD's licence fee, not the exam. | $50 | S-TN-BLC-FEES |