How to check a roofer's license in Suffolk or Nassau

What New York State and federal rules say

• New York State's Division of Building Standards and Codes says the licensing of contractors is not handled by that division.
• The state Department of Labor lists roofing shingles and tars among building materials that may contain asbestos. A roofing contractor without an asbestos handling license is not permitted to disturb or remove asbestos materials.
• Federal rules require anyone paid for work that disturbs painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 to be certified under the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule.

In Suffolk County

• Suffolk County's home improvement law names roofing as home improvement work and makes it unlawful to run a business the law regulates without a county license, unless an exemption applies.
• Suffolk Consumer Affairs warns that unlicensed contractors are subject to arrest and prosecution for working without a license.

1. 1Step 1Open Suffolk's License and Complaint Violation Look Up, choose Home Improvement License as the license type, and search the roofer's license number or business name.
2. 2Step 2To verify a roofer's license by phone, call Suffolk Consumer Affairs at (631) 853-4600.

In Nassau County

• Roofing contractors appear on Nassau County Consumer Affairs' list of who must be licensed.
• Under Nassau's Administrative Code, no one may run a home improvement business, or claim to be able to run one, without a county license.
• Nassau Consumer Affairs accepts only RRP lead certificates issued by an EPA-accredited training program.

1. 1Step 1Search Nassau's Valid Business License Search by the roofer's license number, company name or street address, then click Search.
2. 2Step 2Nassau says the license database behind the search is updated daily.

Towns with a license of their own

• City of Long Beach: The City issues building permits only to a City of Long Beach licensed contractor or the homeowner, and a licensed contractor must complete an affidavit that they alone are doing the work.
• Town of Southampton: Southampton requires its own Home Improvement Contractor's License for home improvement work, and its licensing covers every village except the Village of Westhampton Dunes. A builder of a new home needs no town license for now, but the builder's subcontractors must be licensed.
• Town of Southampton: A Southampton home improvement license is valid for one year. A new application costs $250.00 by cash or check or $257.50 by credit, and an on-time renewal costs $175.00, or $180.25 by credit.
• Town of Shelter Island: Shelter Island requires home improvements to be performed by a licensed contractor holding a Shelter Island license.
• Town of Shelter Island: Shelter Island's notice to contractors says every contractor or subcontractor working on the island, landscapers included, needs a town license.
• Town of Shelter Island: Shelter Island takes home improvement license applications online, and a new license needs a $250 check to the town, a liability certificate naming the town as certificate holder and, if applicable, a workers' compensation certificate.

Beyond the license

• Ask for a certificate of insurance sent to you by the insurer, naming you as the certificate holder.
• Ask who files the permit and books the inspections, and get it in the contract.
• Get the price, the scope, the start and finish dates and the payment schedule in a written contract.