Texas does not license roofers, and as of October 2026 I found no state law that tells a roofing contractor how much liability insurance to carry. The rules that exist sit in other places. Houston runs a voluntary roofer registry with stated limits. Dallas registers roof contractors without naming an insurance amount. State law sets firm rules on how a roofer may handle a customer’s insurance claim. Each rule below is quoted as written, with the page it came from.
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I am a landlord and a cost estimator, not an agent or an attorney. This guide reports what the rules say. It does not tell you what to buy or what limits to carry. Where I could not confirm something, I say so.
What the state requires
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) keeps a public list of the programs it licenses and regulates at tdlr.texas.gov/licenses.htm. I read it on October 31, 2026. It includes air conditioning contractors, electricians, and elevator contractors. Roofing is not on it, and neither is general contracting. Our guide to which Texas trades must carry liability insurance by law quotes the insurance rules for the trades that are on the list.
That is a statement about what I found, not a promise that no Texas rule exists anywhere. I did not read every chapter of Texas law. If a job depends on the answer, ask a licensed agent or an attorney.
State rules on roofers and insurance claims
Roofers sell into insurance claims more than most trades, so Texas wrote rules about it. None of them says a roofer must carry a policy. All of them apply to a roofer who is paid from a homeowner’s claim.
The deductible
Texas Insurance Code Section 707.002 puts the duty on the homeowner:
A person insured under a property insurance policy shall pay any deductible applicable to a first-party claim made under the policy.
Business and Commerce Code Section 27.02 puts a duty on the seller. Subsection (b) requires this notice, in at least 12-point boldfaced type, in a contract of $1,000 or more that is reasonably expected to be paid from an insurance claim:
“Texas law requires a person insured under a property insurance policy to pay any deductible applicable to a claim made under the policy. It is a violation of Texas law for a seller of goods or services who reasonably expects to be paid wholly or partly from the proceeds of a property insurance claim to knowingly allow the insured person to fail to pay, or assist the insured person’s failure to pay, the applicable insurance deductible.”
Subsection (c)(2) defines the offense:
(2) provides a good or service to an insured under a property insurance policy knowing that the insured will pay for the good or service with the proceeds of a claim under the policy and, without the insurer’s consent: (A) pays, waives, absorbs, or otherwise declines to charge or collect the amount of the insured’s deductible; (B) provides a rebate or credit in connection with the sale of the good or service that offsets all or part of the amount paid by the insured as a deductible; or (C) in any other manner assists the insured in avoiding monetary payment of the required insurance deductible.
Subsection (c)(1) reaches the same conduct when a seller advertises or promises it. Subsection (d) reads: “An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.”
Acting as the homeowner’s adjuster
Insurance Code Section 4102.163, in the chapter on public insurance adjusters, is titled “Certain Contractor Business Prohibited.” Subsection (a) reads:
A contractor may not act as a public adjuster or advertise to adjust claims for any property for which the contractor is providing or may provide contracting services, regardless of whether the contractor: (1) holds a license under this chapter; or (2) is authorized to act on behalf of the insured under a power of attorney or other agreement.
I read the text of Section 4102.163 on a Texas statute mirror, texas.public.law, because the legislature’s site would not display that section in full to me. The mirror lists the section as added in 2013 and amended in 2019, and the legislature’s own page shows its statutes current through the 2025 sessions. Check the legislature’s page for any later change.
What cities say
Texas cities can regulate who pulls a roofing permit. Here is what the five largest say, as of October 2026. Where a city’s code or page is silent on insurance, I say that and do not fill the gap.
Houston
Houston is the only one of the five with a roofer-specific insurance line I could find. The City of Houston’s plan review page says, under its residential licensing and registration heading:
A general contractor’s license is not required to obtain building permits. However, trade contractors (i.e., Electrical, Plumbing, and Mechanical) are required to register their license with the City of Houston.
The City of Houston has a Voluntary Registration Program for roofing contractors. To register, roofing contractors must have proof of comprehensive general liability insurance in the form of a certificate or policy with minimum limits of $500,000 of death or bodily injury and $500,000 for property damage, per occurrence. For more information contact us at 832.394.8840.
The word is voluntary. A roofer who does not register is not breaking the rule on that page. The Houston Permitting Center’s pages for the residential roofing permit and the commercial roofing permit list the documents needed to apply. Neither list includes insurance.
Dallas
Dallas registers roof contractors in Chapter 52 of its City Code, Subchapter 11. I read the city’s published booklet of Chapter 52, which is labeled “Current through March 27, 2024” and says it is “for informational purposes only.” Section 1101.1 defines the trade:
ROOF CONTRACTOR means a person engaged in the business of installing and repairing products and surfaces that seal, waterproof, and weatherproof structures.
Section 1102.1 says who must register:
It is unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to erect, construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, improve, remove, convert, or demolish any building, sign, or structure in the city, or cause the same to be done, unless such person, firm, or corporation is the holder of a valid registration with the city to perform such work.
The same section closes with: “In extending the rights and privileges of such registration, the city makes no statement of the technical competency of those so registered, and no manner of license is proffered.” Section 1103.1 lists what the application must include. Insurance is not on that list, and I found no insurance amount anywhere in Subchapter 11.
Dallas Chapter 52 does name a liability amount in one place, the permit to barricade public property or a public way. Section 301.4.4.1 requires proof of insurance for that permit, and items 1 and 2 read:
The commercial general liability insurance must provide combined single limits of liability for bodily injury and property damage of not less than $500,000 for each occurrence, or the equivalent, and include coverage for premises operations, independent contractors, products/completed operations, personal injury, contractual liability, and medical payments.
The comprehensive automobile liability insurance must provide combined single limits of liability for bodily injury and property damage of not less than $500,000 for each occurrence, or the equivalent, for each motor vehicle used by the permittee.
That rule applies to a job that occupies a street or sidewalk, not to every roof. The booklet is the city’s Chapter 52 PDF. Dallas also says the booklet may lag recent amendments, so confirm with Building Inspection at (214) 948-4480.
San Antonio
San Antonio’s Building and Home Improvement page sorts building contractors into tiers. It does not name roofing. The Home Improvement Contractor tier is for “limited repair and replacement such as” non-structural remodeling alterations, conversions, and modernizations. Its requirements include:
A certificate of liability insurance with The City of San Antonio listed as the certificate holder Must maintain the following type and minimum limits of liability: $300,000 per occurrence (combined for property damage and bodily injury) $600,000 (total amount the policy will pay for property damage and bodily injury coverage) $300,000 for products and completed operations
The Residential Building Contractor tier, which covers new construction, additions, and structural work, lists $500,000, $1,000,000, and $500,000 for the same three lines. I could not confirm from the city’s page which tier a re-roof falls under. Development Services answers that at 210-207-1111.
Fort Worth
Fort Worth’s Contractor Registration page says that anyone “obtaining a permit related to the building, mechanical, plumbing or electrical provisions of the City of Fort Worth’s Codes shall have on file in the Development Services Department a valid Contractor Registration.” Its list of registration types is Building, Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Sign, Parkway/Utility, and Moving or Structure Demolition. Roofing is not a listed type.
The city’s registration application marks which types need insurance with two footnotes:
*Insurance Required
**Insurance and Bond Required
On that form the asterisks attach to Master Plumbing, Wrecking Contractor, Moving Contractor, and Parkway. The Building line carries no footnote. Whether a re-roof permit needs a Building registration is something I could not confirm, so ask Development Services at 817-392-2222.
Austin
Austin’s Contractor Registration page covers building and trade contractors. It does not mention roofing. It says of general contractors: “In Texas, anyone can be a General Contractor, including homeowners, and a state license is not required.” It states no insurance amount for general contractor registration. Insurance comes up only where the page discusses updates, as in this rule (Source):
All contractors must submit a Letter of Authorization for any changes to contact information, company ownership, agent changes, or license and insurance status.
Public jobs and workers’ compensation
One state rule on insurance reaches roofers who work for a city, county, or school district. Labor Code Section 406.096 reads in part:
(a) A governmental entity that enters into a building or construction contract shall require the contractor to certify in writing that the contractor provides workers’ compensation insurance coverage for each employee of the contractor employed on the public project.
(b) Each subcontractor on the public project shall provide such a certificate relating to coverage of the subcontractor’s employees to the general contractor, who shall provide the subcontractor’s certificate to the governmental entity.
Subsection (e) defines “building or construction” to include “remodeling, extending, repairing, or demolishing a structure.” I read this section on the texas.public.law mirror as well. On private jobs, workers’ compensation is the contractor’s choice under state law, and a customer’s contract can still ask for it.
What a certificate of insurance is and who asks for one
A certificate of insurance is a one-page summary of a policy, prepared by the agent and sent to whoever asked for it. Under Texas Insurance Code Section 1811.152 it is not a policy and does not change the coverage of the policy it names. Our guide to the certificate of insurance for Texas contractors goes through the ACORD 25 field by field. Our guide to the commercial general liability policy covers the policy the certificate usually describes.
A new roofing business tends to hear the request from the same places. A general contractor hiring a roofer as a subcontractor asks. A property manager or property owner asks before work starts. A commercial client asks as a term of the contract. A governmental entity asks, for workers’ compensation, under Section 406.096. Where a city registration lists insurance, San Antonio asks for a certificate naming the city as holder, and Houston’s voluntary program asks for a certificate or policy (Source). Our trades guide adds lenders to that list. Read the form, not the brochure, and read the certificate when it arrives.
Want a licensed Texas agent to call you?
Leave your name and number. We pass your request to one licensed Texas insurance agency, and that agency calls you back. PolicyCompared does not sell insurance.