Is there a roofing licence in Tennessee?

No. Tennessee licenses contractors, not trades. Roofing is the BC-21 classification on a contractor licence, required for jobs of $25,000 and up.

Can an unlicensed roofer legally replace my roof?

If the job is under $25,000 and the house is not in one of the nine Home Improvement counties, yes. Above $25,000 anywhere, or between $3,000 and $24,999 in those nine counties, a licence is required.

Which counties require the Home Improvement licence?

Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Haywood, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford, Shelby. It applies to residential jobs between $3,000 and $24,999.

How many licensed roofers are there in Tennessee?

As of 2026-09-17, 730 active licences carry the BC-21 roofing classification or a roofing company name; 412 of them are based in Tennessee.

Guide · checked 2026-09-17

Does a Roofer Need a Licence in Tennessee?

There is no such thing as a Tennessee roofing licence. There is a contractor licence that applies above a dollar figure, a roofing classification on it, and a second licence that applies only in nine counties. Which one your roofer needs depends on the size of the job and where the house is.

The $25,000 line

A Tennessee contractor licence is required before a contractor bids or offers a price on a project of $25,000 or more, materials and labour included. That rule comes from the state contractor law, Tennessee Code Annotated Title 62, Chapter 6, and it is enforced by the Board for Licensing Contractors. Below $25,000 the state requires no licence at all, in 86 of the 95 counties.

For roofing specifically, the Board added a rule effective January 1, 2014: a roofing subcontractor must hold the licence too whenever the roofing portion of a project is $25,000 or more, with the BC-21 classification. BC-21 is defined in the Board's classification outline as "Roofing, incl. gutters & vinyl siding". The general building classifications (BC, BC-A, BC-A/r and BC-B) each include the 34 building sub-categories, so a licensed homebuilder can roof under its own licence without adding BC-21.

What that means for a typical re-roof

Most residential roof replacements in Tennessee cost less than $25,000. That is the awkward fact under every "licensed and insured" claim: for the majority of re-roofs, the state does not require the roofer to hold any licence, and a roofer who holds none is not breaking the law by quoting one. The licence tells you something real, that the company passed the Board's exam, posted its financial statement and carries the general liability and workers' compensation the Board requires, but its absence tells you very little.

On the roster as of 2026-09-17, 730 companies hold an active licence that either carries BC-21 or names roofing in the company name. 318 of them, 44 percent, list a business address outside Tennessee.

The nine Home Improvement counties

In Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Haywood, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford, Shelby counties, a residential improvement job between $3,000 and $24,999 requires a separate Home Improvement licence from the same Board. That covers most re-roofs in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Murfreesboro and Cleveland. It does not apply in Williamson, Sumner, Wilson, Maury or Montgomery, so a Franklin roofer and a Nashville roofer on the same $18,000 job face different rules.

The Home Improvement roster is separate from the contractor roster this site is built from, and it is not shown here yet. Check it directly at verify.tn.gov.

What to actually check

Job of $25,000 or more: an active contractor licence, with BC-21 or a building classification, and a monetary limit at least as large as the contract. The limit is printed on every listing here.
$3,000 to $24,999 in one of the nine counties: a Home Improvement licence.
Anything else: no state licence is required. Ask for the certificate of insurance instead, and call the agent on it.
Any storm-damage job paid by insurance: the written statement and cancellation right in the Residential Roofing Services law, which applies regardless of licensing.

The licence number should appear in the contractor's advertising and on the contract. Look it up on this site's roster search or at verify.tn.gov; both show the same state record.

Common questions

Is there a roofing licence in Tennessee?: No. Tennessee licenses contractors, not trades. Roofing is the BC-21 classification on a contractor licence, required for jobs of $25,000 and up.
Can an unlicensed roofer legally replace my roof?: If the job is under $25,000 and the house is not in one of the nine Home Improvement counties, yes. Above $25,000 anywhere, or between $3,000 and $24,999 in those nine counties, a licence is required.
Which counties require the Home Improvement licence?: Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Haywood, Knox, Marion, Robertson, Rutherford, Shelby. It applies to residential jobs between $3,000 and $24,999.
How many licensed roofers are there in Tennessee?: As of 2026-09-17, 730 active licences carry the BC-21 roofing classification or a roofing company name; 412 of them are based in Tennessee.