Checking a roofer in Oklahoma's tornado country

What Oklahoma requires of a roofing contractor

Oklahoma's Roofing Contractor Registration Act makes it unlawful to act as a roofing contractor without a current registration from the Construction Industries Board (CIB), and every registration has to be renewed each year. The act's definition reaches subcontractors and out-of-state firms, and it covers anyone who advertises or solicits roofing work, not just the crew holding the nail guns.

To register, a contractor files an application with proof of workers' compensation compliance, proof of lawful presence and a liability insurance certificate that lists the CIB as certificate holder. The floor is $500,000 of general liability coverage for residential roofing and $1,000,000 for commercial work, which also needs a separate commercial endorsement.

Until now, a residential registration has rested on that paperwork rather than an exam. Under House Bill 1628, a new Residential Roofing Endorsement will be required for all residential roofing projects after January 1, 2028. Roofers registered and in good standing by January 1, 2027 get a one-year window to qualify, either by passing the residential roofing test with a score of at least 70% or by completing 10 hours of approved continuing education.

How to look up a roofer's registration

1. Read the truck. The act requires the firm name and the registration number, preceded by the letters "OK," on both sides of every vehicle that hauls materials and tools, in characters at least two inches tall (59 O.S. § 1151.7).
2. Read the paperwork. The same number must appear on business cards, bids, contracts and advertisements, and be posted at the job site under § 1151.17 of the act.
3. Search the board. The CIB's Are They Licensed? page links to its registered roofing contractor search.
4. Read the status, not just the name. Section 1151.18 directs the board's verification system to note each complaint against a contractor and whether the contractor admits or denies it.

A roofer whose registration drops out of good standing has to stop taking new jobs and tell any homeowner with an open contract, and that homeowner then has the option to cancel (§ 1151.5). For a plain-English summary of the state's rules, see the National Roofing Directory's Oklahoma roofing licensing page.

Strengthen Oklahoma Homes: the state's FORTIFIED grant

The Oklahoma Insurance Department's Strengthen Oklahoma Homes program covers up to $10,000 of the cost of bringing a roof up to the IBHS FORTIFIED Home Roof High Wind designation with the Hail Supplement. The program pays the contractor directly once the job is finished and the FORTIFIED certificate is submitted. You need a homestead exemption on file, and the work has to be done by a contractor authorized for the program.

The department opened its most recent application round on July 13, 2026, with awards made first-come, first-served as funding allows, and reported more than 400 FORTIFIED roofs certified since launch. Our guide to tornado-resistant roofs walks through the steps, and the directory's explainer on what a FORTIFIED roof is covers the standard itself.

Central Oklahoma's storm record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 297 hail events of 1 inch or larger in Oklahoma County from 2016 through 2025, the most of any Oklahoma county, with neighboring Cleveland County next at 258 (NCEI). Across the whole state the database counts 4,379 such events in the same ten years.

The tornado record is just as heavy:

• The Newcastle-Moore tornado of May 20, 2013 is logged as an EF5 in Cleveland County with 24 direct deaths, and the National Weather Service in Norman traced a path of about 14 miles.
• Eleven days later, the El Reno tornado of May 31, 2013 grew to 2.6 miles across, which NWS Norman calls the widest known tornado on record.
• The Bridge Creek-Moore tornado of May 3, 1999 ran 38 miles, killed 36 people and destroyed about 1,800 homes, according to NWS Norman.

FEMA's major disaster declaration for the May 2013 storms, DR-4117, took in Canadian, Cleveland, McClain, Oklahoma and Pottawatomie counties. County-level detail is on our Oklahoma City and Moore and Norman pages, and the directory's Oklahoma storm center tracks current alerts.

Find a roofer in central Oklahoma

For central and southwest Oklahoma, browse all Oklahoma roofing contractors.

Frequently asked questions

Is a CIB roofing registration the same as a license?

Not quite. A registration shows the contractor has filed with the Construction Industries Board, carries the required liability insurance and workers' compensation coverage, and renews every year. The exam-based Residential Roofing Endorsement is being phased in and becomes mandatory for residential roofing work after January 1, 2028, according to the CIB.

Do I need to register to fix the roof on my own house?

No. Under § 1151.9, the act does not apply to the owner of residential or farm property who does the roofing work, or has family members or employees do it, on property the owner holds. A handyman who does roofing alongside other repairs also falls outside the definition if he takes no more than two roofing jobs a year.

Can I use any roofer for a Strengthen Oklahoma Homes grant?

No. The program asks you to pick three contractors from its approved list to submit bids once an evaluator has confirmed your eligibility, and only an authorized contractor can do the work.

Where do I complain about a roofer in Oklahoma?

Any person may file a written, verified complaint with the CIB alleging acts such as abandoning a job after a deposit, diverting funds, or working without a valid registration, and complaints filed with the registrar are open to public inspection under § 1151.14 of the act.