How to Check a Roofer's Oklahoma CIB Registration
Search the contractor at the Construction Industries Board roofing lookup, verifyroofing.cib.ok.gov, using at least three characters of the firm or person name. Oklahoma roofers must hold a current CIB registration to advertise or contract, must display the number with an OK prefix on both sides of their vehicles, and must post it at the job site and on every contract and bid.
A hail core drops on north Owasso on a Tuesday. By Thursday there are out of state plates on your street and a clipboard at your door. Some of those crews are fine. Some of them will be three states away by August. The registration lookup sorts the two groups faster than any conversation on a doorstep, and it takes about two minutes.
What is the CIB and what does it register?
The Oklahoma Construction Industries Board administers the Roofing Contractor Registration Act, which has applied since November 2010. Under the Act, a person or business must hold a valid registration in good standing before advertising for or performing roofing work in Oklahoma. Commercial roofing requires an extra endorsement on top of the registration.
Registration is a threshold, and it is a useful one. To hold it, a contractor must carry general liability insurance of at least $500,000 for residential work, and at least $1,000,000 where the commercial roofer endorsement applies. They must maintain workers compensation coverage or a valid affidavit of exemption. They must keep a current business filing with the Secretary of State and stay current on state taxes. Holders of the commercial endorsement must complete four hours of approved continuing education every three years.
How do you run the search?
- Go to the CIB roofing verification site at verifyroofing.cib.ok.gov.
- Enter at least three characters of the business name or the person’s last name. The search accepts an asterisk at the end of a partial entry when you are unsure of the spelling.
- Check what comes back: the registered name, the registration number, the status, and whether a commercial roofer endorsement is attached.
- Compare the registered name against the name on the card, the truck, the contract and the estimate. A mismatch is the thing to ask about.
If nothing returns, try a shorter fragment before you conclude anything. Trading names and legal entity names often differ. If it still returns nothing, that is your answer.
What should you see in the real world?
The Act is specific about where the number has to appear, which gives you several free checks before you ever open a browser.
| Where | What the law requires |
|---|---|
| Work vehicles | Firm name and registration number with the initials OK in front of it, both sides, letters and numerals at least two inches high, contrasting color |
| Job site | Posted name, any endorsement, registration number and telephone number for the registration the work runs under |
| Paper and signage | The same details on business cards, contracts, bids, letterhead, signs and advertisements |
| Permit applications | The registration number goes on the application, and the issuing official records it on the permit |
A magnetic sign stuck on a rental pickup with no number is worth noticing.
What are the consequences of getting it wrong?
For the contractor, real ones. Advertising or contracting for roofing work without a valid registration, or without displaying the number, is a violation of the Act. It is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 per violation, and the Board may issue administrative fines instead. A business entity that advertises or acts as a roofing contractor without registration faces an administrative penalty of up to $5,000. More than one misdemeanor violation in a twelve month period is grounds for suspension.
There is also a quieter consequence that matters to you. The Act bars an unregistered contractor from bringing or maintaining a claim, action or suit in an Oklahoma court relating to their business as a roofing contractor. A roofer without standing to sue you is also a roofer you may struggle to hold to a warranty.
Who is allowed to work without registering?
The Act lists exemptions, and a few come up in Tulsa neighborhoods.
- A property owner acting as their own roofing contractor on a single family home they occupy, providing all supervision themselves and installing to code and manufacturer instructions
- Owners of commercial property and residential rentals of four units or fewer, acting as their own contractor under the same conditions
- Employees of a registered contractor who do not contract in their own name
- Churches and charities providing roofs at no charge with volunteer labor
- Suppliers who only furnish materials and do not install them
If somebody knocking doors after a storm tells you an exemption applies to them, ask which one.
Six questions for the doorstep
Run these in order and most storm chasers excuse themselves.
- What is your Oklahoma roofing registration number? Write it down and look it up while they wait.
- What is your local address, and how long has the phone number been in service?
- Is your commercial endorsement current, if my building needs one?
- Will you give me the written notification about deductibles required with your initial estimate?
- Will you attach the Notice of Cancellation form the Act requires on insurance work?
- Who pulls the City of Tulsa permit, and whose registration number goes on it?
Sign nothing at the door. Hand over no money before materials are delivered.
Where do complaints go?
If you believe a roofer is working unregistered, or has offered to cover your deductible, file a complaint with the CIB registrar using their roofing contractor complaint form. The Board is clear about the limits of its authority. It does not enforce matters of workmanship quality, general business practices, financial disputes, insurance disputes or unfinished work. Those go to the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit, or to the courts.
Checking us
We would rather you checked. Run the lookup, read the estimate, and ask what the written notification says. Our storm and hail damage page explains what a documented inspection includes and what lands in your inbox afterwards. If the answer on your roof is that nothing is wrong, you get that in writing with the photos too.