HB 3344: Roofing Contractor Licensing Is Finally Coming to Texas, And It’s Long Overdue

Last updated: June 2026

In an industry as essential and technical as roofing, it might surprise you to learn that Texas is still one of the only states in the country that does not require roofing contractors to be licensed. That means anyone, without proof of training, insurance, or even basic knowledge, can call themselves a roofing contractor and legally take on projects across the state.

It’s a loophole that has cost Texas homeowners and businesses millions in poor workmanship, insurance fraud, and project mismanagement. And in 2025, it looked like that loophole was finally about to close.

House Bill 3344 (HB 3344), also known as the Roofing Contractor Consumer Protection Act, was introduced in early 2025 and advanced further than any roofing licensing bill has in Texas history. It passed out of committee 7 to 1. It had strong industry and insurance support. And then it died. Not because the idea was rejected, but because the Texas legislature ran out of time.

This post explains what HB 3344 actually proposed, what really happened to it, and what Texas property owners and contractors should do right now while the fight continues.

Table of Contents

• What Is HB 3344?
• Why Texas Has a Roofing Problem
• What Licensing Would Have Changed
• What Actually Happened to HB 3344
• Our Position: We’re 100% in Favor of Licensing
• What You Can Do Right Now
• In Closing

What Is HB 3344?

HB 3344 is a bill introduced in the 89th Texas Legislative Session by Representative Pat Curry to create a formal licensing process for roofing contractors in Texas, overseen by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). Its goal was to protect consumers from fraud and substandard work by requiring all roofing contractors to meet baseline professional and financial standards before touching a single roof.

Important note on the two versions of the bill. The version that was actually debated and voted on in committee was a substitute bill, not the original introduced version. The original included a 10-year experience requirement that was dropped in early March 2025. By the time the bill went to its April 15 committee hearing, RCAT had worked with Rep. Curry to replace it with a cleaner, more accessible framework.

Key features of the substitute bill:

• Mandatory licensing for all reroofing contractors through TDLR, covering repair, recovery, and replacement of existing roof coverings on residential and commercial structures
• Proof of business registration, general liability insurance or surety bond, and a criminal background check to obtain a license
• Two-year renewable licenses, with the license number required on all advertisements and contracts
• Written contracts required before any reroofing work begins, including cancellation policies and complaint submission information
• Public online database of licensed contractors with disciplinary records, giving property owners a way to verify who they’re hiring
• Civil penalties up to $500 per violation for operating without a license or failing to comply

The bill specifically applied to reroofing work. New construction roofing was outside its scope.

Why Texas Has a Roofing Problem

For years, Texas’s lack of licensing requirements has made it a magnet for unqualified contractors and storm-chasing sales teams. After major weather events like hail or windstorms, it’s not uncommon to see out-of-town “roofers” flood neighborhoods with slick marketing, high-pressure tactics, and little concern for long-term quality.

As TDLR itself acknowledges, it does not oversee an occupational license for roofers in Texas, which means anyone can call themselves a roofing contractor and operate legally, with or without insurance. Many outfits don’t even use their own crews. They sub out the work to the cheapest bidder, cut corners, and leave customers with poorly installed roofs and no recourse when things go wrong.

This has led to fraudulent insurance claims, poor workmanship with no warranties, fly-by-night companies disappearing with deposits, and reputable contractors struggling to compete on price alone. These are some of the most common commercial roof issues we see across West Texas, and nearly all of them trace back to the same root cause: no accountability at the point of hire. In short, the Texas roofing industry has become dominated by sales rather than skill.

What Licensing Would Have Changed

Some critics argue that licensing just adds more red tape. We see it differently. Licensing isn’t about bureaucracy. It’s about raising the floor.

Here’s what would have changed:

• Consumers would finally have a reliable way to verify contractors. The public TDLR database would have given any property owner a one-stop check on licensing status and disciplinary history.
• Contractors would be held accountable for quality, insurance, and safety. A license on the line changes how a business operates.
• The industry would shift back toward professionalism and craft, not just closing deals.
• Reputable companies wouldn’t have to compete with bad actors who undercut pricing and disappear when there’s a leak.

Most importantly, homeowners and building owners would have had more protection from bad installations, from shady deductible schemes, and from being left with no recourse when issues arise. The bill’s consumer protections (written contracts, mandatory disclosures, public complaint pathways) would have been significant upgrades over the current situation where property owners largely have to rely on word of mouth and luck. If you’ve ever wondered how to work with roofing contractors and what questions to ask before signing anything, that uncertainty is exactly what licensing was designed to eliminate.

What Actually Happened to HB 3344

The 89th Texas Legislative Session ended on June 2, 2025, and HB 3344 did not pass. But the reason it failed matters, because it wasn’t rejected.

The substitute bill was voted out of the House Committee on Trade, Workforce and Economic Development 7 to 1 on April 30, 2025. It had bipartisan co-sponsors, strong support from insurance companies and the roofing industry, and over 450 public comments submitted to the committee: 392 in favor, 55 opposed. By any reasonable measure, it had momentum.

What killed it was a procedural bottleneck that had nothing to do with HB 3344 specifically. A handful of legislators shut down the local calendars process late in the session, which forced pending local business onto the general calendar and created serious delays. Bills that had already cleared committee and were uncontested found themselves without a scheduled floor vote as the clock ran out. HB 3344 was one of thousands caught in that bottleneck.

As RCAT’s president put it after the session: “It had a good chance of being voted on by the entire House. Unfortunately, a handful of legislators decided to shut down the local calendars process… HB 3344 was among many of those bills that ran out of time in the process.”

This is not a permanent defeat. The Texas legislature meets biennially, which means the next regular session opens in January 2027. RCAT has been explicit that they will continue pushing for licensing, and the groundwork laid in 2025 (the committee vote, the public record, the 450-plus comments) doesn’t disappear. The next bill will start from a stronger position than any previous attempt.

Our Position: We’re 100% in Favor of Licensing

As a Texas-based commercial roofing company serving Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland, and dozens of communities across West Texas, we fully support this effort and were disappointed to see it stall.

Why? Because we’re already doing the things this law would require.

• We’re insured
• We use trained, supervised crews
• We follow manufacturer guidelines and local codes
• We stand behind our work with real warranties
• We take pride in long-term relationships, not short-term wins

Licensing won’t slow us down. It will legitimize what we and many other great companies have been doing all along, and it will weed out the people who shouldn’t be on a roof in the first place.

Texas customers deserve roofing contractors they can trust. The failure of HB 3344 doesn’t change that, and it doesn’t change our commitment to operating at the standard this bill would have required.

What You Can Do Right Now

The bill is dead for this session, but the problem it was trying to solve is very much alive. Here’s what we recommend while the fight continues.

If you’re a property owner or building manager:

• Don’t hire the lowest bidder without verifying credentials. Ask for proof of general liability insurance, a physical business address, and references from commercial roofing projects similar to yours.
• Request a comprehensive roof report from any contractor you’re seriously considering. A reputable company will provide one before any work starts. One that won’t is telling you something.
• Use RCAT’s voluntary licensing directory to find contractors who have voluntarily met insurance, experience, and exam requirements. It’s not a state license, but it’s the closest thing Texas currently has to a verified credential.
• Check your city’s local contractor registration requirements. If you’re in Lubbock, Big Spring, Abilene, or Midland, local registration requirements vary, and knowing what’s required in your area is a simple first filter.
• Follow HB 3344’s progress through the Texas Legislature Online at capitol.texas.gov. When the 90th session opens in 2027, this bill will likely be back.

If you’re a roofing contractor:

• Get your documentation in order now: insurance, business registration, training records. When licensing does pass, the contractors who are already compliant will have nothing to worry about.
• Understand what commercial re-roofing and commercial roof repair jobs actually cost to do right, and price accordingly. Competing on price with unlicensed operators is a race to the bottom that licensing will eventually end.
• Consider joining RCAT and pursuing voluntary licensing. It signals professionalism to clients and builds the kind of industry credibility that makes the case for mandatory licensing stronger.
• Stay engaged with your state representatives. The 450 public comments submitted in 2025 demonstrated that the industry is paying attention. That voice needs to show up again in 2027.

In Closing

HB 3344 didn’t become law, but it moved the conversation forward in a meaningful way. A 7 to 1 committee vote, hundreds of public comments in favor, and bipartisan legislative support aren’t nothing. They’re a foundation to build on.

Texas is still one of the few states in the country where anyone can pick up a caulk gun, print business cards, and legally call themselves a roofing contractor. That will change eventually. The question is how many more homeowners and businesses get burned in the meantime.

We’re still 100% behind this effort, and we’ll say it again when the next session rolls around.

This post was originally published on June 7, 2025. Updated June 2026 to reflect the final outcome of HB 3344 in the 89th Texas Legislative Session.