Pennsylvania home improvement contractors have one number they cannot leave off: the PA# from the Attorney General's registration. The law counts websites as advertising. We build Pennsylvania contractor websites with the PA# in place, then add reviews, missed-call text-back and online booking.
Anyone doing $5,000 or more of home improvement work a year in Pennsylvania registers with the Attorney General, and the registration number has to appear in every ad, contract and estimate, including online and on your truck. Registered contractors also carry required liability insurance, and on bigger jobs the deposit is capped at one-third. Cities cannot add their own home improvement registration, though Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie still license certain trades. Your site shows the PA# in the footer and answers the deposit and cancellation questions homeowners ask.
Every registered home improvement contractor must put its Pennsylvania HIC registration number (PA#) in all advertisements, and on all contracts, estimates and proposals. The law's definition of advertisement includes the Internet, business cards, signs and printed materials, and the AG says vehicle ads must carry the number too.
"A contractor shall include its registration number in all advertisements distributed within this Commonwealth and on all contracts, estimates and proposals with owners in this Commonwealth."
Whatever you hold in Pennsylvania, a state license, a registration or a city license, we put the number in the footer of every page and on your quote page, matching your Google Business Profile. Customers look you up before they call, and a number they can verify wins the job.
Main agency: Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection (Home Improvement Contractor registration under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, 73 P.S. 517.1 et seq.). The state Department of Labor & Industry says Pennsylvania has no licensure for most construction contractors, and that licensing of electricians, plumbers and home improvement contractors, where it exists, is set by individual municipalities. No statewide plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roofing or handyman license was found; check the municipality where the work happens.
A person whose home improvements total less than $5,000 in the previous taxable year is not a 'contractor' under the Act and does not have to register. (The AG's FAQ words it as less than $5,000 in a calendar year.) Source
Local rules on top of the state's. Open a city to see what it requires.
Yes for most construction businesses. The Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) requires a city Contractor License for construction, demolition or repair work, plus separate company licenses for specialized trades such as electrical contractors. A business that only works on existing one- or two-family homes (and does no specialty-trade work) does not need the city Contractor License and registers with the state as a home improvement contractor instead.
"You don’t need this license if your business only does work on existing one-or-two-family dwellings"
Yes for some work. The Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections (PLI) requires a General Contractor License for commercial work, new one- or two-family dwellings, renovations or additions to one- or two-family rental or investment properties, and certain demolitions. PLI also issues individual trade licenses: Electrical, Mechanical, Fire Suppression and Stationary Power Engineer.
"The City of Pittsburgh requires a General Contractor License for all work performed under a Commercial Building Development Application."
Yes for trades. The Bureau of Building Standards and Safety tests and licenses electrical, plumbing and sheet metal trades, and a contracting company also needs a city business license.
"Note: to operate a contracting company, you must have BOTH a trades license and a business license."
Yes for trades. The Bureau of Building Standards and Safety requires a city license for electrical, plumbing, mechanical and HVAC installation work, and only Master License holders can pull permits.
"The following categories require a license to perform work in the City of Erie."
Full example sites for inspectors, engineers, adjusters, movers, junk haulers and more.
Website built free first, Google reviews, missed-call text-back, booking and follow-up. No contract.
