Hawaii C-42 Roofing License Requirements (2026)

Hawaii licenses roofing contractors through the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) Contractors License Board (CLB). C-42 is the Roofing contractor specialty classification. A contractor-license exemption applies only where the aggregate labor-and-material contract price is no more than $1,500, and that exemption disappears when a building permit is required or the work is divided to evade the law. An applicant must meet the Board’s good-reputation standard, document four years of qualifying supervisory experience within the previous ten years, pass the appropriate classification examination, and maintain liability and workers’ compensation coverage (or a permitted Chapter 386 exclusion). County permits and inspections are separate from the statewide license.

Regulatory Body

Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Contractors License Board (DCCA CLB) administers the credential or scope-specific rules discussed here under HRS ch. 444; HAR ch. 16-77. Whether that pathway applies depends on the work scope and conditions explained below. The CLB licenses statewide contractor classifications, including C-42 Roofing. County building departments issue applicable building permits and conduct local project review/inspections.

Official portal: https://cca.hawaii.gov/pvl/boards/contractor/
Address: 335 Merchant Street, Room 301, Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 586-3000

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Applicants must provide a Social Security Number. The cited requirements do not impose a roofing residency requirement. An entity must satisfy the applicable Hawaii business-registration and RME requirements; confirm foreign-entity registration with DCCA Business Registration Division.

Good moral character

The Board requires a reputation for honesty, truthfulness, financial integrity, and fair dealing. Supply complete explanations and requested records for application disclosures.

Background investigation

The current application requires disclosure information, but the cited requirements do not support a blanket fingerprint or fixed criminal-background-check rule for every roofing applicant.

Experience and Education

The experience bar is Four years of supervisory experience in the requested C-42 classification within the ten years immediately preceding the application. The Board’s form describes qualifying levels as journeyman, foreman, supervisor, or contractor and requires on-site supervision/direction of employees., and it must be backed by verifiable records — typically payroll, tax, project, or supervisor documentation covering the claimed period.

Accepted proof of experience or eligibility

Contractor application and current tax clearance
At least three notarized experience certificates from qualified people with direct knowledge (as directed by the current application)
Chronological History of Projects / project list for the requested classification
Financial statement and credit report required by the current application
Entity/RME appointment and business-registration documents when applying as an entity

Education substitution

Do not assume a degree or apprenticeship replaces the four-year requirement. Use the Board’s current application and obtain a written determination if seeking credit for other training.

Exam Requirements

The examination requirement has not been established in this record. Confirm it with the authority before applying. Provider or process notes: PSI Services, LLC, after Board approval

Examination fee: The Board requires an examination in the appropriate classification and uses PSI. PSI sets the current registration, examination, and retest fees; do not rely on the former published $75-per-part claim without checking the current PSI bulletin.

Retake policy: An applicant who does not pass within six months after eligibility must file a new application. The overall application process is subject to the one-year abandonment rule.

Insurance and Bonds

No license surety bond is mandated statewide here under the cited sources, though project-specific or public-works bonding obligations can still attach to a given job.

General liability

Every active contractor must maintain continuous comprehensive personal-injury and property-damage liability insurance. The cited statute and Board page do not support the former fixed $100,000/$50,000 roofing minimum.

Workers' compensation

Every active contractor must maintain workers’ compensation insurance unless authorized as a Chapter 386 self-insurer or excluded under the Board’s listed no-employee/ownership circumstances. Continuous coverage evidence must remain on file.

Additional financial requirements

The current application requires a financial statement and credit report. A bond is required only when the Board requires it under HRS § 444-16.5; the sources do not establish a universal $5,000 C-42 bond.

Fee Schedule

Fee	Amount
Application	$50
Initial license	$260
Renewal (every 2 years)	$338

To turn these board fees into a realistic year-one budget — bond premium, liability insurance, and exam prep included — open the cost calculator preloaded for Hawaii roofing.

Renewal and Continuing Education

The Hawaii C-42 Roofing Contractor License runs on a 2 years renewal cycle. The current renewal fee is $338. Renew by September 30 of every even-numbered year. Entity and sole-proprietor active renewal is currently $338; RME and inactive-status fees differ. A matching current DOTAX tax clearance is required.

Continuing education: The cited current Board renewal materials do not establish the former eight-hour C-42 continuing-education requirement. Confirm any new Board requirement before the next renewal.

Reciprocity

For this classification, Hawaii does not recognize the NASCLA Accredited Examination.

Reciprocal State	Accepted Exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity agreements identified.

The cited CLB materials do not establish roofing reciprocity. Out-of-state applicants use the Hawaii application, experience, examination, insurance, and tax-clearance process unless the Board provides a specific written alternative.

Weighing more than one jurisdiction? The national hub compares published Roofing license requirements by state — exam, bond, fee, and experience thresholds side by side.

Roofing Licensing in Other States

Contractors working near a state line, or weighing where to qualify first, should compare Hawaii's requirements against the states most often compared against it before committing to an application:

California Roofing License Requirements — California CSLB C-39 Roofing Contractor
Washington Roofing License Requirements — Washington Specialty Contractor Registration — Roofing
Oregon Roofing License Requirements — Oregon CCB Contractor License — Appropriate Residential or Commercial Specialty Endorsement for Roofing
Nevada Roofing License Requirements — Nevada C-15a Roofing Contractor License

Step-by-Step Application Roadmap

Confirm the license threshold and exact scope. C-42 is the Roofing contractor classification. The chapter 444 exemption is limited to aggregate labor/material work of $1,500 or less and does not apply if a building permit is required or work is divided to evade the law.
Establish the qualifying individual/RME path. Document four years of C-42 supervisory experience within the last ten years. An entity must appoint the appropriate responsible managing employee and maintain the entity/RME relationship.
File a complete application with CLB. Submit the current application, $50 application fee, experience certificates, project history, financial statement, credit report, tax clearance, and applicable entity records by the stated Board deadline.
Pass the Board-approved C-42 examination. After Board approval, register with PSI for the current appropriate classification examination(s). Follow the current PSI bulletin rather than stale question counts, scores, or reference lists.
Complete issuance and maintain coverage. After passing, submit the current issuance requirements and fees. Keep required liability and workers’ compensation coverage continuous; loss of required coverage forfeits the license.
Obtain county approvals for each project. Confirm the project with the relevant Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, Kauaʻi, or Maui county authority. A county permit, plans, product approvals, inspections, and local code conditions are separate from the C-42 credential.

Application Checklist

Have each of the following squared away before the packet goes to DCCA CLB:

Correct C-42 scope and chapter 444 threshold analysis
Applicant/RME with four years of qualifying supervisory experience
Notarized experience certificates and chronological project history
Financial statement, credit report, and current tax clearance
Entity/RME appointment and business-registration records when applicable
CLB application and $50 fee
Current PSI C-42 examination registration and pass result
Continuous liability and workers’ compensation insurance or approved exclusion
County building permit/project approval where required

Common Filing Mistakes

These are the recurring mistakes that most often delay or reject a Hawaii Roofing application, based on the official instructions cited here.

Using the obsolete $1,000 threshold

The current statutory exemption is $1,500 or less and fails when a building permit is required or the work is split to evade licensing.

Counting non-supervisory work without support

The Board requires classification-specific supervisory experience and detailed certificates/project history.

Letting insurance lapse

Loss of required liability, workers’ compensation, or Board-required bond coverage automatically forfeits the contractor license.

Missing the RME deadline

An entity and departing RME each have notice obligations; failure to apply for a new RME, appoint one, or inactivate within the Board’s stated 90 days leads to forfeiture.

Treating the statewide license as the county permit

County review/permits and project inspections remain separate and must be checked for each island/project.

Study and Reference Materials

The list below collects the board's cited references and the materials applicants typically study from. CLR is not paid to recommend any of them.

CLB contractor application requirements — Hawaii DCCA. Current experience, documents, application timing, and issuance process.
HAR chapter 16-77 — Hawaii DCCA. C-42 classification and specialty-contractor scope.
PSI Hawaii contractor examination bulletin — PSI Services. Use the current bulletin after Board approval for exam content, fees, and reference materials.

Other Hawaii Trade Licenses

CLR maintains guides for additional Hawaii trades; the published ones are listed here:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Hawaii roofing license?

C-42 is the DCCA Contractors License Board Roofing contractor specialty classification.

Is the Hawaii contractor threshold $1,000?

No. The current chapter 444 exemption is no more than $1,500 aggregate labor and materials, and it does not apply when a building permit is required or the project is improperly divided.

How much experience does a C-42 applicant need?

Four years of qualifying supervisory experience in the requested classification within the preceding ten years, supported by the current Board certificates and project history.

Does Hawaii require a fixed $5,000 roofing bond?

The Board may require a bond, but the cited current sources do not establish a universal $5,000 C-42 bond. Follow any bond condition the Board actually imposes.

When do Hawaii contractor licenses renew?

All contractor licenses renew by September 30 of every even-numbered year. The current active entity/sole-proprietor renewal cost is $338, and a current DOTAX tax clearance is required.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-04 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-03

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Corrections and presentation updates

2026-09-30: Corrected examination detection when format details are unpublished and updated the summary layout and requirements score. Source-check dates are unchanged.
2026-09-08: Shared template updated to distinguish unspecified eligibility requirements, retain cost qualifications, and use consistent headings. Source-check dates are unchanged by presentation updates.
2026-09-21: Local-only guides now use a compliance-focused structure and terminology instead of implying a statewide license application. Source-check dates are unchanged by this presentation update.