HomeHow to Check a Roofer in Sioux Falls

How to check a roofer in Sioux Falls

Ask for two licenses: the city’s roofing license and South Dakota’s contractor’s excise tax license. Then get the job in writing, and know the two state laws that protect you after a storm.

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Does a roofer need a license in Sioux Falls?

Yes. Since February 2024, reshingling a house inside Sioux Falls city limits takes the city’s Residential Roofing and Repair Contractor license. The broader Residential Building Contractor license covers the work too.

The roofing license covers shingling, siding and window or door replacement with no structural changes, on single-family and two-family homes and townhomes. Anything structural needs the building contractor license.

To hold the roofing license, a contractor has to:

  • pass a 40-question open-book exam on the city’s roofing handbook with 80% or better ($75 a try, offered monthly)
  • post a $20,000 compliance bond written to the City of Sioux Falls
  • carry at least $300,000 in general liability insurance, with the city named as certificate holder
  • renew every three years, with at least one hour of continuing education each cycle

The city does not accept other states’ licenses, and it does not accept the state excise tax license in place of its own. The license fee is not listed on the city’s page. Licensing can tell you at 605-367-8670.

How do you look up a roofer's license in Sioux Falls?

Check the company’s legal name against the city’s list of licensed contractors. We found no online search tool. Instead the city posts a spreadsheet on its website (search “currently licensed contractors”) with a Residential Roofing and Repair tab and a Residential Building Contractor tab. The version dated 25 March 2026 had 21 firms on the roofing tab.

The legal name can differ from the name on the truck or the yard sign, so ask for it. If you still cannot find the company, call licensing at 605-367-8670.

Outside the city, each town sets its own rules. Brandon requires its own contractor license, and its posted code lets a current Sioux Falls contractor license stand in for its exam; Brandon also posts a 2026 list of licensed building contractors. Read more on roofing in Brandon. Rules in Harrisburg, Tea, Hartford, Lennox and the rural parts of Minnehaha and Lincoln counties were not confirmed for this page, so call the town or county office before work starts.

The same checks apply to any roofer who reaches you through this site.

What is South Dakota's contractor's excise tax license?

It is the one license every contractor in the state needs. South Dakota does not license roofers, so this registration with the Department of Revenue is the statewide minimum.

Contractors pay a 2% excise tax on gross receipts (SDCL 10-46A-1). They must post the license number with the building permit for the job (SDCL 10-46A-12.1). The Attorney General’s consumer office tells homeowners to ask to see it, and the Department of Revenue can confirm it.

Treat it as the floor. A tax registration says nothing about how a crew installs a roof.

How do you spot a storm chaser after hail?

Be most careful with the roofer who finds you. In June 2026 the BBB serving Minnesota and North Dakota named its top red flag: a contractor who shows up unannounced and uninvited.

South Dakota’s Attorney General has warned about storm-repair scams after hail in Sioux Falls and Rapid City, most recently in June 2026. The office’s advice:

  • Get a written contract that lists the work and the price, with the business name on it.
  • Do not pay in full before the job is done. Be wary of cash-only terms.
  • Check references.
  • Ask for proof of insurance and to see the contractor’s South Dakota tax license.

Report a contractor to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection line at 1-800-300-1986. If hail just hit, start with how to spot hail damage on your roof.

Can a roofer pay or waive your insurance deductible?

No. Under SDCL 37-24-50, a residential roofer may not advertise or promise to pay or rebate all or part of your insurance deductible. Any contract that breaks the rule is null and void. Treat “we’ll cover your deductible” as a reason to end the conversation.

Can you cancel a roofing contract in South Dakota?

Yes. South Dakota gives two separate cancellation rights, and a storm contract signed at your door can carry both.

Storm damage roofing contracts: 72 hours

Under SDCL 37-24-51, you can cancel a written storm damage repair contract for residential roofing within 72 hours of signing it. You can also cancel within 72 hours of learning that your insurer has denied coverage in whole or in part.

Cancel by written notice mailed to the contractor’s address in the contract. It takes effect when you mail it. The contractor must give you a boldface statement of this right with a detachable “Notice of Cancellation” form, and must refund payments for work not done within ten days. You still owe a reasonable, documented supplier restocking fee and the cost of any emergency repairs already made.

Door-to-door sales: three business days

A sale of $25 or more that the seller solicits in person, away from the seller’s place of business, can be cancelled until midnight of the third business day after you sign (SDCL 37-24-5.1 and 37-24-5.3). That holds even if you invited the seller over, unless an exception applies. The seller must refund within ten business days.

The law does not say how the two rights interact. If you want out, cancel in writing before the earliest deadline. With an insurer involved, read how roof insurance claims work in South Dakota before you sign anything.

What should you get in writing before work starts?

Everything you would argue about later.

  • The company’s legal name, address and Sioux Falls license.
  • Its state excise tax license number, which also goes on the permit.
  • The scope: tear-off, how many layers come off, underlayment and ice barrier, flashing.
  • The price, the payment schedule and what would add to the total.
  • The workmanship warranty and the shingle maker’s warranty.
  • Proof of insurance.
  • For a storm job, the cancellation notice the law requires.

Compare quotes with what a good roofing quote covers.

Questions about checking a roofer in Sioux Falls

Does South Dakota require a roofing license?

No. The state licenses no roofers, and every contractor needs only a contractor’s excise tax license from the Department of Revenue. Sioux Falls adds its own roofing license inside city limits.

Yes. SDCL 37-24-50 bars residential roofers from advertising or promising to pay or rebate any part of an insurance deductible, and a contract that breaks the rule is void.

72 hours after signing a written storm damage roofing contract, or 72 hours after your insurer denies the claim in whole or in part. A door-to-door sale of $25 or more can also be cancelled until midnight of the third business day.

The city posts a spreadsheet of currently licensed contractors on its website, but we found no search tool. If the name is not on the list, call licensing at 605-367-8670.

Yes. Residential reshingling needs a city permit, with a flat $40 fee under the 2026 fee schedule.

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