Kansas Roofing Registration Insurance: The $500,000 Policy and the Attorney General Certificate
Short answer. To register as a roofing contractor in Kansas you must file a certificate of liability insurance of at least $500,000, from a carrier authorized to do business in Kansas, with your application to the Office of the Kansas Attorney General. TradeGuard Insurance writes that policy for roofers across Kansas and issues the certificate, with the Attorney General listed as certificate holder, usually the same day. Call (913) 689-5474 or request a quote.
What the Kansas Roofing Registration Act requires
The Kansas Roofing Registration Act (K.S.A. 50-6,121 and following) requires anyone offering roofing services in Kansas to hold a registration certificate from the Attorney General. The insurance requirements are set in the statute and in the Attorney General's regulations:
K.S.A. 50-6,125(a)(1)(C) states that a copy of the roofing contractor's certificate of liability insurance “shall be filed with the application and shall be not less than $500,000.” K.A.R. 16-8-2 adds that the policy must come from “an insurance company authorized by the Kansas insurance department to do business in Kansas.” A surplus lines or non-admitted policy may not satisfy this; ask before you buy.
Under K.S.A. 50-6,125, any insurance company issuing a liability policy to a registered roofing contractor “shall be required to notify the attorney general in the event such liability policy is canceled for any reason or lapses for any reason.” If your policy lapses, the AG finds out from the carrier, not from you.
K.A.R. 16-8-2 requires “a current and valid certificate of workers' compensation insurance under the Kansas workers' compensation act, an affidavit of exemption, or a copy of a valid self-insurance permit.” If you file a workers comp certificate, it must also name the Attorney General as certificate holder. Owner-only operations with no employees can typically file the exemption affidavit; once your employee payroll no longer fits the Kansas payroll exemption, you need a policy. If a general contractor requires a workers comp certificate from you regardless, a minimum-premium policy may be the answer (see below).
The application also requires a current tax clearance certificate from the Kansas Department of Revenue, government photo ID showing the applicant is at least 18, and, for out-of-state contractors, appointment of the Kansas Secretary of State as agent for service of process.
Who the certificate must name
The Attorney General's current application asks you to identify the Office of the Kansas Attorney General as certificate holder, on your general liability certificate and on your workers comp certificate if you file one:
120 SW 10th Ave.
Topeka, Kansas 66612
A certificate that names you, your GC, or nobody as certificate holder will be sent back. When TradeGuard writes your policy, we issue the certificate to this exact holder, and we can issue a second certificate to your GC or customer at the same time.
What registration costs (K.A.R. 16-8-6)
The Attorney General's fee schedule, current through the June 2025 Kansas Register:
- Initial registration: $250
- Prorated initial registration: $125, if a complete application is submitted on or after January 1 and the certificate is issued on or before April 30
- Annual renewal: $250
- Renewal of a suspended certificate: $500
- Reinstatement of a revoked certificate: $750
- Name or address change: $25
Some websites state the initial fee as $500. The regulation says $250. If a site quotes you $500 for initial registration, it is either out of date or describing the suspended-certificate renewal fee.
When it expires
Under K.S.A. 50-6,132, registration certificates run on the state fiscal year. A renewal application must be filed with the Attorney General by June 30. There is a 30-day grace period after June 30 to renew without a late fee. If the certificate is not renewed before July 31, it is revoked, and getting it back costs the $750 reinstatement fee plus a new application. The late fee within the grace period is set by the AG and capped at $300 by statute. According to the AG's application, a registration issued in May or June does not expire until the end of the next fiscal year.
Practical point: your insurance policy term and your registration term rarely line up. If your GL renews in March and your registration renews in June, the AG needs a current certificate on file at renewal time. We track your policy renewal and issue an updated certificate when it renews; filing the registration renewal is up to you.
When the $500,000 minimum may not be enough
The state minimum is $500,000. Your general contractor's contract may require higher limits than the state registration minimum, and local licensing programs set their own floors: a Johnson County contractor license requires $1,000,000 per occurrence with $1,000,000 completed operations. A policy written only to the state minimum will often have to be increased the first time you bid a commercial job or pull a county permit. We quote both and show you the difference.
If you have no employees: the ghost policy question
The Attorney General accepts an exemption affidavit in place of a workers comp certificate if you have no employees. Many general contractors do not. If a GC's subcontractor agreement requires a workers comp certificate from every sub, an owner-only roofer may need to buy a policy anyway.
Some contractors use the informal term “ghost policy” for a minimum-premium workers comp policy written for a business with no employees, usually to produce a certificate a GC requires. Confirm what the policy covers, any owner exclusions and its audit terms before buying. We write these in Kansas and Missouri.
Kansas generally excludes sole proprietors, partners and LLC members from the employee definition unless they have a valid coverage election (K.S.A. 44-508(b)). Employee payroll is a separate question; see Kansas workers comp requirements. For an owner-only Kansas roofer with no employees, the certificate requirement comes from the GC's contract, not from Kansas workers comp law.
How TradeGuard handles Kansas roofing registration
- 1You call or submit the form with your business name, entity type, and whether you have employees.
- 2We quote general liability from carriers authorized in Kansas, at the $500,000 state minimum and at higher limits, and check the options against the insurance requirements in your GC's contract.
- 3We bind the policy, usually the same day.
- 4We issue the certificate of insurance naming the Office of the Kansas Attorney General as certificate holder, at the address above, and a second certificate to your GC if you need one.
- 5You file your application with the certificate, your workers comp certificate or exemption affidavit, tax clearance, ID, and the $250 fee.
- 6We track your policy renewal and issue an updated certificate when it renews. The June 30 registration renewal is yours to file with the Attorney General.
TradeGuard Insurance is a licensed Kansas insurance agency (NPN 22154473) based in Leawood, writing roofing, framing, electrical, HVAC, plumbing, concrete, painting and landscaping contractors across Kansas and Missouri, and able to quote and place policies in all 50 states.
Get the $500,000 policy and the AG certificate today.
Call (913) 689-5474 or request a quote.