Pennsylvania contractor registration: HIC rules explained
Pennsylvania has no general contractor license. Instead, the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA) requires anyone performing $5,000 or more of home improvements per year to register with the Attorney General's office, pay $50, and carry at least $50,000 each in personal injury and property damage liability coverage. There is no exam. Your PA registration number must appear on every ad, estimate, and contract, and cities like Philadelphia add their own licensing on top.
Licensing authority
Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Home Improvement Contractor Registration: https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/businesses-and-organizations/home-improvement-contractor-registration/
When a license is required
Contractors who perform $5,000 or more of home improvement work in a calendar year must register under HICPA before contracting. The law also shapes how you sell: home improvement contracts over $500 must be in writing with specific required terms. New commercial construction and new home building fall outside HICPA, and local licensing in cities like Philadelphia applies regardless.
License classes in Pennsylvania
Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) registration
The statewide Attorney General registration for residential repair, remodeling, and improvement work. It is a disclosure and insurance credential with no exam, renewed every two years.
Local contractor licenses
Philadelphia requires its own contractor license through Licenses and Inspections, and Pittsburgh and other municipalities have registration requirements for permits. These stack on top of the state HIC registration.
State-certified trade credentials
Pennsylvania does not license electricians or plumbers statewide; those trades are licensed city by city. Crane operators are a state-licensed exception.
What you need before you apply
- Register with the Attorney General before performing $5,000 or more of home improvements in a year
- Pay the $50 registration fee
- Carry at least $50,000 in personal injury liability and $50,000 in property damage coverage
- Disclose business information and ten years of criminal history on the application
- Put your PA registration number on all ads, estimates, proposals, and contracts
- Use written contracts with HICPA's required terms on jobs over $500
- Meet local licensing rules in cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
- Confirm current requirements with the Attorney General's office, since registration is enforced through consumer protection law
How to get licensed in Pennsylvania
- Bind the insurance first. HICPA's minimums are $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage. Your certificate feeds the application, so get coverage before you file.
- Register online through PA-HICRS. Complete the Attorney General's online registration with your business details, disclosures, and the $50 fee. Processing issues you a PA number.
- Rebuild your paperwork around the PA number. The number must appear on advertising, estimates, proposals, and contracts. Update templates once and it is handled.
- Fix your contract to match HICPA. Jobs over $500 need a written contract with specific terms, including the three-day right of rescission. A HICPA-compliant contract template protects you as much as the customer.
- Add city licenses where you work. Philadelphia contractors need a city license through Licenses and Inspections, and other municipalities have their own permit registrations. Verify with each city before pulling your first permit there.
Reciprocity with other states
HIC registration is not an exam-based license, so there is nothing to reciprocate: out-of-state contractors doing Pennsylvania home improvement work simply register like everyone else. City trade licenses, such as Philadelphia's electrical licenses, have their own local rules for recognizing outside credentials.
Working without a license
Violating HICPA, including working unregistered, exposes you to enforcement by the Attorney General under Pennsylvania's consumer protection law, with civil penalties per violation, and the law creates the criminal offense of home improvement fraud for the worst conduct. Unregistered contractors also hand customers a ready-made defense against paying, since HICPA violations can void the contract.
Deposits in Pennsylvania
Statewide cap on a deposit: One third of the price, plus special order materials
Home improvement contracts over $5,000 on a private residence. The limit is one third of the price, or one third plus the cost of special order materials named in the contract. New home construction is not covered, and home improvement retailers that post a letter of credit are exempt.
- No payment may be taken before the contract is signed, and the contract must list the down payment separately.
- The homeowner can cancel within 3 business days of signing.
- If no substantial work is done 45 days after the start date, the contractor must refund within 10 days of a certified mail request.
Source: 73 P.S. 517.9(10) (Pennsylvania General Assembly, Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act). Checked October 15, 2026. General information, not legal advice: cities and counties can add rules, so confirm with Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Home Improvement Contractor Registration.
Contractor deposit limits by state
Frequently asked questions
Does Pennsylvania have a contractor license?
No general contractor license exists statewide. Pennsylvania requires Home Improvement Contractor registration with the Attorney General for anyone doing $5,000 or more of residential improvement work per year: a $50 registration with insurance requirements but no exam. Cities like Philadelphia layer real licenses on top.
Do PA electricians and plumbers have state licenses?
No. Pennsylvania leaves electrical and plumbing licensing to municipalities, so a Philadelphia master electrician license and a Pittsburgh one are separate credentials. Check the licensing rules of each city where you plan to pull trade permits.
What has to be in a Pennsylvania home improvement contract?
For jobs over $500, HICPA requires a written contract including your registration number, the total price, an approximate start and completion date, and a three-day right of rescission, among other terms. Missing terms can make the contract voidable by the homeowner, so use a compliant template.
How long does PA HIC registration take?
It is one of the fastest credentials in the country: an online application, a $50 fee, and insurance proof, with no exam or experience review. Most contractors with insurance already in place finish the filing in under an hour and receive their PA number shortly after processing.
Once registered, how do I keep estimates and invoices HICPA-clean?
Put the required details into templates once and automate the sending. Staxen drafts line-item estimates from a voice description, sends them for e-signature with your PA number in place, and invoices with payment links, at $59 per month per AI employee or $149 for all three. Start free.