Short answer
Ask the contractor for the registration number, then look it up on the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs license verification search by the number or the business name. A valid home improvement contractor registration starts with 13VH, is held by a specific business entity, and has an expiration date you can read on the screen. Confirming the number is registered is the start of the check, not the end of it, because registration does not test skill and does not prove the company carries insurance today.
On this page
You check it on the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs license verification search. Ask the contractor for the registration number, type it into that search, and read what comes back: the business name it belongs to, the status, and the expiration date. The whole thing takes about two minutes and it is the cheapest due diligence you will ever do on a five-figure job.
What that search does not tell you is whether the company can roof a house. Registration is a filing, not a skill test. Below is what the number actually proves, how to read the result, and the three documents that matter more than the number once it checks out.
What a New Jersey HIC registration actually is
Under the New Jersey Contractors' Registration Act, a business that sells or performs home improvements has to register with the Division of Consumer Affairs. Roofing, siding, gutters, decks, additions and remodeling all fall under it. The state issues a number that begins with 13VH followed by digits. Lightning Construction NJ holds 13VH12437000, and it appears on the estimate and the contract.
To hold that registration a business has to be a real registered entity, has to disclose its principals, and has to carry commercial general liability insurance of at least $500,000 per occurrence. That last part is why registration is worth checking even though it is not a trade license. A contractor who is not registered is very often a contractor who is not insured.
What registration is not: it is not a trade license. New Jersey licenses electricians, plumbers and HVAC contractors through exams and apprenticeship hours. There is no equivalent exam for a roofer or a siding installer. Nobody at the state watched this company install anything before issuing the number.
How to check the registration in two minutes
- Ask for the number. A registered contractor should have it printed on the estimate already. New Jersey requires the number to appear on contracts, estimates, invoices and advertising, so if you are hunting for it, that is information in itself.
- Open the Division of Consumer Affairs license verification search and choose the home improvement contractor category. You can search by license number or by business name.
- Search the number first, then the name. Searching both is the point. The number tells you the registration exists; the name tells you whether it belongs to the company standing in your driveway.
- Read the status and the expiration date. Registrations renew annually. An expired or suspended registration is a stop sign, not a technicality.
- Compare the legal business name to the name on the estimate, the truck and the check you are being asked to write. A number registered to a different LLC than the one billing you is a problem worth an answer.
If you cannot find the business at all, search a shortened version of the name. Plenty of companies register under a formal entity name and trade under something else, which is legal as long as the registration is real and the number is disclosed. Ask the contractor for the exact legal name and search that.
What the registration number does not prove
This is where homeowners stop too early. A valid 13VH number means the business filed the right paperwork. It does not mean:
- The company still carries insurance today. Coverage can lapse between renewals.
- The crew on your roof works for that company rather than an unvetted sub.
- Anyone has verified workmanship, references or complaint history.
- The company will pull your permit, or has ever pulled one in your town.
So treat the number as the first gate. Here is what each document in the file actually tells you.
| Document | What it proves | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| DocumentHIC registration (13VH...) | What it provesThe business is registered with the state and met the insurance requirement at filing | What it does not proveAny level of skill, current coverage, or complaint history |
| DocumentCertificate of insurance | What it provesGeneral liability and workers' compensation are in force on the date shown | What it does not proveThat the policy covers the specific trade or the subs on site |
| DocumentWritten contract | What it provesScope, materials, total price and terms are agreed | What it does not proveThat the price will hold if the contractor writes change orders |
| DocumentPermit issued by your town | What it provesThe municipality knows the work is happening and will inspect it | What it does not proveThat the work is finished correctly, until the inspection passes |
Ask for the certificate of insurance directly
Request that the certificate be sent to you by the insurance agency, not forwarded as a PDF by the contractor. It should name general liability and workers' compensation, and the policy dates should cover your job. If a worker gets hurt on an uninsured job at your house, the exposure lands on your homeowners policy.
Read the contract for the price mechanics, not just the price
New Jersey requires home improvement work over $500 to be in a signed written contract with the total price, the start and completion dates, and the work described. Read what happens when the crew finds something unexpected. Most contracts leave room for a change order once the old roof is off and the decking is exposed, and that is when a homeowner has the least leverage.
Lightning Construction writes no change orders. The conditions that normally trigger one, meaning extra shingle layers, rotted decking and failed flashing, get found at the free inspection and priced into the written estimate. There is also no deposit, so nothing is due until the work is finished and you have inspected it. Details on how the company is set up are on the about page.
Confirm who pulls the permit
Under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, a roof replacement generally needs a permit from your municipality's construction office and a municipal inspection when it is done. A contractor who suggests skipping it is telling you what kind of company it is. Lightning pulls the permit and attends the inspection in every municipality it works in, and the homeowner files nothing. The roof permit guide walks through what the permit covers and what the inspector looks at.
Red flags around the registration number itself
- The number does not start with 13VH.
- The number returns a different business name than the one on the estimate.
- The registration is expired, and the answer is that renewal is in process.
- The estimate, the invoice and the yard sign show three different company names.
- You are asked for a large cash deposit before anything is scheduled. There is no state rule setting a maximum deposit, which is exactly why the number varies so much from contractor to contractor.
- The salesperson pushes for a signature today because the price expires tonight.
None of these are proof of fraud on their own. All of them are reasons to slow down and get an answer in writing before money moves.
After the number checks out
Run the rest of the check the same afternoon. Look at the manufacturer certification, because it is separate from state registration and it is verifiable. Lightning Construction is GAF Certified, which matters for what warranty coverage a manufacturer will extend on an installed system. The roof warranty guide explains the difference between what the manufacturer covers and what the contractor covers, and the contractor selection guide has the ten questions worth asking before you sign anything.
Then get more than one written estimate and compare them line by line, not by the number at the bottom. Two quotes that differ by thousands usually differ in what they include: tear-off versus overlay, new flashing versus reused flashing, a decking allowance versus a decking change order later.
When you are ready for a written number on your own house, book a free estimate. The inspection and the written estimate are free with no obligation, and a salesperson does come to the house. Lightning Construction is veteran-owned, family-operated, licensed and insured, GAF Certified, registered at 13VH12437000, and works in all 21 New Jersey counties. Look the number up before the appointment. That is what it is there for.
