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Committee approves requirement that storm-response roofers register and post surety bond
Summary
The committee passed HB 1800 to require roofing contractors (including out-of-state storm chasers) to register with the state and carry a $15,000 surety bond; sponsors said the registration is a consumer-protection step to make recovery possible when bad actors take money and disappear.
Representative Mark Lowry and Michael Langley of the contractors licensing board presented House Bill 1800, which would require roofing contractors who work in Arkansas — particularly out-of-state storm-response firms — to register with the state and carry a $15,000 surety bond. Sponsors said the measure is a registration (not a full licensing) requirement, intended to make it easier for homeowners to confirm whether a company is legitimate and to provide a limited financial recovery mechanism for consumers harmed by shoddy or fraudulent contractors.
Committee members asked whether the registration replaces full licensing thresholds and how quickly an out-of-state roofer could be registered following a storm. Witnesses said the registration is lower-cost and faster than full licensing, that work over certain dollar thresholds currently requires a license (discussed as $2,000 in testimony), and that temporary licensing processes could enable registration to be completed within days to a week in urgent circumstances.
Supporters said the surety bond and registry will improve consumer protections without creating heavy licensing barriers, and the committee approved the bill by voice vote.
