- May 17, 2026
- 4:04 pm
Written by Jarret Sherrard — Owner, Solar Pro Roofing, LLC
11 Years Solar & Roofing Industry Experience
GAF Certified Plus™ Residential | GAF Gold Elite™ Commercial
Licensed & Insured in Nassau & Suffolk Counties, Long Island, NY
Last Updated: May 2026
Before You Hire Anyone to Touch Your Roof or Solar System on Long Island, Read This
Every year on Long Island, homeowners sign contracts with solar and roofing contractors who are not legally authorized to do the work. Some of these homeowners find out immediately — when permits get rejected or inspections fail. Others find out months later, when a leak appears, a system underperforms, or a claim gets denied because the installer was uninsured. Some never find out until they try to sell their home and a buyer’s attorney pulls the permit history.
Verifying a contractor’s license on Long Island takes less than five minutes. It requires no account, no fee, and no special knowledge. It is the single most important step you can take before signing any contract for solar installation, roof replacement, or solar panel removal and reinstall — and most homeowners skip it entirely because no one ever told them it was possible.
This guide walks you through exactly how to do it, what to look for, and what it means for your project if a contractor does not appear in the database.
Why Contractor Licensing Matters More for Solar and Roofing Than Almost Any Other Trade
Solar and roofing work sits at the intersection of structural integrity, electrical systems, and weatherproofing. When it is done wrong — or done by someone without the training, accountability, or insurance that a license requires — the consequences are not cosmetic.
They are structural, financial, and in some documented cases, catastrophic.
An Unlicensed Contractor:
Cannot pull permits.
Work performed without permits is technically unpermitted construction. This creates title problems when you sell, potential forced remediation, and zero legal recourse if the work fails.
Is not required to carry liability insurance or workers’ compensation.
If a crew member is injured on your property and there is no workers’ comp policy, you can be held liable. If the work causes a fire, a leak, or structural damage and there is no liability policy, you absorb the cost.
Voids manufacturer warranties.
GAF, Owens Corning, Enphase, SolarEdge, and virtually every major manufacturer in the industry require licensed installation as a condition of warranty coverage. An unlicensed installer does not just put your home at risk — it voids the warranty on the products you paid for.
Has no continuing education requirement.
Licensing on Long Island requires demonstrated competency, ongoing education, and renewal. Unlicensed crews have none of these checks.
The barrier to entry for advertising solar and roofing services on Long Island is essentially zero. A truck, a Facebook page, and a cash price is all it takes. The license lookup tools below are the only reliable filter.
How to Verify a Contractor’s License in Nassau County
Nassau County maintains a public contractor license database through the Nassau County Department of Consumer Affairs.
Step-by-Step
- Go to:
https://apex5.nassaucountyny.gov/ords/f?p=288:500:::NO - Enter the contractor’s business name or individual name in the search field.
- Review the results for:
- License type
- License number
- Current status
- Confirm the license category covers the scope of work:
- Home improvement
- Electrical
- Related specialty licensing
- If the contractor does not appear, or their license shows as expired or inactive — do not sign anything.
What You Are Looking For
An active Home Improvement Contractor license at minimum.
For solar work involving electrical scope, verify that either:
- the contractor holds an electrical license, or
- they are working with a licensed electrician and can document it.
How to Verify a Contractor’s License in Suffolk County
Suffolk County operates a separate license lookup through the Suffolk County Department of Consumer Affairs.
Step-by-Step
- Go to:
https://ca.suffolkcountyny.gov/dcasearch - Search by business name or owner name.
- Confirm:
- Active status
- License category
- For solar projects, verify the license covers both:
- Home improvement
- Any electrical scope included in the proposal
- A result that does not appear, or shows expired or suspended status, is a hard stop — do not proceed.
Important Note for Long Island Homeowners Near the County Line
Nassau and Suffolk are separate licensing jurisdictions. A contractor licensed in Suffolk is not automatically authorized to work in Nassau, and vice versa.
Solar Pro Roofing holds active licenses in both counties. Not every contractor does. Ask directly and verify both.
What Unlicensed Solar Contractors on Long Island Actually Cost Homeowners
The damage unlicensed crews cause on Long Island solar projects follows a predictable pattern that we at Solar Pro Roofing encounter regularly.
The Initial Damage
- Incorrect removal technique cracks panels.
- Discontinued racking rails are bent instead of properly documented and replaced.
- Roof penetrations are improperly sealed — or left open between visits that sometimes never happen.
- Work is performed without permits, leaving the homeowner with unpermitted construction on record.
The Discovered Damage
- A leak appears.
- A panel underperforms.
- An inspector flags unpermitted work during a home sale.
- An insurance adjuster denies a claim because the installation was performed by an unlicensed crew without an active policy.
The Final Cost
What began as a $1,500–$2,500 shortcut becomes a $10,000–$20,000 remediation — on top of the legitimate project cost the homeowner still needs to pay a licensed contractor to complete properly.
This is not hypothetical. It is a pattern we see on Long Island, and the frequency is increasing as aging solar systems enter the repair cycle and an ecosystem of informal labor has developed around servicing them.
The Credentials That Actually Matter — and How to Read Them
Beyond the basic license lookup, here is what meaningful credentials look like for a solar roofing contractor on Long Island.
GAF Certified Plus™ (Residential)
Requires:
- documented installation volume,
- training completion, and
- active licensing.
This certification allows the contractor to offer enhanced warranty coverage on GAF roofing products.
This is not a marketing badge — GAF pulls certifications from contractors who do not maintain standards.
GAF Gold Elite™ (Commercial)
A higher tier of GAF commercial certification requiring:
- demonstrated commercial project volume, and
- additional technical qualification.
Very few Long Island contractors hold both GAF Certified Plus™ and GAF Gold Elite™ simultaneously.
Nassau & Suffolk County Dual Licensing
Many contractors are licensed in one county and not the other. A contractor serving all of Long Island should be verifiable in both databases.
Manufacturer Training Certifications
For solar work specifically, look for documented training from inverter and panel manufacturers. Enphase, SolarEdge, and others offer installer certification programs that indicate a higher level of technical competency than general contractor licensing alone.
Solar Pro Roofing holds:
- GAF Certified Plus™ residential certification,
- GAF Gold Elite™ commercial certification, and
- active licenses in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
Every credential is verifiable in the public databases linked above.
The Question Every Long Island Homeowner Should Ask Before Signing
Before you sign any solar or roofing contract on Long Island, ask the contractor one question:
“Can I look up your license right now, in front of you?”
A licensed, credentialed contractor will hand you their phone and tell you exactly where to look.
An unlicensed one will have a reason why that is complicated.
The lookup takes two minutes. The consequences of skipping it can take years — and tens of thousands of dollars — to unwind.
Frequently Asked Questions: Contractor Licensing for Solar and Roofing on Long Island
Does every solar installer on Long Island need a contractor’s license?
Yes. Any company or individual performing:
- solar installation,
- roof replacement, or
- solar panel removal and reinstall
on Long Island must hold an active Home Improvement Contractor license in the county where work is being performed — Nassau, Suffolk, or both if they operate across the Island.
What happens if unpermitted solar work was done on my home?
Unpermitted work creates a title defect that typically surfaces during a home sale. Buyers’ attorneys routinely pull permit histories.
Unpermitted solar can require:
- remediation,
- re-inspection, or
- retroactive permitting
— all at the homeowner’s expense.
In some cases, it also affects homeowner’s insurance coverage.
Can I sue an unlicensed contractor if something goes wrong?
While you may have civil recourse in theory, an unlicensed contractor with:
- no insurance policy, and
- no registered business entity
is typically judgment-proof in practice.
Recovery is difficult and slow. Prevention is the only reliable protection.
Is a licensed contractor always more expensive?
Not always — and in the long run, never.
The licensing, insurance, and permitting costs that legitimate contractors carry are priced into their quotes. The shortcuts unlicensed crews take are priced into theirs.
The difference is who absorbs the cost of what goes wrong.
How do I verify Solar Pro Roofing’s license?
Nassau County:
https://apex5.nassaucountyny.gov/ords/f?p=288:500:::NO
Suffolk County:
https://ca.suffolkcountyny.gov/dcasearch
Search:
- Solar Pro Roofing
- Jarret Sherrard
We encourage every homeowner to verify before they call us — and every other contractor they are considering.
What should I do if I already hired an unlicensed contractor?
Stop work immediately.
Document everything:
- photos,
- contracts,
- text messages,
- payment records.
Then:
- Contact Nassau or Suffolk County Consumer Affairs to file a complaint.
- Contact a licensed contractor to assess what was done and what remediation is required.
Solar Pro Roofing: Fully Licensed, Fully Verifiable, Long Island’s Most Credentialed Solar Roofing Contractor
Solar Pro Roofing is one of a very small number of contractors on Long Island holding both GAF Certified Plus™ residential and GAF Gold Elite™ commercial certifications simultaneously, with active licenses in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
Jarret Sherrard has 11 years of direct solar and roofing industry experience and founded Solar Pro Roofing in March 2021 with a single operating principle:
Every credential verifiable. Every project permitted. Every warranty honored.
We specialize in:
- solar panel removal,
- full roof replacement, and
- complete system reinstallation
— the exact scope that most Long Island contractors are not equipped to handle under one license.
If you have a solar system on an aging roof and need to know your options, we offer free inspections and straight answers.
Solar Pro Roofing, LLC
Suffolk & Nassau Counties, Long Island, NY
SolarProRoofing.net
info@solarproroofing.net
631-901-6144
Licensed & Insured
GAF Certified Plus™ Residential
GAF Gold Elite™ Commercial
Nassau & Suffolk County Certified
About the Author
Jarret Sherrard is the owner of Solar Pro Roofing, LLC, serving Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island, New York.
With 11 years of solar and roofing industry experience and dual GAF certifications, Jarret founded Solar Pro Roofing in 2021 to bring licensed, insured, fully credentialed solar roofing service to Long Island homeowners.
This article reflects direct professional expertise on:
- contractor licensing requirements,
- credential verification, and
- the consequences of unlicensed construction in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
