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Career guide · Virginia
How to Become a Roofer in Virginia
Learn roof installation through supervised crew work, roofing apprenticeship instruction and practice with the systems your employer installs.
About this Guide
Roofing work starts with preparing a sound surface and ends with details that keep water out. This guide helps new workers choose training for shingles, membranes and flashing. It separates Virginia's contractor business licensing from employee requirements and explains what to ask about roof access, heat precautions and paid work before joining a crew.
Who's hiring roofers in Virginia
Virginia · this weekEmployers across Virginia are hiring roofers right now
A good share of those postings are open to people at entry level with no licence yet. Live counts move week to week — the training routes below do not.
Roofer skill levels in Virginia
The trade is not one job, it is three, and they are separated by what you are legally allowed to do rather than by how good you are. Knowing which level you are aiming at tells you which hours, which exam and which certificates actually matter.
AWhere you startApprentice Roofer0–2 years0 – 4,000 supervised hours
Paid from day one, working under a licensed hand while you bank the hours that lead to your own card.
- ✓Material handling, layout and site preparation
- ✓Basic installation work under supervision
- ✓Tool and equipment staging for the crew
- ✓Clean-down, housekeeping and site safety tasks
- ✕Can't work unsupervised on anything the state licenses
- ✕Can't pull permits or sign inspection paperwork
JThe main goalJourneyman Roofer4–8 years8,000 supervised hours + exam
Qualified to work on your own. This is the level nearly every job ad is really asking for, and the biggest pay step you will ever get.
- ✓Install and troubleshoot without supervision
- ✓Read and build from drawings without constant clarification
- ✓Take responsibility for your own work at inspection
- ✓Direct one to three apprentices on a task
- ✕Can't pull permits in your own name in most states
- ✕Can't act as licence-holder of record across sites
MWhere it leadsMaster / Lead Roofer8+ years12,000 hours + time at journey level
You run work rather than just do it: crews across sites, permits where the trade allows, and the option of qualifying a business of your own.
- ✓Run crews across more than one site
- ✓Own compliance and inspection outcomes
- ✓Estimate and scope packages of work
- ✓Train and sign off the people below you
- ✕Still can't trade as a business without a contractor licence, insurance and usually a bond
What does a roofer earn in Virginia?
Roofers in Virginia start around $18.37 an hour and reach $31.93 at the top of the trade. Once you are working unsupervised the middle of the market sits near $23.28.
See the full roofer salary guide →What you're legally required to have
Virginia has no personal roofer license. Independent contracting generally requires licensing above $1,000, subject to exemptions. Employees work under employer arrangements, including required fall protection, hazard instruction and wage records.
Licence & registrationMust haveGet this wrong and the hours you work may not count toward your licence.0 / 3
Safety trainingMust haveWithout these you won't get through the gate on most sites.0 / 3
Working legally & getting paidMust haveKnow your status before you start — it decides your tax and your cover.0 / 3
Site access & practicalSite-drivenDriven by the site you are sent to rather than by law, but they still stop a start date.0 / 3
Where to train as a roofer in Virginia
Roofing apprenticeships pair supervised installation with technical instruction. College construction basics develop tool and drawing skills. Online roofing packages add system knowledge and practical activities for an employer to supervise.
Roofers Local 30
Piedmont Virginia Community College
National Roofing Contractors Association
What recruiters actually look for
Certificates get you past the first filter. These are the things foremen and recruiters decide on, and they change depending on which level you are applying at.
Qualities that get you hired
What holds people back
No signed record of your supervised hours
Long gaps with no explanation at all
Leaving three or four shops inside a year
No OSHA card when the site requires one
Certifications that lapsed and were never renewed
Listing a licence as 'in progress' as though it is held
No supervisor anyone can call
From no experience to hired
The realistic route, start to finish. Most of it is paid — you are earning from the point you are taken on, not from the point you are licensed.
Decide and enrol
Get taken on as an apprentice
Bank your supervised hours
Sit the licence exam
Get hired at journey rate
Certifications that pay off
Sorted by payback speed.
| Certification | Rate bump | Extra / year | Cost | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofers Local 30 Apprenticeship (journeyperson) | +$1.28 | $2,662 | $0 | 0 weeks |
| OSHA 30-Hour Construction | +$0.27 | $562 | $159 | 15 weeks |
| OSHA 10-Hour Construction | +$0.09 | $187 | $59 | 17 weeks |
| NFPA Hot Work Safety Certificate (Fire Watch / NFPA 51B) | +$0.04 | $83 | $49 | 31 weeks |
| Fall Protection Competent Person | +$0.07 | $146 | $149 | 54 weeks |
| Aerial/Scissor Lift (MEWP) Operator | +$0.02 | $42 | $59 | 74 weeks |
Questions people ask
Do I need ROC before joining a roofing crew?▾
What protection applies on residential roofs?▾
Does Virginia have a heat-illness rule for roofers yet?▾
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Source: Current BLS Virginia employee wages for Roofers, SOC 47-2181; May 2025 wages exclude premium pay and benefits, self-employment income and contractor quotations.
Last updated October 26, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.