Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor Registration (HICPA): $100, Insurance and the New Portal
Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor Registration (HICPA): $100, Insurance and the New Portal
If you do residential remodeling, repair, or improvement work for pay in Pennsylvania, you may need to register as a home improvement contractor under the Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, usually called HICPA. The registration is a short form, a modest fee, and an insurance requirement. The part that trips people up is figuring out whether you are covered at all and which system to use. This guide walks through the threshold, the cost, the insurance, the new PA-HICRS portal, and the contract rules that apply once you are registered.
This article is informational, not legal or tax advice. Statutes, fees, and portal rules change. Confirm every figure with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General before you file or pay, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA for situations involving entity structure, tax treatment, or a dispute with a customer.
Who has to register
Registration is tied to volume. You generally need to register if you performed $5,000 or more of residential home improvement work in the prior year. Two exclusions matter when you count:
- Small jobs do not count. Individual jobs of $500 or less are not included in the $5,000 figure.
- New homes are excluded. Work on newly built homes does not count toward the threshold.
Add up the qualifying work from the prior year, not just the current job. A subcontractor who bills a general contractor is not automatically exempt, so check how your invoices are structured before you assume the threshold does not apply. If your numbers sit close to $5,000, keep a simple job log with dates, customer names, and invoice amounts so you can show how you reached your figure.
What the registration costs
The registration fee is $100 for a two-year registration. It is set under Fiscal Code 72 P.S. 1603-U. The statute text still shows a $50 amount, so the fee you actually pay is the figure the Attorney General's office publishes at the time you file. Confirm it on the agency's current page before you submit.
| Item | Amount or rule | Where to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Registration fee | $100 for two years (statute text still lists $50) | Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General |
| Liability insurance | $50,000/$50,000 coverage | Your insurance carrier and the AG's requirements |
| Deposit cap | For contracts over $5,000, the deposit cannot exceed one-third of the price | HICPA contract provisions |
| Municipal registration fees | Barred under Section 12 of the Act | Check your municipality before paying any local fee |
Budget for the $100 fee and the cost of the insurance policy. The fee itself is the smallest line item. The insurance premium depends on your trade, payroll, and claims history, so get a quote before you assume the cost.
The $50,000/$50,000 liability insurance requirement
Registered contractors must carry liability insurance with $50,000/$50,000 limits. Ask your agent to confirm in writing that the policy meets the HICPA limits, and keep a copy of the certificate with your registration records. An expired or lapsed policy is the kind of gap that causes trouble later, so set a renewal reminder for the policy date, not just the registration date.
Insurance is also where most customer disputes end up. A policy that meets the state minimum will not protect you from every claim, and a broader policy may be worth the extra premium for larger jobs. A commercial insurance broker or a CPA can help you compare coverage against the kind of work you actually do.
The new PA-HICRS portal
Registration now runs through the Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor Registration System, known as PA-HICRS. The rollout was not smooth. A cyber outage in August 2025 disrupted the older process, and the new portal went live on April 24, 2026. The Attorney General's office provided a grace period that ran through June 8, 2026. That grace period has ended, so if you were operating while waiting on the new system, confirm your current status directly with the AG rather than relying on older guidance.
Before you start the portal application, gather these items:
- Your business name, mailing address, and contact information.
- Proof of the $50,000/$50,000 liability insurance.
- Your records showing residential home improvement work above the $5,000 threshold, if you are relying on that figure.
- A payment method for the $100 fee.
Save a copy of every confirmation page and receipt. If the portal shows an error or a status you did not expect, record the date, time, and exact message, then contact the Attorney General's office. Do not assume a submission went through because the screen stopped loading.
Contract rules you must follow once registered
Registration is not just a fee. It binds you to the Act's consumer rules, and those rules govern how you write and collect on every contract.
- Written contract requirements. The contract must include the terms the Act requires. Use a template that has been checked against the current statute rather than one copied from a supplier or a competitor.
- Three-day cancellation. Customers have a right to cancel within three days. Build that window into your schedule and do not begin work or order materials in a way you cannot undo until the period has passed. Confirm the exact timing and notice rules with the AG.
- Deposit cap. On a contract over $5,000, the deposit cannot be more than one-third of the contract price. Smaller contracts follow the terms of the Act as written, so check the current text before you set a deposit policy.
Keep signed copies of every contract, change order, and receipt for the period the Act and your insurer require. Many disputes come down to a missing signature or an undocumented change, not to the quality of the work.
Local fees and municipal rules
Section 12 of the Act bars municipalities from charging their own contractor registration fees. If a township, borough, or city asks you to pay a separate home improvement contractor registration fee, do not pay it on the strength of this article alone. Ask the municipality for the specific ordinance or legal authority, and confirm the issue with the Attorney General's office before you pay.
Pennsylvania does not have a state general business license that every business must hold, and it does not have county business licenses. Activity-specific rules and local permits for construction work can still apply, so ask the building or zoning office in the municipality where the job is located what permits that project needs.
Looking up a registered contractor
Customers and other contractors can check whether a contractor is registered through the state's public lookup. Search by business name and registration number. Homeowners should always confirm the contractor's registration before signing, and a registered contractor should be able to give you the number without hesitation. Confirm the current search page through the Attorney General's website, since the lookup is part of the PA-HICRS system.
If you are a contractor and your number does not show up on a search, do not assume the record is wrong. Contact the Attorney General's office about the record and keep your proof of registration on hand.
Pending legislation to watch
Two bills, SB 540 and SB 1324, are pending in the legislature. Both could change how the home improvement rules work. Neither should be treated as current law. Check the bill status on the General Assembly's website before you plan around any change, and confirm with the AG's office whether a bill would affect your current registration.
Tax accounts and what replaced the PA-100
Registering as a home improvement contractor is separate from your tax registrations. The PA-100 was retired in 2022. Tax registration now runs through myPATH, the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue's online system. If you sell taxable goods or services and need a sales tax account, register through the Department's page at pa.gov's business tax registration page. Sales tax in Pennsylvania is 6%, but whether a particular repair or installation is taxable depends on the transaction, so confirm that with the Department of Revenue or a CPA.
If you operate as an LLC, note that Pennsylvania does not require a publication notice for LLCs. Pennsylvania also uses a registered office address rather than a registered agent. A post office box alone does not satisfy the registered office rule, so list a street address.
Step-by-step: getting registered
- Count your prior-year work. Add up residential home improvement jobs above $500 from the prior year, excluding new homes. If the total is $5,000 or more, you need to register.
- Get the insurance first. Buy or confirm a policy with $50,000/$50,000 liability limits and get the certificate in writing.
- Confirm the fee. Check the current amount with the Attorney General. Plan for $100 for two years unless the agency says otherwise.
- Submit through PA-HICRS. Use the portal that went live April 24, 2026, and save every confirmation.
- Update your contract template. Make sure it includes the required terms, the three-day cancellation notice, and the deposit cap.
- Calendar the renewal. Set reminders for the registration period and the insurance renewal, and check the status before the due date.
When to get professional help
Get help from a qualified professional if your work spans several municipalities, if you are unsure whether a job counts toward the threshold, if a customer has threatened a complaint, or if you are forming a business entity to hold your contracting work. An attorney can review your contract template against the Act and advise on disputes. A CPA can advise on whether your business structure and sales tax obligations fit the work you do. The Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers at pasbdc.org also offer free one-on-one advising that can help you organize the paperwork before you file.
Reminder: this guide is general information about Pennsylvania home improvement contractor registration. It is not legal or tax advice. Verify the current fee, insurance limits, contract terms, and portal status with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General before you act.