Pennsylvania HIC Registration Renewal (HICPA)

Last reviewed October 2026 · 4 min read

Pennsylvania contractors who do at least $5,000 of home improvements on private residences a year register with the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (HICPA). A registration is valid for two years and must be renewed biennially, and an unregistered contractor can't offer or perform home improvements. Your liability insurance is part of the registration, so a new policy or a policy renewal has to be reported within 30 days.

At a glance

Who must register: Anyone who owns or operates a home improvement business, or offers, performs or agrees to perform home improvements in Pennsylvania, subcontractors and out-of-state contractors included. Electrical contractors, master plumbers and other trades register too when they do home improvements on private residences
Exempt: Contractors whose home improvements total less than $5,000 a year, and home improvement retailers with a net worth of more than $50 million (their subcontractors still register)
Renews every: 2 years: registrations are valid for two years and must be renewed biennially
Fee: $100 every two years for new and renewal applications, non-refundable. Updating your registration information is free
Renew: Online through the Attorney General's registration system (PA-HICRS), or by mailing the paper application with a check or money order payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A renewal keeps your existing PA registration number
Insurance: Liability insurance of at least $50,000 for personal injury (bodily harm) and at least $50,000 for property damage, shown with a valid certificate of insurance, or the Attorney General's self-insurance attestation
Changes: Update your registration within 30 days of any change, including insurance information (new policies or policy renewals with new expiration dates), addresses, business names and owners
Other licenses: Report contractor licenses or registrations you hold elsewhere, and any disciplinary action on them within 90 days of final disposition (or on your renewal application, if that comes first)
Continuing education: None: the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (73 P.S. § 517.1 et seq.) sets no continuing education requirement
Without a registration: A home improvement contractor who isn't registered is prohibited from offering or performing home improvements, and faces legal action, including civil penalties of $1,000 or more

The Act still names a $50 fee, but the Attorney General's office says a change in the Fiscal Code (72 P.S. § 1603-U) raised it to $100 every two years.

Put your registration number, with the PA prefix (for example PA123456), in every advertisement, contract, estimate and proposal.

Since July 1, 2009, municipalities can't separately license or register home improvement contractors, but local licensing of electricians, plumbers and other tested trades that was in effect on that date still applies.

How to renew

Find your expiration date in the Attorney General's email approving your last registration or renewal, or look up your registration with its Verify a Contractor's HICPA Registration search.
Get a current certificate of insurance showing at least $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage liability coverage, in the name your registration is under.
Renew online through the Attorney General's registration system and pay the $100 fee, before the registration expires. Mail-in applications can take several weeks to process.
Watch for the Attorney General's email: an approved renewal includes your new expiration date; a pended one has to be corrected within 30 days or the application is terminated.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

90 days outCheck your expiration date: it's in the Attorney General's email approving your last registration or renewal.
45 days outAsk your insurer for a current certificate showing $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage coverage.
30 days outRenew online and pay the $100 fee. Mailing the paper application? Send it now: it can take several weeks.
Expiration dateRenew before today: an unregistered contractor can't offer or perform home improvements.

Put this renewal in your calendar

Know your expiration date? Download a free calendar file with reminders before it, no sign-up needed. It's made in your browser: nothing you type is sent to us (your browser keeps it only if you follow the sign-up link, for your new ledger). A Google Calendar button sends just that one event to Google.

The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your general liability policy: report each renewal with its new expiration date to the Attorney General within 30 days
Local electrical, plumbing or other trade licenses, where your municipality requires them
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

How often do you renew a Pennsylvania home improvement contractor registration?

Every 2 years: registrations are valid for two years and must be renewed biennially.

How much does it cost to renew a Pennsylvania HIC registration?

$100 every two years for new and renewal applications, non-refundable. Updating your registration information is free.

What insurance does a Pennsylvania home improvement contractor need?

Liability insurance of at least $50,000 for personal injury (bodily harm) and at least $50,000 for property damage, shown with a valid certificate of insurance, or the Attorney General's self-insurance attestation.

Who has to register as a home improvement contractor in Pennsylvania?

Anyone who owns or operates a home improvement business, or offers, performs or agrees to perform home improvements in Pennsylvania, subcontractors and out-of-state contractors included. Contractors whose home improvements total less than $5,000 a year, and home improvement retailers with a net worth of more than $50 million, are exempt.

Do Pennsylvania home improvement contractors need continuing education?

No: the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (73 P.S. § 517.1 et seq.) sets no continuing education requirement.

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Home Improvement Contractor Registration

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Pennsylvania guides

All Pennsylvania guides on one page

General contractor guides for other states

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

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Pennsylvania HIC Registration Renewal (HICPA)

Last reviewed October 2026 · 4 min read

At a glance

Who must register: Anyone who owns or operates a home improvement business, or offers, performs or agrees to perform home improvements in Pennsylvania, subcontractors and out-of-state contractors included. Electrical contractors, master plumbers and other trades register too when they do home improvements on private residences
Exempt: Contractors whose home improvements total less than $5,000 a year, and home improvement retailers with a net worth of more than $50 million (their subcontractors still register)
Renews every: 2 years: registrations are valid for two years and must be renewed biennially
Fee: $100 every two years for new and renewal applications, non-refundable. Updating your registration information is free
Renew: Online through the Attorney General's registration system (PA-HICRS), or by mailing the paper application with a check or money order payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A renewal keeps your existing PA registration number
Insurance: Liability insurance of at least $50,000 for personal injury (bodily harm) and at least $50,000 for property damage, shown with a valid certificate of insurance, or the Attorney General's self-insurance attestation
Changes: Update your registration within 30 days of any change, including insurance information (new policies or policy renewals with new expiration dates), addresses, business names and owners
Other licenses: Report contractor licenses or registrations you hold elsewhere, and any disciplinary action on them within 90 days of final disposition (or on your renewal application, if that comes first)
Continuing education: None: the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act (73 P.S. § 517.1 et seq.) sets no continuing education requirement
Without a registration: A home improvement contractor who isn't registered is prohibited from offering or performing home improvements, and faces legal action, including civil penalties of $1,000 or more

The Act still names a $50 fee, but the Attorney General's office says a change in the Fiscal Code (72 P.S. § 1603-U) raised it to $100 every two years.

Put your registration number, with the PA prefix (for example PA123456), in every advertisement, contract, estimate and proposal.

How to renew

Find your expiration date in the Attorney General's email approving your last registration or renewal, or look up your registration with its Verify a Contractor's HICPA Registration search.
Get a current certificate of insurance showing at least $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage liability coverage, in the name your registration is under.
Renew online through the Attorney General's registration system and pay the $100 fee, before the registration expires. Mail-in applications can take several weeks to process.
Watch for the Attorney General's email: an approved renewal includes your new expiration date; a pended one has to be corrected within 30 days or the application is terminated.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

90 days outCheck your expiration date: it's in the Attorney General's email approving your last registration or renewal.
45 days outAsk your insurer for a current certificate showing $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage coverage.
30 days outRenew online and pay the $100 fee. Mailing the paper application? Send it now: it can take several weeks.
Expiration dateRenew before today: an unregistered contractor can't offer or perform home improvements.

Put this renewal in your calendar

The file covers one date: once you renew, make a new one. How to add it to your calendar

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your general liability policy: report each renewal with its new expiration date to the Attorney General within 30 days
Local electrical, plumbing or other trade licenses, where your municipality requires them
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance