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Roofer apprenticeships in California
California registers roofing apprenticeships with its Division of Apprenticeship Standards.1 Most run 4 years, take apprentices from age 18, and pay from the first day.
Find a program near you
Enter your ZIP to sort by distance.
9 programs
Central Valley Roofers & Waterproofers JATC
Fresno · Fresno County
Roofer
- Length
- 42 months
- Minimum age
- 18
- Education
- High school or GED
- To get in
- No test or interview
East & North Bay Roofers & Waterproofers JATC
Livermore · Alameda County
Roofers And Waterproofers
- Length
- 42 months
- Minimum age
- 18
- Education
- None required
- To get in
- Written test
Independent Roofing Contractors of California, Inc
Ripon · San Joaquin County
Roofer
- Length
- 42 months
- Minimum age
- 18
- Education
- None required
- To get in
- No test or interview
Quaglino Roofing
San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo County
Sacramento Valley Roofers & Waterproofers JATC
Sacramento · Sacramento County
Roofer & Waterproofer
- Length
- 42 months
- Minimum age
- 18
- Education
- High school or GED
- To get in
- No test or interview
San Diego & Imperial Counties Roofers and Waterproofers JAC
San Diego · San Diego County
Roofer & Waterproofer
- Length
- 42 months
- Minimum age
- 18
- Education
- 11th Grade
- To get in
- Interview
Santa Clara Valley Area Roofers JATC
Livermore · Alameda County
Roofers And Waterproofers
- Length
- 42 months
- Minimum age
- 18
- Education
- None required
- To get in
- No test or interview
Southern California Roofers & Waterproofers JATC
Pomona · Los Angeles County
Roofer & Waterproofer
- Length
- 42 months
- Minimum age
- 18
- Education
- High school or GED
- To get in
- Interview
West Bay Counties Roofers & Waterproofers JATC
Livermore · Alameda County
Roofers And Waterproofers
- Length
- 42 months
- Minimum age
- 18
- Education
- None required
- To get in
- Written test
No programs match. Clear the county or type filter, or try a nearby ZIP.
Union or open shop?
Union
Run by the Roofers union local's joint committee. You apply to the committee, take an aptitude test and an interview, and wait on a ranked list. The committee sends you to its contractors.
Pay is a set share of the union journey-level rate and steps up on a schedule. Classes are nights or week-long blocks, usually paid for by the program.
Open shop
Run by a roofing contractor or a contractors' association. You usually get hired by a member contractor first, and the contractor enrolls you.
Your employer sets the pay and the raises. Classes are nights or weekends, and some programs charge tuition.
What do programs ask for?
From the 8 state-registered programs in the list above.
Age
At least 18.
High school diploma or GED
3 of the 8 state-registered programs list one. Bring a transcript.
Aptitude test or interview
2 of 8 list a written test and 2 an interview. Union programs rank applicants by the two.
Driver's license and drug screen
Many programs ask for both, since apprentices drive between job sites.
Applying this month
Get your papers together1 week
High school transcript or GED, a photo ID, and your birth certificate or proof of age. Programs that ask for algebra want the transcript that shows it.
- Time
- 1 week
Practice for the aptitude test2 to 4 weeks
Union programs test algebra and reading. A few evenings with a practice test helps your ranking.
- Time
- 2 to 4 weeks
Pick three programs and check their dates1 evening
Union programs take applications in set windows, some once a year. Open-shop programs and employer programs often take them year-round.
- Time
- 1 evening
Apply, then keep working
Apply to all three. While you wait, a helper or trainee job with a licensed contractor gives you hours and a reference.
Can't get in yet?
Pre-apprenticeship
Short programs that teach the basics and help with the application. California lists these:1
Start on a crew
Licensed contractors hire helpers with no experience. Keep a log of your hours and employers; many programs and license boards count them.
The license steps in CaliforniaHow do you get into a roofer apprenticeship in California?
Pick programs near you, check each one's website for its application dates, and apply to more than one. Union programs test and interview, then rank applicants; open-shop programs usually start once a member contractor hires you.
How much do roofer apprentices make in California?
Programs set their own scales, usually a share of journey-level pay that rises every year. For a floor, the lowest-paid tenth of all roofers in California earned $23.38 an hour or less in May 2025.
Roofer pay in CaliforniaOther routes in California
Sources
- California Division of Apprenticeship Standards, apprenticeship program search (data as of 10/27/2026) (dir.ca.gov, 10/27/2026)
- U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, California, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)