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Home / Roofers / North Dakota

How to become a roofer in North Dakota

Most roofers in North Dakota start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

$28.72median an hour in North Dakota

Pick your way in

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In ND
Programs in nearby states
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In ND
1 schools with programs
Trade schools in North Dakota
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed roofing contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

The license steps

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Work as a roofer

    Median pay in North Dakota is $28.72 an hour.

    Roofer pay in North Dakota
  3. Run your own shop

    To bid and contract on your own you need a roofing contractor license or registration.

    Issued by
    ND Secretary of State - Contractor Licensing
    North Dakota contractor license
Pay once you're working

$59,740

a year is the median for roofers in North Dakota ($28.72 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Fargo$29.62
  2. Grand Forks$24.40
  3. Bismarck$24.20
  4. Minot$23.76
North Dakota median $28.72 an hour

Questions

Do you need a license to work on your own as a roofer in North Dakota?

Yes. North Dakota licenses roofing contractors through the ND Secretary of State.1

Are roofers in demand in North Dakota?

Projections Central expects about 30 roofer openings a year in North Dakota through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

Programs near North Dakota, what they ask for and how to apply.

Find a program

More for roofers in North Dakota

Sources

  1. ND Secretary of State - Contractor Licensing contractor licensing (sos.nd.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, North Dakota, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)