The Ponca City Board of Commissioners and the Mayor held a work session on Tuesday, Jan. 17 to discuss an ordinance that would require all roofing contractors doing business in Ponca City to be registered with the city. This ordinance would also provide penalties for non-compliance.

Within the past year, city staff have been alerted to two incidents in which elderly citizens were taken advantage of by roofing contractors. In both of these instances, the contractors were not licensed with the State of Oklahoma.

Scammers use various tactics to take advantage of homeowners with the following being common tactics including: - Storm chasing, a term for roof repair salesmen who come to a neighborhood after a storm to prey on anxious homeowners.

- Starting with an incredibly low bids that add on prices as time goes on.

- Pointing out vague damage when there is no apparent damage or providing inaccurate information on how much damage has actually occurred.

- High pressure sales that involve immediately pressuring a homeowner into signing a legally-binding contract.

- Demanding a large down payment - Committing insurance fraud by submitting two separate invoices: a lower one for the homeowner and a higher one to the insurance company.

Since 2010, the State of Oklahoma has required roofing contractors to be licensed by the Construction Industries Board (CIB) for the purpose of protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public by regulating various skilled trades such as pluming, electrical, mechanical and roofing. CIB has a list of currently licensed roofing contractors on their website that can be searched at verifyroofing.cib.ok.gov/ roofing/search.

Obtaining a license in Oklahoma requires an individual or entity to carry and maintain liability insurance in the minimal amount of $500,000 and in the case of employees, a Certificate of Insurance for Workers Comp.

While this law has resulted in fewer instances of fraud and poor workmanship, it was shared at the work session that CIB only has two inspectors covering the entire state. To this end, some cities have adopted local ordinances to require the registration of roofing contractors. Some cities go even further and require a permit for new and replacement roofing and follow up with inspections.

Ponca City already requires the registration of those working in construction trades, and it is common for staff to issue citations to out of town and out of state tradesmen who have not registered with the city.

An ordinance will be considered by the Board of Commissioners on Monday, Jan. 23 at 5:30 pm during their regular meeting. If this ordinance is passed, the Development Services Department will have a list of all registered roofing contractors permitted to work in Ponca City. The Building Official will also perform an inspection on any new or repaired roof if contacted by any citizen.