Minnesota Roofing Contractor License Practice Exam

Description

Sample Questions

Question 1. A residential roofer is estimating a tear-off and reroof on a simple gable roof. The roof footprint, including eave and rake overhangs, measures 40 feet by 28 feet. The pitch is 6:12, which carries a slope factor of 1.118. The supplier sells architectural shingles at 3 bundles per square, and the contractor adds 10 percent for waste, starters, and cuts. Rounding up to full bundles, how many bundles should the contractor order?

A. 38 bundles
B. 42 bundles
C. 46 bundles
D. 34 bundles

Correct Answer: B. 42 bundles

Answer Explanation:
Start with the plan area: 40 × 28 equals 1,120 square feet. Shingles cover the sloped surface, not the footprint, so multiply by the slope factor. 1,120 × 1.118 equals about 1,252 square feet, or 12.52 squares. Adding 10 percent waste brings the total to 13.77 squares. At three bundles per square, that equals 41.3 bundles, and since suppliers sell only whole bundles, the order rounds up to 42. Hips, valleys, and cut-heavy layouts often justify a higher waste percentage, so the contractor should judge the allowance based on roof complexity.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
A. 38 bundles — Incorrect. This applies the slope factor but leaves out the 10 percent waste allowance, so the job would run short after cuts and starter courses.
C. 46 bundles — Incorrect. This uses a 20 percent waste factor, which is double the stated allowance and inflates material cost.
D. 34 bundles — Incorrect. This uses the flat footprint and ignores the slope factor, so it understates the true roof area.

Quick Study Guide:
Roof estimating starts with plan area, then the slope factor converts it to true surface area. One square covers 100 square feet. Add waste after finding area, convert squares to bundles, and round up to whole units. Practice deriving slope factors from rise and run, and adjust waste for hips, valleys, and complex layouts.

Question 2. A homeowner asks a roofer to reroof a covered porch that has a 3:12 slope using architectural asphalt shingles. To save money, the homeowner suggests a single layer of underlayment, the same as the main roof. The main roof has a 6:12 slope. Under the asphalt shingle provisions of the model residential code, what must the roofer do on the porch?

A. Install a single layer of underlayment, since shingles are permitted on any slope above flat.
B. Rebuild the porch framing to reach a 4:12 slope before installing shingles.
C. Install ice barrier on the porch and omit all other underlayment.
D. Install a double layer of underlayment, since the slope falls between 2:12 and 4:12.

Correct Answer: D. Install a double layer of underlayment, since the slope falls between 2:12 and 4:12.

Answer Explanation:
Under the model residential code provisions for asphalt shingles, shingles are permitted on slopes of 2:12 or greater. When the slope falls from 2:12 up to less than 4:12, double underlayment is required. A 3:12 porch sits squarely in that band. Water drains more slowly on low slopes and is more easily driven under shingles by wind or ice, so the extra layer provides secondary protection. A single layer is acceptable at 4:12 and steeper. The roofer should also check the shingle manufacturer’s low-slope instructions, since the stricter requirement governs, and confirm the locally adopted code edition and amendments.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
A. Install a single layer of underlayment, since shingles are permitted on any slope above flat — Incorrect. Shingles are not permitted below 2:12, and a single layer is only adequate at 4:12 or steeper.
B. Rebuild the porch framing to reach a 4:12 slope — Incorrect. Reframing is unnecessary because shingles are allowed down to 2:12 with the proper double underlayment.
C. Install ice barrier on the porch and omit all other underlayment — Incorrect. Ice barrier addresses ice-dam backup at eaves and does not replace the required underlayment across the slope.

Quick Study Guide:
Memorize the slope bands for asphalt shingles: below 2:12 is not permitted, 2:12 to under 4:12 requires double underlayment, and 4:12 or greater allows standard single underlayment. Always compare the code against the manufacturer’s low-slope instructions, since the stricter rule governs. Verify the adopted code edition and local amendments before bidding low-slope work.

Question 3. A roofer is installing ice barrier on a Minnesota home where the residential code requires it. The eave overhang measures 12 inches horizontally from the exterior wall line, and the roof pitch is 6:12, with a slope factor of 1.118. The code requires the barrier to extend from the lowest edge of the roof to a point at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line. What is the minimum length of ice barrier needed, measured along the roof slope from the eave edge?

A. 24 inches
B. 36 inches
C. 40.25 inches
D. 48 inches

Correct Answer: C. 40.25 inches

Answer Explanation:
The code measures the barrier distance horizontally, from the lowest roof edge to a point at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line. With a 12-inch overhang, the horizontal run is 12 plus 24, or 36 inches. A sloped roof surface is longer than its horizontal projection, so multiply by the 6:12 slope factor of 1.118. That gives 36 × 1.118, or about 40.25 inches along the slope. Because ice barrier rolls are commonly 36 inches wide, a single course will not reach that line, and a second lapped course is needed. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for laps and sealing.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
A. 24 inches — Incorrect. This counts only the required distance inside the wall line and ignores the overhang.
B. 36 inches — Incorrect. This is the correct horizontal run, but it was never converted to slope length, so the barrier would stop short.
D. 48 inches — Incorrect. This overstates the requirement, possibly by doubling the 24-inch inside distance, and does not follow from the stated values.

Quick Study Guide:
Ice barrier protects against water backing up under shingles from ice dams. Measure the required distance horizontally, add the overhang, then multiply by the slope factor to get length along the roof. Standard rolls are often narrower than the required coverage, so plan lapped courses. Confirm where the adopted Minnesota code requires barrier.

Question 4. A roofing foreman plans to replace shingles on a house with an eave height of 14 feet and a 7:12 roof slope. To avoid the cost of anchors and harnesses, the foreman proposes marking a warning line 6 feet from the eave and assigning one crew member as a safety monitor. What is the correct response?

A. Require guardrails with toeboards, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems, since warning lines alone are not acceptable on a steep roof.
B. Accept the plan, because a warning line with a safety monitor is permitted on a roof of any slope.
C. Accept the plan, because fall protection applies only above 20 feet.
D. Accept the plan if the crew has more than five years of experience and wears soft-soled footwear.

Correct Answer: A. Require guardrails with toeboards, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems, since warning lines alone are not acceptable on a steep roof.

Answer Explanation:
Under federal OSHA standards, with comparable requirements enforced in Minnesota through MNOSHA, workers at unprotected edges six feet or more above a lower level need conventional fall protection. On steep roofs, meaning slopes steeper than 4:12, that means guardrail systems with toeboards, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems. This roof has a 14-foot eave and a 7:12 slope, so it qualifies. A warning line with a safety monitor is a method recognized for certain low-slope roofing work, but it does not satisfy the requirement on a steep roof. The foreman should install rated anchors, provide harnesses and lanyards, and train the crew before work begins.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
B. Accept the plan, because a warning line with a safety monitor is permitted on a roof of any slope — Incorrect. That method is limited to low-slope roofs, generally 4:12 or less, and does not apply here.
C. Accept the plan, because fall protection applies only above 20 feet — Incorrect. The trigger height is six feet, not 20 feet.
D. Accept the plan if the crew has more than five years of experience and wears soft-soled footwear — Incorrect. Experience and footwear are not forms of fall protection.

Quick Study Guide:
Know the six-foot trigger for residential roofing work. On steep roofs, use guardrails, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems. Warning lines with safety monitors belong to low-slope situations only. Anchors must be rated for fall arrest, and crews need training and equipment inspection. Review MNOSHA requirements, since they govern Minnesota work sites.

Question 5. After a hailstorm, a licensed residential roofer knocks on a homeowner’s door and presents a proposal for a full reroof. The homeowner signs a $14,200 contract at the kitchen table and pays a $3,000 deposit. The next day, the homeowner calls to cancel. The roofer says the materials are already ordered and that the deposit is nonrefundable. Which statement is correct?

A. The homeowner can cancel only if the roofer has not yet ordered materials.
B. The homeowner may cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing, and the roofer must honor the cancellation.
C. The cancellation right applies only to contracts under $1,000, so this contract is excluded.
D. Cancellation is allowed only with written approval from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.

Correct Answer: B. The homeowner may cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing, and the roofer must honor the cancellation.

Answer Explanation:
When a contractor solicits a sale at the consumer’s home and the contract is signed there, it is generally a home solicitation sale. The buyer may cancel until midnight of the third business day after signing, and the seller must provide the required written notice of that right. The roofer’s material orders, scheduling, and deposit collection do not remove the buyer’s cancellation right, and the roofer must return payments within the period the law requires once the buyer cancels properly. Ordering materials early is a business risk the contractor carries. Narrow exceptions exist, such as a true emergency repair documented by the buyer, but these facts describe an ordinary post-storm solicitation.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
A. The homeowner can cancel only if the roofer has not yet ordered materials — Incorrect. Material orders do not affect the buyer’s right to cancel within the cancellation period.
C. The cancellation right applies only to contracts under $1,000 — Incorrect. The rule covers home solicitation sales above a small dollar threshold, not just small contracts.
D. Cancellation is allowed only with written approval from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry — Incorrect. The buyer cancels by notifying the seller and does not need agency approval.

Quick Study Guide:
Home solicitation sales give buyers three business days to cancel, and the contract must include the required notice. A contractor’s material orders do not remove that right. Review exceptions such as genuine emergencies, and confirm written-contract and refund requirements with current Minnesota consumer protection and licensing rules before relying on any deadline.