How to start a window and door replacement company

This guide takes a window and door replacement company from the license question to its first signed contracts, with the rules quoted for Florida, Texas, California, Arizona and the states that register contractors. The most useful finding: EPA's lead rule covers every window replacement in a home built before 1978, whatever its size, so the firm needs EPA certification before it may even advertise that work. And the federal 25C credit that once helped close window sales ended with 2025.

By Niomi AscotUpdated October 3, 202616 min read

Licensing: Florida requires a contractor license that covers windows; California issues the C-17; Texas has no state license
Lead rule: Every window replacement in a pre-1978 home is covered, regardless of square footage
Product approval: Florida approves each window and door product; Miami-Dade and Broward add HVHZ approval; coastal Texas needs TDI certificates
Tax credit: The federal 25C credit ended for windows and doors placed in service after December 31, 2025
Kitchen-table sales: Three business days to cancel under the FTC rule; five days for California buyers 65 and older
Who you compete with: Glass and glazing firms run larger than most trades: 51.8% of 6,945 had fewer than 5 employees (Census, 2023)

What a window and door company sells, and how it is set up

California’s glazing class describes the core of the trade: a glazing contractor “selects, cuts, assembles and/or installs all makes and kinds of glass” and “executes the fabrication and glazing of frames, panels, sashes and doors” (California CSLB, C-17). A replacement company mostly installs in occupied homes after a kitchen-table sale.

Three shapes are common, plus glass shops adding replacement to repair work:

The dealer-installer who sells a manufacturer’s line by appointment and installs with its own crews. The national brands set the pattern: Renewal by Andersen offers “a free in-home window consultation” and sells only through its own retailers (Renewal by Andersen). In-home selling brings its own federal and state rules, covered below.
The install-only subcontractor for dealers, builders or retailers. Lowe’s lists doors and windows among the work its independent installers do, and requires them to be licensed for the services offered, background checked and insured (Lowe’s authorized installers).
The impact window company on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, where codes, insurers and grant programs drive the work.

The outlook: two occupations and a larger kind of company

There is no separate federal occupation for window installers. On O*NET OnLine, glaziers list “Install doors or windows” among their tasks, with a 2025 median wage of $27.44 an hour ($57,080 a year), 60,500 employed in 2024, average growth of 3 to 4 percent to 2034 and 5,100 projected openings (O*NET, Glaziers). Carpenters, who do the same task, earned a median $29.12 an hour, numbered 959,000 and are projected to grow 5 to 6 percent (O*NET, Carpenters). Both are BLS figures.

Census County Business Patterns for 2023 counted 6,945 glass and glazing contractor establishments with 68,694 employees and $4.79 billion in payroll (Census CBP 2023). They run larger than most finishing trades: 51.8 percent had fewer than five employees, against about three in four for painters. Some replacement installers are likely counted under finish carpentry instead (32,219 establishments), and Census does not say which, so treat neither as a count of window companies.

Demand follows three things. Age: in our experience most replacement calls come from houses whose original windows have failed. Codes on the coast: the window industry’s association, FGIA, says impact-resistant glazing “is required by the IRC and IBC in some part of virtually every state along the gulf coast, and up the eastern seaboard as far north as Rhode Island,” with enforcement left to local jurisdictions (FGIA FAQ). And storms: the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 (NOAA National Hurricane Center).

The federal rules on every job

The EPA lead rule covers every pre-1978 window. EPA lists “Window replacement” as covered work, and the small-job exemption that spares minor repairs does not apply: “Window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces are always covered regardless of square footage.” A firm “cannot advertise or perform” that work in pre-1978 homes or child-occupied facilities without firm certification (EPA, RRP for contractors).

Firm certification costs $300 as of October 2026 (EPA fees), and the firm must renew it every five years (40 CFR 745.89).
A certified renovator, trained in a one-day course, must perform or direct each job (EPA, renovator requirements).
The owner gets EPA’s pamphlet no more than 60 days before work and signs for it (40 CFR 745.84); records stay on file three years (40 CFR 745.86).
Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and Wisconsin certify firms themselves (EPA RRP Program).

Safety glazing. FGIA notes that the CPSC’s 16 CFR Part 1201 requires glass in doors to pass a “human impact” test when the glass is more than 3 inches in diameter, and that “this federal law only applies to new installations” (FGIA FAQ).

Egress. FGIA says “As a general rule replacement windows are considered an alteration,” and some jurisdictions require bedroom replacements to meet emergency escape opening sizes (FGIA FAQ). A pocket unit set inside an old frame shrinks the opening, so measure before quoting one for a bedroom.

Licensing, state by state

State	Who issues it	License	Key requirements, quoted or paraphrased from the agency
Florida	DBPR Construction Industry Licensing Board	General, building or residential contractor; certified glass and glazing specialty; or a local license that covers windows	Age 18; four years of experience, one as foreman; FICO 660 or a financial course; $100,000 liability and $25,000 property damage for residential and specialty licenses
California	Contractors State License Board	C-17 Glazing (or B General Building)	Needed at $1,000, with a permit or with a helper; four years of experience; exam; $25,000 bond; salespeople register separately
Texas	No state license; TDI windstorm program on the coast	None statewide	WPI-8 certificates for most alterations in 14 coastal counties and part of Harris County
Arizona	Registrar of Contractors	R-7 Carpentry (windows) or R-65 Glazing	Four years of experience, two within ten; bonds
Washington	Labor and Industries	Contractor registration	Bond and liability insurance; number in internet ads
Pennsylvania	Attorney General	Registration under the home improvement law	Applies from $5,000 in yearly home improvement work
New York City	Consumer and Worker Protection	HIC license	Passing exam, a $20,000 bond or the Trust Fund, and proof of lead certification or an affirmation

Fees and rules are as of October 2026. Confirm them with each agency before you apply.

Florida: the license, the product and the HVHZ

Florida separates glass from windows. The licensing board “determined window installation and replacement requires either a general, building or residential contractor license or a local license which includes window installation and replacement in its scope of work,” and a certified glass and glazing specialty contractor may also do it. Non-structural glass work no longer needs a state license, but doors, windows and “structurally anchored opening protections will still require a Division I contractors license or an appropriate specialty contractors license” (Florida DBPR FAQs). The state glass and glazing license works statewide, and renewals include one hour of Wind Mitigation Methodology within 14 hours of continuing education.

Applicants must be 18 with “at least 4 years of active experience,” one of them as a foreman (Fla. Stat. 489.111), and need a FICO score of 660 or higher or the board’s financial responsibility course (R. 61G4-15.006). Residential and specialty licensees carry at least $100,000 public liability and $25,000 property damage, with the board named as certificate holder (R. 61G4-15.003).

Product approval. The Florida Building Commission must approve “exterior doors,” “windows,” shutters and impact protective systems before they are used (Fla. Stat. 553.842); approvals are searchable in the state’s product approval system.

The High Velocity Hurricane Zone. In Miami-Dade and Broward, new windows and doors need a product approval showing they meet the TAS 201, 202 and 203 standards; elsewhere in Florida, ASTM E 1886 and E 1996 also qualify (Florida Hurricane Retrofit Guide).

Grants. My Safe Florida Home has advertised grants for impact windows and doors and tells homeowners to “use a licensed contractor registered with the State of Florida” and get “bids from at least three contractors” (My Safe Florida Home). Check whether funding is open before mentioning it.

Texas: no license, but windstorm certificates on the coast

The TDLR program list has no window or general contractor license. On the coast, the Texas Department of Insurance issues WPI-8 certificates “to show that a property, repair, or addition on the Texas coast meets building code requirements,” for Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Galveston, Jefferson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Matagorda, Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio and Willacy counties and Harris County east of Highway 146, and the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association and insurers can look them up (TDI WPI-8 fact sheet). Most alterations need an inspection and certificate, while replacing only the glass in a window or door is an exempt example (TDI, windstorm inspections). Products must match TDI’s product evaluations. In practice, a coastal company sells a certifiable install, since windstorm coverage can depend on it.

California: C-17 and the salesperson registration

Any job that needs a building permit, adds a worker beyond the licensee, or costs “$1,000 or more” calls for a C-17 or B license (CSLB, before applying). The C-17 exam weights planning and estimating at 27 percent, framing systems at 21, glazing materials at 18, “Glazing Replacement and Retrofit Projects” at 15 and safety at 19 (CSLB C-17 study guide). Experience is four years, up to three from training (CSLB experience rules); California charges a $450 application fee, a two-year license fee of $200 for a sole owner or $350 for any other entity, plus $49 in fingerprint fees, and the bond is $25,000 (CSLB fees; CSLB, issuing your license). The same fee schedule lists a “Home Improvement Salesperson Registration Application” at $200: a company sending non-owner closers into homes should confirm with CSLB that each one is registered before the first appointment. The license number goes in all advertising (CSLB advertising guidelines).

Arizona and the registration states

Arizona’s R-7 Carpentry class lists “Windows” and metal doors among its scope, and R-65 Glazing covers glass products and window film (Ariz. Admin. Code R4-9-103); qualifying takes four years’ experience (A.R.S. 32-1122) and bonds under A.R.S. 32-1152. Washington L&I registers contractors with a $15,000 specialty bond and $250,000 combined single limit insurance. Pennsylvania wants registration from contractors past $5,000 a year in residential improvement work (Pennsylvania Attorney General). New York City’s DCWP license asks for the EPA certificate or an affirmation (NYC DCWP). In North Carolina, the general contractor license kicks in once a whole-house job reaches “forty thousand dollars ($40,000)” (N.C. G.S. 87-1).

Installer certification

FGIA’s InstallationMasters program certifies installers who pass its exam, with “a minimum of one year of field experience physically installing window/door on job sites.” Its course standards include ASTM E2112 for installing exterior windows, doors and skylights and AAMA 2410-13 for flush-fin windows over an existing window (FGIA InstallationMasters). It is voluntary.

Setting up the company

Entity and EIN. Form the LLC with the state, which per the SBA generally keeps personal assets out of business claims, then get the free EIN from the IRS.

Sales tax. In Texas, labor to repair or remodel a home is not taxable, a residential lump-sum contractor pays tax on materials when buying them, and nonresidential remodeling is taxable (Texas Comptroller Publication 94-116).

Insurance. The SBA notes that employers owe workers’ comp, unemployment and disability coverage under federal rules. Google’s Window repair ads require general and professional liability, and Florida sets its own minimums. A commercial auto policy should cover trucks hauling glass.

Workers’ comp. In Florida, a construction company with even one worker on payroll must carry it (Fla. Stat. 440.02); California requires coverage once you hire anyone, though a C-17 holder with no staff is outside the short list that must insure regardless (CSLB workers’ compensation); most Texas private employers can choose not to carry it (Texas Department of Insurance).

Commission reps and crews. The IRS classifies workers by control and relationship, not by whether you pay per opening or on commission.

Equipment, measuring and product labels

From experience: a truck or van with a glass or ladder rack, a trailer for whole-house jobs and old-unit disposal, reciprocating saws and multi-tools, levels, shims, foam and sealant guns, flashing tape, a brake for exterior capping, suction cups for large glass, and a lead-safe kit. Custom units are made to measurement and rarely returnable, so one wrong number is a lost unit.

Check labels on delivery. ENERGY STAR certified products are tested and verified through the National Fenestration Rating Council (ENERGY STAR criteria), and ENERGY STAR tells buyers each window “must have an ENERGY STAR label and an NFRC label.” It also warns: “We see many companies tricking consumers by installing windows that are ENERGY STAR certified” for the wrong climate zone, and tells buyers to get it in writing that the windows “are ENERGY STAR certified for the installation location” (ENERGY STAR windows). Put that line in your contract.

Selling in the home: cancel rights, savings claims and the ended credit

The federal Cooling-Off Rule. A sale of $25 or more made at the buyer’s home, including one where the buyer invited the salesperson, stays cancellable “until midnight of the third business day after the sale”; Saturday counts as a business day, Sundays and federal holidays do not. The buyer gets two copies of a cancellation form, a contract in the language of the presentation, and a refund within 10 days of cancelling (FTC Cooling-Off Rule). The seller must also tell the buyer about the right orally at signing (16 CFR 429.1). The emergency waiver applies only when the buyer started the contact for “a bona fide immediate personal emergency” and signs a handwritten statement (16 CFR 429.0). Do not order custom units until the window closes.

State cancel rights and permits.

Florida lets buyers cancel a home solicitation sale until midnight of the third business day (Fla. Stat. 501.025). Door-to-door sellers need a home solicitation permit from the county clerk, with fingerprints and a background check, but salespeople visiting “upon the express invitation” of the homeowner are excluded (Fla. Stat. 501.022).
Texas gives consumers until “midnight of the third business day” after signing (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 601.051).
California gives buyers 65 and older five days (CSLB contract warnings) and caps home improvement down payments at the lesser of $1,000 or a tenth of the contract price (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 7159.5).

Energy savings claims. In 2012 the FTC settled with “Five companies that sell replacement windows” over “exaggerated and unsupported claims,” including a “40% Energy Savings Pledge” and “save 50% on Energy Bills.” The orders bar savings claims unless the company has “competent and reliable scientific evidence” that “all or almost all consumers are likely to achieve the maximum savings claimed” (FTC, 2012 window cases). ENERGY STAR’s own wording is the safe ceiling: certified windows, doors and skylights can cut energy bills “by an average of up to 13%” on heating and cooling compared with non-certified products (ENERGY STAR windows), certified windows lower household bills “by an average of 12%,” and “new windows may not pay for themselves in energy savings alone” (ENERGY STAR Home Upgrade). Quote it with the qualifiers or not at all.

The 25C credit is over. The IRS says “The credit will not be allowed for any property placed in service after December 31, 2025” (IRS FAQ). While it ran it paid up to $600 for windows and skylights and $250 a door ($500 total), only for products meeting ENERGY STAR Most Efficient criteria, and never for labor (IRS credit page; ENERGY STAR tax credits). Any template still mentioning it is out of date.

Financing ads. If an ad names a payment amount, term or down payment, Regulation Z requires the down payment, repayment terms and the “annual percentage rate,” using that term (12 CFR 1026.24).

Pricing and cash

Jobs usually price per opening by product line, size and style, with lines for removal, trim and capping, rot repair, permits and disposal; full-frame and pocket installs price differently. In the cost data of Thumbtack, a lead marketplace, “most people pay around $1,715” to replace a window, within $850 to $3,459 (Thumbtack window guide). That is vendor data for one window, not a whole house.

Custom units take weeks to arrive, and deposits fund the order, which is why the cancel window and California’s deposit cap shape cash flow more than in most trades. No source with a stated method gives a startup cost for a window company; total your own with the SBA worksheet.

Hiring and safety

You are hiring for two jobs. Salespeople, who in California may need CSLB salesperson registration and in Florida need a county permit to knock doors. And installers: O*NET lists Registered Apprenticeship titles including “Glazier”, and a time-based apprenticeship lasts at least 2,000 hours of work-based learning (29 CFR 29.5). And 54 percent of glaziers told O*NET they work outdoors, exposed to all weather, every day.

OSHA’s most-cited list for fiscal 2025 puts fall protection first, ladders third, scaffolding sixth and eye and face protection ninth (OSHA top 10). Fall protection starts at six feet in construction (OSHA fall protection), which covers most second-story openings. When cutting out painted pre-1978 frames, OSHA’s lead standard sets a permissible limit of 50 micrograms per cubic meter averaged across an eight-hour shift and requires interim protection for “manual demolition” and scraping until exposure is measured (OSHA 1926.62).

Finding the first customers

Google Business Profile. Without a showroom, hide the address and name the towns you serve, as many as 20 and none beyond roughly a two-hour drive (Google, service areas); a virtual office is not eligible (Google guidelines), and the verification method is Google’s choice, not yours (Google verification). Our Google Business Profile page walks through it.

Local Services Ads. Google’s category is “Window repair,” described as installing and repairing windows and possibly doors, skylights and other glass; there is no door category. Screening asks for general and professional liability insurance and any state license “Where applicable by local law,” with business, owner and representative checks for some advertisers, and averages three to four weeks (Google Local Services requirements). Window repair was not in the August 2026 first move into Google Ads; next come businesses without storefronts, late in 2026, then all other categories during 2027 (Google Ads help).

Search costs. LocaliQ put the median cost per lead for Doors & Windows Sales at $200.34 for April 2024 to March 2025, the second highest of 16 home service categories (LocaliQ). Count sold jobs, not form fills.

Reviews. Almost half of consumers (47 percent) in BrightLocal’s 2026 survey skip any business showing under 20 reviews, and 74 percent “only care about reviews written in the last three months” (BrightLocal 2026). Reviews tied to rewards for praise are banned by the FTC’s 2024 rule; ask every customer after the install. See how we run review requests.

Partnerships. In our experience home inspectors, listing agents, remodelers and, on the coast, insurance agents send the steadiest referrals.

For the marketing plan, read our page on marketing for window and door installers.

What trips up new window and door companies

Treating a single window as too small for the lead rule. It never is in a pre-1978 home.
Selling on a percentage or the old tax credit. The FTC has acted on the first, and the IRS ended the second.
Ordering custom units inside the cancel window, then owning them.
The wrong approval in Florida or the wrong evaluation on the Texas coast.
A climate-zone mismatch on ENERGY STAR labels.

Frequently asked questions

Which license does a window company need?

In Florida, one of three: a general, building or residential license, a local license that covers windows, or a certified glass and glazing specialty license. California requires a C-17 or B for jobs of $1,000 or more; Arizona’s R-7 covers windows; Texas has no state license but coastal windstorm certificates apply.

Does the EPA lead rule apply to a single window?

Yes. EPA says window replacement in pre-1978 homes is always covered regardless of square footage, so the firm must hold EPA certification (October 2026 fee: $300 for five years) and send a certified renovator to run the job.

Is there still a federal tax credit for replacement windows?

No. The 25C credit does not apply to anything placed in service after December 31, 2025.

What energy savings can I advertise?

Only what you can substantiate. ENERGY STAR’s own figures are an average of up to 13 percent on heating and cooling and 12 percent on household bills, with the caution that new windows may not pay for themselves in savings alone.

What do I owe a customer who signs at the kitchen table?

Two copies of a cancellation notice, an oral explanation of the three-business-day right, a contract in the language of the presentation and a refund within 10 days if they cancel. California buyers 65 and older get five days.

What does Florida require for impact windows?

A licensed installer, a state-approved product, and in Miami-Dade and Broward an approval showing the product meets the HVHZ test standards.

Do window salespeople need their own registration?

In California, CSLB’s fee schedule includes a $200 home improvement salesperson registration; confirm with CSLB which of your people need it. In Florida, door-to-door sellers need a county permit, while invited appointments do not.

How do I get my first window customers?

Verify a Business Profile, apply early in Google’s Window repair category, since its checks average three to four weeks, and collect recent reviews.

Sources

Checked on October 3, 2026. Rules and fees change, and many are set state by state or city by city: confirm the current requirements with the agency that issues them before you apply.

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