How to Choose a Roofing Contractor: A Pre-Signature Checklist
Nine checks to run before you sign anything: license, insurance, warranty, permit, payment schedule, and the questions that separate a local roofer from a crew that won't be around next year.
Updated 2026-09-23
Not professional advice. Licensing rules, insurance requirements, and contract law vary by state. Confirm the specifics with your state's licensing board or a licensed attorney before signing anything.
Most homeowners hire a roofer rarely, so there's no muscle memory for what "normal" looks like. The nine checks below cover what a legitimate contractor will have ready without hesitation. If any one of them stalls or gets brushed off, treat that as information.
The 9-Point Checklist
License or state registration, verified on the state's own registry
A business card or truck decal is not proof. Look the contractor up directly on the state licensing board's public registry — see which states PickARoofer checks and how — and confirm the license is active, not expired or disciplined. The state-by-state table below links the official lookup tool for states that publish one.
Certificate of Insurance (COI), confirmed with the carrier
Ask for a current Certificate of Insurance showing general liability and workers' compensation coverage, then call the insurance carrier listed on it to confirm the policy is active. A COI a contractor hands you is only as good as the carrier that backs it — a five-minute phone call rules out a forged or expired certificate.
A written workmanship warranty, separate from the manufacturer's warranty
The shingle manufacturer's warranty covers defects in the product itself. It does not cover a bad installation. Ask the contractor for their own workmanship warranty in writing: what it covers, how many years, and who honors it if the company closes. A verbal "we stand behind our work" is not a warranty.
A permit pulled for the job
A full roof replacement requires a building permit in most jurisdictions. The permit means a local inspector signs off that the work meets code before the job is closed out. Ask directly whether the contractor will pull the permit, and confirm it's in the written contract — not a verbal promise.
A payment schedule, not full payment upfront
A small deposit tied to material delivery is standard. A request for the full contract price before any work starts is one of the most common ways a homeowner loses money to a contractor who never finishes the job — or never starts it.
No storm-chaser red flags
Out-of-town crews that show up right after a hail or wind event and push you to sign the same day follow a recognizable playbook. See the full storm-chaser red-flag guide before you sign anything with a crew that knocked on your door unannounced.
An itemized, line-by-line estimate
A single lump-sum number with no breakdown makes it impossible to compare quotes or confirm the scope matches an insurance estimate. Read the full line-by-line breakdown — tear-off, underlayment, decking, permit, and the vague "allowance" language to watch for.
A real local address and references you can check
A contractor with no local office, no verifiable references, and a phone number tied to a call center rather than a person is hard to hold accountable after the job is done. Ask for the addresses of two or three recent local jobs and drive by, or call the homeowners directly.
Everything in writing before you sign
Scope, materials, product names, payment schedule, warranty terms, and timeline should all appear in the written contract, not as separate verbal promises. If a contractor tells you something isn't in the contract but "don't worry, we'll take care of it," ask them to add it in writing instead.
State Licensing at a Glance
Roofing licensing is not uniform across the country. Some states license or register roofing contractors directly with a public lookup tool; others leave it to city or county permit offices, with no state-level registry to check. The table below covers the states PickARoofer currently checks against an official registry, plus a few common no-registry states, so you know which kind of state you're in before you search.
| State | Who licenses/registers roofers | Registry / lookup |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR) — Certified Roofing (CCC) and Registered Roofing (RC) license classes | DBPR license search |
| North Carolina | Licensing Board for General Contractors (LBGC) — general contractor license, relevant for jobs over $40,000 | NCLBGC license search |
| Mississippi | Mississippi State Board of Contractors (MSBOC) — residential and commercial roofing classifications | MSBOC contractor search |
| Oklahoma | Construction Industries Board (CIB) — state registration required | CIB roofing registry |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board (ACLB) — state license required | ACLB public roster |
| Texas | No state roofing license — voluntary Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (RCAT) program | RCAT directory |
| Illinois | Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) — state roofing license required | IDFPR license lookup |
| Tennessee | Board for Licensing Contractors — state contractor license | verify.tn.gov |
| Minnesota | Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) — residential building/remodeling/roofing license required | DLI license lookup |
| Washington | Labor & Industries (L&I) — contractor registration required (no separate roofing license) | L&I contractor lookup |
| Kansas | No statewide roofing license — regulated at the city/county level | No state registry — check local permit office |
| Nebraska | General contractor registration (no roofing-specific license) | No state registry — check local permit office |
| Missouri | No statewide roofing license or registration | No state registry — check local permit office |
| Iowa | State contractor registration (no roofing-specific license) | No state registry — check local permit office |
Don't see your state? A missing state doesn't mean roofing is unregulated there. It means we haven't confirmed a public registry to check against yet. Search "[your state] roofing license" or "[your state] contractor license lookup" directly, or check with your city or county building department.
Contractors We've Already Verified
PickARoofer independently checks contractor licenses against the registries above and publishes a "best roofers" list (alphabetical, no paid placement, no star ratings) for cities with at least three verified contractors. A few of them:
Don't see your city on this short list? Browse all covered cities. Verification is rolling out and more "best roofers" pages go live as each city crosses three verified contractors.
Find a Verified Roofing Contractor
Search contractors by city, check verified license status, and compare estimates before signing anything.
Browse Verified RoofersAlready have an estimate in hand? Read it line by line before you sign, or check the storm-chaser red flags if a crew showed up right after a storm. For what the Verified badge does and does not confirm, see how PickARoofer verifies a contractor's license.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most important thing to check before hiring a roofing contractor?
License status, checked directly on your state's own registry rather than taking a card or truck decal at face value. A license search takes a few minutes and tells you whether the contractor is currently active, expired, or has been disciplined.
Do all states license roofing contractors?
No. Some states run a state roofing license or registration with a public lookup; others have no statewide roofing license at all and leave regulation to city or county permit offices. Check the state-by-state table above, or search your state name plus "roofing license" directly.
Is a Certificate of Insurance the same as a license?
No. They cover different things. A license or registration is issued by the state and confirms the contractor met the state's requirements. A Certificate of Insurance (COI) is issued by the contractor's insurance carrier and confirms active general liability and workers' compensation coverage. Ask for both, and confirm the COI directly with the carrier, not just from a printout.
How much should I pay upfront for a roof replacement?
A small deposit tied to material delivery is normal. A request for full payment before any work starts is a common warning sign: a contractor with cash flow to run the job shouldn't need your entire payment on day one.
What's the difference between a workmanship warranty and a manufacturer's warranty?
A manufacturer's warranty covers defects in the shingle or roofing product itself and comes from the maker. A workmanship warranty covers the contractor's own installation labor and comes from the contractor directly, in writing, separate from the product paperwork. Ask for both in writing before you sign.
Sources
- State licensing facts and registry links:
backend/app/roofing_data.py(STATE_LICENSING), the same in-repo data that backs PickARoofer's per-city license verification and How Verification Works. - Storm-chaser red flags and cancellation rights: Avoid Storm Chaser Scams.
- Estimate line-item definitions: How to Read a Roofing Estimate.