Short answer: As of October 2026, the five highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Rapid City, SD metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Built Right Construction and Roofing (88.6), Black Hills Exteriors (84.3), Quality Roofing & Construction (82.3), Veteran Roofing (79.7), Rapid City Roofing Company (76.7). Each is certified by a manufacturer whose register we checked by hand, each rating has been tested against a source outside that register, and nobody bought a place on this page.
The Roofing Brief scored 7 certified roofing contractors serving the Rapid City metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top five individually to confirm its record. The Black Hills foothills are among the busiest hail ground in the country: 1,142 hail reports in ten years across three counties, 145 of them two inches or more, with baseball-size stones over Summerset in June 2024. Then in December 2025 a record windstorm sent gusts to 94 mph at Rapid City’s airport. South Dakota licenses no roofers, but Rapid City does, with its own exam and insurance rules, after years of door-to-door storm crews. Seven certified firms appear in the directory, all licensed with the city, and the top five are ranked.
What a Rapid City roof is up against
South Dakota has no state contractor or roofing licence; the only state credential is a contractor’s excise tax licence, issued to anyone who applies. Rapid City licenses roofers itself under a 2010 ordinance: a Class R Roofing Contractor licence, $200 for three years, after an open-book exam on the roofing chapter of the code, with $1,000,000 of liability cover naming the city, workers’ compensation and six hours of continuing education per term. A Class B residential licence also covers roofing. Box Elder requires its own city contractor licence.
South Dakota bans a roofer from advertising or promising to pay or rebate your deductible, and a contract made in breach is void (SDCL 37-24-50). Under SDCL 37-24-51 you may cancel a storm-damage roofing contract within 72 hours of signing, or within 72 hours of being told your insurer denied all or part of the claim, and the contract must include a boldface notice and a detachable cancellation form.
Rapid City requires permits for roofing, charged on value: $45 for the first $2,000 plus $9 per $1,000 up to $25,000, with plan review adding 10 percent. The city strengthens the ice barrier rule to two cemented layers or a self-adhering membrane from the eaves to 24 inches inside the wall, and a contractor whose ice barrier is not inspected must sign an affidavit that it was installed properly. A 2026 state law limiting local permits for like-for-like exterior work does not cover roofs.
Across 2016 to 2025 Pennington, Meade and Custer counties logged 1,142 hail reports, 964 of an inch or larger and up to 4.5 inches, 592 thunderstorm wind reports and ten tornadoes. NOAA attaches just $185,000 of damage to all of them, so its figures say nothing useful about hail costs here. The metro’s median home was built in 1988, and 10.2 percent of its homes are mobile homes.
The 5 best roofers in Rapid City, SD
Scored 2026-10-08. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Rapid City is 4.886, across a pool of 7 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Built Right Construction and Roofing | 88.6 | Master Elite | 5.0 (507) | 4.99 | 2020 | Rapid City, SD |
| 2 | Black Hills Exteriors | 84.3 | Master Elite | 4.9 (396) | 4.898 | not published | Rapid City, SD |
| 3 | Quality Roofing & Construction | 82.3 | Master Elite | 4.9 (177) | 4.897 | 1993 | Rapid City, SD |
| 4 | Veteran Roofing | 79.7 | Master Elite | 4.9 (62) | 4.894 | not published | Rapid City, SD |
| 5 | Rapid City Roofing Company | 76.7 | Master Elite | 4.8 (130) | 4.824 | not published | Black Hawk, SD |
1. Built Right Construction and Roofing: TRB Score 88.6
Built Right Construction and Roofing is based in Rapid City, SD, in business since 2020, led by Andy Hoover and Jake Hofer, owners, BBB accredited since 7 June 2022, A+ rating, one complaint in three years, resolved, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Master Elite (GAF), Malarkey Emerald Premium (self-reported). Certification by more than one manufacturer is uncommon and requires meeting each programme’s separate standards for insurance, training and track record.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 39.6 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 88.6 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Holds a Rapid City roofing contractor licence, issued August 2023 to August 2026, and a Class B residential licence to 2027, on the city’s February 2025 list.. Rapid City licensed contractors report
- Accredited since June 2022 with an A+ rating; business started April 2020; service area Pennington, Meade, Custer, Lawrence, Butte and Fall River counties; one complaint, resolved.. BBB business profile
- Since 2020; describes itself as GAF Certified Plus, Malarkey Emerald Premium and James Hardie Elite Preferred.. Company website
What they actually do. Residential shingle roofing, storm and hail repair, siding, gutters and windows.
Why it ranks here. The top-scoring firm in Rapid City, with a perfect 5.0 across 507 GAF reviews. It was founded in 2020, BBB and its own site agreeing, and holds both the city’s roofing licence and a Class B residential licence. BBB has accredited it since 2022 with one resolved complaint. It works with Malarkey’s impact-resistant shingles as well as GAF. Its own site describes it as GAF Certified Plus, a lower tier than the Master Elite our directory data shows.
Best fit for: Rapid City homeowners who want the area’s best-reviewed roofer for a hail replacement.
What we would want clarified. A young business, and its GAF tier is stated differently on its own site; its roofing licence on the city’s list ran to August 2026, so confirm the renewal. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (605) 484-1938, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
2. Black Hills Exteriors: TRB Score 84.3
Black Hills Exteriors is based in Rapid City, SD, led by Chad D. Enger, general manager; Trevor A. Schmidt, vice president, BBB accredited since 15 April 2015, A+ rating, two complaints in three years, both resolved, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 35.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 14.4 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 84.3 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Holds a Class A commercial and residential contractor licence, issued December 2024 and current to December 2027.. Rapid City licensed contractors report
- Accredited since April 2015 with an A+ rating; business started 2013, incorporated 2014; 60 employees; two complaints in three years about orders, both resolved.. BBB business profile
- Five locations: Rapid City, Spearfish, Hot Springs and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Gillette, Wyoming; offers interest-free financing on deductibles.. Company website
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roofing, hail claims, siding, gutters, windows, doors and solar.
Why it ranks here. The largest of the ranked firms, with 60 employees, five offices across western South Dakota and Wyoming, 396 GAF reviews averaging 4.9 at Master Elite, and a city Class A contractor licence current to 2027. BBB has accredited it since 2015 and shows two resolved complaints. It offers interest-free financing of insurance deductibles; that is financing rather than paying the deductible, which state law bans, and we make no finding about it. BBB is the only source for its 2013 start, so we give no founding year.
Best fit for: Homeowners with a large hail claim who want a big operator that also does siding, windows and solar.
What we would want clarified. A multi-office regional firm; if you use its deductible financing, read the terms, since your deductible must still be paid. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (605) 608-8708, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
3. Quality Roofing & Construction: TRB Score 82.3
Quality Roofing & Construction is based in Rapid City, SD, in business since 1993, led by Joshua Boos, owner, Not accredited; A+ rating; no complaints, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 35.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 12.5 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 82.3 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Listed as a contractor and a siding contractor; both entries ran to March 2026 on the February 2025 list.. Rapid City licensed contractors report
- A+ rating, not accredited; BBB file opened 2004; business started March 1993; no complaints.. BBB business profile
- Serving Rapid City and the Black Hills since 1993.. Company website
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roofing, siding, gutters, windows, soffit and fascia.
Why it ranks here. The longest-established ranked firm, serving Rapid City since 1993 by both BBB and its own site, with 177 GAF reviews averaging 4.9 at Master Elite and no BBB complaints. It is on the city’s licensed contractor list, though the list does not show the class of its main licence. It is not BBB accredited.
Best fit for: Homeowners who want a firm with more than three decades in the Black Hills.
What we would want clarified. Its city licence entries on the February 2025 list were due to expire in March 2026; confirm with Building Services that they were renewed before you sign. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (605) 608-5877, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
4. Veteran Roofing: TRB Score 79.7
Veteran Roofing is based in Rapid City, SD, led by Jason Fleming, owner, Not accredited; A+ rating; no complaints, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 35.7 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 10.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 79.7 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Holds a city contractor licence issued April 2024, current to April 2027, at a Box Elder address.. Rapid City licensed contractors report
- A+ rating, not accredited; business started November 2020; owner Jason Fleming; no complaints.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Asphalt shingle, metal and flat EPDM and TPO roofing, siding, gutters, windows and hail repair.
Why it ranks here. A veteran-owned firm, by its own account, founded in 2020 and owned by Jason Fleming, with 62 GAF reviews averaging 4.9 at Master Elite and a city contractor licence current to 2027. It handles flat and metal roofs as well as shingles. BBB is the only source for its start, and its address on the city’s list differs from the one on its site and BBB file.
Best fit for: Homeowners who want a smaller owner-run firm that can handle metal or flat roofs.
What we would want clarified. A short record and no BBB accreditation; we did not verify its veteran-owned status. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (605) 608-4938, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
5. Rapid City Roofing Company: TRB Score 76.7
Rapid City Roofing Company is based in Black Hawk, SD, led by Steven Rodenbaugh, president; Cody Glenn, general manager, BBB accredited since 11 April 2019, A+ rating, no complaints, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 33.0 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 11.7 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 8.0 | 10 |
| Total | 76.7 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Rapid City Roofing Company LLC holds a city contractor licence at its Black Hawk address, issued August 2023 to August 2026.. Rapid City licensed contractors report
- Accredited since April 2019 with an A+ rating; business started 2012, LLC 2021; three employees; no complaints.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roofing, gutters and guards, and storm and hail repair.
Why it ranks here. A small firm based in Black Hawk, eight miles from Rapid City, with three employees, 130 GAF reviews averaging 4.8 and a clean BBB record since 2019. It holds a city contractor licence. BBB dates it to 2012 while its site claims over 40 years of experience, probably meaning staff experience, so we give no founding year. A separate Fargo-based business trading under a similar name is also on the city’s list and is not this firm.
Best fit for: Black Hawk, Piedmont and Summerset homeowners who want a small local firm.
What we would want clarified. Very small, so ask about capacity after a big hail event; its city licence on the list ran to August 2026, and check you are dealing with this firm, not the similarly named one. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (605) 646-5055, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
Other licensed roofers serving Rapid City
Five certified firms are ranked here. These two are also certified and on the city’s licensed contractor list but scored just below the top five. They are not scored here and we are not recommending them.
| Company | Verified credential |
|---|---|
| Weather-Tite Exteriors LLC | BBB accredited since 2013 at A+, trading since 2012 on Seger Dr; Malarkey and James Hardie credentials. Its main city contractor licence on the February 2025 list expired in August 2025, so confirm its renewal. |
| CAT Construction Inc | Family-owned in Summerset, BBB accredited since 2018 at A+ with one resolved complaint; on the city’s licensed contractor list; storm, agricultural and commercial roofing. |
What 4.5 inch hail does to a Rapid City roof
Aggregate hail counts tell you very little about a specific roof. These are the individual events: every severe-weather report logged by the National Weather Service across the 3 counties of the Rapid City, SD statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 1,142 hail reports, 592 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 10 tornadoes. The database’s property-damage fields are left blank for most of these reports, so it carries no usable loss total for this metro and we do not quote one.
The biggest hail to fall on Rapid City in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 August 2020 | 4.5 in | Pactola Reservoir | Pennington |
| 12 June 2022 | 4.5 in | Creighton | Pennington |
| 26 August 2021 | 4.5 in | Deerfield | Pennington |
| 8 August 2020 | 4.0 in | Pactola Reservoir | Pennington |
| 12 June 2022 | 4.0 in | Elm Springs | Meade |
| 27 June 2018 | 3.5 in | Opal | Meade |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 8 August 2020 near Pactola Reservoir, measured at 4.5 inches. That is grapefruit sized. Stones that big destroy asphalt shingles outright, dent metal, crack tile and routinely total roofs across whole neighbourhoods.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 100 knots, about 115 mph, near Plainview on 6 July 2016. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 10 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF2 near Hayward on 13 June 2016.
What the National Weather Service wrote about it
The NWS logs a written account of each severe-weather episode. This is its description of the 6 July 2016 event near Plainview, reproduced verbatim:
A well-sited weather station at the Sioux Spiritual Center measured a 112 mph wind gust. Trees were downed but no structure damage occurred.
That account is the design case for a roof here, and it comes from the agency that recorded it rather than by a contractor selling the repair.
When it happens. Severe weather reports cluster in July (663), June (495), August (275). The worst years on record were 2020 (290), 2023 (218), 2016 (210). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Rapid City, the months outside that window are when crews are least stretched and least likely to be triaging emergency callouts ahead of your job.
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, county-level detail files 2016 to 2025, filtered to the counties of this statistical area by The Roofing Brief. Damage figures are as reported to the NWS and undercount insured losses.
What to do with this. At 964 damaging-hail reports in ten years, impact resistance in Rapid City is a specification question, not an upsell. Ask every contractor you shortlist to quote a UL 2218 Class 4 impact-rated shingle alongside the standard option, and ask your insurer whether a Class 4 roof earns a premium discount, because many carriers offer one in high-hail territory.
Black Hills hail and the record windstorm
Hail at the foot of the Black Hills comes in midsummer and comes big. Of 1,744 hail, wind and tornado reports in the three counties in the decade, 663 fell in July and 495 in June. Stones of 4.5 inches were recorded three times, at Pactola Reservoir in August 2020, where a woman was hit on the head, at Deerfield in 2021 and at Creighton in 2022.
The city itself has been hit repeatedly. On 10 July 2020 a supercell from Wyoming dropped 3.25-inch hail in Rapid City. In July 2023 baseball-size hail fell east of Rockerville and tennis-ball hail damaged roofs at Sheridan Lake. On 24 June 2024 hail larger than baseballs caused considerable damage in Summerset, with three-inch stones falling for 20 minutes at Black Hawk.
Then the wind. NWS Rapid City called 17 to 18 December 2025 a historic, record-breaking windstorm across western South Dakota: gusts reached 101 mph in the Rapid City zone, with all-time records of 94 mph at Rapid City Regional Airport and 91 mph at the weather service office, and some Black Hills residents lost power for a week. NOAA files it by forecast zone, so a county storm count misses it entirely.
Rapid City built its licence for this market. Its 2010 ordinance noted the city had never required residential roofers to be licensed, and after hail in June 2020 its building services manager warned that every summer people swarm into town knocking on doors offering quick, cheap repairs, some with questionable or no credentials, reminding residents that the state only has an excise tax licence.
So in Rapid City the first check is the city licence, which every ranked firm here appeared on: ask for the licence number and confirm it is current with Building Services. Then ask about impact-resistant shingles for a market with 145 reports of two-inch hail in a decade, about fastening for 90 mph winter gusts, and about the city’s stronger ice barrier rule, and make sure the roofer pulls the permit.
Black Hills hail and wind and the rules on a Rapid City reroof
| Item | Figure or rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hail reports, 2016 to 2025 | 1,142; 145 of two inches or more | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Largest hail | 4.5 inches, recorded three times | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Summerset hail, 24 June 2024 | Larger than baseballs; considerable damage | NWS Rapid City via NOAA NCEI |
| Windstorm of 17 to 18 December 2025 | 94 mph at the airport; 101 mph in the zone | NWS Rapid City via NOAA NCEI, zone rows |
| State roofing licence | None; excise tax licence only | SDCL 10-46A |
| Rapid City roofing licence | Class R; open-book exam; $1,000,000 liability | Rapid City Ordinance 5673; contractor application |
| Deductible rebate | Banned; contract void | SDCL 37-24-50 |
| Cancellation | 72 hours after signing or after a claim denial | SDCL 37-24-51 |
| Ice barrier | Two cemented layers or self-adhering membrane | Rapid City amendment to IRC R905.1.2 |
| Recorded damage, 1,744 reports | $185,000 | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
Source: NWS Rapid City narratives and NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (Pennington, Meade and Custer counties and zone rows); SDCL 10-46A, 11-10-12, 11-10-15, 37-24-50 and 37-24-51; Rapid City Ordinance 5673, contractor application, fee schedule, ice barrier affidavit and licensed contractors report (archived 2025); Box Elder Code 8-149; BBB business profiles; US Census Bureau ACS 2024.
What to verify before a Rapid City contractor starts
There is no state roofing licence in SD. South Dakota issues no state contractor licence and no state roofing licence. The Department of Labor and Regulation’s own index of state occupational licensing lists 33 boards and programmes, including an Electrical Commission and a Plumbing Commission, and there is no roofing or general contractor board among them. The only state credential a roofer holds is a contractor’s excise tax licence from the Department of Revenue under SDCL chapter 10-46A, levied at 2 percent of gross receipts, and the statute makes issuing it ministerial: SDCL 10-46A-16 provides that the secretary shall grant and issue a licence to each applicant, and the sole ground for refusal under 10-46A-17 is being delinquent on tax. There is no examination, experience or insurance requirement; the only bond the chapter mentions is a tax-security bond the secretary may demand.
What exists instead is municipal, and it varies by city. Sioux Falls licenses a Residential Roofing and Repair Contractor class with a timed open-book exam (80 percent pass mark), a $20,000 compliance bond, $300,000 liability cover and a three-year cycle, and issues no residential building permit to anyone else but a homeowner. Rapid City has its own Class R Roofing Contractor licence with an open-book exam on the roofing chapter of the code, $1,000,000 of liability cover naming the city, workers’ compensation and continuing education, and Box Elder requires a city contractor licence. South Dakota also regulates the contract: SDCL 37-24-50 bans advertising or promising to pay or rebate a deductible, making such a contract void, and SDCL 37-24-51 lets you cancel a storm-damage roofing contract within 72 hours of signing or within 72 hours of learning the insurer has denied all or part of the claim, with a boldface notice and detachable cancellation form required.
That absence is the most important fact on this page. Where a state issues no credential, a manufacturer certification that can be revoked is the only quality signal a homeowner can actually check, which is why this ranking is built on certification rather than star ratings.
Check here: SDCL 37-24-51, storm damage roofing contract cancellation. Where your roof sits decides what you can check. Sioux Falls and Rapid City both license roofers and publish who holds a licence, so look the company up with the city. Outside those cities, in unincorporated counties, neither the county nor the state licenses roofers, and the state excise tax number a contractor quotes cannot be verified online. Wherever you are, a storm-damage roofing contract must carry the 72-hour cancellation notice, and a 2026 state law limiting local permits for like-for-like exterior work does not cover roofs.
Four checks to run before you sign anything, in any state.
- Verify certification at the source. Use the GAF verification tool rather than trusting a badge image on a company website.
- Get the certificate of insurance from the insurer, not the contractor, and confirm general liability and workers compensation are both active on the day work starts.
- Confirm who pulls the permit. If a contractor asks you to pull it as the homeowner, that moves liability onto you. Decline.
- Get warranty terms in writing before any deposit, and check the manufacturer warranty being promised actually requires the certification tier the contractor holds.
How many certified roofers Rapid City actually has
7 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Rapid City, SD statistical area, of which 0 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 1,745 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.886. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 156,227, a change of 5.99% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Rapid City rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Rapid City, SD pool was scored out of 100 on four published components: certification tier, a Bayesian adjusted rating, review depth and distance from the metro centre. In this metro that meant scoring 7 certified contractors, of whom 0 hold President’s Club standing and 5 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.886. The top five were then researched individually against Better Business Bureau records, state licence registers and manufacturer directories. Anything unflattering that research surfaced appears above alongside the rest, and no company bought its position.
The full method, the weightings, what the GAF certification tiers actually mean, who is eligible to be ranked and what we do not claim are all set out on our roofer ranking methodology page. Last updated: October 2026. Scoring run: 2026-10-08. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
Common questions about roofers in Rapid City
Who is the best roofer in Rapid City, SD?
Built Right Construction and Roofing of Rapid City, SD scores highest in the Rapid City metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 88.6 out of 100 as of October 2026. It holds Master Elite certification with a 5.0 rating across 507 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the four companies behind it score within 11.9 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Rapid City?
7 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Rapid City, SD statistical area as of October 2026, of which 0 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Rapid City get?
The Rapid City, SD statistical area recorded 964 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 145 of 2 inches or larger between 2016 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Events Database. The largest hailstone reported measured 4.5 inches.
Did any contractor pay to appear on this list?
No. The Roofing Brief takes no placement fees, no lead fees and no affiliate commission from any roofing contractor. Ranking comes entirely from the published formula applied to public registry data, followed by an individual research pass on the top five.
What was the worst hailstorm in Rapid City in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Rapid City, SD statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 4.5 inches, reported near Pactola Reservoir on 8 August 2020. That is grapefruit sized. Stones that big destroy asphalt shingles outright, dent metal, crack tile and routinely total roofs across whole neighbourhoods. Across the decade the metro recorded 1,142 hail reports. The database’s property-damage fields are left blank for most of these reports, so it carries no usable loss total for this metro and we do not quote one.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Rapid City?
Severe-weather reports in the Rapid City, SD statistical area cluster in July, June, August, on the NOAA record for 2016 to 2025. Booking non-urgent roof work outside those months usually means shorter lead times, because local crews are not simultaneously triaging storm callouts.
Do roofers need a licence in SD?
South Dakota issues no state contractor licence and no state roofing licence. The Department of Labor and Regulation’s own index of state occupational licensing lists 33 boards and programmes, including an Electrical Commission and a Plumbing Commission, and there is no roofing or general contractor board among them. The only state credential a roofer holds is a contractor’s excise tax licence from the Department of Revenue under SDCL chapter 10-46A, levied at 2 percent of gross receipts, and the statute makes issuing it ministerial: SDCL 10-46A-16 provides that the secretary shall grant and issue a licence to each applicant, and the sole ground for refusal under 10-46A-17 is being delinquent on tax. There is no examination, experience or insurance requirement; the only bond the chapter mentions is a tax-security bond the secretary may demand. What exists instead is municipal, and it varies by city. Sioux Falls licenses a Residential Roofing and Repair Contractor class with a timed open-book exam (80 percent pass mark), a $20,000 compliance bond, $300,000 liability cover and a three-year cycle, and issues no residential building permit to anyone else but a homeowner. Rapid City has its own Class R Roofing Contractor licence with an open-book exam on the roofing chapter of the code, $1,000,000 of liability cover naming the city, workers’ compensation and continuing education, and Box Elder requires a city contractor licence. South Dakota also regulates the contract: SDCL 37-24-50 bans advertising or promising to pay or rebate a deductible, making such a contract void, and SDCL 37-24-51 lets you cancel a storm-damage roofing contract within 72 hours of signing or within 72 hours of learning the insurer has denied all or part of the claim, with a boldface notice and detachable cancellation form required.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Rapid City?
Where your roof sits decides what you can check. Sioux Falls and Rapid City both license roofers and publish who holds a licence, so look the company up with the city. Outside those cities, in unincorporated counties, neither the county nor the state licenses roofers, and the state excise tax number a contractor quotes cannot be verified online. Wherever you are, a storm-damage roofing contract must carry the 72-hour cancellation notice, and a 2026 state law limiting local permits for like-for-like exterior work does not cover roofs.
Black Hills hail and the record windstorm?
Hail at the foot of the Black Hills comes in midsummer and comes big. Of 1,744 hail, wind and tornado reports in the three counties in the decade, 663 fell in July and 495 in June. Stones of 4.5 inches were recorded three times, at Pactola Reservoir in August 2020, where a woman was hit on the head, at Deerfield in 2021 and at Creighton in 2022.
Is Rapid City a hard market to find a good roofer in?
The Black Hills foothills are among the busiest hail ground in the country: 1,142 hail reports in ten years across three counties, 145 of them two inches or more, with baseball-size stones over Summerset in June 2024. Then in December 2025 a record windstorm sent gusts to 94 mph at Rapid City’s airport. South Dakota licenses no roofers, but Rapid City does, with its own exam and insurance rules, after years of door-to-door storm crews. Seven certified firms appear in the directory, all licensed with the city, and the top five are ranked.
Roofer rankings for other metros
The Roofing Brief scores certified roofing contractors in the 400 largest U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan areas on the same formula.
- Best roofers in Fort Collins, CO, about 261 miles from Rapid City
- Best roofers in Sioux Falls, SD, another SD metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Monroe, MI, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Florence, AL, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Billings, MT, also scored, about 287 miles away
See the full index of all 400 metro roofer rankings, or read how to find and vet a roofing contractor anywhere in the country.
Cite this analysis
The Roofing Brief. “Best Roofers in Rapid City, SD: The Roofing Brief Contractor Score.” Published October 2026. Inputs: GAF certification registry; NOAA Storm Events Database 2016-2025; U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 population estimates; Better Business Bureau and independent review-platform records for each ranked contractor.