Short answer: As of October 2026, the one highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Longview-Kelso, WA metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Ideal Roofing (84.0). Each holds a certification we verified on the manufacturer’s own register, every rating was corroborated elsewhere, and placement on this page is not for sale.
The Roofing Brief scored 1 certified roofing contractors serving the Longview metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top one individually to confirm its record. Longview’s roofs fail to water, not hail: Cowlitz County logged one hail report in ten years, a quarter-inch, while Longview gets measurable rain on more than half of all days and the lowland zone logged 12 heavy snow events and an ice storm of up to an inch. Yet the county’s code does not require an eave ice barrier. Every Longview reroof needs a $75 permit and an underlayment inspection, and one certified roofer in GAF’s directory is based here.
Quick picks for Longview:
- Ideal Roofing: best overall (TRB Score 84.0). Verified services: roof replacement, metal roofing, flat and low-slope roofing, commercial roofing, inspections and maintenance, gutters.
What actually ages a Longview, WA roof
Washington has no roofing licence or exam, but every contractor must register with the Department of Labor and Industries, with a $30,000 bond for a general contractor or $15,000 for a specialty contractor and statutory liability insurance; working unregistered is a gross misdemeanour. Before a residential job of $1,000 or more the contractor must hand you a notice with its registration number and bond amount. L&I’s lookup also shows lawsuits against the bond, safety citations and lapses.
Since 1 July 2026 a homeowner who wins a court judgment on a bond claim against a registered contractor for work on their own home, and is still unpaid, can apply to the state’s new homeowner recovery program for up to $25,000 per contractor, depending on available funds. Solicited roofing contracts over $1,000 must be written and itemised, with a three-day cancellation right where the job is financed. Washington has no law against a roofer waiving your deductible.
The City of Longview says installing or replacing roofing requires a building permit, a flat $75 under its 2026 fee schedule, with an underlayment inspection at the start and a final flashing inspection. It issues permits only to the homeowner or a state-registered contractor holding a Longview business licence. The 2021 residential code has applied statewide since March 2024.
Oregon firms across the Columbia need a Washington registration to work here, and on 18 October 2026 none of the roofers based in the Oregon towns facing Longview held one. Longview’s median home dates from 1967 and Kelso’s from 1963, old for the West, and about 44 percent of homes in each city are rented.
The one certified roofer ranked in Longview, WA
Scored 2026-10-18. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Longview is 4.9, across a pool of 1 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ideal Roofing | 84.0 | Master Elite | 4.9 (163) | 4.9 | 2017 | Kelso, WA |
1. Ideal Roofing: best overall (TRB Score 84.0)
Ideal Roofing is based in Kelso, WA, in business since 2017, led by Tracy and Brian Davis, owners, BBB accredited since 12 February 2025, A+ rating, no complaints, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 36.0 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 8.9 | 10 |
| Total | 84.0 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Ideal Renovations LLC, trading as Ideal Roofing, holds general contractor registration IDEALR*806LS, active to June 2028, with a $30,000 bond and $1 million insurance; registered since May 2017; no bond lawsuits, infractions or strikes. A January 2024 safety inspection in Longview produced repeat-serious fall protection citations with $5,400 in final penalties, marked corrected.. Washington Department of Labor and Industries
- Accredited since February 2025 with an A+ rating; business started May 2017; owners Tracy and Brian Davis; no complaints.. BBB business profile
- Family-owned since May 2017, with service pages for Longview, Kelso, Castle Rock, Kalama and Woodland.. Company website
What they actually do. Residential reroofing in shingle and metal, low-slope commercial roofing, roof cleaning and maintenance, and gutters.
Services we could verify: roof replacement, metal roofing, flat and low-slope roofing, commercial roofing, inspections and maintenance, gutters.
Why it ranks here. The only certified roofer in GAF’s directory based in the metro, a Kelso family firm with 163 GAF reviews averaging 4.9, registered with the state since 2017 and carrying its full bond and insurance. The state, BBB and its website all give a May 2017 start. Its own site describes it at GAF’s Certified Plus level rather than Master Elite.
Best fit for: Longview, Kelso and Castle Rock homeowners who want a local family-owned firm with a clean state registration record.
What we would want clarified. A January 2024 state safety inspection in Longview found repeat-serious fall protection violations, with $5,400 in final penalties, and it had a short insurance lapse in 2021; ask how its crews are protected on your roof. 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 (360) 989-7063, 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 registered Longview-Kelso roofers
These firms hold active Washington contractor registrations with no bond lawsuits or safety citations on record, but are not in GAF’s certified directory, so they are not scored or ranked.
| Company | Verified credential |
|---|---|
| Taurus Roofing LLC | Kelso; registration TAURURL797OB, roofing only, $30,000 bond; BBB accredited since 2022, A+, no complaints. It had late-renewal lapses in 2023 and 2025 and a brief insurance lapse in 2024. |
| Affordable Construction & Plumbing Inc | Longview; registration AFFORCP855LT, $30,000 bond; Owens Corning network; a multi-trade firm with roofing among plumbing, painting and carpentry. |
Roof replacement and repair in Longview, WA
Short answer: In Longview, the one certified roofer based in the metro is Ideal Roofing, a Kelso family firm for shingle and metal reroofs, low-slope roofing and maintenance; Taurus Roofing in Kelso is a registered roofing-only alternative we have not scored. The rule that matters most: every Longview reroof needs a city building permit, a flat $75, with an underlayment inspection at the start and a final flashing inspection.
Longview’s roofs fail to water, not hail. Cowlitz County logged one hail report in ten years, of a quarter inch, and the lowland zone covering Longview and Kelso logged no high wind event at all. Instead Longview averages 48.12 inches of precipitation a year, with measurable rain on 192 days, and 18.48 inches falls from December to February. That long wet season, not a single storm, is what tests the underlayment, flashing and ventilation. Ask the roofer how it handles moss and drainage on a north-facing slope.
Winter adds snow and ice. On 5 February 2017 snow of 6 to 11.5 inches fell around Kelso, Longview and Lexington; from 11 to 14 February 2021 8 to 14 inches fell across the lowland zone, with $100,000 of recorded damage; and on 16 January 2024 freezing rain left a quarter inch to an inch of ice. Cowlitz County’s design snow load climbs from 20 psf on the valley floor to 35 psf at 401 to 700 feet, yet the county’s code table answers no to requiring an ice shield at the eaves in unincorporated areas. Given that record, ask whether the roofer will install an ice barrier at the eaves anyway.
The City of Longview says installing or replacing roofing requires a building permit, a flat $75 under its 2026 fee schedule, with an underlayment inspection at the start and a final flashing inspection. It issues permits only to the homeowner or a state-registered contractor holding a Longview business licence. Washington’s 2021 residential code has applied statewide since March 2024 and does not amend the reroofing section, so a replacement is torn off to the deck and a recover is not allowed over a water-soaked or deteriorated roof or two existing layers. Longview’s median home dates from 1967 and Kelso’s from 1963, old for the West.
Washington has no roofing licence, but every contractor must register with Labor and Industries, with a $30,000 bond as a general contractor or $15,000 as a specialty contractor. Solicited roofing contracts over $1,000 must be written and itemised, with a three-day cancellation right where the job is financed, and Washington has no law against a roofer waiving your deductible. Oregon firms need a Washington registration to work here. Ideal Roofing does residential shingle and metal reroofing, low-slope commercial roofing, roof cleaning, maintenance and gutters, but a January 2024 state safety inspection in Longview found repeat-serious fall protection violations, with $5,400 in final penalties, marked corrected.
| Rule | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor registration | Required with the Department of Labor and Industries; $30,000 bond for a general contractor or $15,000 for a specialty contractor, plus liability insurance; no exam. | RCW 18.27 |
| Insurance minimums | $50,000 property damage, $100,000 injury to one person and $200,000 per occurrence. | RCW 18.27.050 |
| Disclosure notice | Before a residential job of $1,000 or more the contractor must give you a notice with its registration number and bond amount. | Washington Department of Labor and Industries |
| Reroof permit | Required; a flat $75, with an underlayment inspection at the start and a final flashing inspection; issued only to the homeowner or a registered contractor with a Longview business licence. | City of Longview 2026 fee schedule |
| Ice shield at eaves | Not required in unincorporated Cowlitz County. | Cowlitz County IRC Table R301.2 |
| Homeowner recovery program | Since 1 July 2026, up to $25,000 per contractor toward an unpaid court judgment on a bond claim, subject to funding. | RCW 18.27.410 |
| 25 percent rule | Washington has no 25 percent roof rule; the IRC reroofing section is not amended. | Chapter 51-51 WAC |
Related guides: roof replacement cost in Washington; the 25% roofing rule in Washington and every other state; how to decide between roof repair and replacement; how to read and compare a roof replacement quote; how to compare roof repair quotes; what homeowners insurance covers on a roof.
2 severe weather reports in a decade, and why that matters in Longview, WA
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 1 county of the Longview-Kelso, WA statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 1 hail report, 1 severe thunderstorm and high wind report and 1 tornado. 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 largest hail on record in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 May 2022 | 0.25 in | Lexington | Cowlitz |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 19 May 2022 near Lexington, measured at 0.25 inches. That is below the size at which hail normally damages a shingle roof.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 68 knots, about 78 mph, near Ryderwood on 13 January 2021. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 1 tornado touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF0 near Longview on 28 October 2024.
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 19 May 2022 event near Lexington, reproduced verbatim:
Washington State Patrol reported all lanes of I5 closed around exit 42 due to traffic accidents attributed to hail accumulating on pavement. Three to five vehicles involved in accidents. There was one fatality and one injury. Note: Hail size estimated from other reports in the region.
That is what the specification has to anticipate here, written up by the agency that recorded it rather than by a contractor selling the repair.
When it happens. Severe weather reports cluster in January (1), May (1), October (1). The worst years on record were 2021 (1), 2022 (1), 2024 (1). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Longview, 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. Hail is not the governing risk in Longview. Weight your decision toward wind rating, ventilation and flashing detail rather than paying extra for impact-rated shingles.
Not hail but water, snow and ice: how a mild, wet Columbia River lowland roof fails
Longview averages 48.12 inches of precipitation a year, with measurable rain on 192 days, more than half the year, and 18.48 inches of it falls from December to February. Anniston, Alabama gets more rain in total but on far fewer days. On a Longview roof the long, steady wet season, not a single storm, is what tests the underlayment, flashing and ventilation.
Hail barely registers: Cowlitz County logged one hail report in ten years, of a quarter inch, near Lexington in May 2022. The only severe wind report, a 78 mph gust in January 2021, was measured at the Abernathy hill station, not in town, and the 27 high wind records in the nearby hill zones all come from ridge-top stations. The lowland zone covering Longview and Kelso logged no high wind event at all.
Winter is the real test. On 5 February 2017 snow of 6 to 11.5 inches fell around Kelso, Longview and Lexington; from 11 to 14 February 2021 8 to 14 inches fell across the lowland zone, with $100,000 of recorded damage; and on 16 January 2024 freezing rain into Arctic air left a quarter inch to an inch of ice. In June 2021 the heat dome brought three days above 100 F, peaking near 108 F.
Cowlitz County’s design snow load climbs with elevation, from 20 psf on the valley floor to 30 psf at 201 to 400 feet and 35 psf at 401 to 700 feet, so a home in the hills above Longview or Kelso is designed for half again the snow of one by the river. Even so, the county’s code table answers no to requiring an ice shield at the eaves in unincorporated areas.
Given the snow and ice record, ask any roofer whether they will install an ice barrier at the eaves anyway, how they handle moss and drainage on a north-facing slope, and confirm they will book Longview’s underlayment inspection, which catches exactly the layer that keeps a wet-climate roof dry.
Longview-Kelso’s water, snow and ice record
| Item | Figure or record | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation, Longview | 48.12 inches on 192 days | NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals |
| Winter precipitation, December to February | 18.48 inches | NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals |
| Hail reports, 2016 to 2025 | One, of 0.25 inch | NOAA NCEI, Cowlitz County |
| 5 Feb 2017 snow | 6 to 11.5 inches around Kelso and Longview | NOAA NCEI zone record |
| 11 to 14 Feb 2021 snow | 8 to 14 inches; $100,000 | NOAA NCEI zone record |
| 16 Jan 2024 ice storm | 0.25 to 1 inch of ice | NOAA NCEI zone record |
| Design snow load | 20 psf on the valley floor to 35 psf at 401 to 700 feet | Cowlitz County Code 16.05 Table A |
| Ice shield at eaves | Not required in unincorporated county | Cowlitz County IRC Table R301.2 |
| Longview reroof permit | $75 flat, with underlayment inspection | City of Longview 2026 fee schedule |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database bulk files (Cowlitz County and its forecast zones, 2016 to 2025, our recount); National Weather Service narratives; NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals, Longview station; RCW 18.27, 19.186 and 48.30.140; WAC 51-51; Cowlitz County Code 16.05 and design criteria; City of Longview permit and fee pages; Washington Department of Labor and Industries contractor data, 18 October 2026; Owens Corning contractor locator; BBB business profiles; US Census Bureau ACS 2020 to 2024.
Three things to confirm before work starts in Longview, WA
Licensing is required in WA. Washington requires every contractor to register with the Department of Labor and Industries, and registration requires both a surety bond and general liability insurance. A roofer registered as a specialty contractor carries a $15,000 bond; one registered as a general contractor, as many are, carries $30,000.
RCW 18.27.050 sets insurance minimums of $50,000 property damage, $100,000 injury to one person and $200,000 per occurrence; L&I’s registration page also accepts a $250,000 combined single limit. The bond is continuous, and if it or the insurance lapses the registration suspends automatically until cover is restored.
Check here: Washington L&I Verify a Contractor. L&I’s verification tool shows lawsuits against a contractor’s bond, registration lapses, workers’ compensation account status and safety citations, which together make it one of the most informative contractor lookups in the country. Since 1 July 2026 a state homeowner recovery program can, at the department’s discretion and subject to funding, pay up to $25,000 per contractor per property toward an unpaid court judgment against a registered contractor over work on your primary residence (RCW 18.27.410).
For what a full replacement costs across Washington, including state labor rates and permit rules, see our Washington roof replacement cost guide.
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 Longview, WA actually has
1 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Longview-Kelso, WA statistical area, of which 0 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 163 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.9. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 113,982, a change of 2.93% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Longview, WA rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Longview-Kelso, WA 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 1 certified contractor, of whom 0 hold President’s Club standing and 1 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.9. The top one were then researched individually against Better Business Bureau records, state licence registers and manufacturer directories. The findings are printed above whether they flatter the contractor or not, and nobody paid to appear.
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: 2026-10-18. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
Longview, WA roofing questions, answered
Who is the best roofer in Longview, WA?
What is the 25% rule for roofing in Washington?
Washington has no 25 percent roof rule. The statewide code for houses is the 2021 International Residential Code with Washington amendments, effective March 15, 2024, and it does not amend the reroofing section, so a replacement is torn off to the deck. Cities and counties issue the permits and may add local requirements.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Longview, WA?
Yes. The City of Longview says installing or replacing roofing requires a building permit, a flat $75 under its 2026 fee schedule, with an underlayment inspection at the start and a final flashing inspection. Permits go only to the homeowner or a state-registered contractor holding a Longview business licence.
Who does roof repair in Longview?
Ideal Roofing, a Kelso family firm and the only certified roofer in GAF’s directory based in the metro, lists residential reroofing, low-slope commercial roofing, roof cleaning and maintenance, and gutters. Taurus Roofing in Kelso and Affordable Construction & Plumbing in Longview hold active Washington registrations, though we have not scored them.
How do I know if a roofer in Longview is good?
Use Washington L&I’s Verify a Contractor tool, which shows bond lawsuits, registration lapses, workers’ compensation status and safety citations. Ask for the disclosure notice with the registration number and bond amount, and confirm the roofer will book Longview’s underlayment inspection.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Longview?
1 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Longview-Kelso, WA statistical area as of October 2026, of which 0 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Longview get?
The Longview-Kelso, WA statistical area recorded 0 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 0 of 2 inches or larger between 2016 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Events Database. The largest hailstone reported measured 0.25 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 one.
What was the worst hailstorm in Longview in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Longview-Kelso, WA statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 0.25 inches, reported near Lexington on 19 May 2022. That is below the size at which hail normally damages a shingle roof. Across the decade the metro recorded 1 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 Longview?
Severe-weather reports in the Longview-Kelso, WA statistical area cluster in January, May, October, on the NOAA record for 2016 to 2025. If the work can wait, booking outside that window usually buys you shorter lead times and more of the contractor’s attention.
Do roofers need a licence in WA?
Washington requires every contractor to register with the Department of Labor and Industries, and registration requires both a surety bond and general liability insurance. A roofer registered as a specialty contractor carries a $15,000 bond; one registered as a general contractor, as many are, carries $30,000. RCW 18.27.050 sets insurance minimums of $50,000 property damage, $100,000 injury to one person and $200,000 per occurrence; L&I’s registration page also accepts a $250,000 combined single limit. The bond is continuous, and if it or the insurance lapses the registration suspends automatically until cover is restored.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Longview?
L&I’s verification tool shows lawsuits against a contractor’s bond, registration lapses, workers’ compensation account status and safety citations, which together make it one of the most informative contractor lookups in the country. Since 1 July 2026 a state homeowner recovery program can, at the department’s discretion and subject to funding, pay up to $25,000 per contractor per property toward an unpaid court judgment against a registered contractor over work on your primary residence (RCW 18.27.410).
Not hail but water, snow and ice: how a mild, wet Columbia River lowland roof fails?
Longview averages 48.12 inches of precipitation a year, with measurable rain on 192 days, more than half the year, and 18.48 inches of it falls from December to February. Anniston, Alabama gets more rain in total but on far fewer days. On a Longview roof the long, steady wet season, not a single storm, is what tests the underlayment, flashing and ventilation.
Is Longview a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Longview’s roofs fail to water, not hail: Cowlitz County logged one hail report in ten years, a quarter-inch, while Longview gets measurable rain on more than half of all days and the lowland zone logged 12 heavy snow events and an ice storm of up to an inch. Yet the county’s code does not require an eave ice barrier. Every Longview reroof needs a $75 permit and an underlayment inspection, and one certified roofer in GAF’s directory is based here.
Roofer rankings for other metros
The Roofing Brief scores certified roofing contractors in U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan areas on the same formula.
- Best roofers in Portland, OR, about 45 miles from Longview
- Best roofers in Olympia, WA, about 62 miles from Longview
- Best roofers in Salem, OR, about 84 miles from Longview
- Best roofers in Bremerton, WA, about 97 miles from Longview
- Best roofers in Seattle, WA, another WA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Yakima, WA, another WA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Owensboro, KY, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Sandusky, OH, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Anchorage, AK, also scored, about 1477 miles away
See the full index of 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 Longview, WA: 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.