Short answer: As of September 2026, the five highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Knoxville, TN metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Barnett Roofing & Siding (99.9), Feazel Roofing (86.7), Innovative Roofing & Siding (79.7), McGuire Roofing & Construction (77.9), K&L Roofing (75.4). All of them carry a verifiable manufacturer certification, every rating here was cross-checked against an independent record, and no money changed hands for any placement.
The Roofing Brief scored 9 certified roofing contractors serving the Knoxville metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top five individually to confirm its record. Knox County is one of nine Tennessee counties where residential remodelling from $3,000 up to $25,000 requires a state Home Improvement licence, and at $25,000 or more the job needs a full contractor licence carrying the BC-21 classification. A full Knoxville replacement can straddle that line, so ask which licence the contractor holds and confirm it covers your contract value. The certified pool is nine contractors, one of the thinner pools in the top seventy metros, and the leader scores 13 points clear of second place.
What a Knoxville roof is up against
Knoxville’s storm record is dominated by wind rather than hail. NOAA holds 574 severe wind reports for the metro over the decade against 120 hail reports, the largest of them 2.5-inch stones at Rutledge in Grainger County on 8 May 2024. Tornadoes are infrequent, 11 in the decade, but the one on 7 August 2023 was a rare late-summer EF2 with winds near 130 mph that heavily damaged roofs at the Lovell Crossing apartments in west Knox County and displaced residents of more than 300 units.
The ridges and hollows of East Tennessee shape the risk. Tree-lined lots mean falling limbs are a common cause of roof damage in wind storms, and humid summers encourage algae streaking on north-facing slopes. An algae-resistant shingle, good attic ventilation and clearance of overhanging branches deal with most of what a Knoxville roof faces, with high-wind fastening as insurance against the strong storms the record shows.
Permits depend on the scope and the address. The City of Knoxville does not require a roofing permit when a second layer of shingles goes over an intact first layer, but tear-offs and work on decking or framing need one, and Knox County Codes Administration handles addresses outside the city limits. Tennessee’s residential code allows no more than two layers, so a roof that already has two must come off to the deck.
Tennessee’s licensing ladder is unusual. Knox County is one of nine counties where residential work from $3,000 up to $25,000 requires a state Home Improvement licence, projects of $25,000 or more require a state contractor licence with the BC-21 roofing classification, and roofing subcontractors need a licence at any contract value. Check the licence on the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance lookup and confirm its limit covers your contract price.
The 5 best roofers in Knoxville, TN
Scored 2026-09-17. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Knoxville is 4.844, across a pool of 9 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barnett Roofing & Siding | 99.9 | President’s Club | 5.0 (2,684) | 4.997 | 1998 | Knoxville, TN |
| 2 | Feazel Roofing | 86.7 | President’s Club | 4.8 (122) | 4.813 | 1988 | Knoxville, TN |
| 3 | Innovative Roofing & Siding | 79.7 | Master Elite | 4.9 (205) | 4.889 | 1993 | Knoxville, TN |
| 4 | McGuire Roofing & Construction | 77.9 | President’s Club | 4.5 (170) | 4.578 | not published | Knoxville, TN |
| 5 | K&L Roofing | 75.4 | Master Elite | 4.9 (168) | 4.887 | 1987 | Maryville, TN |
1. Barnett Roofing & Siding — TRB Score 99.9
Barnett Roofing & Siding is based in Knoxville, TN, in business since 1998, BBB accredited since 2018, A+ rating, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 39.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 99.9 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited since 2018, in business since 1998. BBB
- 2,684 reviews on the GAF contractor registry, by a very wide margin the deepest review corpus in the Knoxville pool. Registry
What they actually do. Residential roofing, siding and gutters across East Tennessee.
Why it ranks here. 2,684 registry reviews is more than the rest of the Knoxville top five combined, and 28 years trading. At this sample size the rating is statistically meaningful rather than a handful of favourable outcomes.
Best fit for: Homeowners who want the largest verifiable customer record in the metro.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (865) 936-6959, 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. Feazel Roofing — TRB Score 86.7
Feazel Roofing is based in Knoxville, TN, in business since 1988, BBB a+ rating, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 32.5 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 9.1 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 86.7 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated. BBB
- Operating since 1988 across multiple states, with a dedicated commercial division and in-house crews rather than subcontracted labour. Company
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roofing, gutters and skylights.
Why it ranks here. One of the few multi-state operators here that uses in-house crews rather than subcontracting, which matters because subcontracted labour is where installation quality most often diverges from the certification the contractor holds.
Best fit for: Commercial buildings and homeowners who want to know who is actually on the roof.
What we would want clarified. A larger multi-market operator, so the local relationship is less personal than with the family firms below. 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 (615) 900-4000, 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. Innovative Roofing & Siding — TRB Score 79.7
Innovative Roofing & Siding is based in Knoxville, TN, in business since 1993, BBB accredited since 1992, A+ rating, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 35.6 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 10.1 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 79.7 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited since 1992, a 33-year unbroken record. BBB
What they actually do. Residential roofing, siding, windows and gutters.
Why it ranks here. Thirty-three years of unbroken BBB accreditation is the longest continuous record in the Knoxville pool. Accreditation lapses when complaints go unanswered, so an unbroken run of this length is itself evidence of complaint handling.
Best fit for: Homeowners weighting a long, uninterrupted complaint record over review volume.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (865) 688-2888, 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. McGuire Roofing & Construction — TRB Score 77.9
McGuire Roofing & Construction is based in Knoxville, TN, BBB accredited since 2017, A+ rating, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 23.1 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 9.8 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 77.9 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited since 2017. BBB
- Rated 4.3 to 4.4 on independent review platforms, below the 4.5 recorded on the manufacturer registry. Cross-platform
What they actually do. Residential roofing, storm damage restoration and general construction.
Why it ranks here. Nine years of A+ accreditation and a broad restoration capability.
What we would want clarified. The clearest cross-platform discrepancy in this batch. Independent platforms rate it 4.3 to 4.4 while the manufacturer registry shows 4.5. The gap is small but it runs in the direction that matters, because manufacturer registries are more curated than open platforms. Read the independent reviews first. 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 (865) 338-7663, 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. K&L Roofing — TRB Score 75.4
K&L Roofing is based in Maryville, TN, in business since 1987, BBB accredited since 2021, A+ rating, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 35.5 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 9.7 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 6.1 | 10 |
| Total | 75.4 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited since 2021, 39 years in business. BBB
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roof replacement and repair.
Why it ranks here. Thirty-nine years trading in a single market. In a metro with only nine certified contractors, that kind of continuity is the scarcer commodity.
Best fit for: Homeowners who want an established local firm rather than a regional operator.
What we would want clarified. Accredited only since 2021 despite the long trading history, so the formal BBB record is shorter than the business itself. 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 (865) 724-4477, 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.
The 574 wind reports that shape a Knoxville 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 9 counties of the Knoxville, TN statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 120 hail reports, 574 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 11 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $5.2 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Knoxville in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 May 2024 | 2.5 in | Rutledge | Grainger |
| 8 May 2025 | 2.0 in | Tallassee | Blount |
| 21 March 2017 | 2.0 in | Dixie Lee Jct | Loudon |
| 2 May 2016 | 1.75 in | Farragut | Knox |
| 4 September 2025 | 1.75 in | Beaver Ridge | Knox |
| 8 April 2021 | 1.75 in | Kilsyth | Campbell |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 8 May 2024 near Rutledge, measured at 2.5 inches. That is hen-egg sized. Two inches is the threshold at which insurers expect functional damage and full replacement claims.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 72 knots, about 83 mph, near Cave Creek on 3 August 2023. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 11 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF2 near Byrds Chapel on 7 August 2023.
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 3 August 2023 event near Cave Creek, reproduced verbatim:
Severe thunderstorm winds on the right flank of the Oral tornado blew a small outbuilding onto its side, knocked down a couple of trees, and laid flat the grass all in one direction towards the path of the tornado.
That is the kind of damage a roof in this metro has to be specified against, described by the agency that recorded it rather than by a contractor selling the repair.
When it happens. Severe weather reports cluster in May (134), June (131), July (127). The worst years on record were 2023 (110), 2016 (82), 2025 (81). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Knoxville, 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. Knoxville sees enough damaging hail that a Class 4 impact-rated shingle is worth pricing, though not automatically worth buying. Get both quotes and weigh the premium against any insurance discount.
How to check a Knoxville roofer in ten minutes
Licensing is required in TN. Tennessee requires roofing contractors to be licensed by the Board for Licensing Contractors within the Department of Commerce and Insurance. Since 1 January 2014 roofing subcontractors have required a licence at any contract value, with no monetary threshold below which they may operate unlicensed.
Projects of $25,000 or more require a state Contractor licence with the BC-21 classification, which covers roofing, gutters and vinyl siding. Residential projects between $3,000 and $25,000 require a Home Improvement licence. Applicants must pass both a trade exam and a business and law exam, administered by PSI.
Check here: Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. Check the classification, not just the licence. A Home Improvement licence does not authorise a $25,000-plus replacement, which describes many full re-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 deep the Knoxville certified market really is
9 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Knoxville, TN statistical area, of which 3 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 3,865 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.844. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 957,608, a change of 5.99% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Knoxville rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Knoxville, TN 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 9 certified contractors, of whom 3 hold President’s Club standing and 4 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.844. The top five were then researched individually against Better Business Bureau records, state licence registers and manufacturer directories. Good and bad findings are published together, and no contractor paid for a place here.
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: September 2026. Scoring run: 2026-09-17. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
Common questions about roofers in Knoxville
Who is the best roofer in Knoxville, TN?
Barnett Roofing & Siding of Knoxville, TN scores highest in the Knoxville metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 99.9 out of 100 as of September 2026. It holds President’s Club certification with a 5.0 rating across 2,684 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the four companies behind it score within 24.5 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Knoxville?
9 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Knoxville, TN statistical area as of September 2026, of which 3 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Knoxville get?
The Knoxville, TN statistical area recorded 110 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 3 of 2 inches or larger between 2016 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Events Database. The largest hailstone reported measured 2.5 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 Knoxville in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Knoxville, TN statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 2.5 inches, reported near Rutledge on 8 May 2024. That is hen-egg sized. Two inches is the threshold at which insurers expect functional damage and full replacement claims. Across the decade the metro recorded 120 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $5.2 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Knoxville?
Severe-weather reports in the Knoxville, TN statistical area cluster in May, June, July, on the NOAA record for 2016 to 2025. Scheduling discretionary work away from that window tends to get you a better crew and a faster start, because nobody is juggling emergency callouts.
Do roofers need a licence in TN?
Tennessee requires roofing contractors to be licensed by the Board for Licensing Contractors within the Department of Commerce and Insurance. Since 1 January 2014 roofing subcontractors have required a licence at any contract value, with no monetary threshold below which they may operate unlicensed. Projects of $25,000 or more require a state Contractor licence with the BC-21 classification, which covers roofing, gutters and vinyl siding. Residential projects between $3,000 and $25,000 require a Home Improvement licence. Applicants must pass both a trade exam and a business and law exam, administered by PSI.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Knoxville?
Check the classification, not just the licence. A Home Improvement licence does not authorise a $25,000-plus replacement, which describes many full re-roofs.
Is Knoxville a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Knox County is one of nine Tennessee counties where residential remodelling from $3,000 up to $25,000 requires a state Home Improvement licence, and at $25,000 or more the job needs a full contractor licence carrying the BC-21 classification. A full Knoxville replacement can straddle that line, so ask which licence the contractor holds and confirm it covers your contract value. The certified pool is nine contractors, one of the thinner pools in the top seventy metros, and the leader scores 13 points clear of second place.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Knoxville?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Knoxville, TN statistical area logged 574 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 110 hail reports of an inch or more between 2016 and 2025. Wind damage shows up at the rake, ridge and edge rather than across the field of the roof, so the fastening schedule and edge detail matter more here than the impact rating of the shingle.
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 Asheville, NC, about 83 miles from Knoxville
- Best roofers in Kingsport, TN, another TN metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Johnson City, TN, another TN metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in New Orleans, LA, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Bridgeport, CT, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Chattanooga, TN, also scored, about 96 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 Knoxville, TN: The Roofing Brief Contractor Score.” Published September 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.