Short answer: As of October 2026, the one highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Springfield, IL metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Sutton’s (92.0). Every one holds a manufacturer certification that can be verified independently, every rating below has been corroborated against at least one source outside the certification registry, and no company paid to appear here.
The Roofing Brief scored 1 certified roofing contractors serving the Springfield metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top one individually to confirm its record. Springfield has been hit by tornadoes along the same corridor twice in fifty years, and Illinois is one of the few states that licenses roofers properly, with an exam, a bond and a public register. That register is the credential to check here, and it also shows which Springfield roofers have been disciplined. Only one firm based in the metro clears our certified ranking floor, a family roofing and siding company founded in Springfield in 1946 and licensed by the state since 1985, so one is ranked, and five more licensed local roofers are listed for comparison.
What a Springfield, IL roof is up against
The Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act makes it unlawful to offer roofing services without a licence from the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Each firm must designate a qualifying party who has passed a state exam on roofing practice and Illinois law, and post a $10,000 bond for a limited licence covering homes of up to eight units or $25,000 for an unlimited one. Unlicensed work carries civil penalties of up to $15,000 per offence and is a misdemeanour, rising to a felony on a second offence. The state’s licence file lists 64 active roofing licences with Sangamon County as county of record and 6 with Menard, and across all statuses 9 revoked and 9 suspended.
Illinois also writes the contract terms. Since 15 August 2025 a residential roofing contract must be signed before work starts, must let you cancel and recover any deposit within 72 hours of signing, and must state that the contractor cannot pay, waive or rebate your insurance deductible. Under the Home Repair and Remodeling Act, an insurance-funded job can be cancelled before midnight on the fifth business day after the insurer denies all or part of the claim, and the roofer may not represent you on the claim or climb on your roof without your express permission.
The City of Springfield adds a permit. Its application has a roofing line that asks for the roofer’s state licence number, the material, the number of squares and whether the job is a tear-off or an overlay, and the city’s roofing notice tells owners they may roof their own building but may not hire an unlicensed roofer, and must call the day before work starts so an inspection can be scheduled. The fee is set by valuation: about $53 on a $15,000 reroof and $80.75 on $25,000. The local code requires ice shield underlayment, a 30 psf ground snow load and the two more demanding wind exposure categories, and every permit application warns of old coal mine subsidence beneath the city.
Hail is the routine risk. Across 2016 to 2025 Sangamon and Menard counties logged 138 hail reports, 89 of an inch or more and 10 of two inches or more, the largest 3.25 inches at Chatham on 7 May 2023, along with 215 thunderstorm wind reports and 21 tornadoes. The city’s housing is old, with a median year built of 1972 and a third of homes built before 1960, and 35.7 percent of Springfield’s homes are rented.
The one certified roofer ranked in Springfield, IL
Scored 2026-10-05. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Springfield is 4.8, across a pool of 1 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sutton’s | 92.0 | President’s Club | 4.8 (559) | 4.8 | 1946 | Springfield, IL |
1. Sutton’s — TRB Score 92.0
Sutton’s is based in Springfield, IL, in business since 1946, led by Michael Sutton, President; Douglas Sutton Jr., CEO (BBB), BBB accredited since 1 March 1998, A+ rating, one complaint closed in three years, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 32.0 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 92.0 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Active Illinois roofing contractor licence 104000303, first issued 4 October 1985, expiring 31 December 2027, never disciplined.. IDFPR licence file
- Accredited since 1 March 1998 with an A+ rating, business start 1946, one complaint closed in three years.. BBB business profile
- No entry for the firm or its Springfield qualifying parties in the monthly reports from 2014 to 2026.. IDFPR monthly enforcement reports
What they actually do. Roof replacement and repair, siding, windows and doors, decks and sunrooms.
Why it ranks here. Founded in downtown Springfield in 1946 and still family run, Sutton’s holds one of the oldest roofing licences in Sangamon County, first issued in October 1985, active and never disciplined. A 4.8 across 559 reviews, President’s Club certification, and a published service area covering both Sangamon and Menard counties.
Best fit for: Springfield and Sangamon County homeowners who want the longest-established licensed firm in the market.
What we would want clarified. It is a multi-trade exterior and remodelling company, known locally for siding, rather than a roofing-only shop, so ask who will run the roofing crew. The state file does not show whether its licence is limited or unlimited, and its own site claims a different GAF tier from our directory record. Certification tier and reviews are unverified. 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 (217) 528-3911, 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 Springfield
Only one certified firm is ranked here. These five hold active Illinois roofing licences with no discipline on record. They are not scored and we are not recommending them. We checked and left out several others with disciplinary records on the state file, a licence in refuse-to-renew status, or a licence number on their website that belongs to a different company.
| Company | Verified credential |
|---|---|
| Community Roofing Corporation | Illinois roofing licence 104018509, issued 2019, never disciplined; Owens Corning Preferred on South State Street, Springfield; BBB A+ but not accredited, with a 2012 business start that predates its licence. |
| Aspen Contracting, Inc. | Illinois roofing licence 104015155, issued 2007, never disciplined; Owens Corning Platinum Preferred on Adlai Stevenson Drive; BBB accredited since 2013. A branch of a storm-restoration company based in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. |
| Tedrick’s Home Renovations | Illinois roofing licence 104017618, issued 2017, never disciplined, Menard County of record; Owens Corning Preferred; BBB not accredited and not rated. |
| Les Jackson Roofing Inc | Illinois roofing licence 104013808, issued 2002, never disciplined; a small roofing-only firm in Chatham. The licence record is its only verified credential. |
| Bowsher Roofing (Bowsher Group Inc) | Illinois roofing licence 104015586, issued 2010, never disciplined; BBB not accredited, not rated, no complaints. Its union sheet metal listing suggests a commercial emphasis. |
The 89 hail reports behind a Springfield, IL 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 2 counties of the Springfield, IL statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 138 hail reports, 215 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 21 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $2.4 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Springfield in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 May 2023 | 3.25 in | Chatham | Sangamon |
| 8 April 2020 | 3.0 in | Devereux Hgts | Sangamon |
| 7 May 2023 | 2.5 in | Chatham | Sangamon |
| 23 July 2023 | 2.5 in | Chatham | Sangamon |
| 2 April 2025 | 2.0 in | Starnes | Sangamon |
| 7 May 2023 | 2.0 in | Auburn | Sangamon |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 7 May 2023 near Chatham, measured at 3.25 inches. That is baseball sized, comfortably past the point where a roof is written off rather than repaired.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 70 knots, about 81 mph, near Buffalo on 10 December 2021. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 21 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF2 near Atterberry on 10 December 2021.
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 26 June 2021 event near Sangamon, reproduced verbatim:
Downburst winds of 70 to 80 mph downed multiple large tree limbs, knocked over a few shallow-rooted trees, and blew down power poles in the Skyline Subdivision on the north side of Springfield.
A roof in this metro is built against events like that one, as recorded by the agency that recorded it rather than by a contractor selling the repair.
When it happens. Severe weather reports cluster in May (118), June (80), August (45). The worst years on record were 2023 (81), 2025 (47), 2021 (42). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Springfield, 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. Springfield 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.
The same corridor twice: Springfield’s tornado record
Between 8:20 and 8:30 on the evening of 12 March 2006 Springfield was hit by a pair of F2 tornadoes. NWS Lincoln noted that they followed a path nearly identical to the F4 tornado of 14 June 1957, which killed two people, injured 50 and caused $2.5 million of damage.
The first had already been on the ground for about 60 miles when it entered the city near Cockrell Lane. It widened to more than half a mile between Westchester Boulevard and Jerome, was rated F2 along Wabash Avenue, and near Iles Park blew the roofs off homes and businesses. It crossed nearly 5.5 miles of the city in about six minutes with winds near 120 mph. The second formed north of the Bunn Park golf course, tore roofs off several homes between 15th Street and South Grand Avenue, and overturned a semi at the Clear Lake Avenue interchange on I-55.
The corridor has stayed active. On 31 March 2023 an EF2 near Sherman caused severe roof and siding damage to numerous homes just east of I-55, and a second EF2 near Riverton removed the roof from a business. On 29 June 2023 a derecho with gusts of 60 to 80 mph carried an EF2 from Curran into Chatham, where it ripped about half the roof off a home; NWS recorded over 200,000 customers without power, some in the Springfield area for nearly a week. Five weeks earlier hail up to 3.25 inches had fallen on Chatham for more than half an hour in places.
Of the 21 tornadoes recorded in Sangamon and Menard counties from 2016 to 2025, at least eight NWS narratives describe roof damage, from shingles stripped near Curran in March 2016 to shingle, siding and gutter damage on 12 homes in Dawson in April 2020.
What makes Springfield different from most storm markets is what follows the storm. Every roofing permit must carry an Illinois licence number, and the state licence file is public, showing original issue date, expiry and whether the licence has ever been disciplined. Several roofers active in Springfield carry disciplinary records, including a fine for a falsified letter written to speed up a homeowner’s insurance payment. After the next storm, check the register before the contract.
Springfield’s storm corridor and the checks Illinois gives you
| Item | Figure or rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 14 June 1957 tornado | F4; 2 killed, 50 injured | NWS Lincoln |
| 12 March 2006 tornadoes | Two F2s near 120 mph on nearly the same track | NWS Lincoln |
| 31 March 2023 | EF2s near Sherman and Riverton | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Largest hail, 2016 to 2025 | 3.25 inches, Chatham, 7 May 2023 | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| State roofing licence | Required; exam for the qualifying party; $10,000 or $25,000 bond | 225 ILCS 335 |
| Active roofing licences | 64 in Sangamon, 6 in Menard | IDFPR licence file |
| Contract cancellation | 72 hours after signing; five business days after a claim denial | 225 ILCS 335/5.5; 815 ILCS 513/18 |
| Deductible rebate | Prohibited | 815 ILCS 513/18(b) |
| City permit | Licence number required; inspection called the day before | City of Springfield |
| Ice shield underlayment | Required | Springfield Code 170.10.03(f) |
Source: NWS Lincoln surveys of the 12 March 2006 tornadoes; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; 225 ILCS 335 and 815 ILCS 513; IDFPR licence file on data.illinois.gov and monthly enforcement reports; City of Springfield permit application, roofing notice, Code of Ordinances Chapter 170 and current code list; US Census Bureau ACS 2020 to 2024.
Before you sign anything in Springfield, IL
Licensing is required in IL. Illinois licenses roofing contractors at state level under the Roofing Industry Licensing Act, 225 ILCS 335, administered by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Unlicensed roofing work carries a civil penalty of up to $15,000 per offence, and any violation of the Act is a Class A misdemeanour, rising to a Class 4 felony on a second offence.
There are two classes: a Limited licence for residential properties of eight units or fewer, and an Unlimited licence covering residential, commercial and industrial work. Each licensee designates a qualifying party who must pass an examination covering roofing practice and Illinois roofing law. The statutory bond is $10,000 for a Limited licence and $25,000 for an Unlimited one, alongside liability insurance set by the Department, workers’ compensation and an unemployment insurance account. Since Public Act 104-427, effective 15 August 2025, every roofing contract must include a 72-hour rescission clause with a full deposit refund and a statement that the contractor cannot pay, waive or rebate any part of your insurance deductible.
Check here: IDFPR roofing licence register (open data). The licence number and the name on it must appear on every contract, bid and advertisement, and a local permit official must see proof of current state licensure before issuing a roofing permit. Ask whether the licence is Limited or Unlimited, and check it on the Department’s register or its open data file on data.illinois.gov.
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 Springfield, IL certified market really is
1 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Springfield, IL statistical area, of which 1 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 559 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.8. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 206,308, a change of -1.15% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Springfield, IL rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Springfield, IL 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 1 hold President’s Club standing and 0 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.8. The top one were then researched individually against Better Business Bureau records, state licence registers and manufacturer directories. Where that research turned up something awkward it is on the page, and no placement was paid for.
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: 2026-10-05. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
Questions Springfield, IL homeowners ask
Who is the best roofer in Springfield, IL?
How many certified roofing contractors serve Springfield?
1 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Springfield, IL statistical area as of October 2026, of which 1 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Springfield get?
The Springfield, IL statistical area recorded 89 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 10 of 2 inches or larger between 2016 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Events Database. The largest hailstone reported measured 3.25 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 Springfield in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Springfield, IL statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 3.25 inches, reported near Chatham on 7 May 2023. That is baseball sized, comfortably past the point where a roof is written off rather than repaired. Across the decade the metro recorded 138 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $2.4 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Springfield?
Severe-weather reports in the Springfield, IL statistical area cluster in May, June, August, on the NOAA record for 2016 to 2025. Outside those months local crews are not triaging storm damage, so lead times are shorter and scheduling is easier.
Do roofers need a licence in IL?
Illinois licenses roofing contractors at state level under the Roofing Industry Licensing Act, 225 ILCS 335, administered by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Unlicensed roofing work carries a civil penalty of up to $15,000 per offence, and any violation of the Act is a Class A misdemeanour, rising to a Class 4 felony on a second offence. There are two classes: a Limited licence for residential properties of eight units or fewer, and an Unlimited licence covering residential, commercial and industrial work. Each licensee designates a qualifying party who must pass an examination covering roofing practice and Illinois roofing law. The statutory bond is $10,000 for a Limited licence and $25,000 for an Unlimited one, alongside liability insurance set by the Department, workers’ compensation and an unemployment insurance account. Since Public Act 104-427, effective 15 August 2025, every roofing contract must include a 72-hour rescission clause with a full deposit refund and a statement that the contractor cannot pay, waive or rebate any part of your insurance deductible.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Springfield?
The licence number and the name on it must appear on every contract, bid and advertisement, and a local permit official must see proof of current state licensure before issuing a roofing permit. Ask whether the licence is Limited or Unlimited, and check it on the Department’s register or its open data file on data.illinois.gov.
The same corridor twice: Springfield’s tornado record?
Between 8:20 and 8:30 on the evening of 12 March 2006 Springfield was hit by a pair of F2 tornadoes. NWS Lincoln noted that they followed a path nearly identical to the F4 tornado of 14 June 1957, which killed two people, injured 50 and caused $2.5 million of damage.
Is Springfield a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Springfield has been hit by tornadoes along the same corridor twice in fifty years, and Illinois is one of the few states that licenses roofers properly, with an exam, a bond and a public register. That register is the credential to check here, and it also shows which Springfield roofers have been disciplined. Only one firm based in the metro clears our certified ranking floor, a family roofing and siding company founded in Springfield in 1946 and licensed by the state since 1985, so one is ranked, and five more licensed local roofers are listed for comparison.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Springfield?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Springfield, IL statistical area logged 215 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 89 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 Peoria, IL, about 66 miles from Springfield
- Best roofers in Champaign, IL, about 76 miles from Springfield
- Best roofers in Rockford, IL, another IL metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Chicago, IL, another IL metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in St. Cloud, MN, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Auburn, AL, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in St. Louis, MO, also scored, about 86 miles away
- Best roofers in Columbia, MO, also scored, about 155 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 Springfield, IL: 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.