Short answer: As of October 2026, the two highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are BNW Installations (85.1), Mather’s Improvement Service (72.0). 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 2 certified roofing contractors serving the Racine metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top two individually to confirm its record. Racine is a pre-war city: 39 percent of its houses were built before 1940, and its median home dates from 1953. Wisconsin’s dwelling code bars a third layer of roofing, so the city’s roof permit asks outright whether the job is a full tear-off. Wisconsin certifies dwelling contractors rather than licensing roofers. Four certified firms appear in the directory, but two publish no coverage of Racine County, so two are ranked, and four more local roofers are listed for comparison.
The conditions a Racine roof has to be specified for
Wisconsin has no roofing licence. Under its administrative code, nobody may pull a permit for work on a one- or two-family home without a Dwelling Contractor certification from the Department of Safety and Professional Services and a certified Dwelling Contractor Qualifier on staff. The certification is a financial credential, backed by $250,000 of liability insurance or a bond, and the Qualifier is an education credential of 12 hours of coursework, not a trade test. An owner who lives in the home may pull their own permit.
Wisconsin regulates insurance-funded roofing under Wis. Stat. 100.65. A contractor may not promise to pay or rebate any part of your deductible, must ask in bold whether the work relates to an insurance claim and give you a detachable cancellation notice, and may not negotiate your claim. If the insurer denies all or part of it, you may cancel before midnight on the third business day after the written denial, with payments returned within ten days. Each violation carries a forfeiture of $500 to $1,000.
The City of Racine requires a permit for every residential reroof, at a flat $100, double if work starts first. The application asks whether the job is a complete tear-off and whether two or more layers are being removed, and requires the contractor’s Dwelling Contractor and Qualifier numbers. Under the Uniform Dwelling Code, ice dam membrane is mandatory only on roofs of 4:12 or less over heated space, so on the city’s many steep older roofs it is a choice rather than a requirement.
Across 2016 to 2025 Racine County logged 25 hail reports, three of two inches or more, the largest 2.75 inches at Rochester on 15 May 2025, when hail and a 61-knot gust also struck downtown Racine; 35 thunderstorm wind reports; and one weak tornado. The county’s costliest event of the decade was water, not wind: the Fox River’s record crest at Burlington in July 2017, with $23.5 million of damage. Racine County’s median home was built in 1968, and 39.8 percent of homes in the city are rented.
The 2 best roofers in Racine, WI
Scored 2026-10-06. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Racine is 4.8, across a pool of 2 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BNW Installations | 85.1 | President’s Club | 4.7 (46) | 4.752 | not published | Sturtevant, WI |
| 2 | Mather’s Improvement Service | 72.0 | Master Elite | 4.7 (168) | 4.723 | not published | Burlington, WI |
1. BNW Installations — TRB Score 85.1
BNW Installations is based in Sturtevant, WI, led by William and Renne Wendt, owners (BBB), BBB accredited since 16 March 1999, A+ rating, no complaints in three years, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 30.1 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 11.3 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 8.8 | 10 |
| Total | 85.1 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Accredited since 16 March 1999 with an A+ rating, business start 1993, incorporated 1999, no complaints; service area Kenosha and Racine counties.. BBB business profile
- Family-owned residential and commercial roofer with siding and gutters, serving Racine and Zion, Illinois.. Company website
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roofing, reroofs, siding, gutters and storm repair.
Why it ranks here. The clear leader: President’s Club certification and a 4.7 across 46 reviews from a family roofer in Sturtevant, inside Racine County, with the longest BBB accreditation in the pool, since March 1999, and no complaints.
Best fit for: Racine and Mount Pleasant homeowners who want a long-established roofing-first firm.
What we would want clarified. Its review base is moderate, and its exact founding year rests on BBB alone. Wisconsin’s credential search was unreachable, so confirm its Dwelling Contractor and Qualifier numbers on the permit. 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 (262) 859-3566, 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. Mather’s Improvement Service — TRB Score 72.0
Mather’s Improvement Service is based in Burlington, WI, led by Benjamin Zusan, owner; Matthew Zusan, project manager, BBB accredited since 25 January 2024, A+ rating, no complaints in three years, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 28.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 4.1 | 10 |
| Total | 72.0 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Accredited since 25 January 2024 with an A+ rating, business start 1982, no complaints; service area Kenosha, Racine and Walworth counties.. BBB business profile
- Founded in Burlington in 1966, passed to the second generation in 1982 and to the third in 2024.. Company history page
What they actually do. Roofing, siding, gutters, windows and doors, soffit and fascia, awnings.
Why it ranks here. A three-generation family business in Burlington, western Racine County, with Master Elite certification and a 4.8 across 168 reviews, the deepest record in the pool. The family’s 1966 founding and 1982 handover explain why BBB dates the business to 1982.
Best fit for: Western Racine County homeowners, and roofing combined with siding or windows.
What we would want clarified. It is an exterior remodeller with roofing one of several trades. Ownership passed to the third generation in 2024, when its BBB accreditation also began. Confirm its Dwelling Contractor numbers on the permit. 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 (262) 763-7884, 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 roofers serving Racine
Two certified firms are ranked here. These four are based in Racine County with an Owens Corning credential or long BBB accreditation. They are not scored and we are not recommending them; Wisconsin’s credential search could not be reached, so ask each for its Dwelling Contractor numbers, which the city’s permit requires anyway.
| Company | Verified credential |
|---|---|
| Stauffer Enterprises, Inc. | Owens Corning Preferred in Mount Pleasant, with 26 reviews averaging 5.0 on its Owens Corning listing; BBB accredited since 2019 at A+, no complaints. |
| Vesel Services, LLC | Owens Corning Preferred in Caledonia; BBB accredited since 2014 at A+, trading since 2003; one complaint in three years, which the customer reported was resolved. |
| D & D Roofing and General Contracting LLC | BBB accredited since 2006 at A+, trading since 2001, based in Racine, no complaints in three years. |
| Hidelia’s Development LLC | Owens Corning Preferred in Franksville. We found no BBB profile, so treat it as a lead. |
The 19 hail reports behind a Racine 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 1 county of the Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 25 hail reports, 35 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 1 tornado. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $302,000; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Racine in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 May 2025 | 2.75 in | Rochester Fox Rvr Ar | Racine |
| 28 July 2023 | 2.5 in | Waterford | Racine |
| 28 July 2023 | 2.5 in | Waterford | Racine |
| 15 May 2025 | 1.25 in | Downtown Racine | Racine |
| 15 May 2025 | 1.25 in | Downtown Racine | Racine |
| 4 April 2023 | 1.0 in | Bohners Lake | Racine |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 15 May 2025 near Rochester Fox Rvr Ar, measured at 2.75 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 Kneeland on 20 April 2017. 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 Burlington on 12 October 2022.
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 20 April 2017 event near Thompsonville, reproduced verbatim:
Approximately 15 trees were downed across 4 yards on West 5 Mile Road between 43rd street and Interstate 94 in the town of Raymond. Some trees were uprooted and some were snapped.
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 (15), July (14), April (8). The worst years on record were 2025 (11), 2017 (10), 2023 (10). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Racine, 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 Racine. Weight your decision toward wind rating, ventilation and flashing detail rather than paying extra for impact-rated shingles.
Old houses and the layer rule
Of the City of Racine’s 35,629 housing units, 39 percent were built in 1939 or earlier and another 25.8 percent between 1940 and 1959; only 1.3 percent date from 2010 or later. The city’s median home was built in 1953, against 1968 for the county as a whole. Houses that old have often been re-covered at least once.
Wisconsin’s Uniform Dwelling Code sets the limit. Section SPS 321.28(6) bars a new roof covering over an existing one that already has two or more applications of permanent roofing, over wood shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile, or over a water-soaked or deteriorated roof. Racine’s residential roof permit puts the question to every applicant: is this a complete tear-off, and are two or more layers being removed?
Older houses bring other rules. The city’s form warns that on a home built before 1978, disturbing 20 square feet or more of painted surface brings in Wisconsin’s lead-safe renovation requirements. And ice dam membrane, mandatory only on low-slope roofs over heated space, is optional on most of the city’s steep pre-war roofs, which is exactly where ice dams form.
Ownership matters too. Nearly 40 percent of homes in the city are rented, so the owner of an old Racine house is often a landlord. A homeowner who acts as their own contractor must sign the state’s cautionary statement, which warns that hiring an unbonded or uninsured contractor can leave the owner liable for injuries and damage on the job.
The practical questions follow: how many layers are on the roof now, will the quote include a full tear-off and any deck repairs, will ice dam membrane go on even if the code does not require it, and what are the contractor’s Dwelling Contractor and Qualifier numbers for the permit?
Racine’s old housing and the Wisconsin rules on a reroof
| Item | Figure or rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Homes built 1939 or earlier, City of Racine | 39.0 percent | ACS 2020 to 2024, B25034 |
| Median year built, City of Racine | 1953 | ACS 2020 to 2024, B25035 |
| Re-cover over two existing layers | Not allowed | Wis. Admin. Code SPS 321.28(6) |
| Ice dam membrane | Required only at 4:12 or less over heated space | SPS 321.28(4) |
| City reroof permit | $100 flat; contractor’s DC and DCQ numbers required | City of Racine |
| Contractor credential | Dwelling Contractor certification plus Qualifier | SPS 305.31 |
| Deductible rebate or claim negotiation | Prohibited; $500 to $1,000 per violation | Wis. Stat. 100.65 |
| Cancellation after a claim denial | Three business days | Wis. Stat. 100.65 |
| Largest hail, 2016 to 2025 | 2.75 inches, Rochester, 15 May 2025 | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Fox River flood, July 2017 | Record crest; $23.5 million | NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan via NOAA NCEI |
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 2020 to 2024 via Census Reporter; Wisconsin Uniform Dwelling Code SPS 321.28 and SPS 305.31 to 305.315; Wis. Stat. 100.65, 101.65 and 101.654; City of Racine residential roof permit application and 2026 fee schedule; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
How to check a Racine roofer in ten minutes
Licensing is required in WI. Wisconsin does not issue a roofing-specific licence, but anyone pulling a building permit for work on a one- or two-family dwelling must hold a Dwelling Contractor certification from the Department of Safety and Professional Services, and the company must also hold or employ a Dwelling Contractor Qualifier. An owner who lives in the home may pull their own permit.
The Qualifier credential requires at least 12 hours of an approved course in dwelling construction, with course tests, and renews every two years on 12 hours of continuing education; the code describes its purpose as proof of continuing education rather than trade competence. The business certification requires general liability insurance of at least $250,000 per occurrence or a surety bond: $25,000 for an unrestricted certification, while a smaller bond, down to $5,000, limits the contractor to jobs no larger than the bond. Under Wis. Stat. 100.65 a contractor may not promise to pay or rebate your insurance deductible, may not negotiate your claim for you, and must give you a cancellation form; you may cancel within three business days of a written claim denial. Each violation carries a forfeiture of $500 to $1,000.
Check here: Wisconsin DSPS credential search. Ask for both credentials: a Dwelling Contractor certification without a Qualifier cannot legally pull your permit. The Uniform Dwelling Code requires ice dam protection only on roofs of 4:12 slope or less over heated space, running at least 30 inches up the slope and 12 inches past the inner face of the wall, so on steeper roofs it is a choice, not a rule.
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.
Who else is certified in Racine
2 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI statistical area, of which 1 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 214 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.8. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 198,651, a change of 0.21% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Racine rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI 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 2 certified contractors, of whom 1 hold President’s Club standing and 1 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.8. The top two 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.
Set aside in Racine. Contractors that would otherwise have scored into the top two were removed for the reason stated. The score is computed from public data, but where the research pass finds evidence undermining an input to that score, the score is set aside.
- SJS Roofing & Construction Inc, which scored 73.7: Excluded on service area. It is based in Oak Creek, Milwaukee County; its website names Oak Creek, Waukesha and Mequon, and its BBB profile gives Milwaukee County only. We found no page naming Racine or any Racine County community.
- Endurance Exteriors, which scored 62.3: Excluded on service area, not on quality. It is based in Eagle, Waukesha County, and its service area page lists only Waukesha County communities. Its BBB record is A+ with no complaints.
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: 2026-10-06. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
What Racine homeowners want to know
Who is the best roofer in Racine, WI?
BNW Installations of Sturtevant, WI scores highest in the Racine metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 85.1 out of 100 as of October 2026. It holds President’s Club certification with a 4.7 rating across 46 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the company behind it scores within 13.1 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Racine?
2 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI statistical area as of October 2026, of which 1 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Racine get?
The Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI statistical area recorded 19 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 2.75 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 two.
What was the worst hailstorm in Racine in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 2.75 inches, reported near Rochester Fox Rvr Ar on 15 May 2025. That is baseball sized, comfortably past the point where a roof is written off rather than repaired. Across the decade the metro recorded 25 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $302,000; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Racine?
Severe-weather reports in the Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI statistical area cluster in May, July, April, 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 WI?
Wisconsin does not issue a roofing-specific licence, but anyone pulling a building permit for work on a one- or two-family dwelling must hold a Dwelling Contractor certification from the Department of Safety and Professional Services, and the company must also hold or employ a Dwelling Contractor Qualifier. An owner who lives in the home may pull their own permit. The Qualifier credential requires at least 12 hours of an approved course in dwelling construction, with course tests, and renews every two years on 12 hours of continuing education; the code describes its purpose as proof of continuing education rather than trade competence. The business certification requires general liability insurance of at least $250,000 per occurrence or a surety bond: $25,000 for an unrestricted certification, while a smaller bond, down to $5,000, limits the contractor to jobs no larger than the bond. Under Wis. Stat. 100.65 a contractor may not promise to pay or rebate your insurance deductible, may not negotiate your claim for you, and must give you a cancellation form; you may cancel within three business days of a written claim denial. Each violation carries a forfeiture of $500 to $1,000.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Racine?
Ask for both credentials: a Dwelling Contractor certification without a Qualifier cannot legally pull your permit. The Uniform Dwelling Code requires ice dam protection only on roofs of 4:12 slope or less over heated space, running at least 30 inches up the slope and 12 inches past the inner face of the wall, so on steeper roofs it is a choice, not a rule.
Old houses and the layer rule?
Of the City of Racine’s 35,629 housing units, 39 percent were built in 1939 or earlier and another 25.8 percent between 1940 and 1959; only 1.3 percent date from 2010 or later. The city’s median home was built in 1953, against 1968 for the county as a whole. Houses that old have often been re-covered at least once.
Is Racine a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Racine is a pre-war city: 39 percent of its houses were built before 1940, and its median home dates from 1953. Wisconsin’s dwelling code bars a third layer of roofing, so the city’s roof permit asks outright whether the job is a full tear-off. Wisconsin certifies dwelling contractors rather than licensing roofers. Four certified firms appear in the directory, but two publish no coverage of Racine County, so two are ranked, and four more local roofers are listed for comparison.
Why is SJS Roofing & Construction Inc not on this list?
Excluded on service area. It is based in Oak Creek, Milwaukee County; its website names Oak Creek, Waukesha and Mequon, and its BBB profile gives Milwaukee County only. We found no page naming Racine or any Racine County community..
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 Milwaukee, WI, about 25 miles from Racine
- Best roofers in Chicago, IL, about 62 miles from Racine
- Best roofers in Madison, WI, another WI metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Appleton, WI, another WI metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Florence, SC, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Houma, LA, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Green Bay, WI, also scored, about 124 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 Racine, WI: 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.