Short answer: As of September 2026, the five highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Perfection Roofing (91.4), Star Roofing and Restoration (91.3), Ultimate Roofing (90.8), Grace Roofing LLC (90.5), All Conditions Roofing LLC (81.7). 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 12 certified roofing contractors serving the Albany metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top five individually to confirm its record. The Capital Region has an unusually top-heavy certified pool: four of its twelve certified contractors hold GAF’s President’s Club tier, and the top four scores sit within a single point of each other. Only one other metro in this programme has a tighter cluster at the top, which means the choice between them turns on location and roof type rather than on quality. New York issues no statewide roofing licence, and the Capital Region counties do not run the licensing bureaus that Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester do, so there is no state or county register to check here. Manufacturer certification and the BBB complaint record are effectively the only external checks available.
Quick picks for Albany:
- Perfection Roofing: best overall (TRB Score 91.4).
- Star Roofing and Restoration: best for storm damage jobs (TRB Score 91.3). Verified services: storm damage work, siding.
- Ultimate Roofing: best for Schenectady homeowners (TRB Score 90.8). Verified services: commercial roofing.
- Grace Roofing LLC: best for metal roofs (TRB Score 90.5). Verified services: metal roofing.
- All Conditions Roofing LLC: best for rural properties (TRB Score 81.7).
The conditions an Albany roof has to be specified for
The Capital Region’s storm record is overwhelmingly about wind. NOAA holds 943 severe wind reports for the five metro counties over the decade, against 110 hail reports with nothing above 1.75 inches and six tornadoes. July is the peak month and 2019 the busiest year, with 225 reports. Two events reached 87 knots, near Quaker Springs in Saratoga County on 4 May 2018 and at Boyntonville in Rensselaer County on 7 October 2020; the 2018 storm damaged an estimated 1,000 trees in Saratoga National Historical Park alone.
Trees are the mechanism by which most of that wind reaches a roof. A metro this wooded loses limbs in every squall line, so the honest pre-quote inspection here includes what is growing over the roof, and the honest repair after a wind event checks the decking under a punctured area rather than just replacing the visible shingles. Ask for photographs of the deck before the new underlayment goes down.
Winter sets the detail that matters most. New York’s residential code requires ice-barrier underlayment on roofs in this part of the state, running from the eave edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, because meltwater backing up behind an ice dam is the classic Albany failure. That membrane, combined with balanced ventilation and attic insulation that keeps the deck cold, is what stops recurring winter leaks; a quote that mentions none of these is a shingle price, not a roof specification.
New York issues no statewide roofing licence, so the check is municipal. The City of Albany’s Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance requires a building permit for a roof replacement, and Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs and the surrounding towns each run their own building departments. Confirm who is pulling the permit, and ask for the certificate of insurance and the New York workers compensation coverage in the contractor’s own name before any crew steps on the roof.
The 5 best roofers in Albany, NY
Scored 2026-09-18. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Albany is 4.658, across a pool of 12 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perfection Roofing | 91.4 | President’s Club | 4.9 (157) | 4.842 | not published | Albany, NY |
| 2 | Star Roofing and Restoration | 91.3 | President’s Club | 4.8 (385) | 4.784 | not published | Albany, NY |
| 3 | Ultimate Roofing | 90.8 | President’s Club | 4.9 (278) | 4.863 | 2009 | Schenectady, NY |
| 4 | Grace Roofing LLC | 90.5 | President’s Club | 4.9 (182) | 4.848 | not published | Delmar, NY |
| 5 | All Conditions Roofing LLC | 81.7 | Master Elite | 5.0 (296) | 4.951 | 2001 | Valatie, NY |

1. Perfection Roofing: best overall (TRB Score 91.4)
Perfection Roofing is based in Albany, NY, BBB accredited since 1 February 2008, A+ rating, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 33.7 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 12.8 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 91.4 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited since 1 February 2008, an 18-year record, 20 years in business. BBB
- Listed with GuildQuality, which surveys customers directly rather than collecting volunteered reviews. GuildQuality
- Rated 4.9 overall, with reviewers citing an owner directly involved in the work. Reviews
What they actually do. Residential roofing across Albany and the immediate Capital Region.
Why it ranks here. The only contractor in this top five based in Albany itself, one mile from the metro centre, with eighteen years of unbroken A+ accreditation, the longest formal record here. GuildQuality participation means its feedback is solicited from every customer rather than volunteered by the pleased ones.
Best fit for: Albany city and inner-ring homeowners, and anyone who wants the owner on the job.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (518) 599-0142, 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. Star Roofing and Restoration: best for storm damage jobs (TRB Score 91.3)
Star Roofing and Restoration is based in Albany, NY, BBB accredited since 8 March 2001, A+ rating, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 31.3 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 91.3 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited since 8 March 2001, a 25-year record, with one complaint in the past three years and none closed in the last twelve months. BBB
- 4.8 across 383 reviews. Birdeye
- Listed with GuildQuality. GuildQuality
What they actually do. Roofing, siding and storm restoration across the Capital Region.
Services we could verify: storm damage work, siding.
Why it ranks here. Twenty-five years of unbroken accreditation with a documented complaint record of exactly one in three years, the most precisely verifiable conduct record in this metro, and 385 registry reviews, the deepest base in the Albany pool.
Best fit for: Homeowners who want the complaint history itself on record, and storm damage restoration.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (518) 449-3422, 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. Ultimate Roofing: best for Schenectady homeowners (TRB Score 90.8)
Ultimate Roofing is based in Schenectady, NY, in business since 2009, BBB accredited since 6 May 2015, A+ rating, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 34.5 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 14.2 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 7.1 | 10 |
| Total | 90.8 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited since 6 May 2015, in business 17 years from a 2009 start. BBB
- More than 310 five-star Google reviews across its Albany and Schenectady listings. Google
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roofing across Schenectady, Albany and the wider Capital Region.
Services we could verify: commercial roofing.
Why it ranks here. 278 registry reviews at 4.9 and President’s Club certification, edging the metro by 1.0 point. Eleven years of unbroken A+ accreditation in a state with no licensing regime to fall back on.
Best fit for: Schenectady and western Capital Region homeowners.
What we would want clarified. The top four here are separated by less than two points. Treat this as a shortlist rather than a verdict. 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 (518) 888-7663, 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.
4. Grace Roofing LLC: best for metal roofs (TRB Score 90.5)
Grace Roofing LLC is based in Delmar, NY, BBB accredited since 7 June 2019, A+ rating, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: President’s Club (GAF), CertainTeed ShingleMaster. Certification by more than one manufacturer is uncommon and requires meeting each programme’s separate standards for insurance, training and track record.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 33.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 13.1 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 8.5 | 10 |
| Total | 90.5 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited since 7 June 2019, 15 years in business. BBB
- Listed with GuildQuality. GuildQuality
- Certified under both GAF and the CertainTeed ShingleMaster programme. Certifications
What they actually do. Residential roofing including metal and energy-efficient roof systems across the Capital Region.
Services we could verify: metal roofing.
Why it ranks here. Dual certification with GAF and CertainTeed ShingleMaster. That matters more in New York than in most states, because with no licence to check, a second manufacturer’s independent vetting is one of the only additional filters available.
Best fit for: Bethlehem, Delmar and southern Albany County homeowners, and metal or energy-efficient systems.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (518) 209-4224, 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. All Conditions Roofing LLC: best for rural properties (TRB Score 81.7)
All Conditions Roofing LLC is based in Valatie, NY, in business since 2001, BBB accredited since 14 November 2024, A+ rating, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 38.0 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 14.3 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 5.4 | 10 |
| Total | 81.7 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited since 14 November 2024, 24 years in business from a 1 June 2001 start. BBB
- 5.0 across 296 registry reviews, the only perfect rating at that volume in the Albany pool. Reviews
What they actually do. Roofing across Columbia, Albany, Rensselaer, Greene, Dutchess, Saratoga, Schenectady and Schoharie counties.
Why it ranks here. A clean 5.0 across 296 reviews is the strongest raw satisfaction record in the metro, from a firm trading since 2001. Coverage across eight counties makes it the practical choice for rural properties the Albany-based firms travel to reluctantly.
Best fit for: Columbia, Rensselaer and Greene County properties, and anywhere outside the immediate Albany ring.
What we would want clarified. Master Elite rather than President’s Club, and BBB accreditation only since late 2024 despite 24 years trading, so the formal complaint record is short. Fourteen miles from the metro centre. 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 (518) 378-7434, 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.
Roof replacement and repair in Albany, NY
Short answer: In Albany, start with Perfection Roofing for Albany city and inner-ring homes, Star Roofing and Restoration for storm damage restoration, Ultimate Roofing for Schenectady and the western Capital Region, Grace Roofing for metal or energy-efficient systems and All Conditions Roofing for properties outside the Albany ring. The rule that matters most: New York has no roofing licence, and the City of Albany requires a building permit for a roof replacement.
The Capital Region’s storm record is overwhelmingly about wind. NOAA holds 943 severe wind reports for the five metro counties over the decade, against 110 hail reports with nothing above 1.75 inches and six tornadoes. July is the peak month and 2019 the busiest year, with 225 reports. Two events reached 87 knots, near Quaker Springs in Saratoga County on 4 May 2018 and at Boyntonville in Rensselaer County on 7 October 2020. Trees are how most of that wind reaches a roof, so an honest repair after a wind event checks the decking under a punctured area rather than just replacing the visible shingles; ask for photographs of the deck before new underlayment goes down.
Winter sets the detail that matters most. New York’s residential code requires ice-barrier underlayment on roofs in this part of the state, running from the eave edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, because meltwater backing up behind an ice dam is the classic Albany failure. Under Residential Code Section R908.3 a roof replacement means tearing off existing layers down to the deck, and under R908.4 a new layer may go over the old one only if the existing roof is not water soaked or deteriorated, is not slate, clay, cement or asbestos cement tile, and does not already have two or more layers.
New York issues no statewide roofing licence, and the Capital Region counties do not run the licensing bureaus that Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester do, so the check is municipal. The City of Albany’s Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance requires a building permit for a roof replacement. Statewide, General Business Law 771-b requires every roofing contract to be in writing and name the roofer’s insurance; the roofer may not promise to rebate your deductible or require any deposit. On a job paid by insurance you may cancel before midnight on the third business day after the insurer says in writing that all or part of the claim is not covered.
The top four certified scores sit within a single point of each other, so location and roof type decide more than quality. Star Roofing and Restoration covers roofing, siding and storm restoration and has the deepest review base in the pool, 385 registry reviews. Grace Roofing in Delmar lists metal and energy-efficient roof systems and also holds CertainTeed ShingleMaster certification. Ultimate Roofing in Schenectady does residential and commercial roofing. Perfection Roofing is the only top-five firm based in Albany itself, and All Conditions Roofing in Valatie covers eight counties, including Columbia, Rensselaer and Greene.
| Rule | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State roofing licence | None. New York issues no statewide roofing or general contractor licence, and the Capital Region counties run no licensing bureau. | New York State; Capital Region counties |
| Roof replacement permit | A building permit is required for a roof replacement in the City of Albany; Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs and surrounding towns run their own building departments. | City of Albany Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance |
| Tear-off and recover limits | Replacement tears off existing layers down to the deck; a recover is allowed only over a roof that is not water soaked or deteriorated, not slate, clay, cement or asbestos cement tile, and not already two or more layers. | 2025 Residential Code of New York State R908.3 and R908.4 |
| Ice-barrier underlayment | Required from the eave edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line. | Residential Code of New York State |
| 25 percent rule | New York has no 25 percent roofing rule; neither the 2025 Residential Code nor the 2025 Existing Building Code sets a 25 percent repair threshold that forces the whole roof up to code. | 2025 Uniform Code, effective December 31, 2025 |
| Written contract and deposits | Contract must be in writing and name the roofer’s insurance; no deductible rebate promises and no deposit may be required. | General Business Law 771-b |
| Cancellation on insurance jobs | Cancel before midnight on the third business day after the insurer says in writing that all or part of the claim is not covered. | General Business Law 771-b |
Related guides: roof replacement cost in New York; the 25% roofing rule in New York 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.
The 943 wind reports that shape an Albany 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 5 counties of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 110 hail reports, 943 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 6 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $8.2 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.

The biggest hail to fall on Albany in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 August 2024 | 1.75 in | Malta | Saratoga |
| 17 May 2025 | 1.75 in | East Glenville | Schenectady |
| 27 July 2018 | 1.75 in | Watervliet | Albany |
| 30 June 2017 | 1.75 in | East Line | Saratoga |
| 31 May 2017 | 1.75 in | Aqueduct | Schenectady |
| 4 August 2023 | 1.5 in | Schoharie | Schoharie |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 15 August 2024 near Malta, measured at 1.75 inches. That is ping-pong-ball sized, enough to bruise asphalt shingles and shorten a roof’s life without necessarily looking dramatic from the ground.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 87 knots, about 100 mph, near Quaker Spgs on 4 May 2018. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 6 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF1 near Saratoga Lake on 21 August 2019.
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 4 May 2018 event near Quaker Spgs, reproduced verbatim:
Widespread tree damage occurred in Saratoga National Historical Park, with an estimated 1,000 trees damaged throughout the park. One hundred tall pines were cleared from the park’s tour road, which was closed for five days. The damage was most widespread from Freeman’s Farm to Burgoyne’s Headquarters. Several trees were snapped in half as well.
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 July (322), August (289), May (178). The worst years on record were 2019 (225), 2020 (151), 2017 (127). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Albany, 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. Albany 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 tell an Albany roofer’s claims from their record
There is no state roofing licence in NY. New York issues no statewide roofing licence and no statewide general contractor licence. Roofing is licensed locally, and whether a licence exists at all depends on which county or city the work happens in.
New York City requires a Home Improvement Contractor licence from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, involving a written exam, proof of workers’ compensation cover, either enrolment in the Home Improvement Business Trust Fund or a $20,000 surety bond, a sales tax Certificate of Authority, and EPA lead-safe certification or a signed affirmation that it is not needed. Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties, and the City of Buffalo, run their own separate licensing bureaus. Statewide, General Business Law 771-b governs every roofing contract: it must be in writing and name the roofer’s insurance, the roofer may not promise to rebate your deductible, and it may not require any deposit, only invoice materials on delivery and the balance on completion. On a job paid by insurance you may cancel before midnight on the third business day after the insurer says in writing that all or part of the claim is not covered.
That absence is the most important fact on this page. Where a state issues no credential, a manufacturer certification that can be revoked is the only quality signal a homeowner can actually check, which is why this ranking is built on certification rather than star ratings.
Check here: NYC DCWP Home Improvement Contractor licence. Confirm the contractor is licensed in the specific county where your home sits, not merely somewhere in the metro. A Westchester licence does not authorise work in Nassau.
For what a full replacement costs across New York, including state labor rates and permit rules, see our New York 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.
Who else is certified in Albany
12 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY statistical area, of which 4 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 1,908 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.658. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 913,485, a change of 1.58% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Albany rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 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 12 certified contractors, of whom 4 hold President’s Club standing and 4 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.658. 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: 2026-09-18. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
The questions that come up most in Albany
Who is the best roofer in Albany, NY?
Perfection Roofing of Albany, NY scores highest in the Albany metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 91.4 out of 100 as of September 2026. It holds President’s Club certification with a 4.9 rating across 157 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the four companies behind it score within 9.7 points.
What is the 25% rule for roofing in New York?
New York has no 25 percent roofing rule. Outside New York City, the 2025 Uniform Code, in effect since December 31, 2025, sets no 25 percent repair threshold that forces the whole roof up to code. A replacement tears off existing layers down to the deck, and a recover is allowed only over a sound roof that does not already have two or more layers.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Albany, NY?
Yes. The City of Albany’s Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance requires a building permit for a roof replacement. Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs and the surrounding towns each run their own building departments, so confirm who is pulling the permit.
Who does storm damage roofing in Albany, NY?
Star Roofing and Restoration, based in Albany, lists roofing, siding and storm restoration across the Capital Region and is best for storm damage restoration. It holds GAF’s President’s Club tier and has 385 registry reviews at 4.8, the deepest base in the Albany pool.
How do I know if a roofer in Albany is good?
With no state or county register to check, manufacturer certification and the BBB complaint record are effectively the only external checks. Ask for the certificate of insurance and the New York workers compensation coverage in the contractor’s own name before any crew steps on the roof. A quote that never mentions ice-barrier membrane, ventilation or attic insulation is a shingle price, not a roof specification.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Albany?
12 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY statistical area as of September 2026, of which 4 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Albany get?
The Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY statistical area recorded 80 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 1.75 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 five.
What was the worst hailstorm in Albany in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 1.75 inches, reported near Malta on 15 August 2024. That is ping-pong-ball sized, enough to bruise asphalt shingles and shorten a roof’s life without necessarily looking dramatic from the ground. Across the decade the metro recorded 110 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $8.2 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Albany?
Severe-weather reports in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY statistical area cluster in July, August, May, 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 NY?
New York issues no statewide roofing licence and no statewide general contractor licence. Roofing is licensed locally, and whether a licence exists at all depends on which county or city the work happens in. New York City requires a Home Improvement Contractor licence from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, involving a written exam, proof of workers’ compensation cover, either enrolment in the Home Improvement Business Trust Fund or a $20,000 surety bond, a sales tax Certificate of Authority, and EPA lead-safe certification or a signed affirmation that it is not needed. Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties, and the City of Buffalo, run their own separate licensing bureaus. Statewide, General Business Law 771-b governs every roofing contract: it must be in writing and name the roofer’s insurance, the roofer may not promise to rebate your deductible, and it may not require any deposit, only invoice materials on delivery and the balance on completion. On a job paid by insurance you may cancel before midnight on the third business day after the insurer says in writing that all or part of the claim is not covered.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Albany?
Confirm the contractor is licensed in the specific county where your home sits, not merely somewhere in the metro. A Westchester licence does not authorise work in Nassau.
Is Albany a hard market to find a good roofer in?
The Capital Region has an unusually top-heavy certified pool: four of its twelve certified contractors hold GAF’s President’s Club tier, and the top four scores sit within a single point of each other. Only one other metro in this programme has a tighter cluster at the top, which means the choice between them turns on location and roof type rather than on quality. New York issues no statewide roofing licence, and the Capital Region counties do not run the licensing bureaus that Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester do, so there is no state or county register to check here. Manufacturer certification and the BBB complaint record are effectively the only external checks available.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Albany?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY statistical area logged 943 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 80 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 U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan areas on the same formula.
- Best roofers in Pittsfield, MA, about 31 miles from Albany
- Best roofers in Glens Falls, NY, about 45 miles from Albany
- Best roofers in Kingston, NY, about 52 miles from Albany
- Best roofers in Amherst, MA, about 69 miles from Albany
- Best roofers in Poughkeepsie, NY, another NY metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Utica, NY, another NY metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in McAllen, TX, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Bakersfield, CA, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Burlington, VT, also scored, about 129 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 Albany, NY: 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.