Short answer: As of October 2026, the two highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Dothan, AL metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are South Alabama Construction (66.8), Mr Hicks Roofing (56.8). Each holds a certification we verified on the manufacturer’s own register, every rating was corroborated elsewhere, and placement on this page is not for sale.
The Roofing Brief scored 2 certified roofing contractors serving the Dothan metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top two individually to confirm its record. Dothan sits 80 miles from the Gulf, but its roofs take hurricane and tornado wind: Hurricane Michael crossed the Wiregrass at near-major strength in 2018, a January 2024 EF2 tore through Cottonwood the same morning baseball-size hail fell in Dothan, and in March 2025 a tornado ripped sections of roof off a Dothan school. Alabama licenses residential roofers, without an exam. Five certified firms appear in the directory for the area; three are commercial or out-of-area firms and are excluded, and two are ranked.
Hail, codes and what they cost a Dothan homeowner
Alabama requires a licence from the Home Builders Licensure Board for residential roofing over $2,500: either the Roofers licence, which takes no exam but needs a $10,000 bond naming the board and a contractor business licence or manufacturer certification, or an Unlimited home builder licence, which takes two exams. An ordinary Limited licence does not cover roofing. Licences expire each 31 December. Unlicensed work is a Class A misdemeanour with board fines of up to $5,000, and an unlicensed builder cannot sue to enforce the contract. The board’s Homeowners’ Recovery Fund pays only against licensees.
Under Ala. Code 8-36-2 you may cancel an insurance-funded roofing contract before midnight on the fifth business day after your insurer says in writing that all or part of the claim is not covered, and the contract must include a boldface notice and a cancellation form. Alabama has no statute barring a roofer from waiving or rebating a deductible.
In Dothan a permit, pulled by a contractor licensed with the city, is required, and the city’s roofing permit application asks for both the city and state licence numbers. The fee is 0.20 percent of value with a $50 minimum, so a typical house reroof costs $50. Dothan adopted the 2021 International Residential Code from 1 January 2025.
Across 2016 to 2025 Geneva, Henry and Houston counties logged 22 hail reports, 416 thunderstorm wind reports and 51 tornado records, four of them EF2, with $11.4 million of recorded convective damage; Hurricane Michael adds $4.8 million filed by forecast zone. Mobile homes are 15.1 percent of the metro’s housing, nearly three times the national share, and 42.9 percent of homes in Dothan are rented.
The 2 best roofers in Dothan, AL
Scored 2026-10-08. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Dothan is 4.56, across a pool of 2 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Alabama Construction | 66.8 | Certified | 4.9 (178) | 4.825 | 2018 | Newton, AL |
| 2 | Mr Hicks Roofing | 56.8 | Certified | 4.9 (58) | 4.743 | 2021 | Enterprise, AL |
1. South Alabama Construction: TRB Score 66.8
South Alabama Construction is based in Newton, AL, in business since 2018, led by Salvador Castro, owner, BBB accredited since 13 September 2022, A+ rating, no complaints, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 33.0 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 6.8 | 10 |
| Total | 66.8 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- South Alabama Construction, LLC held residential roofer licence 30010 on the board’s 2021 roster; its website still shows that number. The board’s live search was blocked to us, so current status is unconfirmed.. Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board roster
- Accredited since September 2022 with an A+ rating; business started March 2018; owner Salvador Castro; no complaints.. BBB business profile
- Founded in 2018 when Salvador Castro helped Troy residents after storm damage; serves Dothan, Headland, Slocomb, Webb, Cowarts and Kinsey.. Company website
What they actually do. Residential roof replacement, storm repair, shingle-to-metal conversions and inspections.
Why it ranks here. A residential roofer in Newton, Dale County, about 13 miles from Dothan and just outside the metro’s three counties, whose service area names Dothan and nearby Houston, Henry and Geneva county towns. It has 178 GAF reviews averaging 4.9, BBB accreditation since 2022 with no complaints, and a 2018 founding that BBB and its site agree on. It held an Alabama roofer licence in 2021 and still displays the number, and it appears in none of the board’s disciplinary or prosecution reports since 2018.
Best fit for: Dothan and Headland homeowners who want a residential specialist with a clean record and metal-roof experience.
What we would want clarified. It holds GAF’s entry Certified tier, and we could confirm its state licence only from the 2021 roster; ask for this year’s licence before signing. 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 (334) 249-4925, 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. Mr Hicks Roofing: TRB Score 56.8
Mr Hicks Roofing is based in Enterprise, AL, in business since 2021, Not accredited; A+ rating; no complaints, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 29.7 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 11.8 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 3.3 | 10 |
| Total | 56.8 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Mr. Hicks Roofing, LLC, Enterprise: A+ rating, not accredited; business started March 2021; no complaints.. BBB business profile
- Areas covered: Coffee, Dale, Houston, Geneva, Pike and Covington counties; free quotes are offered in its home service area of Coffee County only.. Company website
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roofing, shingle, metal and flat roof replacement, repairs and siding.
Why it ranks here. An Enterprise roofer in Coffee County, about 27 miles from Dothan, with 58 GAF reviews averaging 4.9 and a clean BBB record since 2021. Its website lists Houston and Geneva counties among the areas it covers, but offers free quotes only in Coffee County, so Dothan is a secondary market for it. We could not find it on the board’s 2021 roster, which lists only renewals, and the live register was blocked to us, so its licence is unconfirmed.
Best fit for: Homeowners on the west side of the metro, toward Enterprise and Daleville, who want shingle, metal or flat work.
What we would want clarified. Based outside the metro with free quotes only in Coffee County, and a state licence we could not confirm: ask for its Alabama roofer licence number and whether a Dothan quote carries a fee. 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 (334) 390-3087, 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 Dothan
Two certified firms are ranked here. These four are based in the metro with a long BBB record, a state roofer licence on the board’s roster or an Owens Corning credential. They are not scored and we are not recommending them; check each licence is current for this year, as the board’s online search was blocked to us.
| Company | Verified credential |
|---|---|
| Kenneth Bedsole Roofing Company | Alabama roofer licence 30153 on the board’s 2021 roster, on W Main St in Dothan; BBB accredited since 2006 at A+, trading since 1993; shingle, metal and flat roofing; no complaints. |
| Mike Goodson Roofing, LLC | Alabama roofer licence 30092 on the 2021 roster, based in Webb; BBB accredited since 2019 at A+, no complaints; residential and low-slope commercial. |
| Rock Creek Roofing | BBB accredited since 2023 at A+, a young Dothan firm on Wise Dr trading since 2022; shingle and metal residential work and insurance claims. |
| Apex General Construction LLC | Owens Corning Preferred, the only network roofer in Dothan; BBB accredited since 2024 at A+, with one complaint in three years; trading since 2022. |
What 2.75 inch hail does to a Dothan 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 3 counties of the Dothan, AL statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 22 hail reports, 416 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 51 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $11.4 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Dothan in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 January 2024 | 2.75 in | Dothan | Houston |
| 14 June 2023 | 2.75 in | Haleburg | Henry |
| 5 March 2020 | 1.75 in | Samson | Geneva |
| 9 April 2021 | 1.5 in | Cottonwood | Houston |
| 9 January 2024 | 1.5 in | Dothan | Houston |
| 13 March 2025 | 1.5 in | Dothan | Houston |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 9 January 2024 near Dothan, 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 74 knots, about 85 mph, near Merritts Crossroads on 2 January 2017. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 51 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF2 near Taylor on 2 January 2017.
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 2 January 2017 event near Merritts Crossroads, reproduced verbatim:
An NWS Survey Team determined that some damage in the Rehobeth area was caused by strong straight line winds on the southern flank of a tornado just to the north. Damage consisted of numerous large trees snapped or uprooted. One mobile home was split by a large tree, resulting in four fatalities. The damage pattern along this path was not convergent and was noticeably south of the path of the tornado vortex. Damage cost was estimated.
That is what the specification has to anticipate here, written up by the agency that recorded it rather than by a contractor selling the repair.
When it happens. Severe weather reports cluster in April (87), July (71), June (70). The worst years on record were 2023 (104), 2025 (53), 2020 (51). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Dothan, 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 Dothan. Weight your decision toward wind rating, ventilation and flashing detail rather than paying extra for impact-rated shingles.
An inland hurricane and a winter tornado
Hurricane Michael made landfall near Tyndall Air Force Base on 10 October 2018 as a category 5 and was still near major-hurricane strength when its eye moved into southwest Georgia, tracking just east of Dothan. The National Hurricane Center describes a swath of major wind damage to structures and forests along its track from the Florida Panhandle across extreme southeastern Alabama, and puts $1.1 billion of its damage in southeastern Alabama. Dothan’s airport recorded a 53 knot gust before its record cut off, so the true peak is unknown.
A county storm count for Dothan contains none of this, because NOAA files hurricanes by forecast zone. Houston County’s entry for Michael is classed as a hurricane, with $2.94 million of damage, and Geneva and Henry as tropical storm.
Tornadoes are the recurring threat, and not only in spring. On 9 January 2024 an EF2 with 130 mph winds crossed from Jackson County, Florida through downtown Cottonwood on a 21-mile path, rolling a strapped single-wide home and tearing roofs and a brick facade off businesses. Before dawn the same day 2.75-inch hail fell in Dothan, tied for the largest in the metro’s decade. On 2 January 2017 an EF2 damaged buildings at the National Peanut Festival grounds, and two of the metro’s four EF2s in the decade came in January.
Dothan itself was hit on 31 March 2025, when a 105 mph EF1 crossed the city for three miles. It removed several sections of roof from Dothan Preparatory Academy, injuring a few students when part of the gym roof came off and landed blocks away, and stripped roofing from businesses and a warehouse east of US 231.
For a Dothan homeowner that means hurricane-grade fastening is not overkill: ask how the roofer will secure edges, ridge and deck, and whether a FORTIFIED roof is an option for an insurance discount. Then check the roofer’s state licence is current for this year, since Alabama licences expire every 31 December, and that its city licence number is on the permit.
The Wiregrass wind record and the rules on a Dothan reroof
| Item | Figure or rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Michael, 10 October 2018 | Major wind damage across southeastern Alabama; $2.94 million in Houston County | NHC report; NOAA NCEI, zone rows |
| Cottonwood EF2, 9 January 2024 | 130 mph; 21-mile path | NWS Tallahassee survey via NOAA NCEI |
| Largest hail, 2016 to 2025 | 2.75 inches, Dothan, 9 January 2024 | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Tornado records, 2016 to 2025 | 51, four of them EF2 | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Dothan Preparatory Academy EF1, 31 March 2025 | 105 mph; sections of roof removed | NWS Tallahassee survey via NOAA NCEI |
| State roofer licence | Required over $2,500; no exam; $10,000 bond | Ala. Code 34-14A-2; HBLB rules 465-X-3 |
| Cancellation after a claim denial | Five business days | Ala. Code 8-36-2 |
| Dothan reroof permit | 0.20 percent of value, $50 minimum | Dothan Code 14-7 |
| Mobile homes, metro | 15.1 percent | ACS 2020 to 2024, B25024 |
| Renter-occupied homes, Dothan | 42.9 percent | ACS 2020 to 2024, B25003 |
Source: National Hurricane Center report on Hurricane Michael; NWS Tallahassee storm surveys and NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (Geneva, Henry and Houston counties and zone rows); Ala. Code 34-14A and 8-36-2; Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board rules, licensing guidance and rosters; City of Dothan Code 14-5 and 14-7, roofing permit application and Ordinance 2024-343; Owens Corning contractor locator; BBB business profiles; US Census Bureau ACS 2020 to 2024.
How to check a Dothan roofer in ten minutes
Licensing is required in AL. Alabama requires a residential roofer licence from the Home Builders Licensure Board. The board’s own application packet states that a residential roofer who contracts directly with a homeowner to perform residential roofing is required to hold a residential roofers licence when the total cost of the undertaking exceeds $2,500.
The board issues three residential licence types. An Unlimited licence, earned by passing the Alabama Business and Law and Skills exams and filing a credit report, carries full homebuilding authority including roofing. A Limited licence covers a restricted scope that does not include residential roofing over $2,500. A Roofers licence covers residential roofing only and takes no exam: the applicant files a $10,000 licence and permit bond naming the board as obligee, renewed each year, and shows a contractor business licence held within the past year or proof that it is a manufacturer-certified roofing installer. Every licensee must complete six hours of continuing education each year before the licence is renewed.
Check here: Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board. Because the Roofers licence involves no competency exam, it evidences bonding and registration rather than skill, so manufacturer certification carries proportionally more weight in Alabama; the board itself accepts manufacturer certification as one route to the licence. Licences and the roofer’s bond run to 31 December and must be renewed each year, so check the licence is current, not just that it exists.
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.
The shape of the Dothan contractor market
2 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Dothan, AL statistical area, of which 0 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 236 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.56. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 154,766, a change of 2.48% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Dothan rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Dothan, AL 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 0 hold President’s Club standing and 0 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.56. The top two were then researched individually against Better Business Bureau records, state licence registers and manufacturer directories. The findings are printed above whether they flatter the contractor or not, and nobody paid to appear.
Set aside in Dothan. 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.
- Marty Robbins Roofing Co., which scored 56.2: Excluded on core trade. Dothan’s oldest roofer, trading since 1975, but its website brands it a commercial roofing contractor, says it specialises in commercial roofing and shows only institutional projects, and BBB files it under commercial roofing; it is not on the board’s 2021 residential roofer roster.
- Voak Construction LLC, which scored 46.7: Excluded on core trade. A Headland commercial general contractor whose residential work is architect-led custom homes over $1 million; its website says it does not take on renovations, additions or remodels, and bills its roofing as commercial.
- C&C Construction of NWF LLC, which scored 39.1: Excluded on licence and service area. A Bonifay, Florida firm about 35 miles away with a current Florida roofing licence, but we found no Alabama roofer licence, no website, no BBB profile and no published service area showing it works in the Dothan metro.
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: 2026-10-08. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
Questions Dothan homeowners ask
Who is the best roofer in Dothan, AL?
South Alabama Construction of Newton, AL scores highest in the Dothan metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 66.8 out of 100 as of October 2026. It holds Certified certification with a 4.9 rating across 178 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the company behind it scores within 10.0 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Dothan?
2 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Dothan, AL statistical area as of October 2026, of which 0 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Dothan get?
The Dothan, AL statistical area recorded 19 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 2 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 Dothan in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Dothan, AL statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 2.75 inches, reported near Dothan on 9 January 2024. That is baseball sized, comfortably past the point where a roof is written off rather than repaired. Across the decade the metro recorded 22 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $11.4 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Dothan?
Severe-weather reports in the Dothan, AL statistical area cluster in April, July, June, on the NOAA record for 2016 to 2025. If the work can wait, booking outside that window usually buys you shorter lead times and more of the contractor’s attention.
Do roofers need a licence in AL?
Alabama requires a residential roofer licence from the Home Builders Licensure Board. The board’s own application packet states that a residential roofer who contracts directly with a homeowner to perform residential roofing is required to hold a residential roofers licence when the total cost of the undertaking exceeds $2,500. The board issues three residential licence types. An Unlimited licence, earned by passing the Alabama Business and Law and Skills exams and filing a credit report, carries full homebuilding authority including roofing. A Limited licence covers a restricted scope that does not include residential roofing over $2,500. A Roofers licence covers residential roofing only and takes no exam: the applicant files a $10,000 licence and permit bond naming the board as obligee, renewed each year, and shows a contractor business licence held within the past year or proof that it is a manufacturer-certified roofing installer. Every licensee must complete six hours of continuing education each year before the licence is renewed.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Dothan?
Because the Roofers licence involves no competency exam, it evidences bonding and registration rather than skill, so manufacturer certification carries proportionally more weight in Alabama; the board itself accepts manufacturer certification as one route to the licence. Licences and the roofer’s bond run to 31 December and must be renewed each year, so check the licence is current, not just that it exists.
An inland hurricane and a winter tornado?
Hurricane Michael made landfall near Tyndall Air Force Base on 10 October 2018 as a category 5 and was still near major-hurricane strength when its eye moved into southwest Georgia, tracking just east of Dothan. The National Hurricane Center describes a swath of major wind damage to structures and forests along its track from the Florida Panhandle across extreme southeastern Alabama, and puts $1.1 billion of its damage in southeastern Alabama. Dothan’s airport recorded a 53 knot gust before its record cut off, so the true peak is unknown.
Is Dothan a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Dothan sits 80 miles from the Gulf, but its roofs take hurricane and tornado wind: Hurricane Michael crossed the Wiregrass at near-major strength in 2018, a January 2024 EF2 tore through Cottonwood the same morning baseball-size hail fell in Dothan, and in March 2025 a tornado ripped sections of roof off a Dothan school. Alabama licenses residential roofers, without an exam. Five certified firms appear in the directory for the area; three are commercial or out-of-area firms and are excluded, and two are ranked.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Dothan?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Dothan, AL statistical area logged 416 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 19 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.
Why is Marty Robbins Roofing Co. not on this list?
Excluded on core trade. Dothan’s oldest roofer, trading since 1975, but its website brands it a commercial roofing contractor, says it specialises in commercial roofing and shows only institutional projects, and BBB files it under commercial roofing; it is not on the board’s 2021 residential roofer roster..
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 Panama City, FL, about 75 miles from Dothan
- Best roofers in Crestview, FL, about 77 miles from Dothan
- Best roofers in Tallahassee, FL, about 87 miles from Dothan
- Best roofers in Montgomery, AL, another AL metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Auburn, AL, another AL metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Wildwood, FL, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Hanford, CA, a metro of comparable size
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 Dothan, AL: 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.