Short answer: As of October 2026, the two highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Henderson Roofing (84.8), Mid-America Roofing (59.6). 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 Florence metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top two individually to confirm its record. The Shoals’ roofs are broken by straight-line wind: on the night of 24 March 2023 a bow echo with gusts estimated at 80 to 90 mph tore roofs off buildings across Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals and spawned an EF2 that destroyed half the roofs of several homes in southeast Florence. Alabama licenses residential roofers, without an exam, and Florence enforces the 2024 code. Two manufacturer-certified roofers with five or more reviews appear in the directory for the Shoals, both local and established, and both are ranked; five more are listed for comparison.
The conditions a Florence, AL roof has to be specified for
Alabama requires a licence from the Home Builders Licensure Board for residential roofing over $2,500: the Roofers licence, with a $10,000 bond and a business licence or manufacturer certification but no exam, or an Unlimited licence for structural or multi-trade work. Licences expire each 31 December and need six hours of continuing education to renew, and a building official must refuse a permit without one. Unlicensed work is a Class A misdemeanour; the board has prosecuted several unlicensed builders in Colbert and Lauderdale courts since 2022.
Under Ala. Code 8-36-2 you may cancel an insurance-funded roofing contract before midnight on the fifth business day after a written claim denial, and the roofer may take no payment until then or negotiate the claim for you. Alabama has no deductible-rebate ban.
Florence requires a building permit for roof replacement and enforces the 2024 International Residential Code. Its permit covers the city and a planning jurisdiction three miles beyond. Fees are $15 for the first $1,000 plus $5 per $1,000 after, plus a small contractor licence fee inside city limits, so about $92 on a $15,000 reroof, doubled if work starts first.
Across 2016 to 2025 Colbert and Lauderdale counties logged 48 hail reports, topped by a 3.75-inch stone at Joe Wheeler State Park in May 2025, 1,473 thunderstorm wind damage reports and 29 tornadoes, two of them EF2. The wind count is high partly because each downed tree or line is logged separately; the April 2025 squall line alone produced 174. Florence’s median home was built in 1973, and 47.9 percent of its homes are rented.
The 2 best roofers in Florence, AL
Scored 2026-10-08. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Florence is 4.65, across a pool of 2 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henderson Roofing | 84.8 | President’s Club | 4.6 (76) | 4.62 | 1986 | Florence, AL |
| 2 | Mid-America Roofing | 59.6 | Certified | 4.7 (33) | 4.67 | not published | Sheffield, AL |
1. Henderson Roofing: TRB Score 84.8
Henderson Roofing is based in Florence, AL, in business since 1986, led by Mark Henderson, owner; Michael Henderson, vice president, BBB accredited since 5 August 2019, A+ rating, one complaint in three years, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 24.8 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 84.8 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Accredited since August 2019 with an A+ rating; business started 1986; owner Mark Henderson; service area Florence, Sheffield, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, Decatur, Athens, Madison and Huntsville; one complaint in three years.. BBB business profile
- Member listing: started in 1986 by Mark Henderson, now including his son Michael, four salesmen, two repairmen and a foreman.. Shoals Chamber of Commerce
- Serving north Alabama since 1986; steep and low-slope, shingle, synthetic shake, TPO and metal; advertises certified FORTIFIED roofing.. Company website
What they actually do. Residential steep-slope roofing in shingle, synthetic shake and slate, commercial TPO and metal, and shop-made metal trim.
Why it ranks here. The Shoals’ long-established roofer: founded in Florence in 1986 by Mark Henderson, who learned the trade at his grandfather’s Hollis Roofing, with BBB and the Shoals Chamber agreeing on the year. It holds GAF’s President’s Club tier with 76 reviews averaging 4.6, works both homes and commercial roofs, and advertises FORTIFIED roof installation, the wind standard most relevant to the Shoals. Its published service area names Florence, Sheffield, Muscle Shoals and Tuscumbia. It also keeps a Huntsville office.
Best fit for: Shoals homeowners who want a four-decade local firm that can build to the FORTIFIED wind standard.
What we would want clarified. Its 4.6 rating and one BBB complaint in three years; its FORTIFIED certification is self-reported, so ask for its evaluator documentation. 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 (256) 767-7166, 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. Mid-America Roofing: TRB Score 59.6
Mid-America Roofing is based in Sheffield, AL, led by Ben Johnson, owner, BBB accredited since 17 February 2012, A+ rating, no complaints, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 26.8 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 12.2 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 8.7 | 10 |
| Total | 59.6 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Accredited since February 2012 with an A+ rating; business started 1994; owner Ben Johnson; no complaints.. BBB business profile
- Member listing: a full-service roofing contractor licensed in Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia, with about 80 percent of its work reroofing and the rest new construction.. Shoals Chamber of Commerce
What they actually do. Reroofing and new-construction roofing for residential, commercial and industrial customers.
Why it ranks here. A Sheffield roofer with 33 GAF reviews averaging 4.7 and a clean BBB record since 2012. The Shoals Chamber describes it as licensed in four states with reroofing about 80 percent of its work. BBB dates the business to 1994, but the chamber text is stale and gives no second date, so we record no founding year. Its own website blocked us, so we could not read its service area or residential share directly; Sheffield is inside the metro.
Best fit for: Colbert County homeowners who want an established local reroofing firm.
What we would want clarified. It holds GAF’s entry Certified tier, and we could not read its website to confirm how much residential work it does; ask for its Alabama roofer licence. 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 (256) 383-6336, 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 the Shoals
Two certified firms are ranked here. These five are based in Colbert or Lauderdale County with BBB accreditation, three of them also Owens Corning Preferred. They are not scored and we are not recommending them; check each one’s state licence is current, as the board’s online search was blocked to us.
| Company | Verified credential |
|---|---|
| ICS Roofing & Construction, Inc. | Owens Corning Preferred on Jackson Hwy in Sheffield; BBB accredited since 2011 at A+, trading since 2010; no complaints. |
| McGee Roofing, LLC | BBB accredited since 2009 at A+, trading since 1998 in Killen; a tear-off and replacement roofer; no complaints. |
| Simmons Roofing | BBB accredited since 2019 at A+, on Highway 72 in Tuscumbia, family owned; BBB dates it to 1968; no complaints. |
| Cypress Roofing & Exteriors | Owens Corning Preferred on Cloverdale Rd in Florence; trading since 2020; BBB accredited since 2025 at A+. |
| River Restoration LLC | Owens Corning Preferred in Florence, trading since 2016; storm repair and emergency service; BBB accredited only since August 2026. |
What 3.75 inch hail does to a Florence, AL 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 Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 48 hail reports, 1,473 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 29 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $38.7 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Florence in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 May 2025 | 3.75 in | Thortontown | Lauderdale |
| 1 March 2017 | 1.75 in | Florence | Lauderdale |
| 1 March 2017 | 1.75 in | Petersville | Lauderdale |
| 1 March 2017 | 1.75 in | Killen | Lauderdale |
| 1 March 2017 | 1.75 in | Thortontown | Lauderdale |
| 9 April 2020 | 1.75 in | Waterloo | Lauderdale |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 20 May 2025 near Thortontown, measured at 3.75 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 81 knots, about 93 mph, near Sullivan Xrds on 30 March 2022. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 29 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF2 near Colbert Hgts on 16 December 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 30 March 2022 event near Sullivan Xrds, reproduced verbatim:
A narrow swath of winds between 64 and 93 mph affect locations just southwest of the intersection of CR 106 and Highway 20 (east of the Natchez Trace Parkway) and moved northeast before weakening near the Cloverdale community. Some of the most severe damage occurred near the beginning of the its path, where the roof of Cornerstone Church of Christ received significant damage, two power poles were snapped near its base, and trees were uprooted. Several very large trees were uprooted along CR 81 as it moved further northeast. Significant roof damage occurred along CR 200 just southwest of the intersection of Lindsey Drive to a commercial structure. Additional uprooted trees and roof/awning…
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 June (291), April (291), May (252). The worst years on record were 2025 (447), 2023 (236), 2020 (201). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Florence, 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 Florence. Weight your decision toward wind rating, ventilation and flashing detail rather than paying extra for impact-rated shingles.
The Shoals’ straight-line wind problem
On the night of 24 March 2023 a bow echo swept into the Shoals, producing a long and at times wide swath of wind damage through Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals. NWS estimated gusts may have reached 80 to 90 mph where a brick wall of a two-storey building collapsed and a large part of its roof was taken off. Utilities reported more than 60 power poles down in Colbert County, and numerous homes suffered roof damage, falling trees and water inside.
Across the river the same line brought 60 to 65 mph winds to south and east Florence and Killen, with a few gusts of 80 to 90 mph. It took the entire roof off an antique mall between Killen and Florence and roofing off a fire station. Embedded in it, an EF2 touched down near Sweetwater Avenue and Huntsville Road and peaked at 120 mph near Plantation Springs, where about half the roofs of several homes were destroyed. NOAA records $5.4 million of wind damage in Lauderdale County and $3.9 million for the tornado.
Wind returned in 2025. On 5 April an EF1 of 105 mph tracked through southern Tuscumbia into Muscle Shoals, dropping trees on homes and injuring five people. Five days later a squall line hit the Shoals hard, generating about 250 damage reports across north Alabama. The strongest measured gust of the decade was 81 knots, about 93 mph, near Sullivan Crossroads in March 2022, which damaged a church roof.
Florence’s rules are current: the city has adopted the 2024 International Residential Code and requires a permit to replace a roof. Hail is rarer here than in much of the state, with only one stone of two inches or more in ten years, though that one, 3.75 inches in May 2025, was the region’s largest.
For a Shoals homeowner the key question is wind resistance. Ask the roofer how it will fasten edges, ridge and deck, and whether it can build to the FORTIFIED standard, which targets exactly this failure mode and can earn an insurance discount; check its Alabama licence is current for this year; and make sure it pulls the Florence permit.
The Shoals’ wind record and the rules on a Florence reroof
| Item | Figure or rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bow echo, 24 March 2023 | Gusts estimated at 80 to 90 mph; roofs torn off | NWS Huntsville via NOAA NCEI |
| Florence EF2, 24 March 2023 | 120 mph; half the roofs of several homes destroyed | NWS Huntsville survey via NOAA NCEI |
| Strongest gust, 2016 to 2025 | 81 knots (about 93 mph), Sullivan Crossroads, 30 March 2022 | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Largest hail | 3.75 inches, Joe Wheeler State Park, 20 May 2025 | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Tornadoes, 2016 to 2025 | 29: two EF2 | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| State roofer licence | Over $2,500; no exam; $10,000 bond | Ala. Code 34-14A-2; HBLB rules 465-X-3 |
| Florence building code | 2024 IRC | City of Florence Building Department |
| Florence reroof permit | Required; about $92 on a $15,000 job | City of Florence fee schedule |
| Cancellation after a claim denial | Five business days | Ala. Code 8-36-2 |
| Renter-occupied homes, Florence | 47.9 percent | ACS 2020 to 2024, B25003 |
Source: NWS Huntsville storm surveys and narratives and NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (Colbert and Lauderdale counties and zone rows); Ala. Code 34-14A and 8-36; Alabama Home Builders Licensure Board rules and enforcement reports; City of Florence Building Department codes, FAQ and fee pages; Shoals Chamber of Commerce; Owens Corning contractor locator; BBB business profiles; US Census Bureau ACS 2020 to 2024.
How to tell a Florence, AL roofer’s claims from their record
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.
What the rest of the Florence, AL field looks like
2 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL statistical area, of which 1 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 109 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.65. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 156,287, a change of 3.64% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Florence, AL rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Florence-Muscle Shoals, 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 1 hold President’s Club standing and 0 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.65. 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.
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.
Florence, AL roofing questions, answered
Who is the best roofer in Florence, AL?
Henderson Roofing of Florence, AL scores highest in the Florence metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 84.8 out of 100 as of October 2026. It holds President’s Club certification with a 4.6 rating across 76 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the company behind it scores within 25.2 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Florence?
2 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL statistical area as of October 2026, of which 1 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Florence get?
The Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL statistical area recorded 35 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 1 of 2 inches or larger between 2016 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Events Database. The largest hailstone reported measured 3.75 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 Florence in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 3.75 inches, reported near Thortontown on 20 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 48 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $38.7 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Florence?
Severe-weather reports in the Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL statistical area cluster in June, April, May, 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 Florence?
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.
The Shoals’ straight-line wind problem?
On the night of 24 March 2023 a bow echo swept into the Shoals, producing a long and at times wide swath of wind damage through Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals. NWS estimated gusts may have reached 80 to 90 mph where a brick wall of a two-storey building collapsed and a large part of its roof was taken off. Utilities reported more than 60 power poles down in Colbert County, and numerous homes suffered roof damage, falling trees and water inside.
Is Florence a hard market to find a good roofer in?
The Shoals’ roofs are broken by straight-line wind: on the night of 24 March 2023 a bow echo with gusts estimated at 80 to 90 mph tore roofs off buildings across Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals and spawned an EF2 that destroyed half the roofs of several homes in southeast Florence. Alabama licenses residential roofers, without an exam, and Florence enforces the 2024 code. Two manufacturer-certified roofers with five or more reviews appear in the directory for the Shoals, both local and established, and both are ranked; five more are listed for comparison.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Florence?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL statistical area logged 1,473 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 35 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 Decatur, AL, about 42 miles from Florence
- Best roofers in Huntsville, AL, about 57 miles from Florence
- Best roofers in Jackson, TN, about 87 miles from Florence
- Best roofers in Birmingham, AL, another AL metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Tuscaloosa, AL, another AL metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Monroe, MI, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Rapid City, SD, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Memphis, TN, also scored, about 132 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 Florence, 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.