Short answer: As of October 2026, the two highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Jackson, MI metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are RD Kleinschmidt (73.9), Billy White Roofing (58.7). 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 Jackson metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top two individually to confirm its record. Jackson’s roofs face wind and ice, not hail, and they are among the oldest in Michigan: more than half the homes in the city were built before 1940. In a decade the county logged just two hail reports, but straight-line gales and an ice storm did $14 million of damage, and in March 2025 the airport measured a gust of about 95 mph. Michigan licenses every roofer, and the city registers them too. Two manufacturer-certified roofers with five or more reviews serve Jackson, both licensed, and both are ranked; four more licensed local roofers are listed for comparison.
What actually ages a Jackson, MI roof
Michigan requires a licence from the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs for residential work of $600 or more: a Residential Builder licence, or a Maintenance and Alteration licence with the roofing classification, after 60 hours of courses and a state exam. A company must hold its own licence through a qualifying officer, and every additional place of business needs a branch office licence. Unlicensed residential work carries a fine of $5,000 to $25,000 and up to a year in jail, and an unlicensed contractor cannot sue for payment or file a lien.
The City of Jackson makes contractors register each year before working: $15, expiring on 31 May, with a state licence number, and no registration or permit is issued if the state licence is on hold or inactive. A strip-and-reroof permit costs a flat $150, and permits go only to the registered contractor. Michigan’s door-to-door sales law gives you until midnight of the third business day to cancel a contract signed at home; we found no Michigan law on insurance deductibles or storm contracts.
The 2015 Michigan Residential Code is still in force after a July 2025 court order paused the 2021 edition. It requires an ice barrier on every new shingle roof, from the eaves to at least 24 inches inside the wall line, bars a new layer over two existing ones, and sets Jackson County’s ground snow load at 25 psf, far below the 60 psf of northern Michigan.
Across 2016 to 2025 Jackson County logged two hail reports, 31 thunderstorm wind reports and three tornadoes, with $845,000 of recorded damage. The zone records, where NOAA files gales, snow and ice, add $14.15 million. In the City of Jackson the median home was built in 1938, 52.9 percent of homes predate 1940, and 45.3 percent are rented.
The 2 best roofers in Jackson, MI
Scored 2026-10-08. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Jackson is 4.5, across a pool of 2 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RD Kleinschmidt | 73.9 | Master Elite | 4.8 (241) | 4.748 | 1972 | Manchester, MI |
| 2 | Billy White Roofing | 58.7 | Master Elite | 4.2 (129) | 4.284 | not published | Jackson, MI |
1. RD Kleinschmidt: TRB Score 73.9
RD Kleinschmidt is based in Manchester, MI, in business since 1972, BBB accredited since 27 April 1990, A+ rating, no complaints closed in three years, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 29.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 5.0 | 10 |
| Total | 73.9 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- R D Kleinschmidt Inc holds Residential Builder company licence 2102076332, issued April 1987 and current to May 2029; its website prints the same number.. Michigan LARA licence register
- Accredited since April 1990 with an A+ rating; business started 1972, incorporated 1975; no complaints in three years.. BBB business profile
- A multi-generational family business since 1972 serving Washtenaw, Jackson, Lenawee and Livingston counties; roofing, gutters, windows, skylights, doors and siding.. Company website
What they actually do. Residential roofing, siding, gutters, windows, skylights and doors.
Why it ranks here. A family firm since 1972, at GAF Master Elite with 241 reviews averaging 4.8, holding a company licence since 1987 and BBB accreditation since 1990 with no complaints. BBB and its own site agree on the founding year, and the licence number on its site matches the register. Its office is in Sharon Township near Manchester, in Washtenaw County about 20 miles east of Jackson, but both its site and BBB list Jackson County as a service area.
Best fit for: East-county homeowners around Grass Lake, Napoleon and Brooklyn who want a long-established, licensed family firm.
What we would want clarified. Based outside Jackson County, about 20 miles away, and roofing is one of several exterior lines; confirm it is registered with the City of Jackson if you live in the city. 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 (734) 704-5713, 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. Billy White Roofing: TRB Score 58.7
Billy White Roofing is based in Jackson, MI, led by Billy White, founder, Not accredited; A+ rating; no complaints, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Master Elite (GAF), Owens Corning Preferred Contractor. 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 | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 11.4 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 13.3 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 58.7 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Billy White Roofing LLC holds Residential Builder company licence 2102185817, issued December 2007 and current to May 2029. We found no branch office licences for its other offices.. Michigan LARA licence register
- A+ rating, not accredited; business started 2006; service area Jackson County; no complaints.. BBB business profile
- Listed in Jackson as an Owens Corning Preferred Contractor, membership 214799, the only one in Jackson County.. Owens Corning contractor locator
What they actually do. Residential, commercial and flat roofing, and standing seam metal.
Why it ranks here. The only ranked firm based in Jackson itself, on E High Street, and the only Owens Corning network contractor in the county, so it holds credentials from two manufacturers. Its company licence dates from 2007 and BBB rates it A+ with no complaints. It also runs offices in Ann Arbor and at Torch Lake; Michigan requires a branch office licence for each extra place of business, and we found none on the register, which is a register observation rather than a finding. Its site says it was founded in 1994, but BBB gives 2006 and the licence 2007, so we give no year.
Best fit for: City of Jackson homeowners who want a local firm with two manufacturer credentials and commercial and metal capability.
What we would want clarified. Its 4.2 rating across 129 GAF reviews is the lower of the two, it is not BBB accredited, and its founding date is disputed; confirm its city registration before work starts. 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 (517) 962-0837, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
Other licensed roofers serving Jackson
Two certified firms are ranked here. These four hold a current Michigan licence and a Jackson office. They are not scored and we are not recommending them. Two other Jackson roofers we checked had no company licence on the state register, so we left them out.
| Company | Verified credential |
|---|---|
| Mullins Roofing LLC | Residential Builder company licence 2102199181 since 2010, owner licensed individually; on Shirley Dr in Jackson; BBB accredited since 2012 at A+, no complaints. |
| Dan’s Roofing | Maintenance and Alteration roofing licence held by owner Daniel Poole since 2011, correct for a sole proprietor; on Viking Dr in Jackson, trading since 1989; BBB accredited since 2016 at A+. |
| C.S. Roofing Co., LLC | Residential Builder company licence with a licensed Jackson branch on E Washington Ave; head office in Hillsdale; Owens Corning Preferred; BBB accredited since 2016 at A+, one complaint in three years. |
| Sherriff-Goslin Co. | Maintenance and Alteration company licence with roofing, and two licensed Jackson branches; founded 1906 in Battle Creek. BBB shows six complaints in three years. |
36 severe weather reports in a decade, and why that matters in Jackson, MI
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 Jackson, MI statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 2 hail reports, 31 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 3 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $845,000; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Jackson in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 June 2019 | 1.75 in | Parma | Jackson |
| 30 March 2025 | 1.0 in | Henrietta | Jackson |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 1 June 2019 near Parma, 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 83 knots, about 96 mph, near Jackson on 30 March 2025. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 3 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF0 near Kibby Cobb on 1 September 2018.
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 18 November 2016 event near Jackson, reproduced verbatim:
An isolated severe thunderstorm produced wind gusts up to 80 mph in Jackson. A 69 knot measured wind gust was reported at the Jackson airport. This resulted in numerous downed trees and limbs and power lines.
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 July (8), August (8), June (6). The worst years on record were 2025 (8), 2023 (7), 2020 (4). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Jackson, 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 Jackson. Weight your decision toward wind rating, ventilation and flashing detail rather than paying extra for impact-rated shingles.
Wind and ice on very old houses
Hail is almost a non-event in Jackson County: two reports in ten years, the larger 1.75 inches at Parma in June 2019, with $5,000 of recorded damage. The roof bill comes from wind and ice, much of it filed by NOAA against the forecast zone rather than the county.
The decade’s costliest event was a gale with no thunderstorm. On 8 March 2017 the gust at Reynolds Field reached 62 mph, NOAA logged $10 million of damage in the Jackson zone, and across the state numerous homes took significant roof damage as slightly over a million people lost power. On 24 February 2019 another windstorm with gusts near 60 mph added $3 million. Thunderstorms bring the peaks: gusts up to 80 mph in Jackson on 18 November 2016, and on 30 March 2025 an 83 knot gust, about 95 mph, measured at Reynolds Field on a day with 14 tornadoes across Michigan.
Ice is the other load. The ice storm of 22 February 2023 left half to three quarters of an inch of freezing rain across the county, with $1 million recorded, as nearly 800,000 homes and businesses lost power across southern Lower Michigan. Tornadoes have been weak but close: an 80 mph EF0 crossed Washington Avenue at the western city limits in September 2018, and two brief EF0s in July 2023 left minor roof damage near Stockbridge.
The houses taking this weather are unusually old. In the City of Jackson the median home was built in 1938 and more than half predate 1940, against fewer than one in ten in the Traverse City metro. On houses this old, a reroof is often the first time in decades that anyone has looked at the decking underneath.
So the questions for a Jackson roofer are about fastening and the deck: how the edges and ridge will be secured against 60 to 90 mph gusts, what happens if plank decking or rot is found, and how the ice barrier will be run on a roof that may never have had one. Then confirm the company’s state licence and city registration, and that it pulls the $150 permit.
Jackson’s wind and ice record and the rules on a reroof
| Item | Figure or rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hail reports, Jackson County, 2016 to 2025 | 2 | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Strongest measured gust | 83 knots (about 95 mph), 30 March 2025 | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Windstorm of 8 March 2017 | $10 million, Jackson zone | NOAA NCEI Storm Events, zone rows |
| Ice storm of 22 February 2023 | Half to three quarters of an inch of ice; $1 million | NOAA NCEI Storm Events, zone rows |
| Recorded damage, all event types | About $15 million | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| State licence | Required for work of $600 or more; company licence needed | MCL 339.2403 and 339.2405 |
| Unlicensed residential work | Fine of $5,000 to $25,000; up to 1 year | MCL 339.601(6) |
| City contractor registration | $15 a year; state licence required | City of Jackson |
| Strip-and-reroof permit | $150 flat | City of Jackson fee schedule |
| Homes built before 1940, City of Jackson | 52.9 percent | ACS 2020 to 2024, B25034 |
Source: NWS Grand Rapids narratives and NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (Jackson County and zone rows); MCL 339.2403 to 339.2412 and 339.601; MCL 445.112; LARA notice on the 2015 Michigan Residential Code; City of Jackson contractor registration and permit fee pages; Michigan LARA licence register; Owens Corning contractor locator; BBB business profiles; US Census Bureau ACS 2020 to 2024.
What a Jackson, MI homeowner should ask for in writing
Licensing is required in MI. Michigan requires a licence from the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs for any residential construction, alteration or repair with an aggregate contract price of $600 or more. Roofers may hold either a Residential Builder licence, which covers roofing, or a Maintenance and Alteration Contractor licence with the roofing classification. Contracting without a licence for residential work is a misdemeanour carrying a fine of $5,000 to $25,000 and up to a year in jail for a first offence (MCL 339.601(6)).
Applicants must complete a 60-hour state-approved prelicensure course and pass the state licensing exam. A Maintenance and Alteration licence is limited to the trade classifications its holder has passed, such as roofing; a Residential Builder licence covers residential construction as a whole.
Check here: Michigan LARA builder and M&A licence lookup. The $600 threshold means anyone contracting directly with a homeowner to reroof needs a licence. The exemptions are narrow: owners working on their own home or maintaining their own rental property, and crews working solely under contract to a licensed builder. A company must hold its own licence through a qualifying officer, so look up the business name, not just the owner’s individual licence, and check that it is active and, for a Maintenance and Alteration licence, that it carries the roofing classification.
Four checks to run before you sign anything, in any state.
- Verify certification at the source. Use the GAF verification tool rather than trusting a badge image on a company website.
- Get the certificate of insurance from the insurer, not the contractor, and confirm general liability and workers compensation are both active on the day work starts.
- Confirm who pulls the permit. If a contractor asks you to pull it as the homeowner, that moves liability onto you. Decline.
- Get warranty terms in writing before any deposit, and check the manufacturer warranty being promised actually requires the certification tier the contractor holds.
How many certified roofers Jackson, MI actually has
2 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Jackson, MI statistical area, of which 0 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 370 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.5. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 160,233, a change of -0.08% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Jackson, MI rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Jackson, MI 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 2 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.5. 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.
Common questions about roofers in Jackson, MI
Who is the best roofer in Jackson, MI?
RD Kleinschmidt of Manchester, MI scores highest in the Jackson metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 73.9 out of 100 as of October 2026. It holds Master Elite certification with a 4.8 rating across 241 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the company behind it scores within 15.2 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Jackson?
2 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Jackson, MI statistical area as of October 2026, of which 0 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Jackson get?
The Jackson, MI statistical area recorded 2 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 two.
What was the worst hailstorm in Jackson in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Jackson, MI statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 1.75 inches, reported near Parma on 1 June 2019. 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 2 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $845,000; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Jackson?
Severe-weather reports in the Jackson, MI statistical area cluster in July, August, 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 MI?
Michigan requires a licence from the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs for any residential construction, alteration or repair with an aggregate contract price of $600 or more. Roofers may hold either a Residential Builder licence, which covers roofing, or a Maintenance and Alteration Contractor licence with the roofing classification. Contracting without a licence for residential work is a misdemeanour carrying a fine of $5,000 to $25,000 and up to a year in jail for a first offence (MCL 339.601(6)). Applicants must complete a 60-hour state-approved prelicensure course and pass the state licensing exam. A Maintenance and Alteration licence is limited to the trade classifications its holder has passed, such as roofing; a Residential Builder licence covers residential construction as a whole.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Jackson?
The $600 threshold means anyone contracting directly with a homeowner to reroof needs a licence. The exemptions are narrow: owners working on their own home or maintaining their own rental property, and crews working solely under contract to a licensed builder. A company must hold its own licence through a qualifying officer, so look up the business name, not just the owner’s individual licence, and check that it is active and, for a Maintenance and Alteration licence, that it carries the roofing classification.
Wind and ice on very old houses?
Hail is almost a non-event in Jackson County: two reports in ten years, the larger 1.75 inches at Parma in June 2019, with $5,000 of recorded damage. The roof bill comes from wind and ice, much of it filed by NOAA against the forecast zone rather than the county.
Is Jackson a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Jackson’s roofs face wind and ice, not hail, and they are among the oldest in Michigan: more than half the homes in the city were built before 1940. In a decade the county logged just two hail reports, but straight-line gales and an ice storm did $14 million of damage, and in March 2025 the airport measured a gust of about 95 mph. Michigan licenses every roofer, and the city registers them too. Two manufacturer-certified roofers with five or more reviews serve Jackson, both licensed, and both are ranked; four more licensed local roofers are listed for comparison.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Jackson?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Jackson, MI statistical area logged 31 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 2 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 Lansing, MI, about 33 miles from Jackson
- Best roofers in Ann Arbor, MI, about 35 miles from Jackson
- Best roofers in Monroe, MI, about 57 miles from Jackson
- Best roofers in Kalamazoo, MI, another MI metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Flint, MI, another MI metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in State College, PA, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Decatur, AL, 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 Jackson, MI: 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.