Short answer: As of October 2026, the two highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Johnstown, PA metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Professional Construction Solutions (81.0), Bigfoot Construction (54.4). 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 Johnstown metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top two individually to confirm its record. Johnstown has the oldest, emptiest roofscape in the region: nearly half the city’s homes predate 1940 and almost a quarter stand vacant, on a plateau where Ebensburg averages 87 inches of snow and the forecast zone logged nine ice storms in a decade. Pennsylvania licenses no roofers, but Johnstown requires a permit even for repairs and proof that the old roof was disposed of. Four certified firms appear in the directory; two are excluded, one with no published service area and one a kitchen and bath remodeller, so two are ranked.
Quick picks for Johnstown:
- Professional Construction Solutions: best overall (TRB Score 81.0). Verified services: metal roofing, siding.
- Bigfoot Construction: best for standing seam and ice dams (TRB Score 54.4). Verified services: metal roofing, flat and low-slope roofing, snow and ice removal.
What a Johnstown roof is up against
Pennsylvania has no roofing licence. A contractor doing $5,000 or more of home improvements a year must register with the Attorney General and carry $50,000 of injury and $50,000 of property damage liability insurance, with no exam, and the registration number must appear on every advert, estimate and contract. A contract without it cannot be enforced against you, you may rescind within three business days, and the deposit on a job over $5,000 is capped at a third. Towns may not license contractors, but they may require permits.
Johnstown asks for more than the state minimum: a building permit is required for all repairs and renovations except painting and flooring, at a flat $59.50 for a house, doubled if work starts first, and it expires after 60 days. The city’s code agency, the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency, asks for the contractor’s registration number and workers’ compensation proof, and every roofing job must show a receipt for disposal of the old roofing. Its standard drawings call for a 40 psf snow load and ice and water shield at the eaves.
Pennsylvania has no roofing-specific insurance statute: no deductible rule and no cancellation right tied to a claim denial; five 2025 bills to amend the home improvement law are still pending. Statewide, an ordinary repair needs no permit, so outside Johnstown the rule depends on the township.
Across 2016 to 2025 Cambria County logged 100 thunderstorm wind reports, seven hail reports and five weak tornadoes, with $741,000 of recorded damage. The forecast zone adds nine ice storms, ten winter storms and seven high wind events, including half an inch of ice at the airport in February 2025. In April 2025 straight-line winds estimated at 120 mph toppled a cell tower near Carrolltown. In the city 23.2 percent of homes are vacant and 44.8 percent of occupied ones are rented.
The 2 best roofers in Johnstown, PA
Scored 2026-10-12. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Johnstown is 4.6, across a pool of 2 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional Construction Solutions | 81.0 | Master Elite | 4.9 (100) | 4.8 | not published | Johnstown, PA |
| 2 | Bigfoot Construction | 54.4 | Certified | 4.6 (82) | 4.6 | not published | Somerset, PA |
1. Professional Construction Solutions: best overall (TRB Score 81.0)
Professional Construction Solutions is based in Johnstown, PA, led by Brandon Pearce, owner, BBB accredited since 26 April 2019, A+ rating, no complaints, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 32.0 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 81.0 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Professional Construction Solutions LLC, PA145408, active to January 2027, registered in Burnside; BBB records the same number.. Pennsylvania Attorney General registration, via a register mirror
- Accredited since April 2019 with an A+ rating; business started 2018; owner Brandon Pearce; service area includes Cambria County; no complaints.. BBB business profile
- Johnstown business address; started in western Pennsylvania and expanded into central Pennsylvania and West Virginia; shingle and metal roofing, siding and decks.. Company website
What they actually do. Shingle and metal roofing, siding, decks and exterior remodelling.
Services we could verify: metal roofing, siding.
Why it ranks here. The only Master Elite firm in the pool, with 100 GAF reviews averaging 4.9, a Johnstown business address in East Taylor Township and a registered office in Burnside, Clearfield County. Its BBB service area names Cambria County, and it has been accredited since 2019 without a complaint.
Best fit for: Johnstown homeowners who want a top-tier GAF firm for shingle or metal roofs, including hail claims.
What we would want clarified. Its registered office is outside the county, and its founding year rests on BBB alone. 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 (814) 592-8585, 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. Bigfoot Construction: best for standing seam and ice dams (TRB Score 54.4)
Bigfoot Construction is based in Somerset, PA, led by Stephen and Crystal McRae, owners, BBB accredited since 26 February 2024, A+ rating, no complaints, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 24.0 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 14.4 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 4.1 | 10 |
| Total | 54.4 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Accredited since February 2024 with an A+ rating; owners Stephen and Crystal McRae; service area names Johnstown and Somerset County towns; BBB records registration PA119033 to June 2028; no complaints.. BBB business profile
- Bigfoot Construction LLC, filed January 2020, active, annual report April 2026.. Pennsylvania Department of State via OpenCorporates
- Based in Somerset and serving western Pennsylvania and the Laurel Highlands; roofing, timber framing and general contracting; shows registration PA119033.. Company website
What they actually do. Shingle, standing seam and metal roofing, flat roofs, steam ice dam removal, timber framing and commercial builds.
Services we could verify: metal roofing, flat and low-slope roofing, snow and ice removal.
Why it ranks here. A Somerset firm about 24 miles south whose BBB service area names Johnstown, with 82 GAF reviews averaging 4.6 and BBB accreditation since 2024. Roofing and timber framing are its core trades, and it offers steam ice dam removal, useful on the plateau. Its site, BBB and the state give different founding dates.
Best fit for: Homeowners wanting a standing seam metal roof or ice dam removal.
What we would want clarified. Its registration number appears on BBB and its site but not in the register mirror we could read, so check it on the Attorney General’s search; it holds GAF’s entry Certified tier. 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 (814) 244-3668, 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 registered roofers serving Johnstown
Only two certified firms are ranked here. These five hold Pennsylvania home improvement registrations, read from a mirror of the state register, and serve Cambria County; four are Owens Corning network contractors. Two show registrations whose expiry has passed in the mirror, so confirm renewal. They are not scored and we are not recommending them.
| Company | Verified credential |
|---|---|
| Cambria Roofing & Remodeling, Inc. | Registration PA025303; Owens Corning Preferred on Chestnut St in Conemaugh; BBB accredited since 1989 at A+, trading since 1979, no complaints. |
| Byler’s Roofing Service | Registration PA177981; Owens Corning Preferred in Ebensburg; BBB accredited since 2024 at A+; a roofing-only firm. |
| Cambria Exteriors | Karys Companies LLC holds registration PA169302; Owens Corning Preferred in Portage; BBB accredited since 2026 at A+, trading since 2021. |
| Buccos Roofing Inc | Owens Corning’s top tier at a Johnstown branch on Galleria Dr; a Pittsburgh-based multi-state firm, BBB accredited since 2014 at A+. Its registration shows a passed expiry in the mirror. |
| James Smiley Roofing & Construction | Registration PA055823, based in Colver; BBB accredited since 2025 at A+, trading since 1995. Its registration shows a passed expiry in the mirror. |
Roof replacement and repair in Johnstown, PA
Short answer: Professional Construction Solutions, the only Master Elite firm in the pool with 100 reviews averaging 4.9, is the strongest overall pick for shingle or metal roofs in Johnstown. Bigfoot Construction of Somerset suits standing seam metal roofs and steam ice dam removal. The rule that matters most: Johnstown requires a $59.50 building permit even for repairs, and every roofing job must show a receipt for disposal of the old roofing.
Ice and snow are the recurring loads on Johnstown roofs. The Cambria forecast zone recorded nine ice storms from 2016 to 2025, including two in one week in February 2025 that left 0.38 and 0.50 inch at the airport, and Ebensburg on the plateau averages 87.5 inches of snow a year. Wind can be extreme too: on 29 April 2025 straight-line winds estimated at 120 mph toppled a cell tower near Carrolltown, and in May 2019 an 80 mph gust stripped metal roofing from a church outbuilding in Daisytown. Cambria County also logged 100 thunderstorm wind reports, seven hail reports and five weak tornadoes over the decade.
The housing is old: 47.7 percent of the city’s homes were built before 1940, and 23.2 percent of housing units are vacant, so many roofs have nobody under them to notice a leak. On an old house, ask the roofer to price deck repairs and ice barrier in the quote. The Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency’s drawings call for a 40 psf snow load, 115 mph wind and ice and water shield at the eaves. Pennsylvania has no 25 percent roof rule; where the 2021 IRC applies, a replacement means tear off to the deck (R908.3), and a recover is barred over a water soaked or deteriorated roof or where two or more layers exist.
Johnstown asks for more than the state minimum: a building permit is required for all repairs and renovations except painting and flooring, at a flat $59.50 for a house, doubled if work starts first, expiring after 60 days. The agency wants the contractor’s registration number, workers’ compensation proof and a disposal receipt for the old roofing. Pennsylvania licenses no roofers, but a contractor doing $5,000 or more of home improvements a year must register with the Attorney General. You may rescind within three business days, and the deposit on a job over $5,000 is capped at a third. Pennsylvania has no roofing-specific insurance statute and no deductible rule.
Professional Construction Solutions handles shingle and metal roofing, siding and decks from a Johnstown business address, holds registration PA145408 and has been BBB accredited since 2019 without a complaint, though its registered office is in Burnside, Clearfield County. Bigfoot Construction, about 24 miles south in Somerset, works in shingle, standing seam and metal roofing and flat roofs, and offers steam ice dam removal; check its registration PA119033 on the Attorney General’s search. Cambria Roofing & Remodeling, Byler’s Roofing Service, Cambria Exteriors, Buccos Roofing and James Smiley Roofing & Construction are registered alternatives, unscored; two show passed expiries, so confirm renewal.
| Rule | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor registration | Required for $5,000 or more of home improvements a year, with $50,000 injury and $50,000 property damage liability insurance; no exam. | Pa. Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act |
| Registration number on paperwork | Must appear on every advert, estimate and contract; a contract without it cannot be enforced against you. | Pa. Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act |
| Rescission and deposit | Rescind within three business days; the deposit on a job over $5,000 is capped at a third. | HICPA Section 9(10) |
| City building permit | Required for all repairs and renovations except painting and flooring; $59.50 flat for a house, doubled if work starts first, expires after 60 days. | City of Johnstown |
| Old roof disposal | A receipt for disposal of the old roofing is required on every roofing job. | Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency |
| Design loads | 40 psf snow load, 115 mph wind and ice and water shield at the eaves. | Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency |
| 25 percent rule | Pennsylvania has no 25 percent roof rule. | 34 Pa. Code 403.21 and 403.27 |
Related guides: roof replacement cost in Pennsylvania; the 25% roofing rule in Pennsylvania 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 100 wind reports that shape a Johnstown roof
Aggregate hail counts tell you very little about a specific roof. These are the individual events: every severe-weather report logged by the National Weather Service across the 1 county of the Johnstown, PA statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 7 hail reports, 100 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 5 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $741,000; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Johnstown in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 May 2019 | 2.0 in | Beaver Vly | Cambria |
| 28 May 2019 | 1.5 in | Colver | Cambria |
| 15 May 2018 | 1.25 in | Bens Creek | Cambria |
| 15 May 2018 | 1.0 in | Portage | Cambria |
| 23 May 2019 | 1.0 in | Johnstown | Cambria |
| 25 July 2016 | 1.0 in | Barnesboro | Cambria |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 28 May 2019 near Beaver Vly, measured at 2.0 inches. That is hen-egg sized. Two inches is the threshold at which insurers expect functional damage and full replacement claims.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 104 knots, about 120 mph, near Carrolltown on 29 April 2025. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 5 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF1 near Loretto on 13 June 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 29 April 2025 event near Carrolltown, reproduced verbatim:
An NWS damage survey confirmed that straight line winds estimated at 120 mph knocked over a cell tower near Carrolltown as a line of severe thunderstorms moved through.
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 May (31), June (20), July (18). The worst years on record were 2019 (21), 2025 (17), 2018 (11). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Johnstown, 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 Johnstown. Weight your decision toward wind rating, ventilation and flashing detail rather than paying extra for impact-rated shingles.
Ice, snow and a pre-war roofscape on the Allegheny Plateau
Nearly half of the City of Johnstown’s homes, 47.7 percent, were built before 1940, and the median dates from 1942, against 1956 for Cambria County. Many are row and twin houses climbing the valley sides. And 23.2 percent of the city’s housing units are vacant, so a large share of roofs have nobody living under them to notice a leak.
Ice is the recurring load. The Cambria forecast zone recorded nine ice storms from 2016 to 2025, usually a quarter inch or more, including two in one week in February 2025 that left 0.38 and 0.50 inch at the airport; on New Year’s Day 2021 ice brought a power line down onto Scalp Avenue in Geistown. On the plateau above the city, Ebensburg averages 87.5 inches of snow a year, and in November 2024 up to a foot closed Route 22 West.
Wind can be extreme too. On 29 April 2025 a Weather Service survey estimated straight-line winds of 120 mph near Carrolltown, strong enough to topple a cell tower, and minutes later 70 mph gusts collapsed a barn in Portage Township. In May 2019 an 80 mph gust stripped metal roofing from a church outbuilding in Daisytown, and an EF0 ran along Menoher Boulevard in Westmont.
The local code agency designs for this: trusses rated for at least 40 psf of snow and 115 mph wind, and ice and water shield at the eaves. Johnstown itself requires a permit for repairs, not just new work, and the agency wants a disposal receipt for the old roof on every job, which keeps tear-off debris out of vacant lots.
After more than 30 years under state financial distress oversight, which ended in 2023, the city runs a federally funded loan programme to rehabilitate owner-occupied homes for lower-income households. On an old house here, ask the roofer to price deck repairs and ice barrier in the quote, and make sure the $59.50 permit is pulled.
Johnstown’s old housing, winter record and rules on a reroof
| Item | Figure or rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1940, City of Johnstown | 47.7% | ACS 2020 to 2024, B25034 |
| Vacant housing units, City of Johnstown | 23.2% | ACS 2020 to 2024, B25002 |
| Ice storms, Cambria zone, 2016 to 2025 | Nine | NOAA NCEI, zone rows |
| Average snowfall, Ebensburg | 87.5 inches a year | NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals |
| Carrolltown straight-line winds, 29 April 2025 | About 120 mph; cell tower toppled | NWS State College survey via NOAA NCEI |
| City permit, residential repair or reroof | $59.50 flat; doubled if work starts first | City of Johnstown permits page |
| Old roof disposal | Receipt required on every roofing job | Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency |
| Design snow load, agency drawings | 40 psf; ice and water shield at eaves | Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency |
| State contractor registration | From $5,000 a year; no exam | Pa. Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act |
| Deposit cap, jobs over $5,000 | One third of the price | HICPA Section 9(10) |
Source: NWS State College and Pittsburgh episode narratives and NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (Cambria County and zone rows); NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals; Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act; 34 Pa. Code 403; City of Johnstown permits page; Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency application and drawings; Pennsylvania Attorney General registrations via the TradeProof mirror; Pennsylvania Department of State via OpenCorporates; Owens Corning contractor locator; GuildQuality; BBB business profiles; US Census Bureau ACS 2020 to 2024.
What a Johnstown homeowner should ask for in writing
There is no state roofing licence in PA. Pennsylvania issues no state roofing licence. Instead, under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, a contractor whose residential home improvement work totalled $5,000 or more in the previous tax year must register as a Home Improvement Contractor with the Office of the Attorney General; large home improvement retailers are exempt.
HIC registration requires minimum insurance of $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage, and no competency exam. Any home improvement contract over $500 must be in writing and meet the Act’s requirements, and the registration number must appear on every contract, estimate, proposal and advertisement.
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: Pennsylvania Attorney General contractor search. The Attorney General’s search shows only active registrations, with the number, expiry date and address; it does not show complaints, which have to be requested from the Bureau of Consumer Protection. A quote with no HIC number on it is not compliant with the Act.
For what a full replacement costs across Pennsylvania, including state labor rates and permit rules, see our Pennsylvania 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.
How many certified roofers Johnstown actually has
2 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Johnstown, PA statistical area, of which 0 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 182 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.6. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 130,108, a change of -2.51% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Johnstown rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Johnstown, PA 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 1 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.6. 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 Johnstown. 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.
- George Beckett & Sons Gen Cont LLC, which scored 50.7: Excluded on service area. A New Paris, Bedford County firm with an active Pennsylvania registration, but no website, a BBB file opened only in May 2026 with no service area, and customer reviews almost all from Bedford County, so we found no published evidence that it serves the Johnstown metro.
- Mihalko’s General Contracting, which scored 42.3: Excluded on core trade. A long-established Johnstown firm, but a full-service remodeller offering kitchens, bathrooms, adaptive remodelling and a fire and water restoration arm, with roofing one of about a dozen services; it also has the lowest GAF rating in the pool.
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: 2026-10-12. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
Johnstown roofing questions, answered
Who is the best roofer in Johnstown, PA?
Professional Construction Solutions of Johnstown, PA scores highest in the Johnstown metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 81.0 out of 100 as of October 2026. It holds Master Elite certification with a 4.9 rating across 100 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the company behind it scores within 26.6 points.
What is the 25% rule for roofing in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has no 25 percent roof rule. The Uniform Construction Code adopted the 2021 IRC for houses effective January 1, 2026, but it does not apply to residential repairs unless a local ordinance requires it. Where the 2021 IRC applies, a replacement means tear off to the deck (R908.3).
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Johnstown?
Yes. Johnstown requires a building permit for all repairs and renovations except painting and flooring, at a flat $59.50 for a house, doubled if work starts first. The Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency also asks for a receipt for disposal of the old roofing.
Who installs metal roofs in Johnstown?
Professional Construction Solutions, a Master Elite firm with a Johnstown business address, does shingle and metal roofing. Bigfoot Construction of Somerset, whose BBB service area names Johnstown, works in standing seam and metal roofing and also offers steam ice dam removal.
How much deposit can a Pennsylvania roofer ask for?
On a home improvement job over $5,000, the deposit is capped at a third of the price under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act. You may also rescind the contract within three business days.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Johnstown?
2 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Johnstown, PA statistical area as of October 2026, of which 0 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Johnstown get?
The Johnstown, PA statistical area recorded 6 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 2.0 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 Johnstown in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Johnstown, PA statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 2.0 inches, reported near Beaver Vly on 28 May 2019. That is hen-egg sized. Two inches is the threshold at which insurers expect functional damage and full replacement claims. Across the decade the metro recorded 7 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $741,000; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Johnstown?
Severe-weather reports in the Johnstown, PA statistical area cluster in May, June, July, 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 PA?
Pennsylvania issues no state roofing licence. Instead, under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, a contractor whose residential home improvement work totalled $5,000 or more in the previous tax year must register as a Home Improvement Contractor with the Office of the Attorney General; large home improvement retailers are exempt. HIC registration requires minimum insurance of $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage, and no competency exam. Any home improvement contract over $500 must be in writing and meet the Act’s requirements, and the registration number must appear on every contract, estimate, proposal and advertisement.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Johnstown?
The Attorney General’s search shows only active registrations, with the number, expiry date and address; it does not show complaints, which have to be requested from the Bureau of Consumer Protection. A quote with no HIC number on it is not compliant with the Act.
Ice, snow and a pre-war roofscape on the Allegheny Plateau?
Nearly half of the City of Johnstown’s homes, 47.7 percent, were built before 1940, and the median dates from 1942, against 1956 for Cambria County. Many are row and twin houses climbing the valley sides. And 23.2 percent of the city’s housing units are vacant, so a large share of roofs have nobody living under them to notice a leak.
Is Johnstown a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Johnstown has the oldest, emptiest roofscape in the region: nearly half the city’s homes predate 1940 and almost a quarter stand vacant, on a plateau where Ebensburg averages 87 inches of snow and the forecast zone logged nine ice storms in a decade. Pennsylvania licenses no roofers, but Johnstown requires a permit even for repairs and proof that the old roof was disposed of. Four certified firms appear in the directory; two are excluded, one with no published service area and one a kitchen and bath remodeller, so two are ranked.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Johnstown?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Johnstown, PA statistical area logged 100 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 6 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 George Beckett & Sons Gen Cont LLC not on this list?
Excluded on service area. A New Paris, Bedford County firm with an active Pennsylvania registration, but no website, a BBB file opened only in May 2026 with no service area, and customer reviews almost all from Bedford County, so we found no published evidence that it serves the Johnstown metro..
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 Altoona, PA, about 30 miles from Johnstown
- Best roofers in Pittsburgh, PA, about 56 miles from Johnstown
- Best roofers in State College, PA, about 64 miles from Johnstown
- Best roofers in Chambersburg, PA, about 72 miles from Johnstown
- Best roofers in Gettysburg, PA, another PA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Harrisburg, PA, another PA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Ames, IA, a metro of comparable size
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 Johnstown, PA: 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.