Short answer: As of September 2026, the five highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are TC Roofing Pros (92.9), John M. Shinn Roofing, LLC (81.7), Green Rhino Builders, LLC (76.6), Royal Roofing Systems LLC (61.5), Widdoss Roofing (59.7). Each is certified by a manufacturer whose register we checked by hand, each rating has been tested against a source outside that register, and nobody bought a place on this page.
The Roofing Brief scored 9 certified roofing contractors serving the Scranton metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top five individually to confirm its record. The Wyoming Valley’s roofing problem is not summer storms, it is February. The NOAA record for these counties contains something you rarely see: a hail event on 25 February 2017, two separate 1.75-inch reports at Oakhill and Penobscot in the middle of winter. Scranton averages around 41 inches of snow a year, and the valley’s ridges hold cold air on the floor so the freeze-thaw cycling that drives ice dams runs longer here than the latitude suggests. The other local fact worth knowing before you call anyone: Pennsylvania’s construction code does not list roofing among the work that always needs a permit, and a like-for-like covering replacement is often treated as an ordinary repair, so whether an inspector ever looks at your roof depends on which municipality you are in.
The conditions a Scranton roof has to be specified for
Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code requires a permit to alter or repair a residential building, but it also states that an ordinary repair needs none, and its list of what is not an ordinary repair covers structural and system work rather than roof coverings. A like-for-like shingle replacement therefore often proceeds without a permit here, while municipalities that enforce the code more tightly, Harrisburg for instance, require one anyway. Ask your borough or township before you assume either way, because the municipal inspection most homeowners believe is protecting them may not be happening. Nothing stops you asking for one, and nothing stops a contractor cutting corners if you do not. The contract, the manufacturer certification and the written warranty are doing all the work that an inspection does elsewhere.
The code still applies even though the permit does not. Pennsylvania requires an ice barrier under the 2015 IRC: a self-adhering polymer-modified bitumen membrane, or two cemented layers of underlayment, running from the lowest edge of the roof to a point at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line, and on roofs of 8:12 pitch or steeper extending at least 36 inches measured along the slope. On the steep Victorian and early-twentieth-century roofs common across Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, that 36-inch rule frequently applies. Ask for it in the specification, and ask how far up the valleys the membrane runs, because valleys are where ice dams actually start.
The housing here is old, dense and mostly built for a coal-era workforce, which produces two practical consequences. Roof planes sit close together and water shed off one property routinely lands on the next, so a badly detailed job creates a neighbour’s problem as well as your own. And a lot of these roofs have been layered over more than once; Pennsylvania permits a second layer over an existing one in limited circumstances, but a tear-off is the only way to see the deck, and on housing of this age the deck is where the surprises are.
Ridge-and-valley geography also concentrates wind. The NOAA record for these three counties shows 332 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports across the decade against only 47 hail reports, and $7.3 million in reported property damage. Wind rating and correct nailing pattern matter far more here than impact-rated shingles do.
The 5 best roofers in Scranton, PA
Scored 2026-09-23. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Scranton is 4.778, across a pool of 9 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TC Roofing Pros | 92.9 | President’s Club | 5.0 (137) | 4.941 | 2005 | Wilkes Barre, PA |
| 2 | John M. Shinn Roofing, LLC | 81.7 | Master Elite | 5.0 (183) | 4.952 | 2006 | Blakeslee, PA |
| 3 | Green Rhino Builders, LLC | 76.6 | Master Elite | 4.8 (181) | 4.795 | 2014 | Dallas, PA |
| 4 | Royal Roofing Systems LLC | 61.5 | Certified | 4.8 (63) | 4.79 | not published | Edwardsville, PA |
| 5 | Widdoss Roofing | 59.7 | Certified | 4.9 (59) | 4.844 | 2010 | Henryville, PA |
1. TC Roofing Pros — TRB Score 92.9
TC Roofing Pros is based in Wilkes Barre, PA, in business since 2005, BBB accredited since 16 June 2020, A+ rating, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 37.6 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 14.2 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 6.2 | 10 |
| Total | 92.9 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited since 16 June 2020, working across northeastern Pennsylvania since 2005. BBB
- Listed with the American Roofing Contractors Organization. ARCO
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roofing across northeastern Pennsylvania.
Why it ranks here. A clean 5.0 across 137 registry reviews with President’s Club certification, the only top-tier contractor in the valley, and twenty years working this market. Its 92.9 leads second place by 11.2 points.
Best fit for: Wilkes-Barre and lower valley homeowners.
What we would want clarified. Because Pennsylvania exempts re-roofs from permitting, ask for the ice barrier specification in writing rather than assuming an inspector will check it. 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 (570) 674-4455, 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. John M. Shinn Roofing, LLC — TRB Score 81.7
John M. Shinn Roofing, LLC is based in Blakeslee, PA, in business since 2006, led by John and Christine Shinn, Not accredited, A+ rating, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Master Elite (GAF), Owens Corning certified. 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 | 38.1 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 4.6 | 10 |
| Total | 81.7 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated though not BBB accredited, in business since 7 April 2006, owned by John and Christine Shinn. BBB
- Also listed as an Owens Corning certified roofing contractor. Owens Corning
- Listed with GuildQuality, which surveys customers directly. GuildQuality
What they actually do. Roofing and home exteriors across the Poconos and the eastern valley.
Why it ranks here. A clean 5.0 across 183 registry reviews, dual certification with GAF and Owens Corning, and GuildQuality participation. Two manufacturers having separately vetted the same installer is a stronger signal than either alone, and it matters more in a state where no inspector sees the finished roof.
Best fit for: Poconos and eastern Luzerne and Monroe County properties.
What we would want clarified. Not BBB accredited, and about 22 miles east of the metro centre, with that distance an upper-bound estimate rather than an exact measurement. 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 (570) 424-2683, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
3. Green Rhino Builders, LLC — TRB Score 76.6
Green Rhino Builders, LLC is based in Dallas, PA, in business since 2014, Not accredited; BBB states it lacks sufficient information to issue a rating, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 31.8 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 5.8 | 10 |
| Total | 76.6 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Not BBB accredited; BBB states it has insufficient information to rate the business. Twelve years in business. BBB
- BuildZoom score of 69, which does not place the company in the top half of Pennsylvania contractors. BuildZoom
- Listed on HomeAdvisor with a review history. HomeAdvisor
What they actually do. Roofing and siding across the Back Mountain and northern valley.
Why it ranks here. 181 registry reviews at 4.8 and Master Elite certification, covering the Back Mountain communities north of Wilkes-Barre.
Best fit for: Dallas, Shavertown and Back Mountain homeowners.
What we would want clarified. The weakest third-party record in this top five and worth weighing carefully. The BBB has issued no rating at all, and BuildZoom’s score of 69 places the company outside the top half of Pennsylvania contractors on its permit-based measure. The manufacturer certification and the 181 reviews are real; the independent corroboration is thin. Get references from completed local jobs. 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 (570) 901-1334, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
4. Royal Roofing Systems LLC — TRB Score 61.5
Royal Roofing Systems LLC is based in Edwardsville, PA, Not BBB accredited, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 31.6 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 12.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 6.0 | 10 |
| Total | 61.5 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- BBB profile on record; the company is not accredited. BBB
- Rated 4.6 overall on HomeAdvisor. HomeAdvisor
- Listed with GuildQuality, which surveys customers directly. GuildQuality
What they actually do. Residential roofing across the lower Wyoming Valley.
Why it ranks here. 63 registry reviews at 4.8 with GuildQuality participation, so its feedback is solicited from every customer rather than volunteered.
Best fit for: Edwardsville, Kingston and west-side valley homeowners.
What we would want clarified. Not BBB accredited and base certification, with 63 reviews. Ask for the Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor registration number and check it on the Attorney General’s search. 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 (570) 550-6578, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
5. Widdoss Roofing — TRB Score 59.7
Widdoss Roofing is based in Henryville, PA, in business since 2010, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 33.8 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 11.8 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 2.2 | 10 |
| Total | 59.7 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor registration PA058355 published on the company’s own materials. PA Attorney General
- Contractor and permit record on BuildZoom. BuildZoom
- Listed on Porch with a project and review record. Porch
What they actually do. Residential roofing across Monroe County and the eastern Poconos.
Why it ranks here. Publishes its Pennsylvania HIC registration number openly, which is exactly what the state requires and what many contractors quietly omit. 59 registry reviews at 4.9, trading since 2010.
Best fit for: Monroe County and Pocono properties.
What we would want clarified. No BBB profile or rating was locatable, base certification, and about 31 miles from the metro centre on a bounded estimate. This is the thinnest record in the top five. 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 (570) 460-4859, 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.
What 2.75 inch hail does to a Scranton 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 Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 47 hail reports, 332 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 10 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $7.3 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Scranton in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 May 2019 | 2.75 in | Mill City | Wyoming |
| 25 February 2017 | 1.75 in | Oakhill | Lackawanna |
| 25 February 2017 | 1.75 in | Penobscot | Luzerne |
| 25 February 2017 | 1.75 in | Port Griffith | Luzerne |
| 25 February 2017 | 1.75 in | Oliver Mills | Luzerne |
| 28 May 2019 | 1.75 in | Russell Hill | Wyoming |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 28 May 2019 near Mill City, 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 70 knots, about 81 mph, near Broadway on 15 April 2019. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 10 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF2 near Hillside Jct on 25 February 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 28 May 2019 event near Quicktown, reproduced verbatim:
Wind damage from a microburst started near Jubilee Road near Lake Kahagon in Madison Township. Many trees and power lines were blown down. Several homes were damaged due to fallen trees.
That account is the design case for a roof here, and it comes from the agency that recorded it rather than by a contractor selling the repair.
When it happens. Severe weather reports cluster in July (105), June (69), May (69). The worst years on record were 2019 (91), 2021 (60), 2024 (47). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Scranton, 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 Scranton. Weight your decision toward wind rating, ventilation and flashing detail rather than paying extra for impact-rated shingles.
How to check a Scranton roofer in ten minutes
There is no state roofing licence in PA. Pennsylvania issues no state roofing licence. Instead, under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, any contractor doing more than $5,000 of residential home improvement work a year must register as a Home Improvement Contractor with the Office of the Attorney General.
HIC registration requires minimum insurance of $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage, a HICPA-compliant written contract, and the registration number printed on every contract, estimate and advertisement. It is a registration, not a competency exam.
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 confirms whether the registration is active, when it expires, and whether complaints have been filed. A quote with no HIC number on it is not HICPA compliant.
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 Scranton field looks like
9 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA statistical area, of which 1 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 694 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.778. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 574,009, a change of 1.13% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Scranton rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, 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 9 certified contractors, of whom 1 hold President’s Club standing and 2 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.778. The top five were then researched individually against Better Business Bureau records, state licence registers and manufacturer directories. Anything unflattering that research surfaced appears above alongside the rest, and no company bought its position.
The full method, the weightings, what the GAF certification tiers actually mean, who is eligible to be ranked and what we do not claim are all set out on our roofer ranking methodology page. Last updated: September 2026. Scoring run: 2026-09-23. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
Scranton roofing questions, answered
Who is the best roofer in Scranton, PA?
TC Roofing Pros of Wilkes Barre, PA scores highest in the Scranton metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 92.9 out of 100 as of September 2026. It holds President’s Club certification with a 5.0 rating across 137 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the four companies behind it score within 33.2 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Scranton?
9 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA statistical area as of September 2026, of which 1 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Scranton get?
The Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA statistical area recorded 32 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 2.75 inches.
Did any contractor pay to appear on this list?
No. The Roofing Brief takes no placement fees, no lead fees and no affiliate commission from any roofing contractor. Ranking comes entirely from the published formula applied to public registry data, followed by an individual research pass on the top five.
What was the worst hailstorm in Scranton in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 2.75 inches, reported near Mill City on 28 May 2019. That is baseball sized, comfortably past the point where a roof is written off rather than repaired. Across the decade the metro recorded 47 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $7.3 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Scranton?
Severe-weather reports in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA statistical area cluster in July, June, May, on the NOAA record for 2016 to 2025. Booking non-urgent roof work outside those months usually means shorter lead times, because local crews are not simultaneously triaging storm callouts.
Do roofers need a licence in PA?
Pennsylvania issues no state roofing licence. Instead, under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, any contractor doing more than $5,000 of residential home improvement work a year must register as a Home Improvement Contractor with the Office of the Attorney General. HIC registration requires minimum insurance of $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage, a HICPA-compliant written contract, and the registration number printed on every contract, estimate and advertisement. It is a registration, not a competency exam.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Scranton?
The Attorney General’s search confirms whether the registration is active, when it expires, and whether complaints have been filed. A quote with no HIC number on it is not HICPA compliant.
Is Scranton a hard market to find a good roofer in?
The Wyoming Valley’s roofing problem is not summer storms, it is February. The NOAA record for these counties contains something you rarely see: a hail event on 25 February 2017, two separate 1.75-inch reports at Oakhill and Penobscot in the middle of winter. Scranton averages around 41 inches of snow a year, and the valley’s ridges hold cold air on the floor so the freeze-thaw cycling that drives ice dams runs longer here than the latitude suggests. The other local fact worth knowing before you call anyone: Pennsylvania’s construction code does not list roofing among the work that always needs a permit, and a like-for-like covering replacement is often treated as an ordinary repair, so whether an inspector ever looks at your roof depends on which municipality you are in.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Scranton?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Scranton–Wilkes-Barre, PA statistical area logged 332 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 32 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 Binghamton, NY, about 50 miles from Scranton
- Best roofers in Allentown, PA, about 57 miles from Scranton
- Best roofers in Reading, PA, another PA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Lancaster, PA, another PA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Portland, ME, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Reno, NV, 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 Scranton, PA: The Roofing Brief Contractor Score.” Published September 2026. Inputs: GAF certification registry; NOAA Storm Events Database 2016-2025; U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 population estimates; Better Business Bureau and independent review-platform records for each ranked contractor.