Reviewed by The Roofing Brief Team. Last reviewed: October 2026.
A hiring a roofing contractor checklist comes down to 18 public-record checks: license verified at the state source, a current certificate of insurance and workers’ comp certificate, manufacturer certification, an itemized written quote, a permit in the contractor’s name and a lien waiver on final payment. Run on five bids, the 18 points typically throw out two before the salesperson returns for the close. A wrong roof installation contractor costs you in two ways: installation errors (missed chimney flashing, ridge vent stapled instead of nailed) and the slow bleed of a crew with no permit and no workers’ comp that is gone when a leak appears in year three. Industry context is in the 2026 Roofing Contractor Industry Report.
Why the price spread on a roof bid is so wide
Get five bids on a 2,000 square foot asphalt tear-off and replace, and the range can be wide in the same zip code; this page’s $9,800 to $24,000 example is illustrative, so align real quotes to the sourced ranges in the 2026 Roofing Cost Report and state rules in the 2026 State Roofing Code and Licensing Report. A wide spread is often a compliance spread: the cheap end can be an uninsured crew with no permit and a shingle sold as “architectural,” while the high end is a certified contractor pulling a permit, carrying workers’ comp and writing a workmanship warranty around a GAF Timberline HDZ or Owens Corning Duration shingle.
In the illustrative example the middle, roughly $14,500 to $18,500, is where compliant work tends to sit, and bids far below it can be subsidized by a compliance gap. We covered the structure of what a new roof actually costs in detail, and the math holds up: every dollar shaved off a legitimate bid is being borrowed from insurance, materials, or labor protection.
The 18-point vetting checklist
1. State license number, verified at the source
Every state with a license requirement publishes the database. California uses the CSLB lookup for C-39 roofing license verification. Florida uses the DBPR portal for Certified Roofing Contractor (CCC) and Registered Roofing Contractor (RC) lookups. Texas does not license roofers directly, but the TDLR website covers related trades and the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (RCAT) runs a voluntary certification program. Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, North Carolina, and South Carolina all run searchable databases. Type the license number in, confirm it is active, and confirm the legal name on the license matches the name on the contract. Mismatches are a deliberate dodge.
We have separate primers for the three biggest license states: Florida CCC, California C-39, and the Texas landscape for understanding which crews are operating inside the law.
2. General liability insurance, $1M minimum
Ask for the certificate of insurance (COI). A common owner requirement is $1M per occurrence and $2M aggregate, and anything under $1M on a residential reroof is a yellow flag. Call the broker named on the COI to confirm the policy is still in force; a lapsed policy is how a cheap bid saves on premiums.
3. Workers’ compensation, no exemptions
WC is the line item homeowners forget about until a crew member falls and the family discovers their homeowners policy is now the deep pocket. Ask for the WC certificate. In states that allow corporate officer exemptions, verify the exemption only covers the owner, not the laborers on the roof. A roofer who says “we are all 1099 subcontractors so we don’t need workers’ comp” is telling you how the liability lands on you; the IRS explains how worker status is determined at independent contractor vs. employee.
4. Bonding capacity
Bonding is not legally required for most residential reroofs. If you ask for it, a contractor that can produce a bond or a surety letter on a $20,000 reroof is showing financial discipline; there is no published standard multiple, so ask what the surety will cover.
5. BBB record, complaint detail
BBB ratings are one filter among several. Read the complaint detail and look at the closure pattern: complaints resolved with a documented fix matter less than the same complaint repeated and left open.
6. Manufacturer certification
This is the strongest single filter on the list. GAF Master Elite, Owens Corning Platinum Preferred and CertainTeed SELECT ShingleMaster are the top tiers of their programs; confirm the qualifying criteria and the contractor’s current status on each maker’s own contractor locator. These certifications require ongoing training, financial vetting, and project audits. They are also the gateway to the strongest manufacturer warranties (Golden Pledge from GAF, Platinum Protection from OC, Integrity Roof System SureStart Plus from CertainTeed).
7. Local presence, ten years minimum
New LLCs often appear after a major hailstorm and dissolve within a couple of years. A contractor with the same business name, address and phone number for 10 or more years has outlasted several storm cycles, which is what a workmanship warranty depends on.
8. Online reviews above 4.5, 30+ reviews
Google Business Profile, Angi, and HomeAdvisor are the three feeds that matter. Look for a star average above 4.5 with at least 30 reviews. Below 30 reviews and the data is too thin to trust. An average above 4.8 on hundreds of reviews means a tight operation or a gamed platform (see the 2026 Roofing CRM Software Showdown). Read the three-star and four-star reviews. Those are where you learn how they handle the punch list.
9. Written workmanship warranty, 10 years minimum
Manufacturer material warranties are separate from contractor workmanship warranties. A workmanship warranty covers installation defects: flashing leaks, fastener pops, nail blow-throughs, ventilation errors. Ten years is a reasonable floor to request; a lifetime workmanship warranty is only meaningful if the company will outlive its owner-operator.
10. Itemized written quote
The quote should list shingle brand and model, underlayment brand and type (synthetic vs. felt), ice and water shield coverage, drip edge gauge and color, flashing replacement scope (chimney, sidewall, step, valley), ridge vent type and brand, exhaust vent count, and decking allowance per sheet for rotted wood. Bids that say only “roof replacement, $14,500” are hiding decisions that will be made on the truck without your input.
11. Three references from your zip code, last 12 months
Not three references from anywhere. Three from your zip code within the past year. Local references mean the contractor’s crew is still working in your area and the work is recent enough to evaluate. Ask the reference about the crew leadwoman or leadman by name. Ask whether they pulled a permit. Ask whether the final invoice matched the original quote within 10%.
12. Permit pulled in their name
The permit must be pulled by the contractor, in the contractor’s name and license. Homeowner-pulled permits transfer liability to the homeowner and are a red flag that the contractor either is not licensed for the work or has a track record of permit denials. Our roof permit cost and process guide covers the standard fee ranges and what gets inspected.
13. Material delivery on a separate ticket
Established contractors have an account with a distributor such as ABC Supply, Beacon or SRS Distribution. They can produce a delivery ticket showing brand, quantity, and date. Ask for it before payment. Crews paying cash for off-brand bundles at a salvage yard cannot produce the ticket.
14. Tear-off and disposal scope
Confirm full tear-off down to deck, not layover. A layover (a second shingle layer over the first) saves the contractor tear-off labor and dump fees, can conflict with the shingle maker’s warranty terms, and can trap moisture against the deck; check IRC R908.3.1.1 on the number of layers. Confirm disposal is into a contained dump trailer or roll-off, not the bed of a pickup driven by an uninsured day laborer.
15. Payment schedule
A common schedule is a 10% deposit with the balance on completion, or thirds (deposit, material delivery, completion). A demand for 50% or more upfront puts your cash at risk if the company folds before finishing. Insurance claim work has its own structure (see our Florida AOB reform guide for the cautionary tale).
16. Lien waiver on final payment
Before final payment, the contractor signs a lien waiver and provides matching waivers from the material supplier and any subcontractors. Without these, a supplier who did not get paid by your contractor can place a lien on your home for the material balance. This happens more often than homeowners realize, especially in markets with thin contractor margins.
17. Cleanup standard, magnetic sweep
Ask whether final cleanup includes a magnetic sweep of the yard and driveway for nails. Reputable contractors do two sweeps, one mid-project and one at the end. Tire punctures and bare feet pay the price for skipped sweeps.
18. The contract template
The contract should reference the itemized quote, the workmanship warranty period, the manufacturer warranty terms, the change order process, the right of rescission (for sales made at your home, the FTC Cooling-Off Rule, 16 CFR Part 429, gives 3 business days to cancel), and the dispute resolution venue. Avoid contracts that list arbitration in a state where the contractor is based, not where the work is being done. Our roofing contract template and estimate template are the cleanest starting points.
How the 18 points sort out the price spread
Working the checklist on five bids can produce a clean sort. Bidders 4 and 5 fail somewhere on points 1 through 5 (license, GL insurance, WC, bonding, BBB) because the price they quoted does not support carrying those costs. Bidder 3 passes the compliance points but fails on point 6 (manufacturer certification) or points 9 through 11 (warranty length, itemized quote, local references). Bidders 1 and 2 pass everything and the choice between them comes down to point 18 (contract terms) and the gut-check from the reference drive-by.
In the example, the lowest bid reflects missing credentials and the highest prices in a Master Elite or Platinum Preferred contractor’s top-tier warranty (Golden Pledge, Platinum Protection). Pick from the middle pool the bid with the strongest workmanship warranty.
The four sub-trades hidden inside a reroof
Most homeowners think of a roof replacement as one trade. It is actually four working together: the demolition crew (tear-off and disposal), the carpentry crew (decking inspection and replacement), the roofing crew (underlayment, shingles, flashing), and the sheet-metal crew (custom flashing, chimney work, sidewall transitions). Smaller companies run the same 3 to 5 workers across all four functions; larger companies have specialists for each. Ask “who handles the chimney flashing replacement” to learn which model you are dealing with; an unclear answer is the risk.
For chimneys specifically, ask whether the existing counter-flashing is being reused or replaced. Reusing 20-year-old counter-flashing on a new roof is a likely leak source. New counter-flashing requires masonry work to cut a fresh reglet (a groove in the mortar joint) for the lead or aluminum flashing edge. Our chimney flashing leak repair guide covers the detail.
If X, then Y: quick decision table
| If you see | Then |
|---|---|
| License number not active, or legal name differs from the contract | Stop; points 1 to 5 failed |
| Quote reads only “roof replacement, $14,500” | Require the itemized quote in point 10 before comparing |
| Deposit demand of 50% or more | Counter with 10% or thirds; refuse otherwise |
| Homeowner is asked to pull the permit | Require the permit in the contractor’s name and license |
| Layover instead of full tear-off | Ask for tear-off to deck; check the shingle maker’s warranty and IRC R908.3.1.1 |
| Door knock within 48 hours of a hailstorm | Run the 18 points before any paperwork is signed |
Two red flags that should kill a bid immediately
The first is the storm chaser pitch. A door knock 48 hours after a hailstorm with an offer to “inspect the roof for free” and pull insurance claim paperwork on the spot is the classic AOB-adjacent play. The contractor and the public adjuster split the claim proceeds and disappear when the work is done poorly. Our roofing scams primer walks through the playbook.
The second is the “if you sign today” discount. A “sign today” discount on an $18,000 reroof means the bid was padded by the discount or the contractor needs the deposit. Walk, and come back to bidder number two on Monday.
License lookup, BBB check, maker locator cross-check and three reference calls fit in a weekend, and cost nothing against a $20,000 purchase.