Home › Guides › How Do I Know If a Roofing Company Is Legit? What Homeowners Check

How do I know if a roofing company is legit?

By Ansh Singh · Updated November 8, 2026 · 10 min read

Short answer: To tell if a roofing company is legit, check four things: a license or state registration you can look up, proof of liability insurance and workers' comp, a real local address with reviews that go back months, and a written contract with a fair deposit. A roofer who dodges any of these is a risk.

Key facts

Some states license roofers, some register them, and some leave it to cities and counties, so look up your state.
Ask for a certificate of liability insurance and proof of workers' comp in writing.
The FTC calls about one-third of the total a standard deposit and warns against paying the full fee up front.
Pressure to sign today, cash only and no address are red flags after a storm.
A roofing contract should list price, material, payment schedule, dates and warranty in writing.

A roof is one of the biggest repair bills a homeowner will face, and the person you hire climbs on top of your biggest asset. That is why the questions below come up so often. If you own a roofing company, this page works two ways. It tells a homeowner what to check, and it tells you what your website and your paperwork should show so you pass the check.

A legit roofing company is a business that holds whatever license or registration your state requires, carries insurance, gives a written contract, and can be found at a real address after the job is done.

What do homeowners check first?

Most homeowners start with a search, a Google profile and a few reviews. The better ones then look at the license. Here is the order that works.

Check	What a good answer looks like	Where to look
License or registration	A number that matches the business name on a state lookup page	Your state board or agency
Insurance	A certificate of liability insurance and proof of workers' comp, sent by the insurer	Ask for it in writing
Address and phone	A street address or clear service area, a local phone number, photos of real jobs	The website and Google profile
Reviews	Many reviews spread over time, with owner replies	Google, and any other site they use
Contract	Scope, materials, price, payment schedule and dates, in writing	Before any work or money

None of these proves a company is good. Together they filter out most of the people you do not want on your roof.

Does a roofer need a license?

It depends on the state. Some states license roofers. Some register them. Some have no state roofing license at all and leave it to cities and counties. That is why a homeowner in one state hears "he must be licensed" and a homeowner in another hears "we do not have that."

Here are examples, each from an official source:

Florida: Roofing is a licensed trade. Roofing work cannot be subcontracted to unlicensed roofers. Roofers must be employees of a licensed contractor or be leased through a licensed employee leasing company (Florida DBPR: Construction Industry Licensing Board FAQs). See our Florida page.
Oklahoma: Roofers register with the Construction Industries Board and renew every year. Residential registration needs at least $500,000 in general liability coverage, and commercial roofing needs a commercial endorsement with at least $1,000,000 (Oklahoma Construction Industries Board). See our Oklahoma page.
Minnesota: Residential roofing work needs a roofer, residential building contractor or residential remodeler license. Contractors with under $15,000 in yearly gross residential receipts can claim an exemption, and roofing subcontractors must register (Minnesota DLI: who needs a roofer license).
Maryland: The Home Improvement Commission requires a license on each home improvement ad. Its page says each ad "must contain the name and license number of the contractor" (Maryland Department of Labor: MHIC advertising).

These four give you the range. A state lookup takes two minutes, so do it every time. If your state has no state license, ask for the city or county license or permit record, and ask which permit the roofer will pull for your job.

Our own advice, not a legal rule: if a roofer says "we do not need a license in this state," ask them to show you the page that says so. A legit roofer can usually point to the rule or to the permit they will pull.

How do you check a roofer in five steps?

Step 1: Get the full legal name and license number

Ask for the company's legal name, the license or registration number and the owner's name. Write them down. A company that gives you only a first name and a cell number is not ready to be hired.

Step 2: Look the number up on the state or local page

Search your state board's license lookup. Check that the name matches, the license is active, and the type covers roofing. Our hub guide on checking any contractor lists lookup pages for several states.

Step 3: Ask for insurance in writing

Ask for a certificate of liability insurance and proof of workers' compensation. Have your own contact at the insurer or agency confirm the policy is active if you want to be careful. Liability covers damage to your home. Workers' comp covers a roofer who falls off your roof. If the roofer has neither, a fall can become your problem.

Step 4: Read three recent reviews and call one past customer

Pick reviews from different months. Look for the same details across them, such as the type of roof, the town, and what went wrong and how the roofer fixed it. The FTC's advice after a disaster is to contact recent customers to check a contractor's record (FTC: post-disaster home repair warning (2003)). That is an older notice, but the advice has not changed.

Step 5: Get a written estimate and contract

Compare at least two written estimates. The FTC says to get a written estimate that covers all oral promises, and not to pick the lowest bidder by default (FTC (2003)). Make sure the contract names the shingle or metal brand, the underlayment, who removes the old roof, who pays for the permit and how rot under the old shingles is handled.

What are the red flags after a storm?

Hail and wind bring crews from other states. Some are fine. Some knock on doors, push you to sign the same day and are gone by spring when you need a warranty call.

Watch for these:

Pressure to sign today. A real roofer can wait for you to read the contract.
A request for the full price up front. The FTC warns about contractors who want the whole fee up front and says about one-third as a deposit is considered standard (FTC (2003)).
Cash only. The same notice says to pay by check or credit card after the job meets your satisfaction.
Costly temporary repairs. The FTC tells homeowners to be skeptical of contractors who push expensive temporary fixes (FTC (2003)).
"We will cover your deductible." In Colorado, a roofing contract for work paid by insurance must state that the contractor cannot pay, waive, rebate or promise to pay, waive or rebate any part of the deductible (Colorado C.R.S. 6-22-103). Other states have their own rules. A roofer who promises to eat your deductible is telling you they will bend rules.
Only a phone number. No address, no site, no insurance paper, no license number.

What should be in a roofing contract?

A short contract protects both of you. Colorado is a useful example because its roofing law is specific. The contract must be written and signed by both sides before work starts. It must state the services and materials, approximate dates and costs, and the contractor's contact details. It must also include a rescission clause that lets the owner cancel and get the deposit back within 72 hours (Colorado C.R.S. 6-22-103).

Not every state has that rule. Even where there is none, ask for the same things:

A price and what it covers, line by line.
The roofing material, brand and color.
A payment schedule tied to stages, not dates.
A start date and a rough finish date.
Who cleans up, and who handles a change if rotten decking is found.
The warranty in writing, and who stands behind it, the maker or the roofer.

How do reviews help, and where do they fall short?

Reviews are the fastest check a homeowner has, and also the easiest to fake or misread. Look at how many there are, how they are spread over time, and whether the owner replies.

A study of 1,851 local business listings across ten trades, roofers included, found that businesses named by AI assistants had a median of 444 Google reviews, against 192 for businesses that were not named (Zarla AI Visibility Index (2026)). That is a link and not proof of cause. The sample was the top 20 Google results per trade and city, so it leans toward businesses that are already easy to find. Still, it shows that review count and visibility go together. Our guide on how many Google reviews a roofer needs goes deeper.

What should your roofing website show to pass the check?

If you own the company, you want a homeowner who checks you to find clean answers in a minute. Put these on the site:

License or registration number in the footer of every page, with the name the state has on file. Some states, such as Maryland, require it in ads. See do roofers need a license number on their website.
Insurance in plain words. "Fully insured" is weak. Say "General liability and workers' comp" and offer a certificate on request.
A real address or service area, with the towns you work in. See roofing service area pages.
Your name and face. An owner photo and a crew photo tell people a person stands behind the work.
Photos of your own jobs, with the town and the roof type, such as a tear-off and re-roof in Lubbock (an example town). Use your own photos and do not use stock.
Warranty terms in writing, including what the maker covers and what you cover.
Real reviews linked to your Google profile. Never write your own. Ask each customer by text at the end of the job; see roofing review request texts.
How you handle storm work. Say whether you work with insurance, and what you will and will not promise.

The full list of pages a site needs is in roofing website must-haves.

A note on trust signals. Never show a badge or license number that is not yours. A false number is the fastest way to lose a customer and can draw a complaint to your board.

What if the roofer has no website at all?

It is not proof of a scam. Plenty of good roofers work on referrals. But it removes the easiest way for a homeowner to check you. If you do not have a site yet, see roofing business without a website for what it costs you.

Common questions

How can I check if a roofer is licensed?

Search your state's contractor license lookup with the company name and number. Check that the license is active and that it covers roofing. If your state does not license roofers, ask for the city or county permit information and the proof of insurance.

Should I pay a roofer a deposit?

A deposit is normal. The FTC calls about one-third of the total standard and warns against paying the full fee up front (FTC (2003)). Check your state's rules too, because deposit and cancellation rules differ by state. Pay by check or card and keep the receipt.

Is a roofer who knocks on my door a scam?

Not always, but be careful, especially right after a storm. A company that arrives with a truck from out of state and asks you to sign today is a risk. Ask for the license number and insurance, look them up, and take a day to decide.

What is the difference between a license and insurance?

A license says the state allows the business to do the work. Insurance pays for damage or injuries if something goes wrong. A roofer needs both. A license does not protect you if a worker falls, and insurance does not make an unlicensed company legal.

Does a high review count mean a roofer is good?

It helps, but it is not proof. Look at how the reviews are spread over time, whether the owner replies, and whether the details match. Call one past customer.

If you run a roofing company and want a site that shows these proofs up front, you can see a free demo site.

Sources

About the author

Ansh Singh runs Contractor Websites. He builds websites for electricians, plumbers, roofers and other home service trades, and writes the guides on this site. More about Ansh Singh.

Want a site that does all this for you?

We build your new website free, before you pay, then work every week to get you named when homeowners ask Google and AI who to call. Get your free demo site.