How to Verify a Roofer’s License and Insurance
Anyone can print a business card that says roofing contractor. Verifying that the person standing on your driveway is licensed and actually insured takes about fifteen minutes, costs nothing, and is the single most protective thing you can do before signing anything.
Here is the method. It works in any state, which matters because the rules themselves vary enormously.
Step 1, Get the legal business name, not the trading name
Ask for the exact legal entity name and the license number. Trading names, truck signage and website branding frequently differ from the registered entity, and you cannot look up a company you cannot name correctly.
A contractor who hesitates at this question has told you something. It is the most basic piece of information a legitimate business has.
Step 2, Check the license with the issuing authority, not the contractor
This is the part people get wrong. A photocopied license or a number printed on a quote proves nothing. Verify it at source.
Where to look depends on where you live, and the variation is wide:
- Some states license roofing contractors at state level through a contractor licensing board or department of labor.
- Some license at county or municipal level, so the state database will show nothing even for a properly licensed roofer.
- A few do not license roofing specifically at all, in which case a general contractor or business license is what exists to check.
Search for your state or county contractor licensing board directly and look the number up there. What you are checking is that the license exists, that it is current rather than expired, that it is held by the entity named on your estimate, and whether there are complaints or disciplinary actions attached to it.
Because the requirements differ by jurisdiction and change over time, treat your local building department or state board as the authority. We are roofers and can tell you what to check; they are the ones who define what is required at your address.
Step 3, Ask for a certificate of insurance, sent by the insurer
This is the document most homeowners never request, and it is the one that matters most.
A certificate of insurance, often called a COI, is issued by the insurance agent or carrier and lists coverage types, policy numbers, limits and effective dates. The critical detail is how you receive it. Ask for it to be sent directly from the insurance agency to you, not forwarded by the contractor. A PDF passed along by the contractor can be out of date, altered, or belong to a policy canceled months ago.
Two separate coverages need to be present:
- General liability. Covers damage to your property caused by the contractor. If a crew puts a ladder through a window or a tear-off damages your siding, this is what pays.
- Workers compensation. Covers injury to their crew. This one protects you more than most people realize. If an uninsured worker is hurt on your roof, you can find yourself drawn into the claim as the property owner.
Check the effective dates cover your project window, and check the named insured matches the entity on your contract exactly.
The extra step worth taking on a large job
Ask to be added as an additional insured on the general liability policy for the duration of the work, and ask for the certificate to reflect it. It costs the contractor nothing on most policies and it puts you inside the coverage rather than adjacent to it.
Step 4, Confirm they exist at a physical address
Look for a real street address rather than a PO box or a bare mobile number. Check that the address appears consistently across the website, the estimate, the Google listing and the license record. Storm-chasing outfits characteristically have a phone number, a magnetic door sign and no verifiable premises.
Also check how long the entity has been registered. A workmanship warranty is only worth the lifespan of the company offering it, and a ten-year warranty from a business incorporated three months ago is not a ten-year warranty.
Step 5, Verify manufacturer certifications independently
Certification claims are easy to make and easy to check. Manufacturers publish searchable directories of their certified contractors, so if a company claims a certification, look it up on the manufacturer site rather than taking the logo on the van as proof.
This matters practically, not just reputationally, because enhanced system warranties are usually only available through certified installers. If the certification is not real, neither is the warranty being promised. Our GAF certification page sets out what ours covers.
What a clean check looks like
By the end you should have: a legal entity name that matches everywhere, a current license verified at source with no disciplinary history, a certificate of insurance sent to you by the insurer showing both general liability and workers compensation in force for your project dates, a verifiable physical address, and any claimed certification confirmed on the manufacturer site.
If any one of those five comes back wrong or cannot be produced, that is not a paperwork problem to be smoothed over. It is the answer.
You can run this check on us. If you want to see the rest of how we work first, about Brazen Roofing and our customer testimonials are the place to start, and a free roof inspection comes with a written estimate you can hold against anyone else.
Verifying a roofing contractor
Get the exact legal business name and license number, then verify it directly with the issuing authority rather than relying on a document the contractor gives you. Depending on where you live that will be a state contractor licensing board, a county office, or a municipal licensing department.
No, and this surprises people. Some license at state level, some at county or city level, and a few do not license roofing specifically at all. Your local building department is the reliable authority on what applies at your address.
It is a document issued by the contractor’s insurer listing coverage types, policy numbers, limits and effective dates. It matters because it is verifiable proof rather than a claim. Ask for it to be sent to you directly by the insurance agency, not forwarded by the contractor.
Because if an uninsured worker is injured on your roof, you as the property owner can be drawn into the claim. General liability covers damage to your house; workers compensation covers injury to their crew. You want both in force for your project dates.
On a larger job, yes. It typically costs the contractor nothing and it places you inside the general liability coverage rather than beside it. Ask for a certificate that reflects it.
Look the company up in the manufacturer’s own contractor directory rather than trusting a logo. This matters beyond reputation, because enhanced system warranties are usually only available through genuinely certified installers.