To choose a roofing contractor in Central Texas, check the things the state will not check for you: proof of insurance you have verified yourself, a registered local business with a real address, a permit pulled by the contractor where your city requires one, and a written contract with no blanks in it. Texas does not license roofers, so none of that is automatic. Here is how we would vet a roofer if we were the homeowner in Liberty Hill, Georgetown or Leander.
Does Texas license roofing contractors?
No. The Roofing Contractors Association of Texas states plainly that the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation does not currently administer licensure for roofing contractors, and that anyone can call themselves a roofer without being insured, licensed or even registered with the state. That is different from the trades next to us. The Texas Department of Insurance notes that plumbers are licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners and electricians through TDLR.
RCAT runs a voluntary license to fill the gap. To hold it, a person has to be a principal in a Texas roofing company that has operated from a fixed physical address for at least two continuous years, and has to score 70 percent or better on a business and safety exam and a roofing exam. It is optional, so its absence proves nothing, but a roofer who holds one has cleared a bar the state never set. When a roofer says “licensed,” ask who issued it.
How do you check a roofer’s insurance?
Ask for the certificate of insurance, then call the insurance company on it yourself. That is the Texas Department of Insurance’s own advice: ask for the contractor’s certificate of insurance and bond certification, and call the companies listed to verify the coverage. A certificate is a piece of paper. A phone call to the carrier tells you whether the policy is current today.
Liability coverage matters because a roof job puts a crew, a dumpster and a lot of loose material on your property for days. If something goes wrong and the roofer is not covered, the question of who pays lands closer to home than anyone wants.
Who pulls the permit, and why it matters
The contractor pulls the permit, and a roofer who asks you to do it is waving a flag. The Federal Trade Commission lists asking you to get any required building permits among the tactics scammers use.
Rules differ by city, so take Georgetown as the worked example rather than the rule everywhere. The City of Georgetown requires a permit for a new roof or re-roof inside city limits, requires roofing contractors to register with the city before they can apply, and publishes a list of the roofers currently registered. It estimates 10 to 15 business days to process a residential re-roof permit, longer after a hail storm, and a permit stays valid for 180 days. Homes outside Georgetown city limits need no roof permit at all, which is why the address matters.
The line on that page every homeowner should read is this one: the property owner is ultimately responsible for making sure permits and inspections were completed, even if the contractor abandons the job or is let go. If you are inside a city that permits roofs, check that the permit exists before the tear-off starts. If you are unsure which rules apply, call your city’s permitting office.
What should a roofing estimate and contract include?
A roofing estimate should name the work, the materials, the completion date and the price, and it should come on company letterhead with a phone number and an address. The FTC sets out the first four, and adds that you should not automatically choose the lowest bidder. TDI recommends getting at least three bids so you can see which are too high or too good to be true, and asks for the letterhead, phone and address.
The contract should carry the contractor’s name, address, phone number and any license number, estimated start and finish dates, the materials to be used, and anything that was promised out loud. Do not sign one with blank spaces, which TDI warns can be filled in later with higher costs or different work. TDI also warns that some contractors will call a contract an “estimate” or a “release” just to get onto your roof, so read anything before you sign it, however short.
If you signed at your kitchen table, the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule may give you three days to cancel certain sales made in your home, running until midnight of the third business day, and Saturday counts as a business day. The FTC notes it does not cover a repair you invited the seller over to do, though anything sold beyond that request is covered.
How should you pay a roofer?
Pay by check or card, never the whole amount up front, and never the final payment before the job is done. The FTC says not to pay the full amount in advance and to hold the last payment until you are satisfied with the work. TDI recommends check or credit card over cash because it leaves a record, and adds that once a disaster is declared it is against the law for contractors from outside your area to ask for payment before they start work.
The red flags, in one place
- A knock on the door from someone who is “in the area.” The FTC lists it first. In Georgetown, door-to-door solicitors also need a solicitor’s permit from the police department.
- Materials “left over from a job down the street.”
- Pressure to decide today.
- Cash only, or everything paid up front.
- A request that you pull the permit.
- Paperwork you are asked to sign before anyone has given you an estimate.
Where we stand on that list
We are a family-owned roofer based in Liberty Hill, and we do not knock doors or chase storms; our work comes through referrals. Every inspection is documented with photos and written notes you keep, and the people who inspect your roof are connected to the people who install it. We are an IKO Roof Pro certified installer and BBB Accredited, and you can read more about who we are. Hold us to every question above.
If the answers lead you to a roof repair or a full roof replacement, we will put the scope, materials and dates in writing before anyone climbs a ladder.