Questions to ask before you hire a roofer in Atlanta

1. Georgia doesn’t license roofers — so what can you show me that proves your business is legitimate?

Why it matters: The Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division says roofers, like several other specialty trades, aren’t required to be licensed by the state, which is why it tells homeowners to look for local references, a business license, general liability insurance, workers’ compensation coverage, and written manufacturer and labor warranties instead (Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud). Georgia’s residential and general contractor licensing law exempts specialty contractors working within their specialty from needing those licenses, but it still requires them to follow the state minimum codes and local ordinances (O.C.G.A. §43-41-17; Georgia Secretary of State: Specialty contractors policy statements). If a roofer tells you they hold a “state roofing license,” ask what it is; the Secretary of State’s licensing board covers residential and general contractors, not roofing as its own trade (Georgia Secretary of State: Contractor licensing FAQ). If the job grows into framing or other general work beyond the roof, ask who holds the residential or general contractor license and look it up on the Secretary of State license verification site.

2. Where is your local office, who can I call for references, and can I see your liability and workers’ compensation certificates and written warranties?

Why it matters: Because there’s no state roofing license to check, the Attorney General’s office says to get at least three references and three written bids, check the company with the Better Business Bureau, and expect a legitimate roofer to provide general liability insurance, workers’ compensation, and written manufacturer and labor warranties (Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud). Its home-repair guidance makes the same point for any contractor: research the company before you hire it rather than trusting the pitch (Georgia Consumer Protection: Home repairs and improvements). Ask for the certificates to be sent from the insurance agent, check that the named insured matches the company on your contract, and get both the shingle manufacturer’s warranty and the roofer’s own workmanship warranty in writing.

3. Will you pull the City of Atlanta building permit for my re-roof, or is my job exempt — and how will we know?

Why it matters: The City of Atlanta lists roofs among the commonly permitted projects (City of Atlanta: Getting started with ZDP services). Its published list of work exempt from a permit includes non-structural re-roofing repairs on existing one- and two-family homes, but not truss repairs or shingle replacement, and only if no more than three layers of shingles remain after the work; that exemption doesn’t apply to exterior work on landmark or historic properties governed by Chapter 20 (City of Atlanta: Work exempt from a permit (PDF)). City permits are submitted online through Accela Citizen Access, except Express permits, which are handled in person, and since June 25, 2025 applicants whose projects may affect trees must first complete an arborist meeting (ATL311: Building permits; ATL311: Express permits; City of Atlanta: Office of Buildings). Ask the roofer to say in writing whether your job needs a permit and, if it does, to give you the permit number before tear-off; you can look it up yourself on Atlanta’s Accela Citizen Access portal. If your address isn’t inside City of Atlanta limits, the permit office is your own city or county instead.

4. Are you tearing off down to the deck or installing a new layer over the old roof — and how many layers are up there now?

Why it matters: Georgia’s one- and two-family code is the 2024 International Residential Code with Georgia amendments (Georgia DCA: Current state minimum codes), and the City of Atlanta requires new permit applications to comply with it from February 1, 2026 (City of Atlanta: Office of Buildings). Under its reroofing section, a roof replacement removes the existing layers down to the deck, and a new layer over the old one (a “recover”) isn’t allowed when the existing roof is water-soaked or deteriorated, is slate, clay, cement, or asbestos-cement tile, or already has two or more layers of any type of covering (Georgia Residential Code 2024, ch. 9 (R908), via UpCodes). The City’s permit-exemption list mentions “three layers,” but that list covers only non-structural repairs and excludes shingle replacement (City of Atlanta: Work exempt from a permit (PDF)), so it isn’t permission to put a new layer over two existing ones. If a roofer is proposing an overlay, ask them to explain which rule they’re relying on and confirm it with the City. Get the tear-off or overlay decision, and the number of existing layers, written into the bid.

5. What happens to the flashing and vents, and what wind rating do your shingles carry?

Why it matters: The same code section requires rusted or damaged flashings and vents to be replaced when a roof is redone, so ask whether the bid includes new flashing at walls, chimneys, and valleys, and new vents, or only reuses the old ones (Georgia Residential Code 2024, ch. 9, via UpCodes). Asphalt shingles must be tested and labeled for wind resistance under ASTM D7158 or D3161 to the class required for the site’s design wind speed (Georgia Residential Code 2024, R905.2.4.1, via UpCodes). Ask for the product name, the wind classification printed on the package, and the manufacturer’s installation requirements the warranty depends on, so you can compare bids on the same materials.

6. Does Atlanta’s cool-roof standard apply to my replacement, and which products you’re quoting meet it?

Why it matters: In June 2025 the Atlanta City Council passed Ordinance 25-O-1310, which amends the City’s building code to add roofing reflectance standards requiring new roofs to meet high solar reflectance levels, aimed at reducing the heat that darker roofing materials produce (Atlanta City Council: Smart surface policy approved (June 2, 2025)). Requirements like this can depend on roof slope, whether the work is a full replacement or a repair, and the date the rule takes effect, so ask the roofer to tell you in writing whether it applies to your permit and which of the shingles or membranes they’re quoting comply, and confirm with the City’s Office of Buildings if you’re unsure (City of Atlanta: Office of Buildings). Don’t pay extra for a “cool roof” upgrade until you know whether it’s required, optional, or not relevant to your job.

7. Is my house in a historic or landmark district, and will you get the Certificate of Appropriateness before the permit?

Why it matters: In Atlanta, the City’s permit exemptions don’t apply to work that affects the exterior of a landmark or historic building or a property in a landmark or historic district governed by Chapter 20 of the zoning ordinance (City of Atlanta: Work exempt from a permit (PDF)), and depending on your district and scope, you may need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Studio or Urban Design Commission approval before you submit the building permit (City of Atlanta: Getting started with ZDP services). The City’s Historic Preservation Studio says to check your property’s designation on the Property Info map at gis.atlantaga.gov/propinfo, and that your scope of work determines which Certificate of Appropriateness you need and whether it requires a public hearing before the Urban Design Commission or can be handled by staff (City of Atlanta: Historic Preservation). If you’re in a district, ask whether the roofer has handled Certificates of Appropriateness before, whether a change in roofing material or color is planned, and who files the application.

8. Will you give me a written contract with the full scope, start and completion dates, and warranties?

Why it matters: The Attorney General’s office tells Georgia homeowners to get a written contract that spells out the work, includes start and completion dates, and puts warranties in writing, and to compare at least three written bids (Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud; Georgia Consumer Protection: Home repairs and improvements). For a roof, the scope should name the tear-off or overlay decision, decking replacement and how it’s priced, underlayment, flashing, vents, shingle product and wind rating, cleanup, and who pulls the permit. Anything you’re promised verbally, including a cleanup guarantee or a warranty upgrade, should be in the document you sign.

9. How much do you want up front, when are the payments due, and will you give me lien waivers when I pay?

Why it matters: Georgia’s Consumer Protection Division says never to pay for the whole project before work begins, suggests paying no more than one-third up front, and recommends tying payments to completed work with the final payment at completion (Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud). In Georgia, a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier who isn’t paid can file a claim of lien against your property within 90 days after completing the work, must send you a copy, and must start a lawsuit to enforce it within 365 days of filing (O.C.G.A. §44-14-361.1). Lien waivers in Georgia must follow the statutory interim and final waiver-and-release forms, and a waiver signed before work is done is void (O.C.G.A. §44-14-366). At final payment, ask for the contractor’s sworn written statement that the labor, services, and materials have been paid, which Georgia law recognizes as a way to dissolve those liens in that transaction (O.C.G.A. §44-14-361.2). Ask your roofer which suppliers and subcontractors will be on the job and request their waivers too.

10. This is an insurance claim — will you be negotiating with my insurer, and are you offering anything on my deductible?

Why it matters: Georgia law bars a residential roofing contractor from representing or negotiating for you on your insurance claim, or advertising that it will, unless it’s licensed as a public adjuster (O.C.G.A. §10-1-393.12). Advertising or promising to pay or rebate any part of an insurance deductible to sell goods or services is a misdemeanor in Georgia (O.C.G.A. §33-23-43(c)(4), (d), (e)), and the state’s consumer office warns that roofers are no longer allowed to pay storm victims’ deductibles (Georgia Consumer Ed: Beware of roofers scamming storm victims). If your roof will be paid for by insurance, the roofer must give you a written notice before you sign that lets you cancel the contract until midnight of the fifth business day after your insurer tells you in writing that all or part of the claim isn’t covered, and it can’t require payment during that window except for emergency work you’ve acknowledged in writing (O.C.G.A. §10-1-393.12). The Attorney General’s office suggests talking to your insurance company before you even let a roofer inspect your roof (Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud).

After a declared disaster: Georgia’s SB 201, in effect since July 1, 2025, added rules for contracts a homeowner signs within one year of a natural disaster (a flood, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, or other event for which the Governor proclaims a state of emergency) to repair, replace, or mitigate damage the disaster caused. For those contracts, it’s an unfair or deceptive practice under state consumer law for the contractor to have you assign your insurance proceeds to it, to fail to substantially start work within one year of signing, to do substandard work or work that doesn’t meet the state minimum codes or accredited industry standards, or to skip the cancellation rules. Before you sign, the contractor must give you a boldface statement of your right to cancel and a completed, easily detachable form in duplicate captioned “NOTICE OF CANCELLATION,” and it must accept your written cancellation sent before midnight of the fifth business day after your insurer tells you in writing that all or part of the claim isn’t covered. If you cancel, the contractor can still collect a reasonable amount for emergency work you acknowledged in writing was needed to prevent immediate damage, but not other fees (Georgia SB 201 (2025), as signed, amending O.C.G.A. §10-1-393(b); Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud). If your roof was damaged in a declared storm, ask the roofer whether your contract falls under this law and where the notice of cancellation is.

11. You knocked on my door — can I see your City solicitation paperwork, and does your contract include my cancellation notice?

Why it matters: The Attorney General’s office tells Georgia homeowners to avoid door-to-door offers after a storm (Georgia Consumer Protection: Storms and fraud). The City of Atlanta regulates door-to-door solicitation in its Code of Ordinances, and ATL311 points residents to the City’s door-to-door sales ordinance for the rules (ATL311: Door-to-door solicitation); ask the salesperson for any City-issued permit or ID, and call 311 if you can’t confirm it. When a covered sale is made at your home, the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule requires the seller to give you a contract or receipt stating that you may cancel until midnight of the third business day after the sale, along with a notice of cancellation form (16 CFR §429.1, via Cornell LII). Insurance-funded roofing contracts carry Georgia’s separate five-day cancellation right described above (O.C.G.A. §10-1-393.12). Report suspected scams to the Georgia Department of Law’s Consumer Protection Division.