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Questions to ask before you hire a roofer in Chicago

A spring hailstorm, ice dams after a hard winter, or a tired flat roof on a two-flat — whatever starts the job, Chicago homeowners hire roofers in a state that licenses them. Illinois requires a state roofing contractor license, and the license number has to appear on bids, contracts, and ads. The City of Chicago adds its own rules: some steep-slope residential re-roofs don’t need a building permit, while low-slope and structural work does, there are limits on putting a new layer over old ones, and new roof coverings have to meet solar-reflectance (cool roof) standards. Illinois law also requires written contracts and a consumer-rights pamphlet, a contractor’s sworn statement before you pay, and specific cancellation rights when insurance is paying. Use these questions to compare Chicago roofers on paperwork, permit practice, and a written scope, not just on who knocked first after the storm.

Questions to ask

1. What is your Illinois roofing contractor license number, is it a limited or unlimited license, and is it on your bid?

Why it matters: Under the Illinois Roofing Industry Licensing Act, it’s unlawful to provide professional roofing services or hold yourself out as a roofing contractor without a license from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), and roofing work may be done only by a licensed roofing contractor or qualifying party (225 ILCS 335, Roofing Industry Licensing Act, Sec. 9). A limited license covers residential properties of 8 units or less; an unlimited license also covers commercial and industrial work (225 ILCS 335/2). Licensed roofers must put their license number and licensed name on all contracts and bids and in their advertising, and a municipality that requires a building permit can’t issue one to a roofing contractor without proof of current state licensure (225 ILCS 335/5); Illinois’ Home Repair and Remodeling Act repeats the license-number requirement for roofing contracts, bids, and ads (815 ILCS 513/18(d)). Check the name and number yourself on IDFPR License Look-Up, using the IDFPR Roofing Contractor page for complaints and license information.

2. Will your own licensed crew do the work, and can I see your liability and workers’ compensation certificates?

Why it matters: To get a roofing license, a company must show IDFPR proof of public liability and property damage insurance, workers’ compensation coverage for its roofing employees, an unemployment insurance account, and a continuous bond, and its qualifying party must pass the state exam (225 ILCS 335/3). A seller of roofing services, such as a general contractor, may subcontract roofing only to a licensed roofing contractor (225 ILCS 335, Sec. 9(3)). A contractor can’t accept payment for letting an out-of-area contractor use its business name or license (815 ILCS 513/18(c)), and knowingly putting a roofer’s license number on a permit application when that roofer won’t do the work is identity theft under Illinois law (225 ILCS 335/5(a-5)). Illinois also requires anyone in the home repair business to carry public liability and property damage insurance (815 ILCS 513/25). Ask for certificates sent from the insurance agent, check that the named insured matches the licensed name on your bid, and ask who will actually be on your roof.

3. Does my job need a City of Chicago building permit — and if so, will you get it through the Express Permit Program before you start?

Why it matters: Chicago’s Department of Buildings says no building permit is needed for roof repair limited to 25% of a roof surface, or for roof repair, recover, or replacement on a residential building up to 4 stories (or its garage) when the roof has a pitch of at least 2:12; a permit is required for any structural repair and for any work on low-slope roofs, and work done without a permit must still comply with the Chicago Construction Codes (Chicago DOB: Roofing work that doesn’t require a permit). When a permit is needed, the Express Permit Program covers many reroofing jobs; it isn’t available if anyone without a valid Illinois roofing contractor license will do the work, and the application needs the Illinois roofing license number, an existing-condition photo, and a Chicago-licensed general contractor (Class A through E, by project cost), unless an owner qualifies to act as general contractor (Chicago DOB: Express Permit Program, Reroofing; Chicago DOB: Does my project require a licensed general contractor?; Chicago DOB: General contractor licenses). Ask the roofer to say in writing whether your roof is steep- or low-slope and whether a permit is required, and if it is, get the permit number before tear-off. You can check a general contractor on the City’s licensed contractors lookup and a permit on the Building Permit Application Status site. Outside City limits, check with your own municipality or county: Illinois’ roofing law leaves local governments free to run their own permit and inspection systems (225 ILCS 335/11).

4. Are you tearing off to the deck or adding a layer over the old roof — how many layers are there now, and where does the debris go?

Why it matters: Under Chicago’s reroofing terms and Illinois’ roofing law, a new layer over the old one (a “roof recover”) isn’t allowed if the existing roof is water-soaked or too deteriorated to be a base, is slate or tile, or already has two or more layers, unless an Illinois-licensed architect or engineer’s structural report is accepted confirming the structure can carry another layer; a roof replacement means removing the existing covering, repairing damaged substrate, and installing a new one (Chicago DOB: Terms and conditions for reroofing; 225 ILCS 335/2(v)–(w)). The same terms require the person doing the work to confirm the existing roof structure can support the new covering and the work loads, and limit “repair” to 25% of a roof surface (Chicago DOB: Terms and conditions for reroofing). Ask what happens to the tear-off: using a street, alley, sidewalk, or parkway for materials or equipment needs a separate Chicago Department of Transportation permit, and CDOT issues dumpster permits (Chicago DOB: Roofing work; CDOT Permits). The work must also follow city, state, and federal asbestos handling rules, and work involving asbestos may require an Asbestos Project Notification to the Chicago Department of Public Health before it begins (Chicago DOB: Roofing work). Get the tear-off or recover decision, the number of existing layers, and the debris plan in the bid.

5. Do the roofing products you’re quoting meet Chicago’s solar-reflectance (cool roof) and insulation requirements?

Why it matters: The Chicago Building Code requires roof coverings to meet minimum solar reflectance, tested to recognized standards such as CRRC-S100: on low-slope roofs, an initial reflectance of 0.72 or a three-year-aged reflectance of at least 0.5, and on other roofs an initial reflectance of at least 0.15, except coverings installed at a slope of 5:12 or steeper and historic buildings (Chicago Building Code §14B-15-1515). The City’s reroofing terms apply that standard to new coverings in both recovers and replacements, and require a replacement roof to include insulation under the Chicago Energy Transformation Code (Chicago DOB: Terms and conditions for reroofing); the Express Permit Program won’t cover reroofing that doesn’t meet the code’s minimum insulation requirements (Chicago DOB: Express Permit Program, Reroofing). For a flat roof, ask for the membrane’s rated reflectance and the insulation being added; for a shingle roof under 5:12, ask whether the color you picked meets the 0.15 minimum.

6. What are you putting down at the eaves for ice dams, and what happens to the flashing, drip edge, and shingle wind rating?

Why it matters: Chicago’s building code requires an ice barrier at the eaves for asphalt shingles, metal roof shingles, slate, wood shingles and shakes, and mineral-surfaced roll roofing: two layers of underlayment cemented together or a self-adhering modified bitumen sheet, running from the roof edge to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line (Chicago Building Code 2019, ch. 15, §1507.1.2, via UpCodes). Shingle roofs need a drip edge at eaves and rakes, flashing for asphalt shingles must follow the code and the manufacturer’s printed instructions, and asphalt shingles must be tested and labeled for wind resistance under ASTM D7158 or ASTM D3161 (Chicago Building Code 2019, ch. 15, §§1504.1.1, 1507.2.8, via UpCodes). Ask the roofer to list the ice barrier, underlayment, drip edge, new flashing at walls, chimneys, and valleys, and the shingle product and wind classification, so you can compare bids on the same materials.

7. Is my house a Chicago Landmark or in a landmark district, and will the work go through landmark review?

Why it matters: Chicago’s permit exemptions for roofing may not apply to a proposed or designated Chicago Landmark or a property in a proposed or designated landmark district (Chicago DOB: Roofing work). The Department of Planning and Development’s Historic Preservation Division reviews all permit applications for work on designated and proposed landmarks and districts, and the Commission on Chicago Landmarks encourages owners to ask for a pre-permit review before filing (Chicago DPD: Landmark Permit Review; Chicago DPD: Historic Preservation). If you’re in a district, ask whether the roofer has handled landmark review before, whether a change in roofing material or color is planned, and who contacts the Historic Preservation Division.

8. Will you give me a written contract with the total cost, the scope, start and completion dates, and the “Know Your Consumer Rights” pamphlet?

Why it matters: For home repair contracts above the Home Repair and Remodeling Act’s minimum amount, Illinois requires the contractor to give you, before work starts, a written contract or work order stating the total cost, the parts and materials with reasonable particularity, any charge for an estimate, and the business name and address (815 ILCS 513/15). The contractor must also give you the state’s “Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights” pamphlet and, for larger contracts, have you both sign its acknowledgment form (815 ILCS 513/20; Illinois Attorney General: Know Your Consumer Rights pamphlet (PDF)). If the contract has a binding arbitration clause or a jury-trial waiver, the contractor must point it out and let you accept or reject each one in writing, and a clause you weren’t given that choice on, or didn’t sign, is void (815 ILCS 513/15.1). The Attorney General adds that the contract should include a description of the work, starting and estimated completion dates, and the payment schedule (Illinois Attorney General: Avoid home repair fraud). For a roof, the scope should name the tear-off or recover decision, decking replacement and how it’s priced, ice barrier and underlayment, flashing, the product and color, cleanup, and who pulls any permit.

9. When are payments due, and will you give me a sworn statement and lien waivers before I pay?

Why it matters: Illinois’ Mechanics Lien Act makes it the contractor’s duty to give, and the owner’s duty to require, a sworn statement listing everyone furnishing labor or materials and the amounts due to each before any payment, and for an owner-occupied single-family home the contractor must give you a boldface notice of that requirement before your first payment (770 ILCS 60/5). Subcontractors and suppliers can serve you notice of a claim within 90 days after finishing their part (770 ILCS 60/24), and a contractor must record its lien claim or sue within 4 months after completion to enforce it against other creditors or buyers, with up to 2 years to file as to the owner; on an owner-occupied single-family home, it must notify you in writing within 10 days after recording a lien (770 ILCS 60/7). The consumer-rights pamphlet tells homeowners to demand the sworn statement before paying, get lien waivers from contractors and subcontractors where appropriate, and not sign a certificate of completion or make final payment until the work is done to their satisfaction (815 ILCS 513/20). The Attorney General warns against contractors who demand cash, full payment before the job is done, or a check payable to a third party (Illinois Attorney General: Avoid home repair fraud).

10. This is an insurance claim — are you offering anything on my deductible, and where is my insurance cancellation notice?

Why it matters: Illinois bars a home repair contractor from advertising or promising to pay or rebate any part of your insurance deductible, including through discounts or allowances against its fees (815 ILCS 513/18(b)). The contractor also can’t represent you on your insurance claim or offer to, can’t call in or file a claim on your behalf, and can’t climb on your roof or inspect for exterior damage without your express permission, though it may give you an estimate to submit and talk with the insurer’s representative about the damage (815 ILCS 513/18(i)). If the roof will be paid from insurance proceeds, you can cancel before midnight on the earlier of the fifth business day after your insurer tells you in writing that all or part of the claim isn’t covered or the thirtieth business day after the insurer receives your proof of loss; the contract must state that right in boldface and come with a detachable “NOTICE OF CANCELLATION” form in duplicate, and payments must be returned within 10 days of cancellation, except the reasonable value of storm-related emergency work you agreed in writing was needed to prevent damage (815 ILCS 513/18(e)–(h)).

11. You knocked on my door after the storm — does your contract include my right to cancel?

Why it matters: The Illinois Attorney General warns that after hailstorms and floods, “storm chasers” move in to prey on homeowners, and lists warning signs including door-to-door salespeople with no local connections, free inspections from people without authentic identification, and companies that give only a phone number or P.O. box (Illinois Attorney General: Avoid home repair fraud). When a home repair contract is signed while the salesperson is in your home, Illinois generally gives you three business days to cancel, the contract must state that right and include a Notice of Cancellation, and there are exceptions such as emergencies you initiate (Illinois Attorney General: Three-day right to cancel home repair (PDF)); the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule sets a similar federal requirement for covered sales at your home (16 CFR §429.1, via Cornell LII). If you’re 65 or older and signed at home with an uninvited solicitor, you have 15 full business days to cancel (815 ILCS 513/22). Insurance-funded roofing contracts also carry the separate cancellation right described above. Report suspected scams to the Illinois Attorney General’s Chicago consumer fraud hotline, 1-800-386-5438, and roofing-license problems to IDFPR.

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