Guide
You hold an estimate and a name. What can you actually verify?
You have an estimate and a name, and you want to know whether to trust either. New York issues no state roofing license and Onondaga County runs no program of its own, so there is no license to look up. This guide lists what is public, in the order to check it, and what to ask when an answer is missing.
Start with what does not exist
The state's Division of Licensing Services keeps a list of the trades it licenses. Roofers do not appear on it, and neither do home improvement or general contractors. The Attorney General's own licensing list covers Buffalo, New York City and five downstate counties, and Onondaga County is not on it. The county runs no program of its own.
So when a roofer says they are "approved" or quotes a number, ask what body issued it and what it covers. A real answer is easy to give, and a vague one tells you something. Then move to the checks below, which do exist and which you can run yourself in one evening.
Check one: the workers' compensation record
The Workers' Compensation Board runs a public lookup for employer coverage. Enter a business name and it lists workers' compensation and disability policies on file since January 2002, refreshed daily from insurer filings. Type in the exact name on your estimate, and note whether a policy shows and whether it is current.
This matters to you because a business without the coverage it needs can be ordered to stop work entirely. A crew stopped mid-roof leaves your house open. If the name does not come up, ask the roofer which legal name carries the policy, and search again. If there is still no answer, treat it as a reason to wait.
Line by line
Two estimates, line by line
Tear-off to the deck
Says all old layers come off, down to the deck.
Bad deck wood
Prices bad decking by the sheet or board.
Ice barrier
Names an ice barrier at the eaves.
Drip edge
Lists drip edge at the eaves.
Worn flashing
Says worn flashing is replaced, not reused.
Permit
Says who pulls the permit, if one applies.
Workers' comp
Gives a workers' compensation coverage record.
Written contract
Comes as a signed written contract.
Cancel notice
Shows a three business day cancel notice.
Check two: the written contract
In New York, roofing counts as home improvement work, so any contract over $500 has to be written. It must be in plain English, signed by every party, and delivered to you already signed before any work starts. It has to state the start and finish dates, the work and materials, the price and a mechanic's lien warning in bold type.
Read yours with the estimate beside it. If a line from the estimate, such as tear-off to the deck or an ice barrier, is missing from the contract, ask for it to be added before you sign. Never sign with blanks, and never pay on a handshake.
Check three: the three business day notice
The contract must carry a notice that you may back out for three business days after you sign. Find that notice on the page. If it is missing, ask for a corrected contract, and do not let anyone talk you out of reading it.
Check four: where your deposit goes
The contract must say the contractor will deposit payments received before the job is done in escrow, or post a bond. The Attorney General adds that a contractor must tell you within five days where the money is held, or show that bond insurance covers it. The Attorney General also advises against a cash deposit before you sign a contract.
So ask, before you pay: where will the deposit sit, and what is the name of the bank or the bond? Write the answer on the contract. A roofer who dodges the question is telling you how the rest of the job may go.
Check five: the policy the contractor must disclose
Since April 23, 2022 a contractor must tell you, before work starts, about any property or casualty policy covering the job, with the insurer's phone number and address. Ask for it in writing and keep a copy with the contract. If the roofer has none, ask them to say so on the paper.
An extra check for an older house
If your home went up before 1978, a roofer who disturbs painted trim should hold the EPA's lead-safe credential. The rule's minor-repair exemption for outside work stops at 20 square feet of disturbed paint, and removing a painted part counts its whole surface. Ask the roofer whether the job touches painted fascia or trim, and ask to see the credential if it does.
Then lay two estimates side by side
Checks one to five tell you who is writing the paper. The nine-row list on this page tells you what the paper says. Tick each line you find, in each estimate, and ask the roofer to explain every empty box. Price differences usually live in those boxes.
If a gap comes down to a tear-off or a line of deck wood, the two estimates are not the same job. Ask the roofer with the missing line to add it and re-price it in writing, then compare again.
Where we fit in
We book a visit from an independent roofing contractor, and the contractor writes the estimate. We do not rate, vouch for or check any roofer for you. Run these five checks on whoever writes your estimate, including the roofer we send, and ask us if you want the questions sharpened.
If you have already paid a deposit
You still have options. Check the contract for the escrow or bond statement and for the three business day notice. If the three days have not run out, you may still cancel in writing, so find the notice and the address it gives.
If the days have passed, ask where the deposit is held and get the reply on paper. If you get no answer, ask the roofer to put the reason in writing and do not pay more until you have it.
A visit from a door-to-door caller
After a storm, people who knock at your door are in the same position as any other roofer. The same checks apply. The legal name, the coverage record, the written contract and the cancel notice are all on paper, and none of them depends on how friendly the visitor was.
You do not need to answer at the door. Take a card, say you will call back, and run the checks at the kitchen table.
When an answer is missing
One missing answer is a question. Three missing answers are a decision. If the coverage record, the contract and the deposit answer all come back empty, stop, keep your money and ask a different roofer to look. The roof can wait a week for the right paper, and you keep every choice while you wait.
When you are ready, ask for a visit with the form on this page, and put these checks to the roofer who comes.
Next
Jobs that follow from this guide
Roof Replacement
Tear-off, deck wood and eave lines to look for
Roof Repair
A section repair, priced before a replacement
Run the checks, then ask for a visit.