How to Choose a Roofing Contractor in Texas After a Storm

Start by asking what the word licensed actually refers to, because in Texas it usually refers to nothing. The state does not issue a roofing contractor license, so that phrase on a yard sign has no state verification behind it. That changes the whole vetting process. Instead of looking up a license number, you are checking insurance certificates, a physical address, a written scope, and whether the company will still exist on the day the warranty matters.

North Texas hail pulls a wave of out-of-area crews into Benbrook, Crowley, Aledo and the rest of Tarrant County within days of a storm, and plenty of them do solid work. Others sign as many contracts as they can and are gone before the first cold front. This guide covers what you can genuinely verify, what Texas law hands you after you sign, and the questions that tell the two apart. It pairs with our page on storm and hail damage roof repair.

Texas Does Not License Roofing Contractors

There is no state roofing license to look up. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation publishes the full list of trades it licenses, covering electricians, air conditioning contractors, elevator contractors, mold remediation contractors, water well drillers, tow operators and residential solar retailers, among many others. Roofing does not appear on it. The Roofing Contractors Association of Texas reaches the same conclusion from inside the industry, describing roofing in Texas as working in an unregulated state.

So when an advertisement says licensed and insured, the useful response is a follow-up question: licensed by whom, and for what? Sometimes the honest answer is a city registration, sometimes a voluntary trade credential, sometimes nothing at all. None of those are wrong answers by themselves. The warning sign is a roofer who cannot answer clearly, not one who tells you plainly that the state has no roofing license to hold. Get that answer before you book anyone for a roof replacement.

The Credentials That Do Exist, and How to Check Each One

Three things are genuinely checkable: a voluntary trade credential, insurance, and manufacturer certification. The Roofing Contractors Association of Texas runs a voluntary Licensed Roofing Contractor program whose published requirements are specific. An applicant must have been a principal in a roofing company domiciled in Texas for at least two continuous years, the company must have a fixed address with a physical location, and the applicant must pass a basic business and safety exam plus a residential or commercial roofing exam at 70 percent or better on each.

That same program requires $300,000 combined single limit general liability coverage for residential work and $500,000 for commercial, with a $100,000 surety bond or letter of credit as an alternative, plus workers' compensation or equivalent benefits, and eight continuing education hours at renewal. Those figures are a sensible benchmark even for a roofer who never joined. Ask for the certificate of insurance to come directly from the agent rather than forwarded by a salesperson, and ask whether workers' compensation is in force. Manufacturer certifications come from the shingle makers and can be confirmed with a short call.

What Texas Gives You After You Sign at the Door

If you signed in your own living room, you very likely have three business days to undo it. The Texas Attorney General's office explains the three-day right of rescission under Business and Commerce Code Chapter 601: when a merchant solicits a sale away from its own place of business for more than $25 of goods or services, you may cancel within three business days. The merchant must give you a contract or receipt showing the date of sale, its name and address, and your cancellation rights, including an address for sending the notice, in the same language used in the sales presentation.

The cancellation must be in writing, and the Attorney General's office recommends certified mail so you can prove it went out. A parallel federal protection exists too. The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule gives you until midnight of the third business day to cancel qualifying sales made at your home or workplace, and requires the seller to hand you two copies of a cancellation form plus a copy of the contract at the time of sale. Separately, it is illegal in Texas for a contractor to offer to absorb your insurance deductible, so treat that as a reason to stop. This is general information, not legal advice.

Questions That Separate a Local Company From a Six-Week Crew

Ask about permanence first, because permanence is what your warranty rests on. A company with a Tarrant County address you could drive to, a phone answered on a Tuesday in January, and crews it has used for years is a different proposition from a sales team assigned a territory for one hail season. None of these questions are hostile, and a roofer who intends to stay answers every one without flinching.

• What is the company's physical address, and how long has it been there? A mailbox service, a hotel or an out-of-state office is worth knowing about before you sign.
• Who performs the work, in-house crews or subcontractors, and who supervises on the day?
• Will the certificate of insurance come directly from your agent, showing general liability and workers' compensation?
• What is in the written scope: underlayment, decking allowance, flashing, ventilation, and what is excluded?
• Who honors the workmanship warranty if the company changes name or ownership, and what is the term?

• If a leak shows up next February, which phone number do I call, and what is the response time?

The last two carry the most weight. A roof leak repair call in midwinter is the moment a workmanship warranty either exists or does not, and the moment a crew that has left the state becomes a problem you cannot solve.

What the Written Contract Should Actually Contain

Insist on a written contract that states exactly what will be done, and never sign one with blanks in it. The scope should name the shingle or panel product and color, the underlayment, the flashing work, the ventilation plan, the decking allowance and the unit price beyond it, who pulls the permit, and how the yard gets cleaned up. That holds for a full tear-off or a targeted roof repair. For metal roofing or a commercial building, the detail matters more rather than less.

Payment terms belong in writing too. A deposit before materials are ordered is normal in this trade. Payment in full before anyone sets a ladder against the house is not, and it hands away your only leverage if the crew stops answering. Keep a copy of everything you sign as you sign it, change orders included. If gutters and downspouts are part of the job, they should be their own line items rather than vanishing into a lump sum.

Run the Same Checklist on Us

Every question above applies to this company as readily as to the crew at your door. Benbrook Roofing holds no Texas roofing license, because the state does not issue one, and we display no manufacturer badges or trade association marks we have not earned. Our crews are insured, we carry general liability and workers' compensation coverage, and certificates are available on request.

We work Benbrook, Crowley, Aledo and the rest of our service areas year round, which is our answer to the February question. For the first hours after damage, our guide to emergency roof tarping covers documenting the roof before anything gets covered, and our about page sets out what we claim and what we do not.

Questions Homeowners Ask After a Hail Storm

Does Texas require a roofing contractor to be licensed?

No. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation licenses trades such as electricians, air conditioning contractors and mold remediation contractors, and roofing is not among them. Any license a Texas roofer holds is a city registration or a voluntary trade credential, so ask which one it is.

What should I ask when an ad says licensed and insured?

Ask licensed by whom, then ask for the certificate of insurance to be sent directly by the agent. It should show general liability coverage and, listed separately, workers' compensation. A forwarded PDF is easy to alter; an email from the agent's own address is not.

Can I cancel a roofing contract I signed in my living room?

Usually yes. The Texas Attorney General's office explains that a sale solicited away from the merchant's place of business, for more than $25 of goods or services, can be canceled within three business days, in writing. The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule gives a similar federal window for qualifying sales made at your home.

Is a deposit before work starts normal?

Yes. A partial payment before the job begins is standard in roofing, because materials have to be bought. Paying the full amount up front is not, and it removes your only leverage if the crew never comes back. Tie the final payment to completed work you have walked yourself.

How do I tell whether a roofer will still be around next year?

Look for a fixed physical address in or near Tarrant County, a track record at that address, and a direct answer about who takes the warranty call. Booking a roof inspection is a low-cost way to meet the company and watch how it documents findings before any money changes hands.