How to Vet a Raleigh Roofing Company Before You Sign

Check 1: the license — and when North Carolina requires one

North Carolina requires a general contractor’s license when the cost of the undertaking is $40,000 or more (G.S. 87-1); the line moved up from $30,000 on October 1, 2023. The NC Licensing Board for General Contractors issues a dedicated S(Roofing) specialty classification, and its Residential and Building licenses cover roofing work too.

Below $40,000 the state doesn’t require the license at all — which is exactly why it is worth asking whether a company holds one anyway. Look any contractor up by name, license number or classification in the Board’s public search. A license also tells you size: Limited licensees can take single projects up to $750,000, Intermediate up to $1.5 million, and Unlimited licensees any size (G.S. 87-10).

There is a practical upside to licensed work, too. North Carolina’s Homeowners Recovery Fund, run by the Board, reimburses owners of single-family homes for losses caused by a licensed general contractor once the owner has a court judgment the contractor hasn’t paid (G.S. 87-15.5 and following).

Check 3: the warranty — whose, what, and for how long

• There are two warranties on a new roof: the manufacturer’s, on the materials, and the contractor’s, on the workmanship. Get both in writing and know which one pays for labor when something fails.
• Ask whether the manufacturer’s warranty has to be registered, who registers it, and whether you get the confirmation.
• Ask whether either warranty transfers to the next owner if you sell.
• Ask what voids it — for example, mismatched components or attic ventilation that doesn’t meet the manufacturer’s requirements.

Check 5: the contract and the permit

North Carolina’s building-permit statute doesn’t list replacing roofing among the jobs that trigger a permit on a single-family house when the work costs $40,000 or less — but new roofing, and any repair to load-bearing structure, do (G.S. 160D-1110). Ask in writing whether your job needs a permit and who pulls it.

If the contract is signed at your kitchen table rather than the roofer’s office, state law adds a five-business-day cancellation window after an insurance claim denial for residential roof work, during which the seller can’t start or take payment — unless the roofer is a licensed general contractor.

Vetting a Raleigh roofer: questions