Fort Collins Roofing Contractors: 12 Questions Before You Hire
Colorado is one of the states with no roofing license. There's no exam, no bond, no state board to look up a roofer's number on. That is why, within two days of any big hailstorm along the Front Range, Fort Collins fills with crews who were in Texas last month and will be in Nebraska next. Some do fine work. Many don't, and the roof they install will have nobody to call in 2029. The questions below sort them out in about ten minutes.
Licensing, insurance and permits
1. What's your City of Fort Collins contractor license number?
The city licenses contractors through its building department, and a roofer can't legally pull a re-roof permit inside the city limits without one. Loveland, Windsor, Timnath, Wellington and Larimer County each license separately. Ask for the number and confirm it with the city. A roofer with a Texas or Florida license and nothing local is a roofer who plans to work without a permit.
2. Can I see your insurance certificates?
General liability and workers' compensation, both, with the certificate sent to you from the insurer or agent rather than a photocopy on the truck. Roofing is one of the most dangerous trades in the country. If a worker falls off your roof and the company has no workers' comp, your homeowners policy is where the claim lands.
3. Will you pull the permit?
The answer is yes, and it's in the price. The City of Fort Collins inspects re-roofs, and the inspection record is what a buyer's inspector looks for when you sell. "You don't need a permit for a re-roof" is wrong in Fort Collins and it's wrong in Loveland and Windsor too.
4. Where is your office?
A street address in Larimer or Weld County. Not a PO box, not a hotel off Prospect Road, not a truck. Look it up on a map while they're standing there.
The contract and the deductible
5. What happens with my deductible?
The only correct answer: you pay it, in full, and the invoice matches the work. Colorado's Residential Roofing Bill of Rights (Senate Bill 12-038, at C.R.S. 6-22-101) makes it illegal for a roofer to pay, waive, rebate or absorb any part of a homeowner's insurance deductible. A roofer who offers to is proposing to inflate the claim, and if the insurer notices, the claim can be denied and you own the whole bill. This one question ends most storm-chaser conversations.
6. What exactly is in the contract?
The same law requires a written contract for any insurance-funded roofing job that states the scope of work, the price, approximate start and completion dates, the contractor's contact information, and that the contractor carries liability insurance. It also gives you the right to cancel within 72 hours of learning your claim was denied, with any deposit returned within ten days. If the "contract" is a one-page contingency agreement with none of that, don't sign it.
7. Will you show me the damage?
On the roof, with photos, before the claim is filed. A roofer who says the roof is totaled but won't show you a chalked test square with hits counted is guessing, or hoping. Bruised shingles are soft, dark spots that give under a thumb; a good roofer will hand you the photos and let you press one yourself.
The roof itself
8. What shingle, what rating, how many nails?
A named product line — Malarkey Vista, Owens Corning Duration, CertainTeed Landmark, GAF Timberline HDZ — with its impact rating stated, and six nails per shingle, not four. In the hail belt, ask specifically about Class 4 impact-resistant shingles and whether they'll supply the certification your insurer needs for the discount.
9. What's underneath?
Synthetic underlayment, and ice-and-water shield at the eaves and in the valleys. Fort Collins gets heavy wet snow in March and April, and the ice barrier is what stops meltwater from backing up over the top plate. A quote that doesn't mention it is a quote that's leaving it out.
10. What about decking?
A per-sheet price for replacing soft plywood — typically $90–$150 — and an allowance in the quote, with photos of any sheet they replace. "As needed" with no number is a blank check.
11. Who's actually on my roof?
Many companies sell the job and subcontract the crew. That's normal, but ask whether the sub is covered by the company's insurance and who supervises. The person who signed your contract should be the person who answers when something goes wrong.
12. What's the warranty, and who honors it?
Manufacturer's warranty on the shingle, workmanship warranty from the roofer, both in years, both in writing. A workmanship warranty from a company with no local address is a piece of paper.
The short version
| Ask | Good answer |
|---|---|
| City license | Number provided, checks out |
| Insurance | GL and workers' comp certificates from the insurer |
| Permit | Yes, included |
| Address | Local street address |
| Deductible | You pay it, full stop |
| Contract | Scope, price, dates, insurance statement, 72-hour cancel |
| Damage proof | Chalked test squares, photos |
| Shingle | Named line, rating, six nails |
| Underlayment | Synthetic plus ice-and-water shield |
| Decking | Per-sheet price and allowance |
| Crew | Insured, supervised |
| Warranty | Written, local |
Any local company that has been through a few Larimer County hail seasons will answer all twelve without blinking. The about page has our answers, and the hail damage page covers what the claim process should look like once you've picked someone.
Need roof work in Fort Collins?
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