17 Questions to Ask a Roofing Contractor in Colorado (Before You Sign)

Licensing, insurance, and identity (Questions 1 to 4)

These four answers are the floor. A contractor who cannot produce them in writing before the contract is signed is not a contractor a Colorado homeowner should hire.

• 1. What is your Colorado state contractor licensing and bonding? Ask for the license number and verify it through the issuing jurisdiction. Roofing licensing in Colorado is at the city or county level; there is no statewide roofing license.
• 2. Can I see your current certificate of insurance for general liability and workers' compensation? Ask for the COI to be sent directly from the carrier or broker, not photocopied. Verify the policy is active and covers the project dates.
• 3. What is the legal name of the business and how long has it operated in Colorado? Cross-check with the Colorado Secretary of State business search. Out-of-state LLCs registered for the storm season are a common storm-chaser pattern.
• 4. Who is the project lead on my job and how do I reach them after the install? The name on the proposal should match the name on the warranty.

Scope, materials, and code compliance (Questions 5 to 9)

What is in the written scope and what is missing is the difference between a roof that lasts and a roof that leaks within five years. These five questions force the answer onto paper.

• 5. What underlayment, ice and water shield coverage, drip edge, and ventilation plan are included? Colorado IRC R905.1.2 requires ice and water shield 24 inches past the warm wall line in most Front Range jurisdictions. R905.2.8.5 requires drip edge at eaves and rakes. R806 sets balanced attic ventilation ratios. Each should be a named line item in the scope.
• 6. Which manufacturer system and which specific shingle product? Manufacturer system warranties require installation to spec; a generic 'architectural shingle' line is not enough. Ask for the product line and the warranty tier the system will register at.
• 7. Are you pulling the permit? Pro Shield and any legitimate Colorado roofer pulls the permit and is on site for the post-install inspection. Be skeptical of any quote that asks the homeowner to pull the permit.
• 8. How do you handle decking that turns out to be rotted during tear-off? Most legitimate contracts list a per-board or per-sheet rate for unforeseen decking replacement with photo documentation. Open-ended cost-plus or no-coverage clauses are red flags.
• 9. Do you install Class 4 impact-resistant shingles? Most Colorado carriers offer a documented Class 4 premium discount. A contractor who is unfamiliar with Class 4 installation, manufacturer warranty registration, or the discount documentation is not specialized for the Colorado market.

Insurance work and Colorado statutes (Questions 10 to 13)

If your roof is going on insurance, four answers separate legitimate Colorado contractors from those operating outside the statutory framework. The wrong answer to any of these is sufficient reason to walk away.

• 10. Will you absorb my deductible? Correct answer is NO. Under C.R.S. 18-5-211, no Colorado contractor may pay, waive, or rebate any portion of a homeowner's insurance deductible. The offer itself is a felony.
• 11. Will you negotiate the claim with my insurer? Correct answer is NO. Under C.R.S. 10-2-417, only the policyholder, a licensed Colorado public adjuster, or an attorney can negotiate or adjust the claim. A contractor can write the technical scope and attend the adjuster meeting; they cannot negotiate.
• 12. Do you require an Assignment of Benefits (AOB)? Correct answer is NO. AOB transfers your insurance rights to the contractor; it is heavily restricted in Colorado and unnecessary on legitimate work. Walk away from any AOB-required contract.
• 13. What is the 72-hour rescission language in this contract? Per C.R.S. 6-22-104, Colorado homeowners have a 72-hour right of rescission on roofing contracts contingent on insurance approval, and the window restarts if the carrier denies or revises the settlement. The clause must be in writing.

Warranty, references, and after-the-job support (Questions 14 to 17)

A roof is a 20-year purchase. The contractor's ability to honor the warranty in year three matters more than the price in week one.

• 14. What workmanship warranty do you provide in writing? Standard Colorado workmanship warranties run 5 to 25 years; lifetime workmanship warranties are increasingly common from established local contractors. Verbal warranty is no warranty.
• 15. What manufacturer system warranty tier am I getting? GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed, and Malarkey all offer multiple tiers (Silver, Gold, Platinum, Golden Pledge, System Plus, etc.) based on contractor certification. Ask which tier this contractor is certified to register and what additional coverage it provides.
• 16. Can I see three Colorado references from the last 12 months? Recent, local references are the strongest signal of after-the-job follow-through. Ask the references whether the contractor returned calls when something needed adjustment.
• 17. What is your process for warranty calls in year two or year five? A Colorado contractor with a real local office and a phone number that has worked for five years is structurally different from a season-only out-of-state operation. The right answer here is specific (same crew lead, scheduled within two weeks, no charge for warranted issues), not vague.

Red flags that should end the conversation

Some answers (or lack of answers) are sufficient reason to walk away regardless of price. The recurring patterns Colorado homeowners report from problem contractors are: refusal to provide written documentation of licensing and insurance before the contract, promises to absorb the deductible, requests for full payment up front or before the install is complete, missing 72-hour rescission language, AOB requirements, vague scope language, no permit, no manufacturer-specified installation detail, and an out-of-state business address tied to a local PO box.

Storm-chaser door-knocks immediately after a hail event tend to combine several of these red flags. Slow down. Get three Colorado quotes. Verify the licensing and insurance. Check the references. The roof will still be there next week.