If a hailstorm just rolled through your neighborhood, you already know what comes next. Flyers wedged in the door, trucks with out-of-state plates parked on the street, and someone knocking before you have even had a chance to look at your own roof. Some of those people are legitimate contractors hustling for work. Others will take your deposit and be three states away by the time you notice the problem. Knowing the right questions to ask a roofing contractor is what separates the two.
The hard part is that they all sound the same on your porch, which is why knowing the right questions to ask a roofing contractor matters so much here. That is exactly why our owner Ken Green and team member Chris Simms were featured on FOX21 News, warning Colorado homeowners about the scams that follow big storms. The good news is you do not need to be a roofing expert to protect yourself. You just need to ask better questions. Here are the ten we would want our own family to ask, and what the answers should sound like.
Why the Questions to Ask a Roofing Contractor Are Different in Colorado
Colorado is one of the few states with no statewide roofing contractor license. Licensing and permitting are handled city by city, which means a company can call itself a Colorado roofer without ever being vetted the way a plumber or electrician would be. You can check a company’s standing with industry groups such as the Colorado Roofing Association.
Add one of the most active hail seasons in the country and the wave of out-of-state crews that follows every major storm, and the questions to ask a roofing contractor here carry far more weight than they would in most states.
1. Are you licensed to work in my specific city, and who pulls the permit?
Here is something most homeowners do not know: Colorado has no statewide roofing contractor license. Licensing and permitting happen at the city and county level, so the requirements in Brighton, Denver, Aurora, and Thornton are not identical. Storm chasers lean on this gap and say “we are licensed in Colorado,” which does not really mean anything.
A good answer names your city specifically and confirms that the contractor pulls the permit under their own license. Be very careful if anyone suggests you pull the permit yourself. That quietly shifts responsibility for the work onto you.
2. What is your physical address here in Colorado?
A P.O. box, a phone number with an unfamiliar area code, or a “local office” that turns out to be a short-term rental should stop you cold. If something goes wrong in year three, you need somewhere to go.
A good answer is a real street address you could drive to today. Ours is 30 S. 7th Ave, Suite 400B in Brighton, and you are welcome to stop in.
3. Can I see your liability insurance and workers’ comp certificates?
This is the question that protects your bank account. If an uninsured worker is injured on your roof, you can end up exposed. If a crew damages your siding or a neighbor’s car, liability coverage is what makes that right.
A good contractor hands over current certificates without hesitation, and will not blink if you ask their insurance agent to send them to you directly. “We will get that to you later” is not an acceptable answer before signing.
4. What is the difference between your workmanship warranty and the manufacturer warranty?
These are two separate things, and plenty of salespeople blur them on purpose. The manufacturer warranty covers the shingles themselves. The workmanship warranty covers the installation, which is where the majority of early roof problems actually come from.
Ask how many years the workmanship warranty runs, what voids it, and whether it transfers if you sell the house. We break down how this works in our guide to Colorado roof warranties.
5. What does the payment schedule look like?
A reasonable structure is a modest deposit or nothing at all until materials are delivered, with the balance due when the job is finished and you are satisfied. Some reputable companies collect nothing upfront.
Full payment before work begins is the single biggest red flag in this industry. Cash-only requests and unusually large deposits belong in the same category. That is how the disappearing act gets funded.
6. Will your own crews do the work, or do you subcontract?
Subcontracting is not automatically a problem. Plenty of good companies use trusted crews they have worked with for years. What matters is that you get a straight answer instead of a dodge.
Ask who supervises the job, whether the subs carry their own insurance, and who you call directly if something is wrong. If nobody can tell you who is actually going to be standing on your roof, keep looking.
7. Can you show me recent projects and references near me?
Generic photos on a website prove nothing. Ask for recent work in your area and for a couple of homeowners you can actually call.
A local company can usually name streets and neighborhoods without thinking twice. We work throughout the Denver metro and Front Range, and you can see the communities we serve on our service areas page.
8. How does Colorado weather change what you would recommend for my roof?
Our roofs take punishment that most of the country never sees: frequent hail, intense high-altitude UV, hard freeze-thaw cycles, and downslope wind. A roofer who genuinely knows this climate will bring up impact-resistant shingles before you have to.
Ask specifically about Class 4 impact-resistant products and whether your insurer offers a premium discount for them. Many Colorado carriers do. Here is our honest breakdown of whether Class 4 shingles are worth the extra cost. Ask about attic ventilation too, since it quietly determines how long your roof actually lasts.
9. How do you handle the insurance side of a storm claim?
You want a contractor who inspects the roof carefully, documents everything with photos, and gives you a clear, itemized estimate you can actually read. Once you have hired them, a good contractor can meet your adjuster on site to walk through the scope of repairs. The contractor documents the damage. Your insurance carrier decides coverage. Anyone who promises you a specific outcome is telling you something they cannot know.
Now the hard line: if a contractor offers to waive, cover, absorb, or “eat” your deductible, walk away. That is illegal in Colorado and it is insurance fraud, and it puts you at risk, not just them. We covered these tactics in detail in our post on avoiding roofing scams and in our Colorado hail storm emergency guide.
10. Will you put all of this in writing before I sign?
Everything discussed on your driveway should appear in the contract: full scope of work, shingle brand, product line and color, who pulls the permit, timeline, payment schedule, warranty terms, and cleanup expectations.
Colorado law also gives you real protection here. Roofing work tied to an insurance claim requires a written contract, and you have the right to rescind within 72 hours of receiving written notice that your claim was denied. A good contractor hands you the paperwork and gives you time to read it. Pressure to sign tonight is the tell.
The Bottom Line on Questions to Ask a Roofing Contractor
These questions to ask a roofing contractor are not gotchas. Every one of them should be easy for an honest roofing company to answer. When a homeowner shows up with a list like this, we are not annoyed. We are relieved, because it usually means the conversation will be about the actual work instead of a sales pitch.
That is the whole reason Ken and Chris went on FOX21 in the first place. Too many Colorado families were getting taken advantage of during the worst week of their year. You should not need insider knowledge to hire a roofer safely. You just need a few good questions and a company that welcomes them.
If you are comparing bids right now and want a straight second opinion, we are glad to take a look and tell you honestly what we find, whether you hire us or not.
Call Watchdog Roofing and Restoration at 720-235-8159 for a free, no-pressure roof inspection.
