Texas does not license roofers. No state test, no registry to look anyone up, no board to complain to when a roof fails in two years. The license, in effect, is the one you issue yourself, and this page is the application form. The full reasoning lives in our guide to vetting a roofer in Texas; print this version and work it top to bottom on every candidate, especially the ones who found you after a storm.
Verify before you shortlist
Paper beats promises. The single most useful move on this list is having the certificate of insurance sent to you by the roofer's insurance agent, because a certificate that arrives from the company itself can be expired, altered, or borrowed.
Local presence is the other half of verification. A workmanship warranty is only as good as the company's odds of existing in year seven, and hail counties draw operators who follow storms across state lines, work hard for one season, and vanish before the first callback. An address you can drive past and Williamson County references with some age on them are how you tell the difference from your kitchen table.
Verification steps
- Ask for a certificate of general liability insurance sent directly by the insurance agent
- Call that agent and confirm the policy is active and what it covers
- Look up the business address on a map; an office or shop beats a PO box
- Search the company name plus the word complaints and read what comes back
- Ask how many years the company has worked in Williamson County specifically
- Call two references from jobs finished at least two years ago and ask how repairs were handled
- Ask whether crews are employees or subcontractors, and who supervises your job on site
- Verify any manufacturer installer credential on the manufacturer's own website
- Mention your deductible and watch the reaction; offering to absorb it is illegal in Texas
- Confirm in writing who is responsible for any property damage during the job
Compare quotes line by line
Totals hide things; line items confess. Before weighing prices, force every bid onto the same scope, then read our walkthrough of a roofing estimate line by line to see what a complete one includes.
Understand the two warranties while you compare. The manufacturer warranty covers the shingles and mostly protects against factory defects; the workmanship warranty covers the installation, which is where most real world failures actually start. The first is long, impressive, and printed by a company that has never seen your roof. The second is the one worth negotiating, and it is only as durable as the roofer standing behind it.
Quote comparison items
- Confirm every quote covers the same scope: full tear off, not an overlay
- Check that shingle brand, product line, and wind rating are named, not just a color
- Look for the underlayment type and ice and water barrier locations in writing
- Find the decking allowance: a per sheet price for replacing bad wood
- Confirm flashing is new, not reused, at chimneys, walls, and valleys
- Check that intake and ridge ventilation work is spelled out
- Verify disposal, dumpster placement, and a magnetic nail sweep are included
- Compare workmanship warranty length and what actions void it
- Ask which numbers are allowances versus fixed prices in each bid
- Treat a bid far below the others as a question to answer, not a prize to grab
Contract and payment rules
Money follows materials. A fair schedule collects little or nothing before work starts, a payment when shingles hit the driveway, and the balance at completion. Anyone needing the full job amount up front is funding the last job with yours.
Before you sign and pay
- Get a written contract naming materials, colors, full scope, and total price
- Confirm a start window and estimated duration in the contract itself
- Never pay in full up front; tie payments to material delivery and completion
- Put change order pricing in writing before any surprise decking invoice
- Get the workmanship warranty into the contract with a stated number of years
- Read any insurance contingency clause and know how you cancel if the claim is denied
- Require landscaping, AC unit, and driveway protection in writing
- Photograph the roof, gutters, and driveway yourself before the crew arrives
- Collect a signed lien waiver before releasing final payment
- Hold the last check until cleanup, final photos, and a paid invoice are in hand
The best week to work this list is a quiet one, not the week after a hailstorm when every good company is booked and every yard on your street has a sign in it. Vet two or three candidates before you need one and keep the winners with this printout; storm season loses most of its leverage over a homeowner who already has names.
If you would rather start from candidates than from a phone book, request estimates through us, then run those names through the same lists. The checklist is the point, whoever hands you the card.
Georgetown Roof Guide editorial team
Independent research for Georgetown homeowners. Cost figures come from published industry data and are estimates, not quotes. Updated July 15, 2026.