Check out a roofer before you sign

Most roofing trouble in Colorado starts with a contractor nobody checked. The checks themselves are quick, free and public. You can do all of them from your phone in under an hour, and you should do them before anyone gets on your roof or hands you something to sign.

This page covers where to look and what each record does and doesn't tell you. For the contract rules and storm-chaser red flags, see hiring a roofer.

Your checklist

Look up the business with the Secretary of State

Every corporation and LLC in Colorado files with the Secretary of State. Search the Colorado business database by company name. The search also turns up trade names, the "doing business as" names a company registers.

On the company's record, look at these:

• Status. Good Standing means its state filings are current and it has a registered agent. Noncompliant means it missed its periodic report or has no registered agent, and Delinquent means it stayed that way for 60 days.
• Formation date. A company formed last month after a big storm isn't automatically bad, but it's worth asking about its history.
• Principal office and registered agent. The registered agent is who accepts legal papers for the company. An out-of-state address on a roofer who says they're local is a question to ask.
• Filing history. Name changes and status changes show up here.

Good Standing only means the paperwork is filed. It says nothing about licensing, insurance or workmanship. A sole proprietor working under their own name may not appear here at all.

Check the local license or registration

Colorado has no state roofing license. Cities and counties license or register roofers, and a license from one place usually doesn't count in another. Denver, for one, doesn't accept licenses from other jurisdictions. Use the lookup for the place where the house is, not where the roofer's office is.

Verify insurance yourself

Insurance is what pays if a crew damages your house or a worker is hurt on the job. Colorado law requires the roofer to name its liability insurer and surety, if it has them, in your contract (C.R.S. 6-22-103). Check them before you sign.

Liability insurance. Ask for a certificate of insurance (often called a COI). A certificate is a one-page summary, and it can be out of date or altered. The Colorado Roofing Association advises verifying it directly with the insurance carrier. Call the insurer or agent named on the certificate, using a number you look up yourself, and ask whether the policy is active and what the limits are.

Workers' compensation. The Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation keeps two coverage searches:

• An active coverage search, by employer name, federal employer ID or address. It shows the insurer, policy number and coverage dates.
• A rejection search. Under C.R.S. 8-41-202, certain owners and officers can reject coverage for themselves. That doesn't cover employees, so a company with a crew still needs a policy.

The Division says a certificate shows coverage at one point in time and may not reflect current status. Check the database too. As of September 2026, the Division reported the coverage search was slow and sometimes timed out, so try again later if it stalls.

Look at their permit history

Permits are public records, and they show where a company actually works. Most of the local lookups above let you search permits by contractor name. A roofer who says they've done hundreds of roofs in your town should have permits to show for it.

• Lots of recent reroof permits in your area is a good sign. None at all is a reason to ask why.
• Look at whether permits reach final inspection. Many open or expired permits can mean jobs that weren't finished or never inspected.
• The roofer should pull the permit for your job in their own name. A request that you pull it yourself is a warning sign.

To look up past permits on your own house, see how old is my roof.

Check complaints

• Colorado Attorney General. Report fraud or a bad experience through the AG's complaint page, which may send you on to Stop Fraud Colorado. You can also call 800-222-4444.
• Better Business Bureau. Search the company at bbb.org. Read the complaints and how the company answered them; the pattern matters more than the letter grade.
• Online reviews. Look for reviews that mention your area and a date. A burst of reviews right after a big storm, with nothing before, is worth a second look.

If someone says they're a public adjuster

A public adjuster negotiates your insurance claim for a fee, usually a percentage. Under C.R.S. 10-2-417, anyone acting as a public adjuster in Colorado must be licensed. Public adjusters also can't take part in repairing the property they're adjusting or steer you to a repair company they profit from.

A roofing contractor can't act as or claim to be a public adjuster under C.R.S. 6-22-105. With a valid contract, a roofer may discuss the repair scope with your insurer, but negotiating the claim is for you or a licensed public adjuster.

Check a license with the Division of Insurance's license verification tool, which covers agents, companies and public adjusters. Questions go to the Division at 303-894-7499. Hiring a public adjuster is optional.

Manufacturer certification is a sales program, not a license

Shingle makers run contractor programs that come with training, marketing and access to longer warranties. They're useful to know about, but they're not government licenses, and they don't replace any check above. The manufacturers themselves describe these roofers as independent businesses.

GAF says contractors in its programs aren't its employees or agents and that it doesn't supervise them. IKO calls ROOFPRO a loyalty program and says it doesn't guarantee members' workmanship. CertainTeed's form sends your project to contractors it picks. If certification matters to you, ask which specific warranty your job will get and get it in writing. See manufacturers for what those warranties cover.

Then read the contract

Colorado's roofing contract law, C.R.S. 6-22, covers residential jobs over $1,000. It sets rules every roofer has to follow, licensed or not:

• A written contract signed by both of you before work starts, with the scope, materials, approximate dates and costs, and the roofer's full contact information (C.R.S. 6-22-103).
• In bold type on its face, a statement that your payments are held in trust until materials are delivered or most of the work is done (C.R.S. 6-22-103).
• Your right to cancel within 72 hours of signing for a full deposit refund (C.R.S. 6-22-103), and within 72 hours of written notice that your insurer denied the claim in whole or in part (C.R.S. 6-22-104).
• No paying, waiving or rebating your deductible (C.R.S. 6-22-105).

The full checklist and what to do if something's missing are in hiring a roofer. Once the job is done, keep the contract, permit and warranty in your roof file.

Common questions

Is there a statewide roofing license lookup in Colorado?

No. Colorado has no state roofing license, so there's nothing statewide to look up. Licensing is done by cities and counties, such as Denver, Aurora, Fort Collins and the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. Use the lookup for the place where the house is.

How do I verify a roofer's insurance?

Ask for a certificate of insurance, then call the insurance company or agent listed on it to confirm the policy is active. For workers' comp, the Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation runs a coverage search.

Does manufacturer certification mean a roofer is licensed?

No. Programs like GAF Master Elite or Owens Corning Platinum Preferred are manufacturer programs tied to training and warranties. They're not a government license, and the manufacturers describe these roofers as independent businesses.

How do I check a public adjuster's license in Colorado?

Use the Colorado Division of Insurance's license verification tool. Public adjusters must be licensed under C.R.S. 10-2-417, and a roofing contractor can't act as one under C.R.S. 6-22-105.

What if a roofer's business shows as Delinquent with the Secretary of State?

Delinquent means the company has fallen behind on required state filings, such as its periodic report or keeping a registered agent. It isn't proof of bad work, but ask about it before you sign, and make sure the name on your contract is the company's exact legal name.