How Do I Check If a Roofer Is Licensed in Ohio?

What to Verify, in Order of Importance

1. Local Registration

Columbus and the surrounding jurisdictions require contractors to be registered with the local building department in order to pull permits. This is the closest thing to a licence that applies to a residential roofer here, and it is checkable. Call the building department for the jurisdiction your house sits in, give them the company name, and ask whether they are registered and in good standing. It takes one phone call. Note that Columbus, Dublin, Westerville, Gahanna, and the townships are separate jurisdictions with separate registrations, so a contractor registered in one is not automatically registered in yours.

2. Insurance, Verified at the Source

This matters more than any licence, and it is the check people skip. You want two coverages:

• General liability, which covers damage to your property.
• Workers compensation, which covers injury to their crew on your roof.

Ask for a certificate of insurance, and then verify it by calling the insurance agent listed on the certificate rather than trusting the paper. Certificates are easy to fake and easy to let lapse. Ohio workers compensation coverage can be confirmed through the Bureau of Workers Compensation. If a crew member is hurt on an uninsured contractor’s job at your house, that exposure can land on you.

3. The Business Itself

Confirm the company legally exists. The Ohio Secretary of State maintains a free, public business search where you can look up the registered entity, see when it was formed, and see whether it is active. A company operating under a name that does not appear there, or one formed three weeks ago immediately after a hail storm, tells you something worth knowing.

4. Manufacturer Credentials

Shingle and siding manufacturers certify contractors, and those programmes have real requirements behind them. They can be verified directly with the manufacturer rather than taken on trust from a brochure. We are an Owens Corning Preferred contractor and James Hardie certified, and both are checkable. Manufacturer credentials also matter because enhanced system warranties are usually only available through certified installers.

5. Reputation With a Paper Trail

Look at the Better Business Bureau profile, including how complaints were resolved rather than just the letter grade. Ours is an A. Read reviews for detail rather than volume: a review that describes what went wrong and how it was handled is worth twenty that say great job. And ask for addresses of recent local work, then drive past them.

Questions That Expose a Problem Fast

• Are you registered to pull permits in my jurisdiction, and will you pull the permit for this job?
• Can I have your certificate of insurance with your agent’s phone number on it?
• What is your legal business name as registered with the state?
• Do you carry workers compensation for everyone who will be on my roof?
• Are the people doing the work your employees or subcontractors?

That last question matters more than it sounds. If the crew are subcontractors, their insurance is what covers them, not the company you signed with. Ours are our own licensed crews, and our number is HIC-L01421 if you want to check us the same way.

The Pattern Worth Watching For

Almost every serious roofing problem in Central Ohio traces back to a company that could not have answered the five questions above. After a big storm, crews arrive from out of state, register nothing, pull no permits, subcontract the labour, and are unreachable by the time the first leak appears. Our article on common roofing scams covers the tactics, and our list of questions to ask a roofing contractor covers the rest of the conversation.