My Roofer Damaged My Driveway in Columbus. Who Pays?

Why It Happens

A roofing job puts serious weight on a driveway that was never designed for it. A dump trailer full of tear off debris is extremely heavy, and that weight sits on a small number of contact points, often on jack stands or a tongue jack, for hours or days. Residential driveways in older Central Ohio neighborhoods were poured for cars. Add the freeze and thaw cycles that have already worked hairline cracks into the slab, and a trailer parked in the wrong spot finds the weak point.

Document It Before Anything Else

The single most useful thing you can do takes ten minutes and happens before the crew arrives. Photograph your driveway, walkways, and the apron at the street from several angles, in daylight, before the job starts. Existing cracks are extremely common, and the most frequent way this dispute stalls is a contractor saying the crack was already there. If you have dated photographs, that argument ends immediately.

If damage has already happened, photograph it now from multiple angles, include something for scale, and note the date the trailer was placed and removed. Then put the claim in writing rather than handling it in a doorstep conversation.

What Your Contract Probably Says

Read the property damage section. Reputable contracts state that the contractor is responsible for damage caused by their operations. Some contracts include language disclaiming responsibility for driveway damage from equipment, which is not unusual and not automatically unreasonable, but you need to know it is there before the work starts, not after. If that clause exists, the time to negotiate placement of the trailer is during the estimate.

The Steps That Actually Resolve It

• Notify the contractor in writing with photographs, promptly. Delay weakens the claim.
• Ask for their general liability carrier and policy number. A legitimate contractor provides this without drama, and a certificate of insurance should have been available before the job.
• Get two written repair estimates from concrete contractors so there is an objective number rather than an argument.
• Give them the chance to make it right. Many will, because their reputation locally is worth more than a concrete repair.
• File with their liability insurer if they stall or refuse. That is what the policy is for.
• Small claims court is a realistic last step for amounts in that range, and it does not require a lawyer.

Be Reasonable About What Is Actually New

This cuts both ways. A driveway with existing spider cracking that gets a little worse is a harder claim than a clean slab with a fresh structural crack directly under where the trailer sat. Insurers and courts look at that distinction. Being precise about what changed makes you more credible, not less, and a contractor is far more likely to settle a specific, documented claim than a general complaint that their crew wrecked the place.

How to Prevent It Entirely

Raise it during the estimate, before anyone signs.

• Ask where the dump trailer will be placed. The street is often an option, and many contractors will use it if asked.
• Ask them to use plywood or planking under the jack and the wheels to spread the load.
• Point out weak areas you already know about, including the apron and any section with existing cracking.
• Ask for the certificate of insurance before work begins, not after something goes wrong.
• Walk the property together before the crew starts and again when they finish.

Contractors who work in your neighborhood regularly tend to handle this well, because they are going to be back. Crews that follow storms through town and leave are the ones homeowners struggle to reach afterward, which is one of several reasons we wrote about how we are different than storm chasers. If you want to know who you are actually hiring, our about our company page explains who does the work.