A Colorado roofing contract must be in writing and signed by both you and the contractor before any work starts, and it must include nine items: the scope and materials, approximate dates, approximate costs, the contractor’s physical address, email and phone, its surety and liability insurer, a cancellation policy that lets you cancel within 72 hours of signing for a full deposit refund, a statement of your right to cancel if your insurer denies the claim, a statement that the roofer cannot pay or waive your deductible, and a bold-faced promise to hold your money in trust. These rules come from C.R.S. 6-22, passed as Senate Bill 12-038 in 2012, and they apply to residential roofing jobs over $1,000 anywhere in Colorado.
On this page: Who the law covers · The nine required terms · Your two cancellation rights · Talking to your insurer · What the law leaves to your city · HOA rules · Red flags
Who and what the law covers
C.R.S. 6-22-102 sets the boundaries:
- Homes, not businesses. “Residential property” means a detached one- or two-family home, or multiple single-family dwellings no more than three stories above grade with separate exits.
- Townhomes, sometimes. A building of attached single-family homes counts only when a condominium association, HOA or similar common-interest community is responsible for maintaining, repairing or replacing its roof.
- Reroofs and repairs, not new builds. New construction is excluded.
- Jobs over $1,000. Roofing work paid $1,000 or less per contract is outside the definition.
- Any roofing contractor. That includes individuals and companies that perform or offer to perform roofing work on homes for pay, including the materials used for roofing and waterproofing.
The nine terms every Colorado roofing contract needs
| Required term | Where it comes from | What to look for on the page |
|---|---|---|
| Scope of work and materials | 6-22-103(1)(a) | Tear-off, underlayment, flashing, ventilation and the product line by name, not “replace roof” |
| Approximate dates | 6-22-103(1)(b) | A start window and expected length |
| Approximate costs | 6-22-103(1)(c) | Based on the damage known at signing; a supplement for hidden damage is normal later |
| Contact details | 6-22-103(1)(d) | A physical address, email and phone number. A P.O. box alone is not enough |
| Surety and liability insurer | 6-22-103(1)(e) | The insurer’s name and contact information, if applicable |
| Cancellation and deposit refund policy | 6-22-103(1)(f)(I) | A clause letting you cancel within 72 hours of signing for a full refund of your deposit |
| Right to rescind after a denial | 6-22-103(1)(f)(II) | A written statement of your rights under 6-22-104 |
| Deductible statement | 6-22-103(1)(g) | On insurance work, a statement that the contractor cannot pay, waive or rebate any part of your deductible, or promise to |
| Money held in trust | 6-22-103(2) | A bold statement on the face of the contract that your payments are held in trust until materials are delivered or most of the work is done |
If a contract is missing any of these, ask for a corrected version before you sign. A contractor who resists is telling you something.
Your two 72-hour cancellation rights
Colorado gives you two separate windows, and they start at different times.
- 72 hours after you sign. Every residential roofing contract must let you cancel within 72 hours of signing and get your full deposit back. This one is built into the contract itself under 6-22-103.
- 72 hours after an insurance denial. If the job is to be paid from your property insurance and the insurer denies the roofing claim in whole or in part, you may cancel within 72 hours of receiving the written denial (6-22-104).
For the second window, the statute spells out the mechanics:
- How to give notice. In writing, to the physical address in the contract. Electronic notice is effective the day you send it, mailed notice the day it is mailed postage prepaid, and hand delivery on delivery.
- The refund clock. The contractor must return your payments, deposits or any note you signed within 10 days.
- What the contractor may keep. Only enough to pay for roofing work actually performed in a workmanlike manner. The contractor can also pursue the reasonable value of materials that were ordered and actually installed before you cancelled.
- One exception. A denial of a supplemental claim does not reopen the window if that extra work could not reasonably have been foreseen at the first inspection or contract.
The law also says none of this limits your insurer’s own duties, including the rules against unreasonably delaying or denying a covered benefit (C.R.S. 10-3-1115 and 10-3-1116). Our guide to your rights on a Colorado storm damage claim covers those.
The deductible ban
C.R.S. 6-22-105(1) bars a roofer from advertising or promising to pay, waive or rebate any part of your deductible on an insurance-funded job. If a roofer does it anyway, your insurer does not have to consider that contractor’s estimate, and you or your insurer can sue the contractor for the damage it caused. Yard-sign credits and “we’ll cover it” offers are the usual disguises; see whether a roofer can pay your deductible and how free roof offers work.
Can a roofer talk to your insurance company?
Yes, within limits. Under C.R.S. 6-22-105(3), a roofer with a valid contract may discuss the scope of repairs with your insurer on your behalf. A roofer may not call itself a public adjuster or act as one; only public adjusters licensed under C.R.S. 10-2-417 can; see public adjuster vs roofer in Colorado for their fee and cancellation rules. The claim stays yours. A good roofer documents the damage, meets the adjuster on the roof and makes sure nothing gets missed in the scope. Our page on what a roofer should do before you file shows the right order of events.
What the state law does not cover
C.R.S. 6-22 governs the contract, not the contractor’s qualifications. Colorado has no single state roofing license, so licensing and permits come from the local building department:
| Area | Who licenses and permits the roof |
|---|---|
| Colorado Springs, El Paso County and other PPRBD towns | Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. A license is required to contract or perform reroofs over 100 sq ft unless you own the home, live in it and do the work yourself |
| Denver | The City and County of Denver. Shingle roofs need a D-Roof Shingles license; membrane roofs a D-Roof Covering/Waterproofing license |
| Aurora | The City of Aurora Building Division requires the appropriate city license for building work and offers an online contractor lookup |
| Littleton | A City of Littleton contractor’s license. Work without one can bring a stop work order or a municipal summons |
Ask for the license number and the permit number, and look both up yourself. For the five-minute version of that check in the Pikes Peak region, see do Colorado Springs roofers need a license and insurance.
HOA rules that affect your roofing contract
- No required cedar. An association may not require cedar shakes or other flammable roofing materials (C.R.S. 38-33.3-106.5(2)).
- Fire-hardened materials allowed. HB24-1091, signed March 12, 2024, voids covenants that prohibit fire-hardened building materials on a homeowner’s property.
- Approval still matters. HOAs keep color and style review, so put approval in the contract timeline and do not let materials be ordered before you have it.
- Association-owned roofs. When the HOA itself replaces the roofs, the board’s reserve policy and budget rules apply; see HOA roof reserve planning. Property managers signing for owners can use our property manager roofing guide.
Contract red flags before you sign
- Blank prices or a scope that says only “replace roof per insurance.”
- No physical address for the company, or an out-of-state address with no local office.
- No 72-hour cancellation clause, or one that charges you to use it.
- No deductible statement on an insurance job, or any offer of a credit that equals your deductible.
- No bold trust statement, or a demand for full payment before materials arrive.
- A salesperson who says they will “handle” or “negotiate” your claim as an adjuster.
- A request that you pull a homeowner permit for a contractor’s work.
Report problems to the Colorado Attorney General’s consumer protection line, 1-800-222-4444, or the Colorado Division of Insurance at 303-894-7490.
How our contracts work
Every Integrity Roofing and Painting contract carries the statements Colorado requires, and we pull the permit in our name. We are veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor with 650+ Google reviews, and we respond the same business day. Planning a storm-season roof? See when Colorado hail season peaks and what a roof replacement costs in Colorado. Then book a free Colorado Springs inspection at (719) 488-2800 or a free Denver inspection at (303) 209-0152, or read how Colorado Springs storm damage repair and Denver storm damage repair work with your claim.
To check a contract against these rules, print our hiring a roofer checklist for Colorado and Texas.
Sources: C.R.S. 6-22-102, 6-22-103, 6-22-104, 6-22-105 and 38-33.3-106.5 (unofficial reproduction, current through fall 2025); Colorado General Assembly, HB24-1091; PPRBD Reroofing Guidelines (rev. 03/05/2024); City and County of Denver, Roofing Guide and Checklist (updated 4/11/2024); City of Aurora, Contractor Licensing and Lookup; City of Littleton, Policy #24-001 (5th revision, 5/21/2026).
