Hiring a Roofer Checklist: What Colorado and Texas Law Require

Hiring a Roofer Checklist: What Colorado and Texas Law Require

• Colorado Springs, CO: (719) 488-2800
• Denver, CO: (303) 209-0152
• Austin, TX: (512) 610-5897
• integrityroofingandpainting.com/hiring-a-roofer-checklist-colorado-texas/

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Hiring a roofer you can trust comes down to three checks: verify the company, read the contract against your state’s law, and keep control of the money until the work is done. You should get at least three written bids, confirm local licensing and insurance, and refuse any offer to cover your deductible, which is illegal in both Colorado and Texas. This printable checklist covers the steps for both states, with the statute behind each one. It is general information, not legal advice; for a dispute, talk to an attorney.

The order that works best:

1. Vet two or three local companies before anyone climbs on the roof.
2. Collect at least 3 written bids that price the same scope and materials, so you can compare them line by line.
3. Read the chosen contract against the state checklist below before you sign, and keep a signed copy.
4. Pay a small deposit, then pay in stages as work is done, with the final payment after the final inspection.

On this page: Vet the company · Colorado contracts · Texas contracts · Payments · Red flags

Vet the company (both states)

• Get at least three written bids. Colorado’s Attorney General and the Texas Department of Insurance both recommend it.
• Compare the bids line by line: tear-off, underlayment, flashing, vents, ventilation, permit and cleanup. Ask why prices differ before picking the lowest.
• Verify the business name, physical address, phone number and references. TDI lists these first.
• Prefer a local company. The Colorado Division of Insurance suggests Colorado-based contractors after storms, and TDI warns about contractors with only out-of-state references.
• Ask for proof of liability insurance and workers’ compensation, and confirm it with the insurer. TDI says to make sure the contractor has insurance or a bond.
• Colorado licensing: check the license with your city or county. Colorado has no state roofing license; in El Paso County the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department licenses contractors, and Denver issues its own contractor licenses.
• Texas licensing: we are not aware of a Texas state license for roofers, so verification falls to references, insurance and local records. In Austin, ask how the contractor handles city permits; see our Austin roof permit guide.
• Confirm the contractor, not you, pulls any permit. The FTC treats asking you to get the permit as a warning sign, and Colorado’s Attorney General flags contractors who refuse to pull permits.
• Ask which shingle maker certifies the crew and what warranty registration the company will file.
• Check reviews and complaints, including the Better Business Bureau.

Our page on checking whether a roofer is legitimate shows how to run these checks in about 15 minutes.

Colorado contract checklist (C.R.S. 6-22)

Colorado’s residential roofing law, C.R.S. 6-22-103, requires a written contract signed by both sides before work starts. Check that yours has:

• The roofing work and materials to be provided.
• Approximate start and finish dates.
• An approximate cost based on the damage known at signing.
• The contractor’s physical address, email and phone number.
• The contractor’s surety and liability insurer, with contact details.
• The cancellation and deposit-refund policy, including your right to cancel within 72 hours of signing for a full deposit refund.
• A written statement of your right to cancel after an insurance denial (C.R.S. 6-22-104).
• On insurance jobs, a statement that the contractor cannot pay, waive, rebate or promise to cover any part of your deductible.
• In bold on the face of the contract, a statement that your payments are held in trust until materials are delivered or most of the work is done.

Two more Colorado rules to know:

• 72 hours after a denial. If the roof was to be paid from a claim, you can cancel within 72 hours of receiving the insurer’s written denial, in whole or in part. The contractor refunds within 10 days, less pay for good work already done. Denied supplements for damage nobody could reasonably foresee are excluded.
• Roofers are not adjusters. Under C.R.S. 6-22-105(3), a roofer may discuss the repair scope with your insurer under a valid contract but may not act as a public adjuster.

The full walk-through is in our Colorado roofing contract law guide.

Texas contract checklist

• Deductible notice. For contracts expected to be paid from a property insurance claim, Business and Commerce Code 27.02 requires a deductible notice in at least 12-point bold type once the price reaches the statute’s threshold. Waiving, rebating or helping you avoid the deductible is a Class B misdemeanor.
• You pay the deductible. Insurance Code 707.002 puts the deductible on the insured, and 707.004 lets a replacement cost insurer hold back depreciation until you show proof you paid it.
• No public adjusting. Insurance Code 4102.163 bars a contractor from acting as a public adjuster on property it works on, even with a power of attorney.
• Deposits after a declared disaster. Under Business and Commerce Code chapter 58, a disaster remediation contractor cannot require payment before work starts, partial payments must match work done and materials delivered, and the written contract needs a bold notice of these rules. Contractors with a physical business address in your county, or an adjacent one, for at least a year are exempt.
• HOA rules. Property Code 202.011 limits an HOA’s power to ban wind and hail resistant shingles that match the neighborhood. Our Texas HOA roof rules guide explains the conditions.
• Keep signed copies of every agreement and warranty, as TDI advises.

Payments and insurance checks

• Keep the deposit small. Colorado’s Attorney General lists asking for more than 10% up front as a red flag; TDI warns about contractors who want money before materials are on site.
• Pay by credit card or check. The FTC warns against cash, wire transfers, gift cards, payment apps and cryptocurrency.
• Never sign your insurance check over to the contractor. The FTC suggests asking your bank about releasing money in stages as you approve the work.
• Make the final payment only after the work is finished, the final inspection passes and you have the warranty paperwork.
• Be careful with financing a contractor steers you to. The FTC advises shopping around and comparing loan terms first.
• Know your door-to-door rights. The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule can give you until midnight of the third business day to cancel many sales made at your home, with exceptions such as emergencies.

Red flags that end the conversation

• An offer to pay, waive or “absorb” your deductible.
• Cash only, or a large payment before materials are delivered.
• Pressure to sign the same day, or a “storm special” price.
• Only out-of-state references, or no local address.
• A contract that names the company as your adjuster, or asks you to sign over your claim rights.
• A refusal to pull a permit or show proof of insurance.

How we work

Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned, family-run since 1990, and an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor with 650+ Google reviews. We have local offices in Colorado Springs, Denver and Austin, and our Colorado contracts follow C.R.S. 6-22. As both states require, we do not pay or waive deductibles. Call (719) 488-2800 for a free Colorado Springs inspection, (303) 209-0152 for a free Denver inspection, or (512) 610-5897 for a free Austin inspection.

More homeowner checklists: After a hailstorm in Colorado · Reading your scope of loss · Roof maintenance, spring and fall

Sources: C.R.S. 6-22-103, 6-22-104 and 6-22-105; Colorado Attorney General, Contractor Fraud; Colorado Division of Insurance, consumer advisory with tips after a hailstorm (2024); Texas Business and Commerce Code section 27.02 and chapter 58; Texas Insurance Code chapter 707 and section 4102.163; Texas Department of Insurance, Repairing my roof after a storm (2017); FTC, How to avoid scams after weather emergencies, How to avoid a home improvement scam and the Cooling-Off Rule.