How to choose a roofing contractor in Texas
Texas does not license roofing contractors. The state licensing agency covers electricians and air conditioning contractors, but no state license exists for roofers, and a 2025 bill to create one did not become law. In San Antonio, contractors who pull re-roof permits register with the City instead. Some roofers also hold a license from the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas. It is voluntary and run by the trade association, not the state, and it asks for two years running a Texas roofing company, passing exams, carrying liability insurance, and eight hours of training a year. A roofer who says "licensed" may mean that, or nothing at all, so ask which.
Hail season and insurance
Most hail around San Antonio falls from March through June, and April brings the most reports. If a storm hits your roof, Texas law puts a few rules on your side. You pay your own deductible, and it is a crime for a contractor to offer to waive it, rebate it or otherwise help you avoid paying it. Any contract of $1,000 or more paid from an insurance claim has to say so in bold print. A roofer may not act as your public adjuster on a house it is working on. If a roofer sells you the job at your front door, you can cancel until midnight of the third business day after you sign.
The Texas Department of Insurance gives the same advice after every big storm: get more than one bid, check references, do not pay the full price up front, never sign a contract with blank spaces, and photograph the damage before anything is fixed. Read your policy too. Replacement cost coverage pays to replace the roof at today's prices, while actual cash value pays less for an older roof, and your wind and hail deductible may differ from the rest of the policy.
Permits
In San Antonio, a re-roof that keeps the same pitch gets its permit over the counter, and the City's fee for a residential re-roof is $25. Changing the pitch means a full plan review. The towns around San Antonio set their own rules, so call the city's permit office before work starts. Before you sign a contract to repair your home, the contractor also has to give you a written statement of your rights under Texas law.
Reading a listing
Each listing shows what that company says it does: roof replacement, repairs, hail and storm work, help with insurance claims, metal, tile and commercial roofs, gutters, free inspections, financing and warranties. A check means the company states it. "No information yet" means it has not said either way, which is not the same as a no. Ratings and review counts are Google's. Use the grid to build a short list of three, then call each one and ask the same questions: who does the work, what the written warranty covers, and what happens if the decking under the shingles turns out to be rotten.