Hiring a roofer in Richmond: a 15-minute check before you trust a recommendation

Written: 2026-10-27 · Facts checked: 2026-10-27 · We are an information site, not a roofing contractor.

Step 1: Get the exact company name and license number

Ask for the legal name of the company, not the name on the truck, and its Virginia contractor license number. Virginia law requires a state license for most contracting jobs or bids over $1,000. Roofing work is covered by the ROC specialty and also by the RBC and CBC classes and the HIC and CIC specialties, and a local business license does not count. ✓ Virginia DPOR news release: Beware of Unlicensed Contractors Following Storms · checked 2026-10-29

Step 2: Look it up yourself

Use the state's license lookup, and search by company name or license number. ✓ Virginia DPOR License Lookup; Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC50-22-30 · checked 2026-10-29 You are checking four things: the license is active, the name matches the company on the estimate, the class or specialty covers roofing (ROC, or an RBC or CBC class, or an HIC or CIC specialty), and the class is high enough for the price.

Classes are set by dollar amounts. Class C covers a single contract above $1,000 and below $30,000, if all of the contractor's work in twelve months totals less than $250,000. Class B starts at $30,000 per contract (or $250,000 in a year), and Class A at $150,000 (or $1,000,000 in a year). ✓ Code of Virginia §54.1-1100 · checked 2026-10-29 If the person quoting you is not listed, or is listed under a different name, ask why before you go further.

Step 3: Ask five questions on the phone

You can do this in a few minutes, and the answers tell you as much as the estimate does.

1. "Is the company licensed in Virginia for roofing, and what is the license number?"
2. "Will you give me a written contract that I sign before any work or payment?"
3. "How much is the down payment, and what are the later payments tied to?"
4. "Who is responsible for any permit, and what do I need to check about my address?"
5. "Can I speak to someone you have worked for recently?"

A reluctant or evasive answer to any of them is information. DPOR specifically advises staying away from anyone who asks for cash or a payment-app transfer, refuses to give you a written contract, or will not provide references or proof of credentials. ✓ Virginia DPOR news release: Beware of Unlicensed Contractors Following Storms · checked 2026-10-29

Step 4: Check the permit question for your address

Under the state building code, replacing the roof covering on a house or townhouse generally needs no permit, but a locally designated historic district or special flood hazard area can be an exception, and the rule assumes a design wind speed of no more than 100 miles per hour. ✓ Virginia Administrative Code 13VAC5-63-80, Section 108.2 (USBC) · checked 2026-10-31

Richmond has many historic districts, so your address may be affected. Do not take "you don't need one" from the contractor alone. Richmond's Permits and Inspections office takes calls at 804-646-4169 on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ✓ City of Richmond – Permits and Inspections · checked 2026-10-29 For a home in a historic district, our guide to re-roofing and CAR approval covers the design review.

Step 5: Read the contract against Virginia's rules

Virginia's contractor regulations require a written, signed residential contract before work or payment, and a copy for you before work starts. It must include the start and completion dates, the total price, the payment schedule with the specific down payment amount, the work and materials, and the contractor's name, address, license number, class and specialty. Changes must be in writing and signed. ✓ Virginia Administrative Code 18VAC50-22-260 · checked 2026-10-29

The rule requires the down payment to be written down; it does not cap it. So set your own limit: pay in stages tied to finished work, and be wary of a large payment demanded up front.

When a stranger knocks on your door

After a big Richmond storm, crews often go door to door offering inspections, and some will tell you the work has to start today. In Virginia you generally have until midnight of the third business day after you sign a home solicitation sale to cancel in writing. The exception is a documented emergency: if you ask for work to start immediately and sign a dated waiver. ✓ Code of Virginia §59.1-21.3 · checked 2026-10-29 Read any waiver slowly. An urgent-sounding pitch is a reason to run Steps 1 and 2, not skip them.

A simple way to compare three bids

Put each bidder in a row and these in the columns: license class and specialty verified (yes/no), exact company name matches, down payment, payment schedule, who handles the permit, how hidden damage is priced, written contract offered before signing. A bid that is missing a column is not a cheaper bid; it is an incomplete one. For help reading the price itself, see what a roof replacement costs in Richmond.

If something goes wrong

Keep the contract, receipts, photos and messages in one folder, then pick the right door, because each one does a different job.

• A licensing problem or poor work by a contractor who holds a Virginia license: file a complaint with DPOR using its F701 complaint form, sent to the Complaint Analysis and Handling section by email or mail (the office is on Mayland Drive in Richmond; phone 804-367-8504). Send copies of your contract, receipts and photos, not originals. A complaint asks DPOR to discipline the contractor. It does not get your money back. ✓ Virginia DPOR – How to File a Complaint (form F701) · checked 2026-10-29
• Money you cannot recover: Virginia has a Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund, but it is a last resort. You must first win a judgment in a Virginia court (or a court judgment confirming an arbitration award) against a contractor whose misconduct or fraud happened while licensed, and try to collect from them. Then you have 12 months after the judgment to apply, on the notarized fund application rather than the regular complaint form. DPOR lists a maximum of $30,000 per claim and $100,000 per contractor over two years. ✓ Code of Virginia §54.1-1120; DPOR Contractor Transaction Recovery Fund · checked 2026-10-29
• Deceptive sales tactics or a contractor who simply never shows: the Consumer Protection Section of the Virginia Attorney General's office, based in Richmond, takes complaints about businesses operating in Virginia, with an online form and a hotline at 800-552-9963 (804-786-2042 in Richmond). Not every complaint falls under it, and license problems go to DPOR. ✓ Office of the Attorney General of Virginia – Consumer Protection Section · checked 2026-10-29

Because the fund requires a court judgment first, a legal-aid office or an attorney can tell you whether it fits your situation. We cannot give legal advice.

Questions? Call (804) 764-9710 — we are a local roofing information service, not a contractor.