How to Hire a Roofing Contractor in Palm Beach County — The 10-Point Checklist

Hiring a roofing contractor in Palm Beach County is a high-stakes decision — the average PBC roof replacement costs $18,000–$45,000, the work is structural, the permit and inspection process is mandatory, and the consequences of choosing incorrectly range from non-compliant work that affects insurance coverage to active fraud that produces no work at all. The 10-point checklist in this guide covers every due diligence step between receiving a contractor's name and authorizing any work — from the 60-second license verification that eliminates unlicensed contractors immediately to the final contract review that confirms all required HVHZ scope items are present. Working through all 10 points takes less than two hours and is the most valuable two hours a PBC homeowner can invest before any roofing project begins.

Point 1 — Verify the CCC license at myfloridalicense.com

Before any other due diligence step, verify the contractor's Florida CCC (Certified Roofing Contractor) or CBC (Certified Building Contractor) license at myfloridalicense.com. Confirm: Status is Current, Active. License type is CCC or CBC — not a different trade license. Expiration date covers the full project timeline. The full detail record shows no open complaints or disqualifying disciplinary history. The licensed individual is the active qualifying agent for the company submitting the bid.

A non-active status, a mismatched license type, or open disciplinary complaints are disqualifying findings — remove the contractor from consideration and do not proceed. The verification takes 60 seconds and eliminates the significant fraction of PBC's post-storm contractor population that operates without valid Florida licenses.

Point 2 — Verify insurance with certificates directly from the carrier

Request certificates of insurance from the contractor and verify them with the issuing carrier — not from a copy the contractor provides, which may be outdated or fraudulent. A legitimate PBC roofing contractor carries: general liability insurance at minimum $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate; workers' compensation insurance covering all employees and subcontractors; and a contractor's bond. Call the insurance carrier listed on the certificate to confirm the policy is current and the coverage limits are as stated. This step takes 10 minutes and eliminates the uninsured contractor who presents a fraudulent or expired certificate.

Point 3 — Confirm local PBC experience and references

Request a reference list of projects completed under permit in Palm Beach County within the past 24–36 months. The reference list must include the property address, the scope of work, the permit number, and a contact for the property owner or manager. Call at least two references. The permit number is the most important item — it confirms the project was completed under permit, inspected, and closed. A contractor without permit numbers on their reference list either did not pull permits on prior PBC work or is providing references from outside PBC's jurisdiction.

Point 4 — Request Florida Product Approval numbers for all proposed materials

Before signing, request the Florida Product Approval (FPA) number for every proposed roofing system component: primary covering, underlayment, fasteners, and any secondary components. Verify each FPA at floridabuilding.org — confirm the approval is current, covers PBC's 160–175 mph HVHZ design wind speed zone, and that the proposed installation method matches the approved method. A contractor who cannot provide FPA numbers for proposed materials is not demonstrating HVHZ technical competence.

Point 5 — Confirm the permit will be pulled in the contractor's name

Ask directly: "Will you pull the permit in your name and attend all required inspections?" The answer must be yes. A contractor who asks you to pull the permit, suggests the permit is not required, or proposes to begin work before the permit is issued is proposing non-compliant work. The permit process includes the dry-in inspection that verifies secondary water barrier and underlayment installation — the only point at which these components can be verified before they are covered. Skipping the permit eliminates this quality control step entirely.

For roofing services in Palm Beach County from licensed CCC contractors who pull permits, attend all inspections, and provide Product Approval documentation as standard proposal elements, these are not special requests — they are the baseline.

Point 6 — Review the written proposal for HVHZ scope completeness

A complete PBC roofing proposal must include as written line items: tear-off and disposal; deck inspection and contingency rate for substrate replacement; self-adhering secondary water barrier (specified as modified bitumen — not felt); primary underlayment; primary roofing system with FPA number; edge metal and flashings; penetration flashings and pipe boots; permit fee and municipality; project start and substantial completion dates; and warranty terms (manufacturer and workmanship). A proposal missing any of these line items is incomplete. Do not award a contract based on an incomplete proposal — request the missing information first.

Point 7 — Get three bids from pre-qualified contractors

Obtain a minimum of three bids from contractors who pass points 1–3 — not three bids from any contractors who show up. Three bids from unqualified contractors produce no useful comparison. Three bids from qualified contractors produce a legitimate price comparison and a competitive market check on the proposed scope. Bids that differ significantly from each other on price almost always reflect scope differences — identify what is missing from the lowest bid before concluding it is a price advantage.

Point 8 — Confirm the substrate contingency in writing

Ask every contractor for their per-square-foot contingency rate for substrate replacement (damaged decking, saturated insulation) discovered at tear-off. Get this rate in writing in the proposal. A contractor who does not provide a contingency rate is either not expecting to find substrate damage or is planning to present a change order after tear-off begins. Substrate replacement on a standard PBC residential roof runs $2.00–$4.50 per square foot for decking and $3.50–$7.00 per square foot for flat roof insulation — knowing this rate in advance allows you to budget for the most common cost variable in any roof replacement.

Point 9 — Review the contract before signing

A legitimate roofing contract in PBC includes: the contractor's full legal business name, Florida CCC or CBC license number, and physical address; a complete scope of work describing every line item in the proposal; the total contract price and payment schedule (typically 10–20% deposit, progress payment at substantial completion, final payment at permit close and inspection pass); the warranty terms — manufacturer material warranty and contractor workmanship warranty; a change order provision requiring written authorization for any scope or cost change; a dispute resolution clause; and a lien waiver provision requiring statutory conditional lien waivers at each payment milestone and unconditional final waivers at final payment.

Do not sign a contract that does not include all of these elements. A contractor who cannot or will not provide a complete written contract is telling you something important about how they will manage the project. The contract is not a formality — it is the document that defines your rights and remedies if the project does not go as planned.

Point 10 — Plan the post-installation documentation

After the project is complete, three documentation steps protect the value of the investment: confirm the permit was closed with a final inspection and obtain the permit close documentation from the contractor; order a Wind Mitigation Inspection within 30 days of permit close to document the new installation's construction features and generate Citizens Insurance wind mitigation credits; and retain all project documentation — the signed contract, permits, inspection records, FPA numbers, manufacturer warranties, and Wind Mitigation report — in a dedicated file. These documents are requested at every subsequent insurance renewal, Citizens inspection, and property sale. Assembling them at project completion is far easier than reconstructing them years later.

For a complete step-by-step guide to verifying a Florida roofing contractor's CCC license — including exactly what to search, what each status result means, and what to do when the lookup produces a problem — see our dedicated CCC license verification guide.