How to check a Kansas roofer in ten minutes

After every big hail event, Johnson County fills with out-of-state crews. Some are competent companies following the work. Others take a deposit and are gone. The good news is that Kansas gives you a straightforward way to tell them apart, and it takes about ten minutes.

Credential one: the Kansas Attorney General registration

The Kansas Roofing Registration Act (K.S.A. 50-6,121 et seq.) requires every roofing contractor working anywhere in the state to hold a registration certificate issued by the Kansas Attorney General's office. To get one they must carry at least $500,000 in general liability insurance and show workers' compensation coverage or a valid exemption. Registration costs $500 a year and runs on a fiscal year ending June 30.

Critically for you: K.S.A. 50-6,135 requires the registration number to appear on their commercial vehicles, business signs, cards, correspondence and contracts. A roofing company operating legally in Kansas cannot hide this number, because the statute obliges them to print it on the very documents they hand you. The Attorney General publishes a searchable roofing registration directory — look them up before you sign anything.

Credential two: the Johnson County Class DR licence

Separately, Johnson County licenses contractors, and roofing has its own class: Class DR, which "entitles the holder thereof to perform only roofing services for all structures regardless of occupancy or height." Olathe requires the county licence for work within the city. A statewide registration alone is not enough here — ask for both numbers.

The storm-chaser tells

• They knocked on your door days after a storm and want a signature today.
• They cannot produce a Kansas registration number — which the law requires on their card and contract.
• Out-of-state plates and a local phone number that goes to voicemail.
• They offer to cover your deductible, or to invent a discount that cancels it out. That is insurance fraud and it tells you how they treat every other document.
• They want a large deposit up front. Reputable roofers in this market generally do not need money before materials are delivered.
• They ask you to sign something before the adjuster has been. Read it carefully — "authorisation to inspect" forms are sometimes contingency contracts that bind you to them for whatever the carrier approves.
• They pressure you. "This price is only good today" is not how roofing works. Your damage will still be there next week.
• No physical address, no local history, no references you can actually call.

Questions worth asking any roofer

1. What is your Kansas AG registration number and your Johnson County Class DR number?
2. Can your insurer send me the certificate of insurance directly?
3. Is this a tear-off or a recover, and how many layers are on there now?
4. How far does the ice barrier run past the wall line?
5. Is all the flashing new, including pipe boots and step flashing?
6. How many nails per shingle?
7. What is the decking allowance per sheet if you find rot?
8. Who is actually doing the work — your crew or a subcontractor, and are they covered by your workers' comp?
9. What warranty do I get in writing, from the manufacturer and from you?

We answer all nine in writing before you sign anything, and both our numbers are on the estimate.

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