Short answer: As of October 2026 no roofing contractor based in the Abilene metro holds GAF certification with five or more customer reviews: GAF’s own directory returns no results for Abilene. So The Roofing Brief ranks none here. Instead this page lists six local roofers we checked individually, each holding a licence from the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas, Texas’s only roofing-specific credential, and each BBB accredited at A+ with no complaints in three years. The oldest has traded since 1972.
The Roofing Brief searched the GAF certification registry across the principal cities of the Abilene, TX statistical area. No roofing contractor based inside the metro clears the evidence floor this ranking applies, which is manufacturer certification plus at least five independent customer reviews, so this page ranks nobody rather than pad a list. What it does instead is set out the contractors we could verify individually against the credential that actually exists here. Abilene is a mid-century city in the hail belt of West Central Texas: 269 hail reports in three counties over the past decade, and an EF2 tornado before dawn on 18 May 2019 that took roofs off homes on the west side. Texas licenses no roofers, but the City of Abilene requires every roofing contractor to post a $75,000 bond, doubled to $150,000 if the city has claimed on it in the past three years, one of the stronger local safeguards we have found. No certified firm appears in the directory for Abilene, so none is ranked.
What an Abilene roof is up against
Texas has no state roofing licence, and a 2025 bill to create one never reached a House floor vote. The only roofing-specific credential is the voluntary licence run by the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas, which requires two continuous years running a Texas roofing company, business, safety and roofing exams, and liability insurance. Texas law makes the insured pay the deductible: a contract paid from insurance must say so in bold, a roofer who waives or rebates it is breaking the law, and a roofer may not act as your public adjuster.
The city layer is unusually strong. The City of Abilene requires every roofing contractor to register, free of charge, and to file a $75,000 surety bond payable to the city under its amendment to the residential code; if the city has filed on that contractor’s bond within the past three years, the bond rises to $150,000. Ask any roofer for its Abilene registration before signing.
Abilene enforces the 2021 International Residential Code with local amendments. Reroofing more than five squares needs a permit, at a flat $100 for a house; under five squares there is no charge. Unpermitted reroofing brings a stop work order and an investigation fee equal to the permit fee, and ten times the fee on a second violation within a year. The city’s design table sets a 105 mph design wind speed, a 5 psf ground snow load and no ice barrier requirement, and it requires wood shingles and shakes to go on solid sheathing.
The storm record is heavy. Across 2016 to 2025 Taylor, Jones and Callahan counties logged 269 hail reports, 239 of an inch or more and 37 of two inches or more, the largest 4.0 inches at Hawley in May 2024, plus 157 thunderstorm wind reports and 15 tornado segments. None of the hail reports carries a damage figure in the federal record, because hail losses are settled privately. The city’s median home was built in 1975, and the 1950s are the metro’s largest building decade.
Abilene roofers with a Texas roofing licence
No roofer based in the metro clears our certified ranking floor, so none is ranked. These six hold a licence from the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas, the state’s only roofing-specific credential, and are BBB accredited at A+ with no complaints in three years. They are not scored and we are not recommending them; confirm each one’s City of Abilene registration and bond yourself.
| Company | Verified credential |
|---|---|
| Clear Fork Roofing Co., Inc. | RCAT commercial and residential licence 03-0353; on East US Highway 80 in Abilene; BBB accredited since 1995, trading since 1979, the oldest RCAT-licensed firm based in Abilene. |
| Weathersby Roofing, Inc. | RCAT residential licence 01-0356 and Owens Corning Preferred; based in Tuscola, Taylor County; BBB accredited since 1993, trading since 1972. |
| Barr Residential Roofing Services | RCAT commercial and residential licence 03-0352 and top tier in Owens Corning’s network; a residential specialist on Oak Street; BBB accredited since 2017, trading since 2014. |
| Castlerock Roofing, LLC | RCAT commercial and residential licence 03-0386; on North 3rd Street in Abilene with a Sweetwater location; BBB accredited since 2018, trading since 1995; a small owner-run firm. |
| Chad Dodson Roofing Systems, Inc. | RCAT commercial and residential licence 03-0418 and Owens Corning Preferred; founded 1998, with BBB and the company agreeing; BBB accredited since 2017. |
| Hartman Roofing, Inc. | RCAT commercial licence 02-0265 for its Abilene branch; BBB accredited since 1993, trading since 1988; says it roofs about 1,200 homes a year across West Texas, although its RCAT licence covers commercial work only. |
The 239 hail reports behind an Abilene roof
Aggregate hail counts tell you very little about a specific roof. These are the individual events: every severe-weather report logged by the National Weather Service across the 3 counties of the Abilene, TX statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 269 hail reports, 157 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 15 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $11.0 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Abilene in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 May 2024 | 4.0 in | Hawley | Jones |
| 2 May 2024 | 3.75 in | Hawley | Jones |
| 17 June 2023 | 3.75 in | Stamford | Jones |
| 7 May 2023 | 3.25 in | Denton | Callahan |
| 8 May 2016 | 3.0 in | Funston | Jones |
| 17 June 2023 | 3.0 in | Noodle | Jones |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 2 May 2024 near Hawley, measured at 4.0 inches. That is grapefruit sized. Stones that big destroy asphalt shingles outright, dent metal, crack tile and routinely total roofs across whole neighbourhoods.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 83 knots, about 96 mph, near Tye on 5 September 2023. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 15 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF3 near Hawley on 2 May 2024.
What the National Weather Service wrote about it
The NWS logs a written account of each severe-weather episode. This is its description of the 5 September 2023 event near Tye, reproduced verbatim:
An Emergency Manager team reported damage to multiple buildings at Taylor Electric Coop facility, 4 miles west of Tye. The roofing was peeled back, garage doors were bent and imploded and power poles knocked down. An NWS Storm Survey team determined a significant microburst occurred with wind gusts estimated at 85 to 95 mph.
A roof in this metro is built against events like that one, as recorded by the agency that recorded it rather than by a contractor selling the repair.
When it happens. Severe weather reports cluster in May (166), June (104), April (86). The worst years on record were 2023 (114), 2016 (66), 2025 (58). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Abilene, the months outside that window are when crews are least stretched and least likely to be triaging emergency callouts ahead of your job.
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, county-level detail files 2016 to 2025, filtered to the counties of this statistical area by The Roofing Brief. Damage figures are as reported to the NWS and undercount insured losses.
What to do with this. At 239 damaging-hail reports in ten years, impact resistance in Abilene is a specification question, not an upsell. Ask every contractor you shortlist to quote a UL 2218 Class 4 impact-rated shingle alongside the standard option, and ask your insurer whether a Class 4 roof earns a premium discount, because many carriers offer one in high-hail territory.
18 May 2019: roofs off a mid-century city before dawn
In the early hours of 18 May 2019 seven tornadoes crossed the Big Country and Concho Valley. The northern storm, NWS San Angelo’s survey found, cut a five-mile track through Abilene with EF2 damage and winds up to 125 mph, damaging numerous homes and businesses, displacing residents and cutting power widely.
The tornado began on the southeast corner of Dyess Air Force Base, damaging some roofs, and crossed residential neighbourhoods on both sides of the Winters Freeway on the west side of the city. It strengthened to EF2 as it crossed South 6th Street, completely removing several roofs from homes. The City of Abilene counted about 390 homes affected: about 336 with minor roof damage, 46 with major damage and eight destroyed. The federal record estimates $10 million of damage.
A second tornado that morning was found only when NWS resurveyed weeks later. Rated EF1, it began on the north side of Abilene, tore the roof of a metal building and part of the roofs of two homes near Fort Phantom Lake, and flipped an eighteen-wheeler. NWS San Angelo’s own office was in the path of a third tornado that night and had to hand warnings to the Midland office while forecasters sheltered.
Hail is the more frequent threat. On 19 April 2023 baseball hail fell at Kirby Lake just south of Loop 322; six days later 2.75 inch hail near Bradshaw caused major damage to a home’s roof and windows. On 2 May 2024 a supercell in Jones County produced baseball to grapefruit size hail at Hawley and an EF3 tornado that destroyed two homes.
The houses these storms hit are old: the city’s median home dates from 1975, and more homes in the metro were built in the 1950s than in any other decade. After a storm, check the roofer’s city registration and bond, refuse any offer to cover your deductible, and make sure a permit is pulled for anything over five squares.
The 2019 tornado and the rules on an Abilene reroof
| Item | Figure or rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 18 May 2019 tornado | EF2, up to 125 mph, 5.04 miles | NWS San Angelo; NOAA NCEI |
| Homes affected | About 390: 336 minor roof damage, 46 major, 8 destroyed | City of Abilene via NOAA NCEI |
| Recorded damage | $10 million | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Hail reports, 2016 to 2025 | 269, of which 37 were 2 inches or more | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Largest hail | 4.0 inches, Hawley, 2 May 2024 | NOAA NCEI Storm Events |
| Roofing contractor bond | $75,000; $150,000 if the city claimed in the past 3 years | Abilene IRC amendment R105.11 |
| Reroof permit | Required over 5 squares; $100 for a house | City of Abilene |
| Unpermitted reroof | Stop work order plus a fee; ten times on a repeat | City of Abilene |
| Design wind speed | 105 mph | Abilene Table R301.2(1) |
| State roofing licence | None; voluntary RCAT licence only | RCAT; HB 3344 (2025) not passed |
Source: NWS San Angelo survey of the 18 May 2019 tornadoes; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; City of Abilene contractor requirements, 2021 IRC amendments, roofing FAQ and fee schedule; Texas Insurance Code 707.002 and 4102.163; Texas Business and Commerce Code 27.02; RCAT licensing pages; US Census Bureau ACS 2020 to 2024.
What to verify before an Abilene contractor starts
There is no state roofing licence in TX. Texas does not issue or require a state roofing contractor licence. There is no state exam, no state licence number to check, and no state board that can discipline a roofer.
The Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (RCAT) runs a voluntary Licensed Roofing Contractor program. The applicant must have been a principal of a Texas-based roofing company with a physical address for at least two continuous years, pass a business and safety exam and a roofing exam at 70% or better, carry workers’ compensation or an equivalent plan, and hold at least $300,000 general liability insurance for residential work or a $100,000 surety bond ($500,000 liability for commercial work). The licence renews yearly with 8 hours of continuing education. A 2025 bill to create a state reroofing licence (HB 3344) did not pass.
That absence is the most important fact on this page. Where a state issues no credential, a manufacturer certification that can be revoked is the only quality signal a homeowner can actually check, which is why this ranking is built on certification rather than star ratings.
Check here: RCAT licensed contractor lookup. Many Texas cities still require roofers to register with the municipality and pull a permit, so check with the city building department where the work will happen.
Four checks to run before you sign anything, in any state.
- Verify certification at the source. Use the GAF verification tool rather than trusting a badge image on a company website.
- Get the certificate of insurance from the insurer, not the contractor, and confirm general liability and workers compensation are both active on the day work starts.
- Confirm who pulls the permit. If a contractor asks you to pull it as the homeowner, that moves liability onto you. Decline.
- Get warranty terms in writing before any deposit, and check the manufacturer warranty being promised actually requires the certification tier the contractor holds.
How deep the Abilene certified market really is
0 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Abilene, TX statistical area, of which 0 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 0 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.55. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 184,278, a change of 4.34% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Abilene rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Abilene, TX pool was scored out of 100 on four published components: certification tier, a Bayesian adjusted rating, review depth and distance from the metro centre. In this metro that meant scoring 0 certified contractors, of whom 0 hold President’s Club standing and 0 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.55. No contractor cleared the floor, so the alternatives listed above were instead researched individually against Better Business Bureau records, state licence registers and manufacturer directories. Where that research turned up something awkward it is on the page, and no placement was paid for.
The full method, the weightings, what the GAF certification tiers actually mean, who is eligible to be ranked and what we do not claim are all set out on our roofer ranking methodology page. Last updated: October 2026. Scoring run: 2026-10-06. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
Abilene roofing questions, answered
Who are the best roofers in Abilene, TX?
No Abilene roofer holds GAF certification with at least five reviews, so The Roofing Brief ranks none. It checked six local roofers holding Roofing Contractors Association of Texas licences instead: Clear Fork Roofing, Weathersby Roofing, Barr Residential Roofing Services, Castlerock Roofing, Chad Dodson Roofing Systems and Hartman Roofing. Texas issues no state roofing licence, so check the roofer’s City of Abilene registration and $75,000 bond before signing.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Abilene?
0 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Abilene, TX statistical area as of October 2026, of which 0 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Abilene get?
The Abilene, TX statistical area recorded 239 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 37 of 2 inches or larger between 2016 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Events Database. The largest hailstone reported measured 4.0 inches.
Did any contractor pay to appear on this list?
No. The Roofing Brief takes no placement fees, no lead fees and no affiliate commission from any roofing contractor. Ranking comes entirely from the published formula applied to public registry data, followed by an individual research pass on every verified alternative listed.
What was the worst hailstorm in Abilene in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Abilene, TX statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 4.0 inches, reported near Hawley on 2 May 2024. That is grapefruit sized. Stones that big destroy asphalt shingles outright, dent metal, crack tile and routinely total roofs across whole neighbourhoods. Across the decade the metro recorded 269 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $11.0 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Abilene?
Severe-weather reports in the Abilene, TX statistical area cluster in May, June, April, on the NOAA record for 2016 to 2025. Outside those months local crews are not triaging storm damage, so lead times are shorter and scheduling is easier.
Do roofers need a licence in TX?
Texas does not issue or require a state roofing contractor licence. There is no state exam, no state licence number to check, and no state board that can discipline a roofer. The Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (RCAT) runs a voluntary Licensed Roofing Contractor program. The applicant must have been a principal of a Texas-based roofing company with a physical address for at least two continuous years, pass a business and safety exam and a roofing exam at 70% or better, carry workers’ compensation or an equivalent plan, and hold at least $300,000 general liability insurance for residential work or a $100,000 surety bond ($500,000 liability for commercial work). The licence renews yearly with 8 hours of continuing education. A 2025 bill to create a state reroofing licence (HB 3344) did not pass.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Abilene?
Many Texas cities still require roofers to register with the municipality and pull a permit, so check with the city building department where the work will happen.
18 May 2019: roofs off a mid-century city before dawn?
In the early hours of 18 May 2019 seven tornadoes crossed the Big Country and Concho Valley. The northern storm, NWS San Angelo’s survey found, cut a five-mile track through Abilene with EF2 damage and winds up to 125 mph, damaging numerous homes and businesses, displacing residents and cutting power widely.
Is Abilene a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Abilene is a mid-century city in the hail belt of West Central Texas: 269 hail reports in three counties over the past decade, and an EF2 tornado before dawn on 18 May 2019 that took roofs off homes on the west side. Texas licenses no roofers, but the City of Abilene requires every roofing contractor to post a $75,000 bond, doubled to $150,000 if the city has claimed on it in the past three years, one of the stronger local safeguards we have found. No certified firm appears in the directory for Abilene, so none is ranked.
Roofer rankings for other metros
The Roofing Brief scores certified roofing contractors in the 400 largest U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan areas on the same formula.
- Best roofers in Midland, TX, about 142 miles from Abilene
- Best roofers in Lubbock, TX, about 146 miles from Abilene
- Best roofers in Killeen, TX, another TX metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Waco, TX, another TX metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Jackson, TN, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Burlington, NC, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Amarillo, TX, also scored, about 224 miles away
See the full index of all 400 metro roofer rankings, or read how to find and vet a roofing contractor anywhere in the country.
Cite this analysis
The Roofing Brief. “Best Roofers in Abilene, TX: The Roofing Brief Contractor Score.” Published October 2026. Inputs: GAF certification registry; NOAA Storm Events Database 2016-2025; U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 population estimates; Better Business Bureau and independent review-platform records for each ranked contractor.