Short answer: As of September 2026, the five highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Ann Arbor, MI metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Roofing PD (86.0), Rapid Roofing (85.7), RoofAdvisor (82.2), John McCarter Construction (77.6), Imperial Building & Roofing (76.8). All of them carry a verifiable manufacturer certification, every rating here was cross-checked against an independent record, and no money changed hands for any placement.
The Roofing Brief scored 8 certified roofing contractors serving the Ann Arbor metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top five individually to confirm its record. Ann Arbor is the metro on this site where the city has quietly taken itself out of the loop. Its own expedited permit document states that sloped asphalt shingled and metal roofs do not require a permit, only existing flat roofs do. Put that next to the fact that 54.4 percent of occupied housing units in the city are renter-occupied, and you have a market where most roofs are replaced on somebody else’s house with no city inspector ever looking at the work. The only checks left standing are the state builder licence, the manufacturer certification, and whatever the homeowner or landlord thinks to verify. That is what this page is for.
Wind, terrain and the Ann Arbor housing stock
Washtenaw County is not a hail county. Across 2016 to 2025 NOAA logged 47 hail reports for the county, 33 of them an inch or larger, against 80 severe wind reports and no tornadoes at all, with $1,074,500 in reported property damage. July is the peak month with 42 reports, ahead of June with 33. The event that defines the decade locally is wind rather than ice: on 11 July 2023 a thunderstorm wind event at Lyndon Center was logged with an estimated 59 knot gust, and the NOAA narrative records numerous trees and wires down, some trees falling onto houses, and a 20 foot pontoon boat flipped on Halfmoon Lake. The National Weather Service Detroit/Pontiac local storm report archive for the same afternoon carries matching damage reports from the county emergency manager. Wind of that kind lifts shingles at the rake and ridge rather than bruising the field, so what fails here is usually fastening and edge detail, not the mat.
The permit position is the single most useful thing an Ann Arbor homeowner can know. The city’s expedited residential permit document states verbatim, under the heading Flat Roof, that existing flat roofs reroofing and re-covering only, sloped asphalt shingled and metal roofs do not require a permit. So a straightforward shingle tear-off on a pitched house in Ann Arbor is done without a permit and without a city inspection. Where a flat-roof permit is required, the city charges a non-refundable $15 base application fee plus a permit fee from its standard schedule based on the valuation you declare, which under the schedule revised on 15 July 2025 runs $100 up to $1,000 of project cost and $100 plus $10 per $1,000 from there to $50,000, with a plan examination fee of 20 percent of the permit fee on top. Contractor registration with the city costs $15. None of that is a large sum, and none of it applies to the pitched roof most readers of this page actually have.
With no permit in the loop on a pitched reroof, the state licence carries the weight. Michigan requires a residential builder or a residential maintenance and alteration contractor licence, and the exemption threshold is set at MCL 339.2403(f) for a project whose aggregate contract price for labour, materials and other items is less than $600. The same provision closes the obvious loophole: the exemption does not apply where the work is part of a larger operation, or where a job has been divided into contracts of less than $600 each. In practice that means every roof replacement in Michigan needs a licensed contractor, and there is no honest way to structure around it. Two of the five below publish their licence numbers in their own site footers, which is two more than publish nothing, though we were unable to confirm either number against the state register because Michigan’s licence lookup is a form that cannot be queried directly.
The housing stock explains the rest. The median year built is 1971 in the city of Ann Arbor and 1978 across Washtenaw County, so a large share of roofs are on their third or fourth covering, with whatever decking and ventilation decisions were made in the 1970s still underneath. The renter share is the other half of the picture: 26,986 of the city’s 49,611 occupied units are renter-occupied, a 54.4 percent share, against 37.0 percent countywide. A landlord replacing a roof between tenancies is buying a different product from an owner-occupier, and ventilation and ice barrier are the first things to get value-engineered out. On ice, section R905.1.2 of the 2015 Michigan Residential Code requires an ice barrier where there has been a history of ice forming along the eaves causing water to back up, consisting of at least two cemented layers of underlayment or a self-adhering polymer modified bitumen sheet, running from the lowest edge of the roof to at least 24 inches inside the exterior wall line. Ask whether it is in the quote, because with no inspection nobody else will.
The 5 best roofers in Ann Arbor, MI
Scored 2026-09-29. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Ann Arbor is 4.822, across a pool of 8 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roofing PD | 86.0 | President’s Club | 4.9 (302) | 4.889 | not published | Brighton, MI |
| 2 | Rapid Roofing | 85.7 | President’s Club | 4.8 (343) | 4.803 | 1999 | Ypsilanti, MI |
| 3 | RoofAdvisor | 82.2 | President’s Club | 4.8 (158) | 4.805 | 2015 | Plymouth, MI |
| 4 | John McCarter Construction | 77.6 | Master Elite | 4.9 (637) | 4.894 | 1991 | South Lyon, MI |
| 5 | Imperial Building & Roofing | 76.8 | Master Elite | 4.9 (95) | 4.873 | 1989 | Ann Arbor, MI |
1. Roofing PD — TRB Score 86.0
Roofing PD is based in Brighton, MI, led by Patrick Erck, Owner, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 35.6 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 9.8 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 5.6 | 10 |
| Total | 86.0 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Member listing for Roofing PD at 5073 Canterbury Dr, Brighton MI 48114 names Patrick Erck as owner and Tamera Alvarez as representative.. Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce
- A 28 June 2024 report covers Roofing PD giving a free roof to a Livingston County first responder and quotes owner Patrick Erck, tying the giveaway to the First Responders’ Benevolent Fund Golf Outing.. WHMI 93.5 FM, Livingston County news
- GAF lists Roofing PD LLC of Brighton, MI in its residential contractor directory at President’s Club level.. GAF contractor directory
What they actually do. Asphalt shingle replacement and repair, metal roofing, GAF solar shingles, commercial flat systems in EPDM and TPO, attic ventilation, siding and gutters across Genesee, Livingston, Oakland and Washtenaw counties.
Why it ranks here. The top score in Washtenaw County on President’s Club certification and 4.9 across 302 reviews. Its Areas Served page names Ann Arbor, Dexter, Saline and Ypsilanti specifically under Washtenaw County, so the coverage is published rather than assumed, and the owner is independently named by both the Brighton chamber and a Livingston County news report.
Best fit for: A pitched asphalt replacement where you want the deepest certification tier in the county.
What we would want clarified. It is based in Brighton, in Livingston County, so Ann Arbor is served territory rather than home territory. It has no Better Business Bureau profile at all, it publishes no founding year, and the only manufacturer credentials on its site are GAF ones, so there is no second manufacturer’s judgement to weigh against GAF’s. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (517) 428-7330, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
2. Rapid Roofing — TRB Score 85.7
Rapid Roofing is based in Ypsilanti, MI, in business since 1999, led by Bill Beaty and Mike Beaty, BBB accredited since 15 June 2012, A+ rating; business start date 1 December 1999, Mike Beaty listed as owner, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: President’s Club (GAF), CertainTeed 5-Star Contractor, CertainTeed Low Slope Certified, CertainTeed 5-Star Siding Installer, CertainTeed Metal Certified, TAMKO Pro, Johns Manville Certified Contractor, GenFlex Certified Contractor, Duro-Last Certified Contractor, National Roofing Contractors Association member. Certification by more than one manufacturer is uncommon and requires meeting each programme’s separate standards for insurance, training and track record.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 32.1 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 10.1 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 8.5 | 10 |
| Total | 85.7 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- BBB lists Rapid Roofing at 2727 E Michigan Ave, Ypsilanti, with an A+ rating, accreditation since 15 June 2012, a business start date of 1 December 1999 and Mike Beaty as owner.. BBB business profile
- GAF lists Rapid Roofing of Ypsilanti, MI in its residential contractor directory at President’s Club level.. GAF contractor directory
What they actually do. Residential replacement, commercial and low-slope systems, metal and solar roofing, multi-family work, storm and insurance claims, siding, gutters and windows, from six offices including one in Ann Arbor.
Why it ranks here. By some distance the most independently credentialed contractor in this metro: eight manufacturer certifications outside GAF, including four separate CertainTeed programmes and three low-slope systems, plus National Roofing Contractors Association membership. Twenty-six years of trading, confirmed by the BBB start date as well as its own account, and the only one of the five with an office inside Ann Arbor itself alongside its Ypsilanti and Canton locations.
Best fit for: Almost any roof in the county, and the clear first call for a flat or low-slope section, which is also the only case where Ann Arbor requires a permit.
What we would want clarified. It publishes no Michigan licence number on its own site. It is also the largest operation on this list, running six offices across three Michigan counties and into Toledo, so ask who will actually be on your roof and whether the crew is employed or subcontracted. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (734) 899-5530, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
3. RoofAdvisor — TRB Score 82.2
RoofAdvisor is based in Plymouth, MI, in business since 2015, led by Christopher Erwin, CEO and Owner, BBB accredited since 29 July 2016, A+ rating; business start date 15 September 2015, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: President’s Club (GAF), Owens Corning Preferred Contractor, CertainTeed ShingleMaster. Certification by more than one manufacturer is uncommon and requires meeting each programme’s separate standards for insurance, training and track record.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 32.2 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 8.7 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 6.2 | 10 |
| Total | 82.2 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- BBB lists RoofAdvisor at 41920 Joy Rd, Plymouth, with an A+ rating, accreditation since 29 July 2016, a business start date of 15 September 2015 and Christopher Erwin as CEO and owner.. BBB business profile
- GAF lists RoofAdvisor of Plymouth, MI in its residential contractor directory at President’s Club level.. GAF contractor directory
What they actually do. Roof inspection and certification, cleaning, maintenance, repair and replacement, plus multi-family, HOA and commercial roofing, across Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Genesee and Livingston counties.
Why it ranks here. Publishes a Michigan Residential Builder Company licence number, 2102212922, in its own site footer, which in a metro with no reroof permit is worth more than it sounds. It also runs the most unusual model on this list, describing non-commissioned advisors who recommend replacement only at end of useful life, and it sells inspection and certification as a service in its own right rather than as a lead-in to a sale.
Best fit for: Getting an independent read on whether your roof actually needs replacing, and for landlords and HOAs managing several buildings.
What we would want clarified. We could not confirm the published licence number against Michigan’s register, because the state’s lookup is a form that cannot be queried by URL; treat it as published rather than verified. The company is based in Plymouth, in Wayne County, and it is the youngest of the five at ten years. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (734) 821-6190, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
4. John McCarter Construction — TRB Score 77.6
John McCarter Construction is based in South Lyon, MI, in business since 1991, led by John McCarter, BBB accredited, A+ rating; John McCarter listed as owner. The BBB profile gives a founding year of 1994, which differs from the company’s own 1991, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Master Elite (GAF), James Hardie Elite Preferred Contractor. Certification by more than one manufacturer is uncommon and requires meeting each programme’s separate standards for insurance, training and track record.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 35.8 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 11.1 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 6.7 | 10 |
| Total | 77.6 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Third-party customer-survey profile reports a 98 percent recommendation rate, with 378 of 385 respondents saying they would recommend the company, from 587 responses to 923 surveys.. GuildQuality
- BBB shows an A+ rating and lists John McCarter as owner at 475 Washington, South Lyon, MI 48178.. BBB business profile
- GAF lists John McCarter Construction of South Lyon, MI in its residential contractor directory at Master Elite level.. GAF contractor directory
What they actually do. Roof replacement alongside fiber cement and vinyl siding, windows, entry and patio doors, gutters and wider exterior remodelling, from a South Lyon showroom and an appointment-only Rochester Hills location.
Why it ranks here. The only contractor here with an audited third-party survey record rather than review-platform stars: GuildQuality reports 587 responses from 923 surveys sent, with 378 of 385 respondents recommending the company, which is a materially harder number to game than a star average. Second-generation since 1991, with founder John McCarter’s nephews now helping lead it, and it publishes licence number 2101110181.
Best fit for: A roof and siding job done together, where a James Hardie Elite Preferred credential sits alongside the roofing one.
What we would want clarified. Roofing is one line in an exterior remodelling business rather than the whole of it. Its service-area page names cities rather than counties and lists Ann Arbor among thirteen, so Washtenaw coverage is real but the centre of gravity is Oakland County. The BBB gives its founding as 1994 against the company’s own 1991, and the licence number is published rather than confirmed against the state register. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (947) 362-0851, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
5. Imperial Building & Roofing — TRB Score 76.8
Imperial Building & Roofing is based in Ann Arbor, MI, in business since 1989, BBB accredited since 11 July 2008, A+ rating; zero complaints closed in the last three years, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Master Elite (GAF), VELUX Skylights Certified Installer, Owens Corning Preferred Contractor, James Hardie fiber cement siding certified contractor, CertainTeed certified installer, National Roofing Contractors Association member. Certification by more than one manufacturer is uncommon and requires meeting each programme’s separate standards for insurance, training and track record.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 34.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 7.9 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 76.8 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- BBB lists Imperial Building & Roofing at 4724 S. State Rd., Ann Arbor, with an A+ rating, accreditation since 11 July 2008 and zero complaints closed in the last three years.. BBB business profile
- GAF lists Imperial Building & Roofing of Ann Arbor, MI in its residential contractor directory at Master Elite level.. GAF contractor directory
What they actually do. Roof replacement and repair, siding, gutters, attic insulation and ventilation, skylights, and low-slope and green roof systems.
Why it ranks here. The only one of the five actually headquartered in Ann Arbor, and the longest-established business on the page at 36 years. It carries the cleanest Better Business Bureau record here, accredited since 2008 with no complaints closed in the last three years, four manufacturer credentials outside GAF and National Roofing Contractors Association membership. It is also the only contractor in the county advertising green roof systems and a VELUX skylight certification, which matters on the flat-roofed mid-century houses around Ann Arbor where skylights and low slope are the usual leak points.
Best fit for: Ann Arbor homeowners who want a local firm, a skylight done properly, or attic ventilation treated as part of the roof rather than an extra.
What we would want clarified. It states on its site that it is properly licensed with the State of Michigan but publishes no licence number, so there is nothing to check. No owner is named anywhere on the site, and its 95 registry reviews are the shallowest customer record of the five, though at 4.9. We publish this because a ranking that only prints the flattering findings is an advertisement, not an assessment.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (734) 996-7888, which is the registry’s contact line and is often a directory tracking number rather than the contractor’s own: take the number from the company’s own website and compare the two.
The 80 wind reports that shape an Ann Arbor 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 1 county of the Ann Arbor, MI statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 47 hail reports, 80 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 0 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $1.1 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Ann Arbor in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 July 2023 | 2.0 in | Ypsilanti | Washtenaw |
| 15 June 2023 | 1.75 in | Delhi Mills | Washtenaw |
| 7 April 2020 | 1.5 in | Washtenaw | Washtenaw |
| 14 March 2019 | 1.5 in | Sylvan | Washtenaw |
| 15 June 2023 | 1.5 in | Worden | Washtenaw |
| 20 July 2023 | 1.5 in | Ann Arbor | Washtenaw |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 20 July 2023 near Ypsilanti, measured at 2.0 inches. That is hen-egg sized. Two inches is the threshold at which insurers expect functional damage and full replacement claims.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 62 knots, about 71 mph, near Ypsilanti on 24 August 2020. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
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 11 July 2023 event near Lyndon Center, reproduced verbatim:
Numerous trees and wires reported down, some trees fell onto houses. A 20 foot pontoon boat was also filpped on Halfmoon Lake.
That is the kind of damage a roof in this metro has to be specified against, described by the agency that recorded it rather than by a contractor selling the repair.
When it happens. Severe weather reports cluster in July (42), June (33), August (18). The worst years on record were 2023 (32), 2020 (18), 2019 (15). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Ann Arbor, 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. Hail is not the governing risk in Ann Arbor. Weight your decision toward wind rating, ventilation and flashing detail rather than paying extra for impact-rated shingles.
What to verify before an Ann Arbor contractor starts
Licensing is required in MI. Michigan requires a licence from the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs for any residential construction, alteration or repair costing more than $600 in combined labour and materials. Roofing-only contractors fall under the Maintenance and Alteration Contractor classification with the roofing speciality.
Applicants must complete a 60-hour state-approved prelicensure course and pass the PSI Residential Builder or Maintenance and Alteration Contractor exam with the roofing speciality. A Residential Builder licence covers roofing as part of broader construction; a Maintenance and Alteration licence is limited to repairs and non-structural changes such as a roof replacement.
Check here: Michigan LARA licence verification. The $600 threshold is low enough that essentially every roofing job in Michigan requires a licensed contractor. There is no meaningful unlicensed exemption.
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.
The Ann Arbor market behind this ranking
8 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Ann Arbor, MI statistical area, of which 4 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 1,924 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.822. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 373,875, a change of 0.43% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Ann Arbor rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Ann Arbor, MI 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 8 certified contractors, of whom 4 hold President’s Club standing and 4 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.822. The top five were then researched individually against Better Business Bureau records, state licence registers and manufacturer directories. Good and bad findings are published together, and no contractor paid for a place here.
Set aside in Ann Arbor. A contractor that would otherwise have scored into the top five was removed for the reason stated. The score is computed from public data, but where the research pass finds evidence undermining an input to that score, the score is set aside.
- Majic Window, which scored 83.1: scored third in Washtenaw County on GAF President’s Club certification and 6,031 registry reviews, but those numbers do not describe an Ann Arbor roofing business. The company is built on fiberglass replacement windows: windows lead its navigation, its published history is a window history, and the Better Business Bureau files it under the category Window Installation and does not list roofing among its services at all. Roofing is a genuine line, with asphalt and SBS modified bitumen pages and a stated twenty years of roof replacement, but the roofing page is titled for Metro Detroit and the company publishes no service-area or locations page anywhere on its site. Neither Ann Arbor, nor Washtenaw County, nor any Washtenaw community is named on it; the areas it does name are Michigan, southeast Michigan, Metro Detroit, Wixom and Toledo, Ohio. The 6,031 reviews also belong to a business selling windows, siding, bathtubs, insulation and flooring rather than to its roofing work, and the only review record we could fetch directly was the BBB’s, which shows 325 customer reviews and 46 complaints closed in three years. The Roofing Brief makes no finding about the quality of its window work, which is what it is categorised and reviewed 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: September 2026. Scoring run: 2026-09-29. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
What Ann Arbor homeowners want to know
Who is the best roofer in Ann Arbor, MI?
Roofing PD of Brighton, MI scores highest in the Ann Arbor metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 86.0 out of 100 as of September 2026. It holds President’s Club certification with a 4.9 rating across 302 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the four companies behind it score within 9.2 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Ann Arbor?
8 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Ann Arbor, MI statistical area as of September 2026, of which 4 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Ann Arbor get?
The Ann Arbor, MI statistical area recorded 33 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 1 of 2 inches or larger between 2016 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Events Database. The largest hailstone reported measured 2.0 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 the top five.
What was the worst hailstorm in Ann Arbor in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Ann Arbor, MI statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 2.0 inches, reported near Ypsilanti on 20 July 2023. That is hen-egg sized. Two inches is the threshold at which insurers expect functional damage and full replacement claims. Across the decade the metro recorded 47 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $1.1 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Ann Arbor?
Severe-weather reports in the Ann Arbor, MI statistical area cluster in July, June, August, on the NOAA record for 2016 to 2025. Scheduling discretionary work away from that window tends to get you a better crew and a faster start, because nobody is juggling emergency callouts.
Do roofers need a licence in MI?
Michigan requires a licence from the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs for any residential construction, alteration or repair costing more than $600 in combined labour and materials. Roofing-only contractors fall under the Maintenance and Alteration Contractor classification with the roofing speciality. Applicants must complete a 60-hour state-approved prelicensure course and pass the PSI Residential Builder or Maintenance and Alteration Contractor exam with the roofing speciality. A Residential Builder licence covers roofing as part of broader construction; a Maintenance and Alteration licence is limited to repairs and non-structural changes such as a roof replacement.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Ann Arbor?
The $600 threshold is low enough that essentially every roofing job in Michigan requires a licensed contractor. There is no meaningful unlicensed exemption.
Is Ann Arbor a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Ann Arbor is the metro on this site where the city has quietly taken itself out of the loop. Its own expedited permit document states that sloped asphalt shingled and metal roofs do not require a permit, only existing flat roofs do. Put that next to the fact that 54.4 percent of occupied housing units in the city are renter-occupied, and you have a market where most roofs are replaced on somebody else’s house with no city inspector ever looking at the work. The only checks left standing are the state builder licence, the manufacturer certification, and whatever the homeowner or landlord thinks to verify. That is what this page is for.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Ann Arbor?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Ann Arbor, MI statistical area logged 80 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 33 hail reports of an inch or more between 2016 and 2025. Wind damage shows up at the rake, ridge and edge rather than across the field of the roof, so the fastening schedule and edge detail matter more here than the impact rating of the shingle.
Why is Majic Window not on this list?
Scored third in Washtenaw County on GAF President’s Club certification and 6,031 registry reviews, but those numbers do not describe an Ann Arbor roofing business. The company is built on fiberglass replacement windows: windows lead its navigation, its published history is a window history, and the Better Business Bureau files it under the category Window Installation and does not list roofing among its services at all. Roofing is a genuine line, with asphalt and SBS modified bitumen pages and a stated twenty years of roof replacement, but the roofing page is titled for Metro Detroit and the company publishes no service-area or locations page anywhere on its site. Neither Ann Arbor, nor Washtenaw County, nor any Washtenaw community is named on it; the areas it does name are Michigan, southeast Michigan, Metro Detroit, Wixom and Toledo, Ohio. The 6,031 reviews also belong to a business selling windows, siding, bathtubs, insulation and flooring rather than to its roofing work, and the only review record we could fetch directly was the BBB’s, which shows 325 customer reviews and 46 complaints closed in three years. The Roofing Brief makes no finding about the quality of its window work, which is what it is categorised and reviewed for.
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 Detroit, MI, about 33 miles from Ann Arbor
- Best roofers in Toledo, OH, about 43 miles from Ann Arbor
- Best roofers in Flint, MI, another MI metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Lansing, MI, another MI metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Hickory, NC, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Fort Collins, CO, a metro of comparable size
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 Ann Arbor, MI: The Roofing Brief Contractor Score.” Published September 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.