Short answer: As of September 2026, the five highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Big Bear Roofing (89.7), MR Summerville LLC, trading as Modern Roofing (72.0), CMS Roofing (71.2), Alpha Omega Construction Group, Inc. (68.8), Palm & Pineapple Roofing and Exteriors (65.8). Each is certified by a manufacturer whose register we checked by hand, each rating has been tested against a source outside that register, and nobody bought a place on this page.
The Roofing Brief scored 11 certified roofing contractors serving the Charleston metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top five individually to confirm its record. Charleston has one of the widest gaps between first and second place in this batch. Big Bear Roofing scores 89.7; the next contractor scores 72.0. That 17.7-point gap is almost entirely review depth: Big Bear carries 889 reviews against a pool where nobody else clears 175 reviews. South Carolina also splits roofing across two regulators that are not interchangeable, and a Lowcountry replacement almost always clears the $10,000 line that puts it in General Contractor territory rather than Residential Specialty. The hurricane exposure makes the second question worth asking too: whether the contractor installs to the enhanced fastening and sealed-deck standards that Charleston County’s wind zone requires.
What a Charleston roof is up against
The Lowcountry’s worst recent day was Easter Monday, 13 April 2020. An EF3 tornado tore through Moncks Corner in Berkeley County, and a National Weather Service survey found straight-line winds of around 105 mph snapping and uprooting trees just to the south of it in Dorchester County. That day sits inside a decade holding 526 severe wind reports for the three metro counties, 161 hail reports topped by 2-inch stones at Knightsville in July 2019, and 30 tornadoes. June is the peak month.
Hurricanes set the specification even in years they miss. Parts of Charleston County carry design wind speeds well above the inland norm, and that changes the whole assembly rather than just the shingle: ring-shank nails at closer spacing, a fully adhered self-sealing underlayment instead of staples or cap nails, and edge metal rated for the uplift at your address. Ask a contractor to quote the fastening schedule and the underlayment by name, because those two lines are where a coastal roof is won or lost.
Salt air does the slow damage. Within a few miles of the harbour and on the barrier islands, ordinary galvanised fasteners, flashing and vents corrode years before the roof covering wears out, so stainless or coastal-rated metal is worth the premium, and a maintenance inspection every couple of years is not upselling here.
The historic districts have their own rulebook. Inside the City of Charleston’s districts, the Board of Architectural Review examines work visible from the public right of way, and its roofing policy is explicit that historic roofs should be repaired rather than replaced, with no historic roof replaced in full unless it can be documented as beyond reasonable repair. A full re-roof needs a city permit in any case. If your house is on the peninsula, ask the contractor how many BAR submissions it has taken through, not just how many roofs it has laid.
The 5 best roofers in Charleston, SC
Scored 2026-09-19. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Charleston is 4.682, across a pool of 11 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Bear Roofing | 89.7 | President’s Club | 4.8 (889) | 4.794 | not published | North Charleston, SC |
| 2 | MR Summerville LLC, trading as Modern Roofing | 72.0 | Master Elite | 4.8 (173) | 4.774 | 2014 | Summerville, SC |
| 3 | CMS Roofing | 71.2 | Master Elite | 4.8 (133) | 4.768 | not published | Summerville, SC |
| 4 | Alpha Omega Construction Group, Inc. | 68.8 | Master Elite | 4.7 (124) | 4.695 | not published | Ladson, SC |
| 5 | Palm & Pineapple Roofing and Exteriors | 65.8 | Certified | 5.0 (156) | 4.923 | not published | Summerville, SC |
1. Big Bear Roofing — TRB Score 89.7
Big Bear Roofing is based in North Charleston, SC, BBB accredited since 9 September 2015, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 31.7 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 8.0 | 10 |
| Total | 89.7 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- BBB accredited since 9 September 2015. BBB
- 4.8 across 834 reviews. Birdeye
- GAF Certified Roofing Contractor listing carries South Carolina licence CE29500. Licensing
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roofing across the Charleston tri-county area.
Why it ranks here. 889 registry reviews at 4.8, corroborated at 4.8 across 834 reviews on a second platform. That is more than five times the next-deepest record in the metro and the only President’s Club certification in the Lowcountry pool.
Best fit for: Charleston tri-county homeowners generally. The evidence gap here is wide enough to genuinely narrow the decision.
Verify the certification yourself on the GAF registry listing. The number carried on that listing is (843) 819-7650, 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. MR Summerville LLC, trading as Modern Roofing — TRB Score 72.0
Trades as MR Summerville LLC, trading as Modern Roofing; listed on the GAF registry as MR Summerville LLC.
MR Summerville LLC, trading as Modern Roofing is based in Summerville, SC, in business since 2014, BBB profile on record under the Modern Roofing name, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 30.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 11.4 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 5.7 | 10 |
| Total | 72.0 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- BBB profile on record for Modern Roofing, LLC in Summerville, offering residential roof replacement, inspection and repair. BBB
- Listed as MR Summerville LLC, Master Elite certified, in business since 2014. GAF
What they actually do. Residential roof replacement, inspection, repair and maintenance across Dorchester and Berkeley counties.
Why it ranks here. Worth knowing before you call: the manufacturer registry lists this company as MR Summerville LLC, but it trades publicly as Modern Roofing and its BBB file is under that second name. The same operator runs MR Columbia in the Midlands. Two names, one business, and checking the wrong one returns nothing.
Best fit for: Summerville and Dorchester County homeowners.
What we would want clarified. The trading-name split makes independent verification harder than it should be. Ask for the South Carolina licence number and the licensed individual’s name, and check both on the LLR record rather than searching either brand. 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 (854) 202-3643, 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. CMS Roofing — TRB Score 71.2
CMS Roofing is based in Summerville, SC, BBB accredited since 28 March 2007, A+ rating, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 30.7 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 10.8 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 5.7 | 10 |
| Total | 71.2 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated and accredited since 28 March 2007, a 19-year record, with two complaints in the past three years. BBB
What they actually do. New roof installation, repair, siding and maintenance, residential and commercial.
Why it ranks here. Nineteen years of unbroken A+ accreditation, the longest continuous complaint record in the Charleston pool. This is the Lowcountry branch of the same CMS Roofing that ranks third in Columbia, so the accreditation record is shared across both markets.
Best fit for: Homeowners weighting a long, uninterrupted complaint record.
What we would want clarified. Two BBB complaints in the past three years. The A+ rating and accreditation are intact, meaning they were addressed, but read them. 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 (843) 732-5558, 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. Alpha Omega Construction Group, Inc. — TRB Score 68.8
Alpha Omega Construction Group, Inc. is based in Ladson, SC, BBB profile on record with no complaints reported, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 27.8 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 10.7 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 6.3 | 10 |
| Total | 68.8 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- BBB profile on record with no complaints reported. BBB
- Rated 5.0 overall on Houzz, and 4.8 on HomeAdvisor. Houzz
- Listed with GuildQuality as Alpha Omega Construction Group of Charleston, which surveys customers directly. GuildQuality
What they actually do. Residential roofing and restoration across the Charleston tri-county area.
Why it ranks here. GuildQuality participation means feedback is solicited from every customer rather than volunteered by the pleased ones, and a zero-complaint BBB record. Ladson sits between North Charleston and Summerville, which is the practical centre of the metro’s growth.
Best fit for: Berkeley and Dorchester County homeowners in the Ladson and Goose Creek corridor.
What we would want clarified. Google reviews average 4.6, below the 4.7 registry figure, and this is a multi-market operator with a North Carolina head office. 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 (843) 818-4569, 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. Palm & Pineapple Roofing and Exteriors — TRB Score 65.8
Palm & Pineapple Roofing and Exteriors is based in Summerville, SC, BBB accredited, A+ rating, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 36.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 11.2 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 5.7 | 10 |
| Total | 65.8 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A+ rated BBB accredited business. BBB
- A clean 5.0 across 140 reviews. Reviews
- Veteran-owned local Summerville roofing and exterior remodelling company offering emergency response. Company
What they actually do. Residential roofing, emergency roofing response and exterior remodelling.
Why it ranks here. A clean 5.0 across 156 registry reviews, the only perfect rating at that volume in the Lowcountry pool, from an A+ accredited veteran-owned firm. Emergency response is not a marketing line in a hurricane-exposed metro.
Best fit for: Storm damage and emergency repairs, and Summerville and Nexton homeowners.
What we would want clarified. Base GAF certification rather than a higher tier, and only a few years trading, so the record is short even though it is spotless. 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 (854) 213-6870, 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 526 wind reports that shape a Charleston 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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 161 hail reports, 526 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 30 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $254,000; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Charleston in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 July 2019 | 2.0 in | Knightsville | Dorchester |
| 10 June 2024 | 2.0 in | Slandsville | Dorchester |
| 10 June 2024 | 2.0 in | Ladson | Berkeley |
| 6 April 2022 | 1.75 in | Moncks Corner | Berkeley |
| 10 June 2024 | 1.75 in | Slandsville | Dorchester |
| 10 June 2024 | 1.75 in | Summerville | Dorchester |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 3 July 2019 near Knightsville, 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 91 knots, about 105 mph, near Givhans on 13 April 2020. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 30 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF3 near Moncks Corner on 13 April 2020.
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 13 April 2020 event near Givhans, reproduced verbatim:
A National Weather Service Storm Survey Team determined that straight line winds of around 105 mph snapped and uprooted many trees along and north of Campbell Road. This damage occurred just south of a tornado that touched down near route 61.
That account is the design case for a roof here, and it comes from the agency that recorded it rather than by a contractor selling the repair.
When it happens. Severe weather reports cluster in June (195), April (153), July (132). The worst years on record were 2019 (111), 2022 (97), 2016 (90). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Charleston, 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. Charleston sees enough damaging hail that a Class 4 impact-rated shingle is worth pricing, though not automatically worth buying. Get both quotes and weigh the premium against any insurance discount.
How to tell a Charleston roofer’s claims from their record
Licensing is required in SC. South Carolina registers residential roofers rather than examining them. Under S.C. Code 40-59 a residential specialty contractor, roofing included, must register with the Residential Builders Commission for any job over $500, with no exam required, and must file a $5,000 surety bond before taking on work over $5,000. Contracting without registration is a misdemeanour, and an unregistered contractor cannot file a lien or sue to enforce the contract.
A specialty registration covers up to three trades; anyone wanting more must be examined and licensed as a residential builder, with a $15,000 bond. Commercial work falls under the separate Contractor’s Licensing Board. S.C. Code 40-59-25 gives a homeowner five business days after a written insurance denial to cancel a roofing contract, and bars contractors from promising to pay or rebate a deductible or negotiating a roof claim on the owner’s behalf.
Check here: South Carolina LLR licence lookup. For a house, a residential specialty registration in roofing is the correct credential, so ask for its number and confirm the $5,000 bond is filed if the job exceeds $5,000.
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 many certified roofers Charleston actually has
11 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Charleston-North Charleston, SC statistical area, of which 1 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 1,838 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.682. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 869,940, a change of 8.79% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Charleston rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC 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 11 certified contractors, of whom 1 hold President’s Club standing and 4 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.682. The top five were then researched individually against Better Business Bureau records, state licence registers and manufacturer directories. Anything unflattering that research surfaced appears above alongside the rest, and no company bought its position.
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: 2026-09-19. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
Common questions about roofers in Charleston
Who is the best roofer in Charleston, SC?
Big Bear Roofing of North Charleston, SC scores highest in the Charleston metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 89.7 out of 100 as of September 2026. It holds President’s Club certification with a 4.8 rating across 889 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the four companies behind it score within 23.9 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Charleston?
11 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Charleston-North Charleston, SC statistical area as of September 2026, of which 1 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Charleston get?
The Charleston-North Charleston, SC statistical area recorded 83 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 3 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 Charleston in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 2.0 inches, reported near Knightsville on 3 July 2019. 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 161 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $254,000; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Charleston?
Severe-weather reports in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC statistical area cluster in June, April, July, on the NOAA record for 2016 to 2025. Booking non-urgent roof work outside those months usually means shorter lead times, because local crews are not simultaneously triaging storm callouts.
Do roofers need a licence in SC?
South Carolina registers residential roofers rather than examining them. Under S.C. Code 40-59 a residential specialty contractor, roofing included, must register with the Residential Builders Commission for any job over $500, with no exam required, and must file a $5,000 surety bond before taking on work over $5,000. Contracting without registration is a misdemeanour, and an unregistered contractor cannot file a lien or sue to enforce the contract. A specialty registration covers up to three trades; anyone wanting more must be examined and licensed as a residential builder, with a $15,000 bond. Commercial work falls under the separate Contractor’s Licensing Board. S.C. Code 40-59-25 gives a homeowner five business days after a written insurance denial to cancel a roofing contract, and bars contractors from promising to pay or rebate a deductible or negotiating a roof claim on the owner’s behalf.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Charleston?
For a house, a residential specialty registration in roofing is the correct credential, so ask for its number and confirm the $5,000 bond is filed if the job exceeds $5,000.
Is Charleston a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Charleston has one of the widest gaps between first and second place in this batch. Big Bear Roofing scores 89.7; the next contractor scores 72.0. That 17.7-point gap is almost entirely review depth: Big Bear carries 889 reviews against a pool where nobody else clears 175 reviews. South Carolina also splits roofing across two regulators that are not interchangeable, and a Lowcountry replacement almost always clears the $10,000 line that puts it in General Contractor territory rather than Residential Specialty. The hurricane exposure makes the second question worth asking too: whether the contractor installs to the enhanced fastening and sealed-deck standards that Charleston County’s wind zone requires.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Charleston?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Charleston-North Charleston, SC statistical area logged 526 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 83 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.
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 Hilton Head Island, SC, about 63 miles from Charleston
- Best roofers in Myrtle Beach, SC, about 88 miles from Charleston
- Best roofers in Savannah, GA, about 91 miles from Charleston
- Best roofers in Spartanburg, SC, another SC metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Greenville, SC, another SC metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Columbia, SC, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Cape Coral, FL, 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 Charleston, SC: 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.