Short answer: As of October 2026, the five highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Duluth, MN-WI metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Empire Roofing (87.9), Rhino Roofing LLC (68.2), Collins Roofing and Sheet Metal (59.3), Denon Perrin’s Roofing & Services (59.3), Twin Ports Built (54.4). 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 6 certified roofing contractors serving the Duluth metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top five individually to confirm its record. Minnesota is one of the few states that licenses residential roofers specifically, with a written examination behind it. What stands behind the licence depends on its type: a residential building contractor or remodeler licence brings the state Recovery Fund, which pays a homeowner up to $100,000, while a roofer-only licence is excluded from that fund by Minn. Stat. 326B.81 and backed instead by a $15,000 bond. Hiring an unlicensed firm forfeits both. Every licence below was checked against the Department of Labor and Industry’s own published register rather than a lookup form, and one of the six holds Minnesota’s narrow Residential Roofer licence rather than the broader building contractor class. The other thing worth knowing before you get quotes is that St Louis County carries a 60 pound per square foot design ground snow load, against 50 for most of the state.
What a Duluth roof is up against
The severe-weather record understates this metro and the reason matters. Across 2016 to 2025 the counties logged 206 hail reports of an inch or more and 400 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports, which is a real convective record, but the thing that actually destroys roofs at the head of Lake Superior does not appear in that database at all. NWS Duluth puts the normal season at 86.1 inches of snow on the 1981 to 2010 normals, and the record going back to 1885 is 140.1 inches in 2022 to 2023, with four of the five snowiest seasons on record falling since 1995. The least snowy season was 36.5 inches in 1980 to 1981, which tells you how wide the year-to-year spread is here: a roof has to be built for the bad years, not the average.
Minnesota’s licensing regime is genuinely demanding and worth understanding before you compare quotes. Minn. Stat. 326B.805 requires residential roofers to be licensed by the Department of Labor and Industry, and 326B.802 defines a residential roofer as a person in the business of contracting with an owner to complete roofing work on residential real estate. Section 326B.83 requires that each qualifying person pass a written examination, and the department’s own guide sets the Residential Roofer examination at 110 questions over five and a half hours with a 70 percent pass mark. There is a small-operator exemption at 326B.805 subdivision 6 for anyone whose gross annual receipts from specialty skills do not exceed $15,000, on filing an affidavit, so the licence is not universal but it covers any contractor doing this work as a business.
Across the bridge in Douglas County, Wisconsin the answer is different. Wisconsin requires a Dwelling Contractor certification held by the owner, partner or chief executive of the business, and a Dwelling Contractor Qualifier held by an individual, renewed every two years on twelve hours of approved continuing education of which four must be in construction. Neither involves a roofing trade examination. So a contractor crossing from Duluth into Superior moves from a regime that tests roofing knowledge to one that does not, and a Superior homeowner is checking a different and weaker credential. Permits are required on both sides: Duluth issues a Residential Re-Roofing permit at a flat fee rather than on valuation, and Superior lists reroofing among the activities needing one.
The code numbers are the ones to put in a contract. The residential code in force is the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code at Minnesota Rules chapter 1309, adopting the 2018 International Residential Code with Minnesota amendments. Minnesota Rules 1303.1700 sets the design ground snow load at 60 pounds per square foot in St Louis, Carlton and 27 other named northern counties, against 50 pounds for the rest of the state, so a Duluth roof is designed to carry a fifth more snow than one in the Twin Cities. And Minnesota Residential Code R905.1.2 requires that where there is a history of ice forming along the eaves causing water to back up, the ice barrier consist of not fewer than two layers of underlayment cemented together or a self-adhering polymer modified bitumen sheet.
The 5 best roofers in Duluth, MN
Scored 2026-10-02. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Duluth is 4.683, across a pool of 6 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Empire Roofing | 87.9 | President’s Club | 4.7 (260) | 4.697 | 2005 | Duluth, MN |
| 2 | Rhino Roofing LLC | 68.2 | Certified | 4.9 (158) | 4.848 | 2019 | Hermantown, MN |
| 3 | Collins Roofing and Sheet Metal | 59.3 | Certified | 4.9 (45) | 4.786 | 2011 | Cloquet, MN |
| 4 | Denon Perrin’s Roofing & Services | 59.3 | Certified | 4.8 (51) | 4.742 | 2016 | Esko, MN |
| 5 | Twin Ports Built | 54.4 | Certified | 4.5 (34) | 4.609 | 2008 | Superior, WI |
1. Empire Roofing — TRB Score 87.9
Empire Roofing is based in Duluth, MN, in business since 2005, led by Marlin Nelson, BBB accredited, A+ rating; BBB records a business start date of 31 October 2005, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: President’s Club (GAF), Minnesota Residential Building Contractor licence BC574373, verified on the state register. 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 | 27.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 87.9 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Residential Building Contractor licence BC574373, status Issued, held by Empire Homes LLC trading as Empire Roofing, originally granted 2 June 2006 and current to 31 March 2028.. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry licence register
- Accredited with an A+ rating at the London Road address, recording a business start date of 31 October 2005.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Residential roof replacement and repair.
Why it ranks here. The top score in the metro on President’s Club certification and 4.7 across 260 reviews, with a Minnesota licence verified on the state’s own published register and running back to 2006, and BBB accreditation at A+. It trades as Empire Roofing under the registered entity Empire Homes LLC.
Best fit for: Homeowners who resolve the enforcement-action question above first, and then want the longest state licence history in the metro.
What we would want clarified. One thing we could not resolve and are flagging rather than burying. The Department of Labor and Industry’s published register sets an enforcement-action field against this licence record. The export does not say what the action was, and we could not retrieve any order or detail behind it, so we make no finding at all about what it refers to and no inference about its seriousness: it may be minor or historic. We report it because the state publishes it and a homeowner comparing contractors is entitled to the same information the register holds. Ask the company directly and ask the department. Separately, its licence is held under a different name from the one it trades as, its founding year differs across records at 1999 on its own account, 2005 at the BBB and 2006 on the licence, and its GAF tier is self-reported because the manufacturer’s directory refused our requests. 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 (218) 810-8928, 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. Rhino Roofing LLC — TRB Score 68.2
Rhino Roofing LLC is based in Hermantown, MN, in business since 2019, led by Derek M. Nelson and Ryan T. Nelson, co-owners, BBB accredited, A+ rating, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Certified (GAF), Minnesota Residential Building Contractor licence BC757294, verified on the state register. 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 | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 33.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 13.7 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 8.7 | 10 |
| Total | 68.2 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Residential Building Contractor licence BC757294, status Issued, held by Rhino Roofing LLC, originally granted 13 June 2019 and current to 31 March 2027.. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry licence register
- Accredited with an A+ rating at the Hermantown address.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Residential roof replacement and repair.
Why it ranks here. Rated 4.9 across 158 reviews, the highest rating in the metro with a substantial record behind it, BBB accredited at A+, and a Minnesota licence verified on the state register in the company’s own name with both owners identified. It publishes its licence number itself, which in a licensed state is the behaviour you want.
Best fit for: A straightforward replacement from a firm whose licence, owners and record all line up.
What we would want clarified. It is the second-youngest business here, licensed only since June 2019, so the strong rating rests on six years. It holds base-tier GAF Certified status rather than Master Elite, and it publishes no manufacturer credential outside GAF. Its licence is the broader residential building contractor class rather than Minnesota’s narrow roofer licence. 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 (218) 520-5487, 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. Collins Roofing and Sheet Metal — TRB Score 59.3
Collins Roofing and Sheet Metal is based in Cloquet, MN, in business since 2011, led by Jeffrey Brian Collins, Owner and Founder, with Brandon Jones and Brian Spender as partners from 2023, BBB accredited, A+ rating, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Certified (GAF), Minnesota Residential Building Contractor licence BC672600, verified on the state register. 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 | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 31.4 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 10.3 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 5.6 | 10 |
| Total | 59.3 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Residential Building Contractor licence BC672600, status Issued, held by The Companies LLC trading as Collins Roofing & Sheet Metal, originally granted 25 September 2013 and current to 31 March 2027.. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry licence register
- Accredited with an A+ rating at the Cloquet address.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Residential roofing and sheet metal work.
Why it ranks here. Rated 4.9 across 45 reviews with BBB accreditation at A+ and a Minnesota licence verified on the state register. It is the only contractor here with sheet metal in its name and its trade, which matters in a snow country where valley metal, drip edge and flashing carry more water and ice load than they do further south.
Best fit for: Valley, flashing and metal detail work, and anyone wanting sheet metal capability in house.
What we would want clarified. Its licence is held by a differently named entity, The Companies LLC, so search the register under that rather than the trading name. Its 45 reviews are a modest base. It holds base-tier GAF Certified status, publishes no credential outside GAF, and a self-published Wisconsin number could not be verified because that state’s lookup was unreachable. 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 (218) 520-7117, 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. Denon Perrin’s Roofing & Services — TRB Score 59.3
Denon Perrin’s Roofing & Services is based in Esko, MN, in business since 2016, led by Denon Perrin, Owner, BBB accredited, A+ rating, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Certified (GAF), Minnesota Residential Roofer Contractor licence RR794206, verified on the state register, Minnesota Qualifying Roofer credential QR708500 held by the owner. 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 | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 29.7 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 10.7 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 7.0 | 10 |
| Total | 59.3 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Residential Roofer Contractor licence RR794206, status Issued, originally granted 12 May 2022 and current to 31 March 2028, together with Qualifying Roofer credential QR708500 held by Denon S Eithun Perrin since 17 May 2016.. Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry licence register
- Accredited with an A+ rating at the Esko address.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Residential roofing and related services.
Why it ranks here. The most specific credential in the metro, and the reason to read this entry carefully. It is the only one of the six holding Minnesota’s narrow Residential Roofer licence rather than the broader building contractor class, and the owner personally holds the Qualifying Roofer credential, dating from May 2016, which means the person running the company is the person who sat and passed the roofing examination. In a state that tests roofing knowledge specifically, that is the strongest thing a contractor can show you. Rated 4.8 across 51 reviews with BBB accreditation at A+.
Best fit for: Homeowners who want the examined roofer to be the owner, and the most roofing-specific state credential available in Minnesota.
What we would want clarified. Its 51 reviews are a modest record next to the firms above it, and it holds base-tier GAF Certified status rather than Master Elite, which is why it ranks fourth on our formula despite the strongest licence position on the page. It publishes no manufacturer credential outside GAF and is based in Esko, in Carlton County, rather than in Duluth itself. One trade-off comes with that narrow licence: Minn. Stat. 326B.81 excludes residential roofer licences from the state Contractor Recovery Fund, so a claim against this firm would rest on its $15,000 bond rather than the fund that stands behind the building contractor licences held by the other firms here. 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 (218) 520-6736, 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. Twin Ports Built — TRB Score 54.4
Twin Ports Built is based in Superior, WI, in business since 2008, led by Matthew LeBard, Owner, Not accredited, A+ rating; business start recorded as 7 May 2008, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 24.4 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 9.6 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 8.4 | 10 |
| Total | 54.4 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Rated A+ though not accredited, recording a business start date of 7 May 2008 and Matthew LeBard as owner, at the Superior address.. BBB business profile
- GAF lists Twin Ports Built of Superior, WI in its residential contractor directory.. GAF contractor directory
What they actually do. Residential roofing and construction, from the Wisconsin side of the metro.
Why it ranks here. The Wisconsin member of this group, trading from Superior since 2008 under a named owner, which makes it the natural first call for a Douglas County homeowner wanting a contractor on their own side of the bridge and under their own state’s rules.
Best fit for: Douglas County, Wisconsin addresses, once you have seen its Wisconsin Dwelling Contractor and Qualifier numbers.
What we would want clarified. Its credential position could not be established at all and you should resolve it before engaging. It holds no Minnesota licence: we searched the state register under its trading name, its legal name, the owner’s surname and every Superior-addressed licensee, and found no record, which means it is not licensed to do residential roofing on the Minnesota side of this metro. On the Wisconsin side we could not verify a Dwelling Contractor certification or a Qualifier credential either, because Wisconsin’s licence lookup was unreachable throughout our research, so that is an absence of access rather than a finding. Its BBB profile is not accredited, it holds base-tier GAF Certified status, and it carries 4.5 across 34 reviews, the thinnest record here. 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 (218) 772-1997, 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.
What 3.0 inch hail does to a Duluth 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 Duluth, MN-WI statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 296 hail reports, 400 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 12 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $414,000; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Duluth in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 September 2021 | 3.0 in | Saginaw | St. Louis |
| 18 July 2020 | 3.0 in | Shaw | St. Louis |
| 26 July 2021 | 3.0 in | Poplar | Douglas |
| 26 July 2021 | 3.0 in | Maple | Douglas |
| 12 June 2024 | 2.5 in | Fraser | St. Louis |
| 12 June 2024 | 2.5 in | Chisholm | St. Louis |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 16 September 2021 near Saginaw, measured at 3.0 inches. That is baseball sized, comfortably past the point where a roof is written off rather than repaired.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 93 knots, about 107 mph, near Polo 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. 12 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF1 near Casco on 19 June 2016.
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 Polo, reproduced verbatim:
Numerous 12 inch plus diameter pine trees were snapped or uprooted at the location with one of the trees falling on an outbuilding. The tree diameter was estimated from photos taken during the survey.
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 July (233), June (183), August (99). The worst years on record were 2022 (116), 2020 (94), 2016 (89). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Duluth, 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 206 damaging-hail reports in ten years, impact resistance in Duluth 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.
Why Minnesota tells you to seal the attic before you touch the roof
The Minnesota Department of Commerce’s own home energy guide states it flatly: the primary cause of ice dams is attic air leaks. It goes further, noting that ice dams were many years ago thought of as a problem with roofing, and that this is not where the fault lies. Warm air escaping from the house into the attic melts snow on the upper roof, the meltwater runs down to the cold overhang and refreezes into a ridge, and the water pooling behind that ridge finds its way back under the shingles and into the building.
The same guide is unusually direct about what not to do. Installing heating cables, it says, will shorten the life of your roof and cost you money to operate. Removing ice with chippers, chemicals or heat can damage the roof. University of Minnesota Extension sets out the same order of operations: air leakage through the ceiling is a major mode of heat transfer feeding an ice dam, so prevention starts with making the ceiling airtight, then insulating, and only then ventilating. A contractor who proposes heat cable in the gutters without ever going into your attic is selling you a symptom treatment that the state’s own guidance says will shorten the life of the roof you just paid for.
What the code does require is a specific, measurable detail at the eaves, and it is worth writing into the contract by its number. Minnesota Residential Code R905.1.2 requires the ice barrier to run from the lowest edges of all roof surfaces to a point not less than 24 inches inside the exterior wall line of the building, and to consist of at least two layers of underlayment cemented together or a self-adhering polymer modified bitumen sheet. On a house with a deep overhang, the 24 inches inside the wall line is the test that governs, and it is the one most often missed.
Then there is the load. Minnesota Rules 1303.1700 assigns St Louis and Carlton counties a design ground snow load of 60 pounds per square foot, where most of the state carries 50. That is a structural number rather than a roofing one, but it matters on a reroof for one practical reason: adding a second layer of shingles over an existing one adds dead load to a structure already designed for the heaviest snow in the state, and Duluth’s own permit requires the work to be done by a licensed contractor precisely so somebody with a credential is making that call.
What the snow actually does here, in numbers
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Normal season snowfall, Duluth | 86.1 inches | NWS Duluth, 1981 to 2010 normals |
| Snowiest season on a record from 1885 | 140.1 inches, 2022 to 2023 | NWS Duluth |
| Least snowy season on record | 36.5 inches, 1980 to 1981 | NWS Duluth |
| Design ground snow load, St Louis County | 60 pounds per square foot | Minnesota Rules 1303.1700 |
| Design ground snow load, rest of Minnesota | 50 pounds per square foot | Minnesota Rules 1303.1700 |
| Ice barrier extent required | 24 inches inside the exterior wall line | Minnesota Residential Code R905.1.2 |
Source: NWS Duluth; Minnesota Rules 1303.1700 and chapter 1309; Minnesota Department of Commerce home energy guide; University of Minnesota Extension.
Three things to confirm before work starts in Duluth
Licensing is required in MN. Minnesota requires a Residential Roofer licence from the Department of Labor and Industry for any residential roofing work on one to four family dwellings, unless the contractor holds a Residential Building Contractor or Residential Remodeler licence instead.
The licence requires a designated Qualifying Person who passes the roofer examination, at 70 percent, and documents roofing experience. Every licensee must carry liability cover of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate. A residential roofer licensee must also post a bond of at least $15,000 under Minn. Stat. 326B.86. The state Contractor Recovery Fund, which pays up to $100,000 per claimant, covers only contracts requiring a residential building contractor or remodeler licence: Minn. Stat. 326B.81 excludes roofer-only licences from it.
Check here: Minnesota DLI licence lookup. Check which licence the firm holds, not just that it is licensed. A residential building contractor or remodeler licence brings the Recovery Fund behind it; a roofer-only licence is backed by its $15,000 bond instead. Minn. Stat. 326B.811 also lets you cancel an insurance-funded roofing contract within 72 hours of the insurer denying the claim. Hiring an unlicensed firm forfeits both protections.
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 Duluth actually has
6 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Duluth, MN-WI statistical area, of which 1 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 665 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.683. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 281,815, a change of 0.39% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Duluth rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Duluth, MN-WI 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 6 certified contractors, of whom 1 hold President’s Club standing and 0 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.683. 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: October 2026. Scoring run: 2026-10-02. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
Duluth roofing questions, answered
Who is the best roofer in Duluth, MN?
Empire Roofing of Duluth, MN scores highest in the Duluth metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 87.9 out of 100 as of October 2026. It holds President’s Club certification with a 4.7 rating across 260 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the four companies behind it score within 33.5 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Duluth?
6 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Duluth, MN-WI statistical area as of October 2026, of which 1 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Duluth get?
The Duluth, MN-WI statistical area recorded 206 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 22 of 2 inches or larger between 2016 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Events Database. The largest hailstone reported measured 3.0 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 Duluth in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Duluth, MN-WI statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 3.0 inches, reported near Saginaw on 16 September 2021. That is baseball sized, comfortably past the point where a roof is written off rather than repaired. Across the decade the metro recorded 296 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $414,000; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Duluth?
Severe-weather reports in the Duluth, MN-WI statistical area cluster in July, June, August, 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 MN?
Minnesota requires a Residential Roofer licence from the Department of Labor and Industry for any residential roofing work on one to four family dwellings, unless the contractor holds a Residential Building Contractor or Residential Remodeler licence instead. The licence requires a designated Qualifying Person who passes the roofer examination, at 70 percent, and documents roofing experience. Every licensee must carry liability cover of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate. A residential roofer licensee must also post a bond of at least $15,000 under Minn. Stat. 326B.86. The state Contractor Recovery Fund, which pays up to $100,000 per claimant, covers only contracts requiring a residential building contractor or remodeler licence: Minn. Stat. 326B.81 excludes roofer-only licences from it.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Duluth?
Check which licence the firm holds, not just that it is licensed. A residential building contractor or remodeler licence brings the Recovery Fund behind it; a roofer-only licence is backed by its $15,000 bond instead. Minn. Stat. 326B.811 also lets you cancel an insurance-funded roofing contract within 72 hours of the insurer denying the claim. Hiring an unlicensed firm forfeits both protections.
Why Minnesota tells you to seal the attic before you touch the roof?
The Minnesota Department of Commerce’s own home energy guide states it flatly: the primary cause of ice dams is attic air leaks. It goes further, noting that ice dams were many years ago thought of as a problem with roofing, and that this is not where the fault lies. Warm air escaping from the house into the attic melts snow on the upper roof, the meltwater runs down to the cold overhang and refreezes into a ridge, and the water pooling behind that ridge finds its way back under the shingles and into the building.
Is Duluth a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Minnesota is one of the few states that licenses residential roofers specifically, with a written examination behind it. What stands behind the licence depends on its type: a residential building contractor or remodeler licence brings the state Recovery Fund, which pays a homeowner up to $100,000, while a roofer-only licence is excluded from that fund by Minn. Stat. 326B.81 and backed instead by a $15,000 bond. Hiring an unlicensed firm forfeits both. Every licence below was checked against the Department of Labor and Industry’s own published register rather than a lookup form, and one of the six holds Minnesota’s narrow Residential Roofer licence rather than the broader building contractor class. The other thing worth knowing before you get quotes is that St Louis County carries a 60 pound per square foot design ground snow load, against 50 for most of the state.
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 St. Cloud, MN, about 130 miles from Duluth
- Best roofers in Minneapolis, MN, about 137 miles from Duluth
- Best roofers in Rochester, MN, another MN metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Tuscaloosa, AL, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in San Luis Obispo, CA, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Fargo, ND, also scored, about 222 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 Duluth, MN: 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.