Short answer: As of October 2026, the four highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Erie, PA metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Complete Roofing Systems (85.5), Bauer Specialty (78.8), Presque Isle Integrity LLC (58.8), Paterniti Malena Construction LLC (45.4). 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 4 certified roofing contractors serving the Erie metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top four individually to confirm its record. Two things about this market are worth knowing before you read any further. First, the City of Erie requires no permit to replace a roof covering: permits are not required for residential roof coverings, and are required only for structural repairs or changes to roofs. So nobody will inspect your reroof. Second, the top two firms in this pool are one ownership group. Complete Roofing Systems acquired Bauer Specialty of Erie, and both companies say so on their own websites, so what looks like a four-firm choice is really three. Pennsylvania’s protection is a registration under HICPA, not a trade licence, and the Attorney General’s own FAQ says the insurance requirement behind it is not related to contractor performance or quality of work.
Wind, terrain and the Erie housing stock
The convective record is small. Across 2016 to 2025 the Erie counties logged 26 hail reports, 19 of them at an inch or more with a decade maximum of 2.00 inches, 100 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports of which 13 reached 58 knots, and 4 tornadoes. July is the peak month. What governs a roof here is snow, and the figures are serious: NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normal for Erie International Airport is 100.9 inches, carrying a clean completeness flag. The snowiest season on record at the Erie climate site, per the NWS Cleveland records report, was 2017 to 2018 at a revised 166.3 inches, with 93.8 inches in December 2017 alone and a 24-hour total of 32.1 inches. The city’s published design criterion is a ground snow load of 40 pounds per square foot.
Snowfall inside Erie County is strongly uneven and the difference is not trivial for a roof. NWS Cleveland’s seasonal summaries record totals exceeding 100 inches across a lake-effect belt, with 100 to 150 inches common in southern Erie and most of Crawford County. A house a few miles inland and uphill from the lakefront can carry half again the seasonal load of one near the water, on the same 40 pound design figure. That is the reason to ask a contractor what they are specifying at the eaves and whether they have looked in your attic, rather than accepting a figure that applies to the airport.
Pennsylvania’s requirement is a registration and the Attorney General is candid about what it covers. Under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, Act 132 of 2008, anyone who owns or operates a home improvement business, or who offers, performs or agrees to perform home improvements in Pennsylvania, must register with the Office of Attorney General, with narrow exceptions. The application asks for contact and identifying information including prior home improvement businesses, information on partners, officers and managers, other contractor licences held, a description of the business, and insurance showing at least $50,000 of personal injury liability and $50,000 of property damage coverage. The Attorney General’s own parenthetical on that insurance line reads: this is not related to contractor performance or quality of work. There is no examination of any kind.
The registration does have real teeth and the numbers are easy to check once you have them. Registrations are valid for two years, the number must include the abbreviation PA followed by the assigned number, and the number must appear in all contracts and advertising. An unregistered contractor is prohibited from offering or performing home improvements and faces civil penalties of $1,000 or more. A prohibited act such as a false or deceptive advertisement is a felony of the third degree where the amount involved exceeds $2,000, or a misdemeanour of the first degree at or below that, which is a far heavier criminal exposure than most states attach to contractor misconduct. One caution: the Attorney General’s FAQ states two different registration fees on the same page, $100 under one question and $50 under another, so do not treat the fee as a diagnostic.
The 4 best roofers in Erie, PA
Scored 2026-10-02. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Erie is 4.65, across a pool of 4 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Complete Roofing Systems | 85.5 | President’s Club | 4.9 (571) | 4.88 | not published | Sugar Grove, PA |
| 2 | Bauer Specialty | 78.8 | Master Elite | 4.8 (322) | 4.78 | 2000 | Erie, PA |
| 3 | Presque Isle Integrity LLC | 58.8 | Certified | 5.0 (37) | 4.799 | 2021 | Girard, PA |
| 4 | Paterniti Malena Construction LLC | 45.4 | Certified | 3.9 (15) | 4.477 | 2003 | Mckean, PA |
1. Complete Roofing Systems — TRB Score 85.5
Complete Roofing Systems is based in Sugar Grove, PA, led by David Hoisington and Michael Clopp, per BBB, BBB accredited, A+ rating, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: President’s Club (GAF), Pennsylvania home improvement contractor registration PA162539, published on the company’s own FAQ page; not confirmed on the Attorney General’s register, which we could not query. 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 | 35.2 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 0.3 | 10 |
| Total | 85.5 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Accredited with an A+ rating at 688 Big Tree Rd, Sugar Grove, with a business start date of 5 September 2019 and David Hoisington and Michael Clopp named.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Shingle roof installation, roof replacement, gutters, roof repair.
Why it ranks here. The top score in the metro on a 4.9 across 571 reviews, much the deepest review base here, with President’s Club certification and BBB accreditation at A+. Its service-areas page lists Erie by name along with North East, Edinboro and Corry, all in Erie County, plus Franklin, Oil City, Titusville, Bradford, Kane, Sugarcreek and Warren, and eleven New York towns, and its FAQ page lists Erie too, so coverage of this metro is published rather than inferred. It publishes its PA registration number on its own site, which is what HICPA requires and what many firms skip.
Best fit for: A straightforward shingle replacement across a wide area, with the ownership disclosure below understood.
What we would want clarified. The important disclosure is the ownership. This company has acquired Bauer Specialty of Erie, the second entry on this page, and both companies state so on their own sites, so quotes from the two are not independent of each other. We could find no independent or trade-press report of the transaction and no date or terms, so ask which entity your contract and warranty name and whether crews and management are shared. Separately: it is based in Sugar Grove, in Warren County, roughly 50 miles from Erie, so travel distance matters on a warranty callback. Its founding year is disputed, with BBB giving 5 September 2019 and the manufacturer’s listing saying in business since 2018. And PA162539 is published by the company rather than confirmed at source, because the Attorney General’s register returns a 403 to automated requests and its search is JavaScript-only. Its GAF tier is self-reported. 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 (814) 706-1347, 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. Bauer Specialty — TRB Score 78.8
Bauer Specialty is based in Erie, PA, in business since 2000, led by Matt Bauer is named by BBB as owner of Bauer Specialty Insulation, Not accredited; Not Rated, under the related Bauer Specialty Insulation profile, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Master Elite (GAF), Pennsylvania home improvement contractor registration PA010662, published on the company’s own site as PA Contractor #10662; not confirmed on the Attorney General’s register, which we could not query. 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 | 31.2 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 13.6 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 78.8 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- A profile exists for Bauer Specialty Insulation at Erie, PA, not accredited and Not Rated, with Matt Bauer named as owner and a 1993 start date for that entity.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Residential roofing, commercial roofing, gutters and gutter guards, attic and spray foam insulation, fascia and soffit, storm damage restoration.
Why it ranks here. The only firm on this page with an Erie city address and the only one offering attic and spray foam insulation alongside the roofing, which in a market with a 100.9 inch snowfall normal is the relevant pairing: ice dams are driven by heat escaping into the attic, and a reroof is the one moment the insulation and air sealing can be corrected from above. Master Elite certification at 4.8 across 322 reviews.
Best fit for: Reroof combined with attic insulation and air sealing, and Erie city addresses.
What we would want clarified. It is now part of the same ownership group as the firm above. Its own About page states that the company is proud to begin a new chapter as part of Complete Roofing Systems, and CRS confirms the acquisition from its side, so treat quotes from the two as one source. Its BBB position is unclear: the profile we could find is for Bauer Specialty Insulation, which is not accredited and Not Rated, and we could not establish whether the roofing business trades as a separate entity or which BBB profile corresponds to it. Its founding year is unresolved, with the manufacturer’s listing giving 2000, the related insulation entity recording 1993 at BBB, and its own page saying both 25 plus years and three decades. Two different Erie addresses appear across sources. PA010662 is published by the company rather than confirmed at source. GAF tier self-reported. 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 (814) 898-8517, 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. Presque Isle Integrity LLC — TRB Score 58.8
Presque Isle Integrity LLC is based in Girard, PA, in business since 2021, led by Josh Rodriguez, Owner, BBB accredited, A+ rating, 7 reviews and no complaints, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Certified (GAF), Pennsylvania home improvement contractor registration PA170276, published in the company’s own site footer; not confirmed on the Attorney General’s register, which we could not query. 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 | 32.0 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 8.6 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 6.3 | 10 |
| Total | 58.8 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Accredited with an A+ rating at 8351 Sterrettania Rd, Girard, categorised as a general contractor, with Josh Rodriguez as owner, 7 reviews and no complaints on file.. BBB business profile
What they actually do. Roofing, siding, bathroom renovation, kitchen remodelling, basement finishing, additions, new construction, fencing, office renovation.
Why it ranks here. The only genuinely independent Erie County firm on this page, and the only one with no shared ownership to disclose, which after the two entries above is worth something. It is based at Girard, inside Erie County, states that it is proudly serving Erie County, is BBB accredited at A+ with no complaints on file, and publishes its PA registration number in its own site footer. It carries a 5.0 rating.
Best fit for: Roof work bundled with interior or structural remodelling, and anyone who wants an independent Erie County firm rather than one of a group.
What we would want clarified. It is a general contractor that includes roofing rather than a roofing specialist, and the evidence on that is consistent: its own site and its BBB categorisation both describe a range running from bathrooms and basements to additions and new builds, and the one customer review the manufacturer surfaces on its profile describes a bathroom gut and rebuild rather than a roof. We could not establish how much of its work is roofing. Its 37 reviews are much the thinnest base on this page, and it has been trading only since 2021. It holds base-tier manufacturer certification, which is why it ranks third. PA170276 is published by the company rather than confirmed at source, and its registration expiry, reported elsewhere as January 2026, could not be checked, so ask for a current certificate. 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 (814) 873-6670, 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. Paterniti Malena Construction LLC — TRB Score 45.4
Paterniti Malena Construction LLC is based in Mckean, PA, in business since 2003, led by Eric Malena, Owner, Not accredited; Not Rated; no complaints and no reviews on file, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Certified (GAF), Pennsylvania home improvement contractor registration PA019084, shown on the manufacturer’s listing but not on the company’s own site; not confirmed on the Attorney General’s register, which we could not query. 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 | 19.1 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 6.6 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 7.8 | 10 |
| Total | 45.4 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Listed under construction services at Erie, PA, not accredited and Not Rated, with Eric Malena as owner, and no complaints and no reviews on file.. BBB business profile
- 4.4 from 5 reviews, split 80 percent five-star and 20 percent two-star with nothing in between. The single two-star review, from Kirk Z. in July 2017, describes a leak that has plagued us intermittently since the roof was installed, a failed caulk fix, a declined $1,486.92 valley and copper flashing proposal, a promise to rework it at the contractor’s own expense, and then: it has been one year now and he has yet to call or show up, plus earlier chimney flashing that looked terrible and had to be removed and redone.. Angi listing
What they actually do. New home construction, roof installation, interior remodelling, exterior remodelling, doors and windows, home additions.
Why it ranks here. Twenty-two years in business under a named owner, founded 2003, and the only firm on this page that is primarily a home builder, describing over 20 years of design and construction experience and naming a Pella certified installation team alongside its GAF certified installers. On a new build or a major addition where the roof is one part of a larger contract, that is the relevant capability.
Best fit for: New construction and additions where the roof is part of a larger build, rather than a standalone reroof.
What we would want clarified. This is the weakest entry on the page and the specific complaint is worth reading. Its 3.9 rating across 15 reviews is the lowest in the metro; that figure is a Google rating displayed on the manufacturer’s profile and the manufacturer shows no review text for it, so the reviews behind the number could not be read. What is readable is its Angi record, set out above: 4.4 from 5 reviews, polarised 80 percent five-star and 20 percent two-star, with a detailed 2017 account of an unresolved post-installation roof leak, a declined flashing proposal, a promise to rework at the contractor’s expense and a year of unreturned calls. BBB holds no complaints and no reviews, so none of this became a formal record and we make no finding about the underlying work, but it is the question to put to the firm. Separately: it is not BBB accredited and is Not Rated; three different addresses appear across sources and we could not tell which is the operating office; and PA019084 appears only on the manufacturer’s listing and not on the company’s own site, which is what HICPA requires, so ask for it in writing and check it yourself. 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 (814) 449-2626, 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 100 wind reports that shape an Erie 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 Erie, PA statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 26 hail reports, 100 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 4 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $1.3 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Erie in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 April 2019 | 2.0 in | Phillipsville | Erie |
| 20 July 2023 | 2.0 in | Corry | Erie |
| 14 April 2019 | 1.5 in | Edinboro | Erie |
| 14 April 2019 | 1.5 in | Colts Station | Erie |
| 20 July 2023 | 1.5 in | Branchville | Erie |
| 14 April 2019 | 1.25 in | Waterford | Erie |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 14 April 2019 near Phillipsville, 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 70 knots, about 81 mph, near Kearsarge on 14 April 2019. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 4 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF2 near Hammett on 9 June 2025.
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 September 2019 event near Mooreheadville, reproduced verbatim:
A camper was overturned. There were several cars in ditches. There was unspecified tree damage at Cole Road and State Route 89. There was minor damage to a barn.
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 (32), June (21), April (21). The worst years on record were 2019 (32), 2023 (23), 2017 (17). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Erie, 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 Erie. Weight your decision toward wind rating, ventilation and flashing detail rather than paying extra for impact-rated shingles.
Nobody inspects an Erie reroof, and the top two firms are one company
Start with the permit, because its absence shapes everything else. The Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code does require a permit to alter or repair a residential building: 34 Pa. Code 403.62(a) applies to an owner or authorised agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a residential building. But the City of Erie answers the question for roofing directly, and the answer is no. Permits are not required for residential roof coverings, such as shingles; permits are required for structural repairs or changes to roofs. Its own guidance repeats it under window, door, roof and siding replacement: no permit. Where a permit is needed for structural work the fee is $29.50 on construction of $2,000 or less, comprising a $25 city application fee and a $4.50 state fee, and scales above that.
So on an ordinary reroof in Erie there is no plan review, no inspection and no municipal record. The one structural safeguard in Pennsylvania’s system is worth knowing in case you live outside the city: where a municipality opted out of enforcing the UCC, 34 Pa. Code 403.103 requires an applicant for a residential building permit to obtain the services of a third-party agency certified in the appropriate categories to conduct the plan review and inspections. We could identify no Erie County-level building permit requirement or fee schedule at all, which is consistent with permits being a municipal function in Pennsylvania but is an absence of evidence rather than a verified negative, so ask your own township.
Now the ownership point, because it changes what this page can tell you. Complete Roofing Systems’ own blog states that it recently welcomed Bauer Specialty of Erie into its growing family of companies, and Bauer’s own About page states that the company is proud to begin a new chapter as part of Complete Roofing Systems. Both halves of that transaction are published by the parties themselves. Entries one and two below are therefore one ownership group presented in the manufacturer’s directory as two independent contractors, and if you take quotes from both you are negotiating with the same owner. We could find no independent or trade-press report of the acquisition and no date or terms, so we cannot tell you how recent it is or whether crews, management and warranty administration are shared.
That matters practically for two reasons. A workmanship warranty is a promise by an entity, and when two brands share an owner, a problem at one does not give you a second independent firm to fall back on. And a competitive quoting process depends on the quotes being independent. Ask each company plainly who owns it, which entity your contract and warranty will name, and whether the crews are the same people.
What is left for you to check, with no permit and no examination behind the registration, is narrow and specific. Get the PA registration number and verify it on the Attorney General’s register yourself, which we could not do: hicsearch.attorneygeneral.gov returns a 403 to automated requests and its search is JavaScript-only, so every number below is published by the company rather than confirmed at source. Check the expiry, because registrations run two years. Confirm the $50,000 and $50,000 insurance minimums are exceeded, since those floors are low for a roof. And ask what is going in at the eaves: on a 1964 median housing stock carrying a 100.9 inch snowfall normal and a 166.3 inch record season, the ice barrier and the drip edge are where an uninspected job fails.
The Erie market, and what it does not check
| Item | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania roofing trade licence | Does not exist; HICPA is a registration | PA Office of Attorney General |
| Examination or competency test | None | PA Office of Attorney General |
| Insurance minimum behind registration | $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage, and the AG states this is not related to performance or quality of work | PA Office of Attorney General |
| Registration term and format | Two years; number must carry the PA prefix and appear in all contracts and advertising | PHFA HICPA information sheet |
| Penalty for unregistered work | Prohibited from offering or performing home improvements; civil penalties of $1,000 or more | PA Office of Attorney General |
| Criminal exposure for a prohibited act | Felony of the third degree above $2,000; misdemeanour of the first degree at or below | PHFA HICPA information sheet |
| City of Erie permit for a reroof | Not required for residential roof coverings; required only for structural roof work | City of Erie |
| Permit fee where structural work applies | $29.50 on construction of $2,000 or less, comprising $25 city and $4.50 state | City of Erie |
| Where a municipality opted out of UCC enforcement | A certified third-party agency must perform plan review and inspections | 34 Pa. Code 403.103 |
| Erie ground snow load | 40 pounds per square foot | City of Erie code |
| Snowfall normal, Erie International Airport | 100.9 inches | NOAA NCEI 1991 to 2020 normals |
| Snowiest season on record | 166.3 inches, 2017 to 2018, with 93.8 inches in December 2017 | NWS Cleveland records report |
| Median year built, Erie County | 1964 | ACS 2020 to 2024 five-year, B25035 |
Source: PA Office of Attorney General HICPA guidance; PHFA HICPA information sheet; 34 Pa. Code 403.62 and 403.103; City of Erie permit guidance, fee schedule and code; NOAA NCEI 1991 to 2020 snowfall normals; NWS Cleveland records report and seasonal summaries; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; US Census Bureau ACS table B25035.
What an Erie homeowner should ask for in writing
There is no state roofing licence in PA. Pennsylvania issues no state roofing licence. Instead, under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, any contractor doing more than $5,000 of residential home improvement work a year must register as a Home Improvement Contractor with the Office of the Attorney General.
HIC registration requires minimum insurance of $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage, a HICPA-compliant written contract, and the registration number printed on every contract, estimate and advertisement. It is a registration, not a competency exam.
That absence is the most important fact on this page. Where a state issues no credential, a manufacturer certification that can be revoked is the only quality signal a homeowner can actually check, which is why this ranking is built on certification rather than star ratings.
Check here: Pennsylvania Attorney General contractor search. The Attorney General’s search confirms whether the registration is active, when it expires, and whether complaints have been filed. A quote with no HIC number on it is not HICPA compliant.
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 Erie market behind this ranking
4 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Erie, PA statistical area, of which 1 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 945 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.65. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 267,750, a change of -1.22% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Erie rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Erie, PA 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 4 certified contractors, of whom 1 hold President’s Club standing and 1 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.65. The top four 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.
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.
What Erie homeowners want to know
Who is the best roofer in Erie, PA?
Complete Roofing Systems of Sugar Grove, PA scores highest in the Erie metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 85.5 out of 100 as of October 2026. It holds President’s Club certification with a 4.9 rating across 571 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the three companies behind it score within 40.1 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Erie?
4 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Erie, PA statistical area as of October 2026, of which 1 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Erie get?
The Erie, PA statistical area recorded 19 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 2 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 four.
What was the worst hailstorm in Erie in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Erie, PA statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 2.0 inches, reported near Phillipsville on 14 April 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 26 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $1.3 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Erie?
Severe-weather reports in the Erie, PA statistical area cluster in July, June, April, 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 PA?
Pennsylvania issues no state roofing licence. Instead, under the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act, any contractor doing more than $5,000 of residential home improvement work a year must register as a Home Improvement Contractor with the Office of the Attorney General. HIC registration requires minimum insurance of $50,000 personal injury and $50,000 property damage, a HICPA-compliant written contract, and the registration number printed on every contract, estimate and advertisement. It is a registration, not a competency exam.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Erie?
The Attorney General’s search confirms whether the registration is active, when it expires, and whether complaints have been filed. A quote with no HIC number on it is not HICPA compliant.
Nobody inspects an Erie reroof, and the top two firms are one company?
Start with the permit, because its absence shapes everything else. The Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code does require a permit to alter or repair a residential building: 34 Pa. Code 403.62(a) applies to an owner or authorised agent who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a residential building. But the City of Erie answers the question for roofing directly, and the answer is no. Permits are not required for residential roof coverings, such as shingles; permits are required for structural repairs or changes to roofs. Its own guidance repeats it under window, door, roof and siding replacement: no permit. Where a permit is needed for structural work the fee is $29.50 on construction of $2,000 or less, comprising a $25 city application fee and a $4.50 state fee, and scales above that.
Is Erie a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Two things about this market are worth knowing before you read any further. First, the City of Erie requires no permit to replace a roof covering: permits are not required for residential roof coverings, and are required only for structural repairs or changes to roofs. So nobody will inspect your reroof. Second, the top two firms in this pool are one ownership group. Complete Roofing Systems acquired Bauer Specialty of Erie, and both companies say so on their own websites, so what looks like a four-firm choice is really three. Pennsylvania’s protection is a registration under HICPA, not a trade licence, and the Attorney General’s own FAQ says the insurance requirement behind it is not related to contractor performance or quality of work.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Erie?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Erie, PA statistical area logged 100 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 19 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 Youngstown, OH, about 76 miles from Erie
- Best roofers in Buffalo, NY, about 82 miles from Erie
- Best roofers in Cleveland, OH, about 94 miles from Erie
- Best roofers in Akron, OH, about 104 miles from Erie
- Best roofers in Pittsburgh, PA, another PA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Harrisburg, PA, another PA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Lynchburg, VA, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Fargo, ND, 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 Erie, PA: 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.