Short answer: As of September 2026, the five highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Modesto, CA metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are True Roof Inc (84.4), Legend Roofing Company Inc. (76.6), Econo Roofing (72.2), American Roofing Services Inc (70.5), SQ Roofing Inc (61.9). Each holds a certification we verified on the manufacturer’s own register, every rating was corroborated elsewhere, and placement on this page is not for sale.
The Roofing Brief scored 9 certified roofing contractors serving the Modesto metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top five individually to confirm its record. Across ten years the NOAA record for Stanislaus County contains one hail report, a half-inch stone near Oakdale in April 2016, and $24,600 of severe-weather property damage in total. Almost nothing that drives roof replacement in the rest of this programme happens in Modesto. What governs a roof here is heat, and specifically California’s Title 24 energy code, which will not let the permit close unless the new roof meets minimum solar reflectance and thermal emittance for Climate Zone 12. In Modesto the binding constraint on your roof is an energy regulation, not the weather.
What actually ages a Modesto roof
Title 24 Part 6 is the rule that decides what you are allowed to install. Stanislaus County sits in California Climate Zone 12, and a re-roof on a low-slope or steep-slope residential roof must meet minimum aged solar reflectance and thermal emittance values, or an equivalent Solar Reflectance Index, before the building department will sign off. In practice that rules out some darker shingle products entirely and pushes others toward cool-rated versions of the same colour. Ask any contractor to name the specific product and confirm in writing that it is CRRC-rated for Zone 12; the permit will not close otherwise and you will be the one holding an unfinished job.
The permit process here has a step people are surprised by. A Modesto-area re-roof typically involves an inspection of the deck and underlayment before the roofing material goes on, then a final inspection afterwards. That mid-job inspection is the one that catches rotten sheathing being covered over, and it is a genuine protection. Permit fees in this market generally run somewhere between $200 and $800 depending on jurisdiction and project value. If a contractor suggests working without a permit to save that, understand what you are giving up: the only independent look anyone will ever take at your roof deck.
California licenses roofing properly, as Class C-39 through the Contractors State License Board, requiring four years of journey-level experience and two examinations. The CSLB record also publishes complaint and disciplinary history, which almost no other state register does. Every contractor below has had its licence number checked, and you should check it again on the day you sign, because a licence can be suspended between now and then.
The practical consequence of a no-storm climate is that roofs here fail slowly, from ultraviolet degradation and thermal cycling through hot Central Valley summers, rather than suddenly. Nobody will knock on your door after a hailstorm, which removes the storm-chasing problem that dominates other markets, but it also means you have to notice the problem yourself. Granule loss in the gutters and shingles curling at the edges are the local warning signs, not missing tabs.
The 5 best roofers in Modesto, CA
Scored 2026-09-23. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Modesto is 4.733, across a pool of 9 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | True Roof Inc | 84.4 | Master Elite | 4.9 (495) | 4.885 | 2017 | Modesto, CA |
| 2 | Legend Roofing Company Inc. | 76.6 | Master Elite | 4.9 (56) | 4.821 | 2020 | Modesto, CA |
| 3 | Econo Roofing | 72.2 | Master Elite | 4.9 (60) | 4.824 | 1996 | Delhi, CA |
| 4 | American Roofing Services Inc | 70.5 | Master Elite | 4.7 (22) | 4.723 | not published | Modesto, CA |
| 5 | SQ Roofing Inc | 61.9 | Certified | 5.0 (25) | 4.822 | not published | Ceres, CA |
1. True Roof Inc — TRB Score 84.4
True Roof Inc is based in Modesto, CA, in business since 2017, led by Odis DeHart, with Chris DeHart, Not BBB accredited, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 35.4 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 84.4 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- California contractor licence 1021762. CSLB
- BBB profile on record; the company is not accredited. BBB
- BuildZoom score placing the company in the top 3 per cent of California licensed contractors. BuildZoom
What they actually do. Roof repair, replacement and maintenance, gutter cleaning and roof coatings, residential and commercial.
Why it ranks here. 495 registry reviews at 4.9 is by a wide margin the deepest evidence base in the metro, more than the rest of this top five combined, from a third-generation roofing family. Roof coatings as a service line matter in the Central Valley, where a coating can buy years on a low-slope roof that does not need replacing.
Best fit for: Modesto homeowners generally, and low-slope roofs where coating may beat replacement.
What we would want clarified. Not BBB accredited, so there is no complaint record to read. The CSLB record does carry complaint and disciplinary history; check it there. 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 (209) 718-7663, 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. Legend Roofing Company Inc. — TRB Score 76.6
Legend Roofing Company Inc. is based in Modesto, CA, in business since 2020, led by Marcos Huerta-Mercado, BBB accredited since 29 January 2021, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 32.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 9.8 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 76.6 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- BBB accredited since 29 January 2021, in business since 2020, with CSLB licence 1067374 on the BBB record. BBB
- Contractor and permit record on BuildZoom. BuildZoom
What they actually do. Residential roofing across Stanislaus County.
Why it ranks here. A 4.9 rating with a CSLB licence number and a named officer both on the public record, and BBB accreditation held continuously since the company’s second year.
Best fit for: Modesto and Stanislaus County homeowners.
What we would want clarified. Fifty-six registry reviews and six years trading. 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 (669) 294-1760, 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. Econo Roofing — TRB Score 72.2
Econo Roofing is based in Delhi, CA, in business since 1996, led by Founded by Mario Espindola; still family run, Not BBB accredited, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 33.0 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 9.9 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 5.2 | 10 |
| Total | 72.2 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- California contractor licence 749551, published by the company for verification at CSLB.ca.gov. CSLB
- BBB profile on record; the company is not accredited. BBB
- Listed with GuildQuality, which surveys customers directly rather than collecting volunteered reviews. GuildQuality
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roofing including TPO, plus emergency repair, across 15 counties.
Why it ranks here. Family owned since 1996 by the same family, thirty years in the Central Valley, with the licence number published openly for verification and GuildQuality participation. Commercial TPO capability alongside residential is relevant on the flat-roofed additions common in valley housing.
Best fit for: Southern Stanislaus and Merced County homeowners, and flat or low-slope roofs.
What we would want clarified. Not BBB accredited, 60 registry reviews, and 19 miles from the metro centre. 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 (209) 668-6222, 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. American Roofing Services Inc — TRB Score 70.5
American Roofing Services Inc is based in Modesto, CA, BBB profile on record, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 28.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 7.6 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 10.0 | 10 |
| Total | 70.5 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- BBB business profile on record. BBB
- California contractor licence 1054110, roofing classification, active when last checked. CSLB
- Family owned with more than twenty years of stated experience. Company
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roofing across the Modesto area.
Why it ranks here. Master Elite certification with a dedicated roofing licence confirmed active, based in Modesto itself.
Best fit for: Modesto city homeowners.
What we would want clarified. At 4.7 across 22 registry reviews this is both the lowest rating and the thinnest sample in this top five, against a metro mean of 4.73. No BBB letter rating was displayed on the profile we retrieved. 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 (510) 395-0841, 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. SQ Roofing Inc — TRB Score 61.9
SQ Roofing Inc is based in Ceres, CA, and holds Certified standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: Certified (GAF), CertainTeed ShingleMaster. Certification by more than one manufacturer is uncommon and requires meeting each programme’s separate standards for insurance, training and track record.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 12 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 32.9 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 7.9 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 9.2 | 10 |
| Total | 61.9 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Holds CertainTeed ShingleMaster certification, awarded 2024. CertainTeed
- Roofing across the Central Valley, licensed and insured. Company
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roofing across the Central Valley.
Why it ranks here. Dual certification with GAF and CertainTeed ShingleMaster, three miles from the metro centre, on a clean 5.0 rating. Two manufacturers having separately vetted the same installer is a stronger signal than either alone.
Best fit for: Ceres and south Modesto homeowners wanting a choice of shingle manufacturer.
What we would want clarified. Twenty-five registry reviews and no locatable BBB record. Ask for the CSLB licence number in writing and check it, including the complaint history the CSLB publishes. 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 (209) 595-3908, 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.
8 severe weather reports in a decade, and why that matters in Modesto
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 Modesto, CA statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 1 hail report, 6 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 2 tornadoes. The database’s property-damage fields are left blank for most of these reports, so it carries no usable loss total for this metro and we do not quote one.
The largest hail on record in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 April 2016 | 0.5 in | Oakdale | Stanislaus |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 27 April 2016 near Oakdale, measured at 0.5 inches. That is below the size at which hail normally damages a shingle roof.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 65 knots, about 75 mph, near Arnold on 10 January 2023. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 2 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF0 near Waterford on 27 April 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 10 January 2023 event near Arnold, reproduced verbatim:
A large horse barn was picked up and moved over/across a 5-foot fence from winds from a severe thunderstorm straight line winds. Based on radar and damage photos, winds were around 75 mph.
That is what the specification has to anticipate here, written up by the agency that recorded it rather than by a contractor selling the repair.
When it happens. Severe weather reports cluster in January (5), April (3), March (1). The worst years on record were 2023 (5), 2016 (2), 2025 (2). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Modesto, 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 Modesto. Weight your decision toward wind rating, ventilation and flashing detail rather than paying extra for impact-rated shingles.
What a Modesto homeowner should ask for in writing
Licensing is required in CA. California requires a Contractors State License Board licence for any job where labour and materials combined reach $1,000 or more, a threshold raised from $500 by Assembly Bill 2622 on 1 January 2025. The exemption never covers a reroof, because the Board treats any work that needs a permit as requiring a licence whatever its value. Roofing is the C-39 classification; a B General Building licence can also cover it.
A C-39 qualifier must document at least four years of journey-level experience and pass both a trade examination and a law and business examination. Every active licence carries a $25,000 contractor’s bond, and C-39 roofing licensees must carry workers’ compensation whether or not they have employees: roofing is one of the few classifications that cannot file the no-employee exemption.
Check here: CSLB Check a License. The CSLB record also shows complaint and disciplinary history, including citations and accusations. Treat any status other than Active as disqualifying.
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 Modesto actually has
9 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Modesto, CA statistical area, of which 0 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 945 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.733. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 556,972, a change of 0.67% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Modesto rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Modesto, CA 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 9 certified contractors, of whom 0 hold President’s Club standing and 5 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.733. The top five were then researched individually against Better Business Bureau records, state licence registers and manufacturer directories. The findings are printed above whether they flatter the contractor or not, and nobody paid to appear.
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: 2026-09-23. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
Common questions about roofers in Modesto
Who is the best roofer in Modesto, CA?
True Roof Inc of Modesto, CA scores highest in the Modesto metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 84.4 out of 100 as of September 2026. It holds Master Elite certification with a 4.9 rating across 495 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the four companies behind it score within 22.5 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Modesto?
9 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Modesto, CA statistical area as of September 2026, of which 0 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Modesto get?
The Modesto, CA statistical area recorded 0 hail reports of 1 inch or larger and 0 of 2 inches or larger between 2016 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Events Database. The largest hailstone reported measured 0.5 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 Modesto in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Modesto, CA statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 0.5 inches, reported near Oakdale on 27 April 2016. That is below the size at which hail normally damages a shingle roof. Across the decade the metro recorded 1 hail reports. The database’s property-damage fields are left blank for most of these reports, so it carries no usable loss total for this metro and we do not quote one.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Modesto?
Severe-weather reports in the Modesto, CA statistical area cluster in January, April, March, on the NOAA record for 2016 to 2025. If the work can wait, booking outside that window usually buys you shorter lead times and more of the contractor’s attention.
Do roofers need a licence in CA?
California requires a Contractors State License Board licence for any job where labour and materials combined reach $1,000 or more, a threshold raised from $500 by Assembly Bill 2622 on 1 January 2025. The exemption never covers a reroof, because the Board treats any work that needs a permit as requiring a licence whatever its value. Roofing is the C-39 classification; a B General Building licence can also cover it. A C-39 qualifier must document at least four years of journey-level experience and pass both a trade examination and a law and business examination. Every active licence carries a $25,000 contractor’s bond, and C-39 roofing licensees must carry workers’ compensation whether or not they have employees: roofing is one of the few classifications that cannot file the no-employee exemption.
What should I check before hiring a roofer in Modesto?
The CSLB record also shows complaint and disciplinary history, including citations and accusations. Treat any status other than Active as disqualifying.
Is Modesto a hard market to find a good roofer in?
Across ten years the NOAA record for Stanislaus County contains one hail report, a half-inch stone near Oakdale in April 2016, and $24,600 of severe-weather property damage in total. Almost nothing that drives roof replacement in the rest of this programme happens in Modesto. What governs a roof here is heat, and specifically California’s Title 24 energy code, which will not let the permit close unless the new roof meets minimum solar reflectance and thermal emittance for Climate Zone 12. In Modesto the binding constraint on your roof is an energy regulation, not the weather.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Modesto?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Modesto, CA statistical area logged 6 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 0 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 Stockton, CA, about 29 miles from Modesto
- Best roofers in Merced, CA, about 37 miles from Modesto
- Best roofers in San Jose, CA, about 50 miles from Modesto
- Best roofers in Sacramento, CA, about 69 miles from Modesto
- Best roofers in Santa Cruz, CA, another CA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Salinas, CA, another CA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Lancaster, PA, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Port St. Lucie, FL, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Fresno, CA, also scored, about 89 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 Modesto, CA: 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.