Short answer: As of September 2026, the five highest-scoring roofing contractors in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score are Top Roofing Services (83.5), Guardian Roofs (81.2), TMC Roofing (78.4), Better Roofing (72.6), American Supreme Roofing (72.4). 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 14 certified roofing contractors serving the Riverside metro on a published, reproducible formula, then researched each of the top five individually to confirm its record. The Inland Empire is a heat and ultraviolet market, not a storm market, with only ten damaging-hail reports in the past decade. Roofs here fail from thermal cycling and UV degradation, so material selection and radiant barrier matter more than impact rating, and cool-roof compliance under California’s Title 24 energy code applies to most replacements in this climate zone. One thing to note about this ranking: the two highest-scoring certified contractors serving Riverside are based in Orange County and also serve the Los Angeles metro. They score highest because they are certified, well rated and within range, but if you would rather use a firm headquartered in the Inland Empire itself, the three companies below them are all locally based and we have marked them as such.
What a Riverside roof is up against
The Inland Empire is one of the places where California’s energy code actually changes what you can buy. Riverside sits in Climate Zone 10, and the Coachella Valley end of the metro sits in Zone 14, both inside the range where a steep-slope residential re-roof must use a cool roof product, typically an aged solar reflectance of at least 0.20 with thermal emittance of 0.75, once you replace more than half the roof. That is a product specification, not a formality: ask the contractor to name the CRRC-listed product and show its rating before the permit is filed.
The second layer is fire. Large parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties are mapped in Fire Hazard Severity Zones, where a Class A fire-rated roof assembly is required. Both counties and the City of Riverside publish the zone maps, and the designation is parcel by parcel rather than neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Check yours before accepting a quote, because a Class A assembly can change the underlayment, the edge detail and the price, and because the rating applies to the whole assembly rather than to the visible covering alone.
The weather here is monsoon-driven and mostly desert. August is the peak month, and the ten-year record holds 115 severe wind reports against 23 hail reports, with the largest stones falling out in the Mojave at Barstow and Mountain Pass rather than in the valley cities. Reported property damage of $10.2 million over the decade is modest for a metro of 4.7 million people. Heat, ultraviolet exposure and thermal cycling do more damage to a roof here than any storm, so underlayment quality and ventilation matter more than impact ratings.
This metro is enormous, stretching from Corona to the Arizona line, and this page ranks only contractors within 40 miles of the Riverside city centre. If you live in Palm Springs, Hemet, Victorville or Temecula, the firms below may be an hour or more away, and a local C-39 licence holder without manufacturer certification can be the better practical choice. Whoever you use, check the licence on the CSLB site, which publishes bond, workers’ compensation and disciplinary history, and remember the down payment cap: $1,000 or 10 per cent of the contract, whichever is less.
The 5 best roofers in Riverside, CA
Scored 2026-09-12. The metro mean rating used as the Bayesian prior for Riverside is 4.771, across a pool of 14 certified contractors.
| Rank | Company | TRB Score | Certification | Rating (reviews) | Adjusted | In business since | Based in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Top Roofing Services | 83.5 | President’s Club | 4.9 (56) | 4.839 | not published | Anaheim, CA |
| 2 | Guardian Roofs | 81.2 | President’s Club | 4.7 (345) | 4.709 | not published | Orange, CA |
| 3 | TMC Roofing | 78.4 | Master Elite | 5.0 (83) | 4.914 | 2022 | Perris, CA |
| 4 | Better Roofing | 72.6 | Master Elite | 4.7 (89) | 4.726 | not published | Grand Terrace, CA |
| 5 | American Supreme Roofing | 72.4 | Master Elite | 4.9 (104) | 4.858 | not published | Santa Ana, CA |
1. Top Roofing Services — TRB Score 83.5
Top Roofing Services is based in Anaheim, CA, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 35 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 33.6 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 10.4 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 4.6 | 10 |
| Total | 83.5 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Licences 1103046 and 1088483 for roofing, active when last checked, carrying a $15,000 bond. CSLB
- BuildZoom score 111, in the top 4% of 336,931 licensed California contractors. BuildZoom
- 4.9 across 51 Google reviews and 4.5 on Yelp across 92 reviews. Reviews
What they actually do. Shingle, tile and flat roof installation and leak repair, with a warranty on all work.
Why it ranks here. A BuildZoom score of 111 puts it in the top 4% of every licensed contractor in California, computed from licence and permit history rather than reviews.
Best fit for: Western Inland Empire properties near the Orange County line.
What we would want clarified. Based in Anaheim, in Orange County, rather than in the Inland Empire, and it also ranks in our Los Angeles metro list. The review corpus is also the thinnest here at roughly 143 across platforms. 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 (866) 828-1886, 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. Guardian Roofs — TRB Score 81.2
Trades as Guardian Roofs; listed on the GAF registry as Guardian Roofs Energy Solutions.
Guardian Roofs is based in Orange, CA, led by Steve Sudduth, BBB accredited, A+ rating, and holds President’s Club standing on the GAF certification registry.
Certifications held: President’s Club (GAF), Owens Corning Platinum Preferred. 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 | 28.4 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 15.0 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 2.8 | 10 |
| Total | 81.2 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Accredited with an A+ rating, in business over 35 years. BBB
- Licences 847279 and 819354 covering General Building and Roofing, active when last checked. CSLB
- Trading as Sudduth Construction Inc, founded by Steve Sudduth in the early 1980s, explicitly serving Riverside County alongside Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego. Company
What they actually do. Residential and commercial roofing plus energy and solar work across four Southern California counties.
Why it ranks here. Dual-certified by GAF and Owens Corning and holding both General Building and Roofing classifications, which permits structural repair uncovered during a tear-off. Riverside County is a named service area rather than an incidental one.
Best fit for: Older Inland Empire homes where a re-roof may expose framing damage.
What we would want clarified. Headquartered in Orange rather than the Inland Empire, and also ranked in our Los Angeles list. 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 (714) 633-3619, 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. TMC Roofing — TRB Score 78.4
TMC Roofing is based in Perris, CA, in business since 2022, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 36.6 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 11.4 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 6.5 | 10 |
| Total | 78.4 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- C-39 roofing licence 1103611, active, with workers compensation insurance and bond on file. CSLB
- Crew completes GAF’s training curriculum annually. Training
What they actually do. Roof inspection, leak repair, storm damage restoration, re-roofs and 24/7 emergency roofing. Family owned and headquartered in Perris.
Why it ranks here. The highest-scoring contractor actually headquartered in the Inland Empire, and the only one in this top five offering 24/7 emergency response. Annual crew recertification through GAF’s curriculum is a training commitment beyond the minimum required to hold the tier.
Best fit for: Inland Empire homeowners wanting a genuinely local firm, and emergency leak response.
What we would want clarified. Founded 2022, so the trading record is short, and no BBB profile was locatable. The CSLB licence is current and verifiable. 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 (951) 840-9935, 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. Better Roofing — TRB Score 72.6
Better Roofing is based in Grand Terrace, CA, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 29.0 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 11.5 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 8.0 | 10 |
| Total | 72.6 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- 4.7 across 85 reviews. Birdeye
- Licensed and insured with over 35 years of experience, serving the Inland Empire. Company
What they actually do. Residential roofing across the Inland Empire from a Grand Terrace base.
Why it ranks here. Locally headquartered in Grand Terrace, between Riverside and San Bernardino, with over 35 years of experience, the longest trading record of the Inland Empire-based firms in this top five.
Best fit for: San Bernardino and Colton area homeowners wanting a long-established local firm.
What we would want clarified. No BBB rating and no published CSLB licence number were locatable from the sources we could reach. Ask for the licence number and verify it at cslb.ca.gov before signing. 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 (909) 370-1000, 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. American Supreme Roofing — TRB Score 72.4
American Supreme Roofing is based in Santa Ana, CA, and holds Master Elite standing on the GAF certification registry.
| Score component | Points | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Certification tier | 24 | 35 |
| Adjusted rating | 34.3 | 40 |
| Review corpus depth | 11.9 | 15 |
| Metro proximity | 2.2 | 10 |
| Total | 72.4 | 100 |
Independently corroborated:
- Roofing licence 1059373, active when last checked. CSLB
- BuildZoom score 93, in the top 27% of 336,931 licensed California contractors. BuildZoom
- Rated 5.0 on Angi. Angi
What they actually do. Residential roofing, state licensed and family operated with 25 years of experience.
Why it ranks here. A clean 5.0 on Angi alongside a solid registry rating, from a family-operated firm with 25 years of trade experience behind it.
Best fit for: Homeowners comparing quotes from both the Orange County and Inland Empire sides.
What we would want clarified. Based in Santa Ana rather than the Inland Empire, and no BBB rating was locatable. 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 (714) 973-0000, 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 115 wind reports that shape a Riverside 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 2 counties of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA statistical area over ten years, with the dates, the stone sizes and the towns they landed on. Over that decade the metro logged 23 hail reports, 115 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports and 5 tornadoes. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $10.2 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
The biggest hail to fall on Riverside in a decade
| Date | Stone size | Reported near | County |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2016 | 1.75 in | Barstow | San Bernardino |
| 22 August 2020 | 1.75 in | Mountain Pass | San Bernardino |
| 3 June 2025 | 1.0 in | Joshua Tree | San Bernardino |
| 3 June 2025 | 1.0 in | Chambless | San Bernardino |
| 8 September 2024 | 1.0 in | Ethanac | Riverside |
| 12 October 2018 | 1.0 in | Indio | Riverside |
The largest stone on record for this metro fell on 1 July 2016 near Barstow, measured at 1.75 inches. That is ping-pong-ball sized, enough to bruise asphalt shingles and shorten a roof’s life without necessarily looking dramatic from the ground.
Wind. The strongest thunderstorm gust logged in the metro was 75 knots, about 86 mph, near San Bernardino on 26 August 2016. Asphalt shingles begin lifting at roughly 67 mph when they are correctly nailed, and considerably below that when they are not.
Tornadoes. 5 tornadoes touched down in these counties over the decade, the strongest rated EF0 near Adelanto on 7 May 2017.
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 26 August 2016 event near San Bernardino, reproduced verbatim:
There was substantial damage at the airport, including at least two airplanes. A nearby residence also had property and tree damage.
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 August (57), July (31), September (31). The worst years on record were 2022 (29), 2024 (27), 2021 (20). If you are scheduling non-urgent work in Riverside, 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 Riverside. Weight your decision toward wind rating, ventilation and flashing detail rather than paying extra for impact-rated shingles.
What a Riverside 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 Riverside actually has
14 certified roofing contractors serve the principal cities of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA statistical area, of which 2 hold the top President’s Club tier. The pool carries 1,159 customer reviews between them at a mean rating of 4.771. The statistical area had a 2024 population of 4,744,214, a change of 3.1% against the 2020 census base, per the U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2024 estimates.
How these Riverside rankings were produced
Every contractor in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, 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 14 certified contractors, of whom 2 hold President’s Club standing and 11 Master Elite, against a metro mean rating of 4.771. The top five were then researched individually against Better Business Bureau records, state licence registers and manufacturer directories. Anything unflattering that research surfaced appears above alongside the rest, and no company bought its position.
The full method, the weightings, what the GAF certification tiers actually mean, who is eligible to be ranked and what we do not claim are all set out on our roofer ranking methodology page. Last updated: September 2026. Scoring run: 2026-09-12. Corrections go to the editor and are actioned on verification.
Common questions about roofers in Riverside
Who is the best roofer in Riverside, CA?
Top Roofing Services of Anaheim, CA scores highest in the Riverside metro on The Roofing Brief Contractor Score, at 83.5 out of 100 as of September 2026. It holds President’s Club certification with a 4.9 rating across 56 reviews. Highest-scoring is not the same as best fit for your specific job, and the four companies behind it score within 11.1 points.
How many certified roofing contractors serve Riverside?
14 contractors on the GAF certification registry serve the principal cities of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA statistical area as of September 2026, of which 2 hold President’s Club status.
How much damaging hail does Riverside get?
The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA statistical area recorded 10 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 1.75 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 Riverside in the last ten years?
The largest hailstone logged by the National Weather Service in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA statistical area between 2016 and 2025 measured 1.75 inches, reported near Barstow on 1 July 2016. That is ping-pong-ball sized, enough to bruise asphalt shingles and shorten a roof’s life without necessarily looking dramatic from the ground. Across the decade the metro recorded 23 hail reports. Reported property damage from hail, severe wind and tornado over that decade totalled $10.2 million; flood and winter-storm losses are counted separately and are not included.
When is the worst time of year for roof damage in Riverside?
Severe-weather reports in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA statistical area cluster in August, July, September, 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 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 Riverside?
The CSLB record also shows complaint and disciplinary history, including citations and accusations. Treat any status other than Active as disqualifying.
Is Riverside a hard market to find a good roofer in?
The Inland Empire is a heat and ultraviolet market, not a storm market, with only ten damaging-hail reports in the past decade. Roofs here fail from thermal cycling and UV degradation, so material selection and radiant barrier matter more than impact rating, and cool-roof compliance under California’s Title 24 energy code applies to most replacements in this climate zone. One thing to note about this ranking: the two highest-scoring certified contractors serving Riverside are based in Orange County and also serve the Los Angeles metro. They score highest because they are certified, well rated and within range, but if you would rather use a firm headquartered in the Inland Empire itself, the three companies below them are all locally based and we have marked them as such.
Is wind or hail the bigger risk to a roof in Riverside?
Wind, by a wide margin. The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA statistical area logged 115 severe thunderstorm and high wind reports against 10 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 Los Angeles, CA, about 49 miles from Riverside
- Best roofers in San Diego, CA, about 79 miles from Riverside
- Best roofers in Oxnard, CA, about 105 miles from Riverside
- Best roofers in Bakersfield, CA, another CA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in Santa Maria, CA, another CA metro on the same formula
- Best roofers in San Francisco, CA, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Boston, MA, a metro of comparable size
- Best roofers in Las Vegas, NV, also scored, about 199 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 Riverside, 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.